Flying Kiwis – July 16
Elijah Just – Motherwell (Scottish Premiership)
There we go. Elijah Just’s Mothwerwell move was confirmed last Thursday NZT with the Scottish club paying an undisclosed fee to sign him on a two-year contract (with a club option for a third). This reunites him with coach Jens Berthel Askou who previously signed Just at AC Horsens... and then also kinda hastened the end of Just’s time in Denmark by causing a rift when he tried to sign him for IFK Göteborg in January 2024. Turns out it was a good thing that didn’t happen because JBA didn’t last very long in Sweden. Since then he’s had stints as an assistant with Sparta Prague and FC Copenhagen before being unveiled as the next Motherwell boss one month ago.
This comes after Elijah Just’s excellent spell with SKN St Pölten in the Austrian second division where he kept scoring wondergoal after wondergoal. The Wolves had an option-to-buy as part of that loan deal and they were keen enough... but got dumped into a financial hole when their American investment funding was pulled at sudden notice. They simply couldn’t afford it. Therefore Just reverted to being an AC Horsens player with one more year on his contract in search of another transfer and he didn’t have to search too hard. This makes EJ the third kiwi player in a short space of time to get a healthy career boosting transfer thanks to a former coach, following on from Sarpreet Singh/Darije Kalezic at TSC Bačka Topola), and Tyler Bindon/Ruben Selles at Sheffield United.
Elijah Just: “I’ve had a great welcome from everyone at the club. It’s great to be in the building and getting straight down to work. The season gets started this weekend, and I can’t wait to get playing. The discussions with the manager have been inspiring. He told me about his vision at Motherwell, and it sounds like a place you want to be as a player. I’m looking forward to meeting all the fans and starting our journey together.”
Bossman Askou: “I’m delighted to be welcoming Elijah to Motherwell FC. Elijah is a left-footed and technically very good player with a highly developed game intelligence. He thrives in small spaces within the opposition’s organisation where his ability to dribble or link up causes big dilemmas. Driving the ball with speed and moving fast into dangerous areas, he’ll use his strong finishing skills and creativity to create chances for his teammates. He is a good and intelligent presser of the ball and understands the value of working hard out of possession. Elijah will add tempo, speed, and effectiveness to our attacking game. I really look forward to integrating him into the team.”
That process of integrating Just into the team has already begun courtesy of the Scottish League Cup group stage. Motherwell played twice over the last few days, beginning with a 2-2 draw away against Clyde. Bit of a messy performance against a League Two team where they twice had to find equalisers along the way, though that’s probably to be expected at this time of the year. Just was subbed on for his competitive debut with half an hour to go and while he wasn’t able to set up a winning goal playing as a central attacking midfielder, he did score in the penalty shootout as Motherwell earned a bonus point. There were three debutants in the starting team and another three, including Just, who debuted off the bench. It was also the manager’s first game in charge.
Then came a fixture against Peterhead (League One) – the first time these two clubs have met for 75 years. Peterhead have young kiwi striker Oliver Colloty in their ranks, in fact he scored from the penalty spot in a 4-2 loss against Greenock Morton on matchday one (highlights here). Colloty started that game and then got half an hour off the bench against Motherwell. As for Elijah Just, he made his starting debut in this match but was limited to half a game as he ramps up.
EJ was again used in a number ten role where he could drift around and show off that silky left foot. Yet it was Peterhead who scored first, catching Motherwell off guard with a long goal kick. It didn’t take very long for Motherwell to tie things up as Emmanuel Longelo finished off a move that had begun with Just carrying the ball forward and feeding their right-winger... but it did take a long time for the winning goal. That one didn’t arrive until 90+1’ when Lukas Fadinger did the honours. 2-1 to Motherwell. Five points from two games has them on track to advance to the knockouts. Very promising.
Also, there was no video of this one but George Stanger made his Kilmarnock debut in his team’s League Cup opener away to Brora Rangers. Logged ninety in a 2-0 win against last season’s Highland League champions. Killie plays again tomorrow morning (Thursday).
Up Next: Stenhousemuir vs Motherwell at 2am on Sunday; Motherwell vs Greenock Morton at 6.45am on Wednesday (NZT)
Joe Bell – Viking FK (Norwegian Eliteserien)
It’s been a long time since anyone could say that Viking FK have had a bad week... but they certainly had one this week. No doubt about it. They were knocked out of the Norwegian Cup in the semi-final stage and then got beaten comfortably by second-placed Brann to open the Eliteserien title race back up. Tough few days for the club which have undone some of the outstanding work they’d done during their long unbeaten streak (some but not all). But at least within the misery we got to see some Bellinho magic...
The terrors began with a midweek clash against Sarpsborg in the Norwegian Cup semi-final, a game that VFK was anticipated to win (even though it was their first against a rival Eliteserien team during this cup run). Instead they conceded after 50 minutes when Jo Inge Berget finished off a direct move and then spurned a couple of good late chances that could have forced extra time. It was a very stoic defensive shift from Sarpsborg, credit where it’s due, but a big disappointment for Viking who spoiled a massive chance for silverware... as well as breaking a 19-game unbeaten streak across all competitions. Bell played the full thing and got a yellow card.
After which they compounded things by losing 3-1 against Brann. A deflected effort after 17 minutes put them in trouble, then ten minutes later they conceded again from a header off a corner which the VFK goalkeeper fumbled. Terrible way to start an important game. They did temporarily get one back before the break except that Sander Svendsen was ruled offside, thus negating his runaway goal after a review. Viking were a lot more effective in the second half but Brann managed the game smoothly before heading in a third goal with quarter of an hour remaining. Joe Bell did what he did right at the end, with Brann also getting a red card right before the final whistle.
Make that two goals and three assists for Bell in the Eliteserien. His main job is to shield the defence and build things up in possession but he’s also added a little extra going forwards this season and that’s been huge for the Vikes in establishing a healthy lead in the title race. This defeat does mean that Tromsø could overtake them by winning all three of their games in hand, however nobody else (including Brann) are within immediate reach. Losing twice in a row after going 19 games undefeated across all competitions is quite a wobble though. This’ll test this young squad’s fortitude... especially because the challenges don’t slow down from here. They face Bodø/Glimt next, followed by the first leg of their Europa Conference League qualifiers.
Up Next: Viking vs Bodø/Glimt at 4am on Sunday (NZT)
Marko Stamenic – Nottingham Forest (English Premier League)
Would you look at that? Nottingham Forest got their preseason slate underway over the weekend with a 0-0 draw against Chesterfield and while Chris Wood was one of the many Forest first-choicers absent for this match, there was kiwi flair in abundance with Marko Stamenic and Matt Dibley-Dias starting in opposite midfield units. Dibs played an hour as he continues to settle in at his new loan club. Stamenic played 45 mins in his first appearance of any description for Nottm Forest.
There were a few notable names in that NFFC eleven: Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ola Aina were both involved while Murillo played off the bench. But for the most part it was a backup group with only three of their top ten dudes for minutes played last season involved... those being the three just mentioned. Stamenic was one of four returning loanees amongst the starters: David Carmo (Olympiacos), Omar Richards (Rio Ave), and Dale Taylor (Wigan) being the others. Clearly Nuno Espirito Santo was using this game as a chance to have a look at his fringe players and check if any of them might be ready for an expanded role. Stamenic has been training with the first team since they amassed a week ago and what he does there will probably have a bigger impact that his half-game against Chesterfield.
Most likely he still goes out on loan (there’s even been a rumour he may return to Olympiacos... which would only make sense if Christos Mouzakitis gets sold) but at the very least this is good experience and an opportunity to get some grounding as a Nottingham Forest representative. We’ll see how much he features in the next few games because those friendly squads tend to get chiselled back as the actual season nears. One way or another, that’ll tell us more about where he stands.
Since that game, Chris Wood and all the other main jokers have returned to training having had an extra week off before reporting on Monday morning. That included Morgan Gibbs-White, who is currently in the middle of a transfer saga with Tottenham trying to active his release clause and Forest threatening legal action over an improper approach. This after Anthony Elanga was sold to Newcastle United. That’s some big money hitting the accounts for NFFC in return... but Elanga and MGW combined for eight assists out of Chris Wood’s 20 Premier League goals last campaign. He’s a striker that thrives on service and he might be about to lose both of his main providers.
Among other preseason action over the weekend, Ben Waine came off the bench and scored for Port Vale in a 5-1 win against Bath and then he started and scored in a 3-2 win against a PFA Select team (made up of current free agents). Two in two. That’s what he’s gotta do to work his way into minutes there. Max Mata could stand to do the same at Shrewsbury but unfortunately he’s missed all three friendlies so far with a minor injury complaint. Tyler Bindon played the second half of Sheffield United’s opening friendly, more on that later. Zac Jones played half a game for Fylde (the first half, if you’re wondering). Nik Tzanev did the same for Newport County. As did Max Crocombe with Millwall – it’s so far so good in that Millwall haven’t signed another goalkeeper yet, although they did give third-choice George Evans a long-term deal. Crocombe and Evans have so far been alternating between the sticks.
Ryan Thomas (PEC Zwolle) and Callum McCowatt (Silkeborg) have also started their preseason stuff, though Dalton Wilkins hasn’t featured yet for Sønderjyske after injury ended his previous campaign prematurely. Seems he’s still not 100%. But Sarpreet Singh, having already watched a preseason game from the sideline in the days immediately after he joined TSC, got the start in a 1-0 loss against Gaziantep. He wore the #11 jersey while his Aussie teammate Milos Degenek captained the team. Still had that bandage on his hand dating back to the injury he suffered late last season but was involved in quite a few of his team’s best moments. Coach Kalezic seems to know what he’s doing.
As for Alex Paulsen at Bournemouth, he’s still hanging around despite expectations of a loan, just like Stamenic. The Cherries began their friendly slate with a 2-1 win against fellow Black Knights club Hibernian in a closed-door match. Paulsen was on the bench but it’s not clear if he played or not due to the limited facts made available. You’d imagine he probably did how friendly games usually operate. Neto was in goal to begin with. Bournemouth have reportedly signed 25yo keeper Djordje Petrovic from Chelsea for big money, though that’s somewhat offset by the outgoing move of Mark Travers to Everton. Neto is 35yo on an expiring contract and they also have 25yo Will Dennis who played one FA Cup game for the Cherries four years ago but all his senior footy has otherwise come out on loan. Dennis was the main back-up last season while Neto was out on loan at Arsenal, who’ve signed Kepa Arrizabalaga after he was Bournemouth’s main gloveman during a loan stint last term. It’s a bit like musical chairs.
Up Next: Nottm Forest vs Monaco at 2am on Sunday (NZT)
Ben Old - AS Saint-Étienne (French Ligue 2)
Speaking of preseason exploits, Ben Old scored another goal...
That was in a 1-0 win against Troyes. He also scored last week against Etoile Carouge. Two goals in two games for Oldy, who the locals reckon is playing with plenty of zip and bounce now that he’s fully recovered from the injury that limited him last campaign. Old started both matches (each held behind closed doors, though the latest one was livestreamed). In game one, coach Eirik Horneland used two distinct elevens in each half. In game two, he stretched out his main starters a little more with Old lasting the full thing - first time he’s done that in a long while. He’s mostly been used on the right wing.
What that clip doesn’t show is the Troyes goalkeeper making a shocking pass across his own goal leading to the turnover, with Ben Old on point to slam it home for the only goal. He nearly has a second near the end when some sneaky movement saw him drift in behind the defensive line but the angle wasn’t ideal and the keeper rushed out to save the 1v1 situation (skip to 2:42:22 on the livestream link for that). Old was bagging goals and assists last preseason too so gotta wait for the real stuff to begin before we hype it up too much. But these are promising signs. Very promising signs.
Up Next: There’s another friendly at 5.30am on Saturday against Servette (NZT)
Milly Clegg - Halifax Tides (Canadian Northern Super League)
That’s what happens when you run directly into a goalpost. Clegg was hunting down an aerial ball and was too focused on the keeper to worry about the metal pole she was bearing down on. She wasn’t too badly hurt, no signs of concussion or anything, but she did open up a cut over her eye which leaked plenty of blood and required some patchwork. Halifax went to their bench as that was happening... but it wasn’t Clegg who got replaced. Instead they strapped a bandage over her noggin and she finished the game.
It would have made for an ideal story had she scored the winner. She didn’t though. Rather, it was opponents AFC Toronto who snatched victory with a 79th minute goal as Lauren Rowe snuck in behind and slipped the ball through the keeper’s legs. Halifax’s goalie had made a couple of excellent saves in similar situations earlier on. They also rode their luck with a long-distance chip that hit the crossbar so while this was a really good team display from Halifax as the last-placed team up against the first-placed team... it was Toronto who created the higher quality chances and deserved their three points.
However, Halifax did win two in a row before that. There was the 1-0 win over Calgary (and Meikayla Moore) that got covered last week and also another 1-0 win, this time against Montreal with Daphnee Blouin scoring the decisive goal after 87 mins. Couple that with a solid showing in defeat against Toronto and the Tides are moving in the right direction. As is Clegg, who still hasn’t scored for her Canadian loan club but it’s tricky when you’re playing for a team that’s only scored nine times overall in 11 games (Clegg’s only played eight of those due to a hamstring injury in the early weeks). Her shooting opportunities have been rare but she’s working hard across the Tides front three and getting back into the rhythm of weekly footy. The two games this week were the first instances of her playing ninety minutes at senior club level since March 2023 when she scored a double for the Wellington Phoenix against Adelaide United.
Over on the other side of the country, Calgary Wild rebounded with a 2-1 win against Vancouver to leapfrog into fourth on the standings. Ally Green missed last week’s game but she was back alongside Meikayla Moore in that Wild defence with both of them doing full games. Good win.
Up Next: Halifax vs Vancouver on Sunday at 6am (NZT)
Michael Boxall – Minnesota United (American Major League Soccer)
There’s a funky new craze sweeping the lands and that craze is Michael Boxall’s long throws. Minnesota United didn’t score from one of them this week, breaking a streak of three matches in a row in which they had, but it hardly mattered. First of all because they scored from two corner kicks instead on their way to a 4-1 win against San Jose Earthquakes (they were 3-0 up at half-time and able to massage things from there). Secondly because the word has already gotten around. There was a yarn in The Guardian all about Minnesota United’s aggressive set pieces under coach Eric Ramsay. Six times this year the Loons have scored off the back of one of those Boxy long throws (almost always a near post flick-on and then a back post finish), while roughly one-third of their goals have come within 45 seconds of a long throw or deep free kick.
Eric Ramsay: “There’s a bit of an aura around us in set plays, particularly at home. Our crowd are wild for set plays. At corners, every single member of the crowd is swinging the scarf around. I don’t think anything we do is rocket science. I don’t think it will take the opposition long to work out what sits behind our success. But stopping it is very different.”
And that’s what was on display in the San Jose win. While the Boxy throws didn’t provide a goal on this particular day, every time he jogged forward to hurl one into the area the home fans were on their feet and cheering with anticipation. Flags were being swung. Scarves were twirling. And Boxy’s jogging forward almost every time they win a throw within thirty metres of the goal-line... any opportunity to get the ball into the box, this team takes it.
So it is that the Loons are now up to second in the Western Conference. Vancouver’s slipped up a couple times lately which has seen Minnesota rise above them and to within two points of leaders San Diego. Their 40 points after 22 games is the most the team has ever had at this stage of an MLS season. And guess what else? They’re also through to the semi-finals of the US Open Cup.
They had a very frisky quarter-final against Chicago Red Stars during the week in which they tried to rest a few players, including Boxy. But despite a red card for Chicago after 25 mins, Minny promptly conceded a penalty to go 1-0 down. Robin Lod was able to equalise early in the second spell (having been introduced as part of a triple substitution at the break) but even against ten men they struggled to find another.
Eventually they subbed Michael Boxall on after 75 minutes and that became a longer stint than expected because extra time was required. However, Kelvin Yeboah finally broke through on 95’ and then the same bloke scored again from the penalty spot at the very end for a 3-1 aet victory. Into the final four. They’ll face Austin FC in the semis in two months, while it’ll be Nashville vs either Philadelphia Union or New York Red Bulls in the other match. Minnesota has made it this far once before – back in 2019 when they were beaten finalists against Atlanta United. Michael Boxall played that day, of course.
Up Next: Thursday at 12.30pm is Minnesota vs LAFC; Sunday at 2.30 is Portland vs Minnesota (NZT)
Bill Tuiloma – Charlotte FC (American Major League Soccer)
It turns out that Bill Tuiloma’s rare start last week wasn’t a one-and-done after all. He may not have retained his gig in central defence with Andrew Privett fit enough to start and Tim Ream available from the bench but coach Dean Smith still rewarded him with a spot at right-back. Where... he kinda looked like a centre-back trying to play right-back, same as when he played that position for the All Whites recently. But he put in a shift up against the dangerous wing-play of Austrian baller Hannes Wolf, can’t deny that.
Fortunately, Idan Gorno poked in a goal in the 14th minute to have Charlotte playing from the lead most of the way. Opponents New York City FC were pretty forthcoming in trying to get back into the game but the CFC centre-backs were excellent. Tuiloma had one major attacking chance with a headed pushed wide off a corner. He was then substituted after 55 minutes. Not sure if we’ll see that experiment again... at least he got some reward for his strong CB showing last week. Kerwin Vargas scored again for Charlotte with ten to play as they claimed a 2-0 victory that means they’re undefeated in Bill Tuiloma starts this year, how about that? There have only been two of them... but considering they’d lost nine of their previous 11 fixtures that does actually mean something. Charlotte have risen to ninth in the East with their latest win putting them into the play-in position.
We didn’t go three for three though, because Finn Surman’s Portland Timbers lost 2-1 away against St Louis. Surman started as the right-sided CB in a three before switching to the middle spot during the first half. Portland scored first via David Da Costa after 19 mins but was against the run of play and Marcel Hartel’s second-half brace (54’, 67’) soon changed the tune. Both goals were scored down the RCB channel which Surman had been moved out of (probably to apply more of a press through the middle). Portland is still fifth in the West so they’re doing fine apart from the fact that they just can’t seem to string together a run of wins. They face Michael Boxall’s Minnesota next week following a midweeker against Real Salt Lake.
Up Next: Charlotte vs DC United at 11.30am on Thursday; Atlanta United vs Charlotte on Sunday at 11.30am (NZT)
Katie Bowen - Inter Milan (Italian Serie A)
Looks like Katie Bowen is staying with Inter Milan. She’s been there for two years after signing a two-year contract and nothing had been said about any kind of extension... but training has begun ahead of the next campaign and Katie Bowen was there amongst. Wouldn’t turn up if you weren’t gonna play, right? That’s some fantastic news because KB has been an important player for the Nerazzurre these past two years. Not to mention that they’ve got Champions League coming up as a reward for their brilliant second place finish in Serie A.
It’s been a minute since we last had a kiwi in the UWCL... gotta go back to the 2020-21 season when CJ Bott (Vålerenga) and Indi Riley (Fortuna Hjørring) were involved. That was before they changed the format to a group stage with fewer teams involved. Inter will still have to get through a few qualifiers first though. The first qualifying rounds begin in a fortnight. Inter will enter in the second round with the third round to follow before the top sixteen compete in the League Phase. The draw has already been made and Inter will need to beat Brann (Norway) and then the winner of Valur (Iceland) and Braga (Portugal) in order to progress to the third round, which will be a two-legged playoff.
Internazionale will do two weeks of initial preseason stuff before heading up into the mountains for a camp which will feature friendlies against Rangers and Parma. Inter have lost Michela Cambiaghi and Matilde Pavan to Juventus but otherwise it’s been a pretty steady transfer window. They’ve added Karólína Lea Vilhjálmsdóttir to replace those two midfielders as well as her fellow Icelander Cecilía Rán Rúnarsdóttir, who is a goalkeeper. Should be plenty of continuation from last term.
Sadly, there’s been chaos elsewhere with relegated Sampdoria declaring that they will not be registering a team in Serie B, opting instead to to jump lower down the ladder. They blamed it on financial logistics but the decision has been criticised for the obvious lack of ambition. NZ U20s rep and former Canterbury Pride forward Kiara Bercelli made seven Serie A appearances for Sampdoria last season but this would appear to leave her without a team.
Up Next: Forza Inter
Rebekah Trewhitt – Lewes FC (English National League South)
It was only a couple of months ago that Rebekah Trewhitt left the Wellington Phoenix system and joined Union 10 FC in the lower-leagues of America... but that chapter’s already complete. Union 10 is a team built out of a wider academy set-up and she was their first ever international player, scoring two goals in eight appearances as U10 finished third in their conference. It was only a ten-game season. Now she’s off on a different adventure...
Bonus points for the effort that went into that clip... minus points for using the Hobbit movies and not the good ones (in fairness, RT was born in 2005). But anyway, this is Rebekah Trewhitt signing with Lewes FC where she would have been reunited with former Wellington Phoenix coach Natalie Lawrence, except that Nat recently left that role to coach the Wales U17s instead. No doubt that connection was still a valuable one in getting this move done.
Katie Rood spent some time with Lewes and, more recently, Jacqui Hand played half a season there. This was a WSL2 club a couple of years ago but they got relegated during Hand’s stint and now compete in the third tier. They finished sixth in the Southern conference of the National League last time out. Not a bad spot for Trewhitt to land, to be fair. The NZ age-grade international was a standout for the Welly Nix U20s last year as a powerful and athletic fullback. That didn’t translate into a first-team opportunity but in the seven months since, she’s already been to America and England. The ambition is undeniable. Now let’s see if she can help get Lewes promoted.
Up Next: The season kicks off in a month
Victor Barbosa – RWDM Brussels (Belgian Challenger Pro League)
This transfer window continues to deliver the funk. Here we’ve got NZ U17 international and Auckland United product Victor Barbosa signing a two-year contract with RWDM Brussels in the Belgian second tier. Barbosa played first team for Auckland United last year (here’s a clip of him scoring an outrageous volley for AU’s U23s) and is primarily a midfielder, though the announcement from DB suggests he can also do a job at left-back. He’s 18 years old and this is a senior contract.
This club used to be known as RWD Molenbeek before their American owner led a controversial rebranding to Daring Brussels last month. The club itself was only founded in 2015 but it identifies itself with a few defunct clubs from the area including Daring Club de Bruxelles (founded in 1895) so that’s where the Daring bit came from. Coincidentally, that owner is John Textor whose stakes in Lyon (France) and Crystal Palace (England) have led to issues with those two teams being unable to both compete in the Europa League this season on account of the shared ownership. That situation is ongoing but if Palace does get demoted to the Conference League then Chris Wood’s Nottingham Forest will benefit by swapping European spots with them and moving up to the Europas.
Anyway, the Daring Brussels name change proved very controversial with over 3000 people signing an online petition and a few hundred even marching on the streets. Therefore the club agreed to a compromise by changing the name again to RWDM Brussels (in full: Racing White Daring Molenbeek Brussels). Whatever they’re called, they won the second tier championship three seasons ago to earn promotion to the top flight, only to immediately get relegated again. They finished third in the Challenger League last term and lost in the promotion playoffs, hence they should be challenging again this time and that makes this a great spot for Barbosa to land.
Up Next: First game of the proper season is at home against Lommel on 10 August (NZT)
Riley Bidois - Loudoun United (American USL Championship)
There’s Riley. Third goal of the USL season for the lad from Tauranga. Sixth of the season across all competitions. He’s in and out of the starting team at Loudoun but tends to do well whenever he’s given a chance to impress for the team currently running third in the Eastern Conference.
Looking further afield, Louisville City are second with Kyle Adams continuing to captain them nobly. Indy Eleven are a little further back in sixth but still on track for the playoffs with James Musa a regular at centre-back and Elliot Collier usually getting a run off the bench. Over in the West, San Antonio are sitting first although Alex Greive’s had a few injuries which have stopped him from fully establishing himself. He’s returned to make a couple of bench appearances in the past fortnight so hopefully his time is coming.
MLS Next Pro is giving us Ronan Wynne starts every week for Atlanta United as he tries to set himself up for MLS opportunities down the line. Similar story with Troy Putt at Minnesota United, even though they’re converting him into a wing-back. No idea what’s happened to Finn Linder – he’s under contract with Vancouver Whitecaps so he must be injured with something long-term because he’s not been involved in any matchday squads all year. But James Bulkeley has begun to start games after an injury-riddled beginning to his time with North Texas. Good stuff.
Up Next: Loudoun United vs Oakland Roots at 11am on Sunday (NZT)
Hannah Blake & Michaela Foster – Durham FC (English Super League 2)
Aaand that’s our confirmation that Hannah Blake, as anticipated, is staying with Durham for another season. Her new contract didn’t get announced as quickly as Mickey Foster’s but preseason got underway last week and what do ya know, there was Blakey in amongst. Same detective strategy as with Katie Bowen.
With that, all of our WSL2 crew have been accounted for. Foster and Blake are staying with Durham. Katie Kitching has re-signed with Sunderland. Indi Riley is under contract with relegated Crystal Palace (and hopefully their new coach will stop using her as a fullback... although wing-back would be fine since she’s likely to be doing a lot of that for the Footy Ferns). Jacqui Hand and Olivia Page have left Sheffield United. We haven’t added anyone to the list but there is still time. Meanwhile, the two WSL players remain unconfirmed, though you’d imagine both Grace Neville (London City) and CJ Bott (Leicester City) will stay where they are unless something better comes along. Would be cool if they’d confirm it though, since both were due to come off contract two weeks ago.
Up Next: Beep tests and broncos
Max Crocombe - Millwall (English Championship)
Max Crocombe to Southwark News: “It was an amazing time at Burton. I think after the two years I’ve had, playing pretty much every week, I just felt like I had another step up in me. I felt like if there was an opportunity to try and progress my career, I’d look to explore that. When Millwall came in, I was delighted by it, really excited by it. Another opportunity to test myself, which is what I want to do.
It’s always a step up, so I’m not naive. The shots are quicker, players move faster, speed of the game, the ball’s in play more often, all those things. But then there are probably things I’m not expecting, that I’m not necessarily thinking about, that will be a step up as well. That’s just the nature of it. I don’t expect to know everything straight away but what I’ve done in the past is always learn quickly on the job and adjust really quickly. My experience has taken me so far and I’m looking to keep doing what I’ve been doing, which is working really hard on my own game, the speed of my own game, and all the finer details as well.”
Millwall are currently over in Spain for a training camp – conditions that Crocombe will know well from all the times the All Whites have played friendlies there – where so far they’ve played games against Crystal Palace and Northampton Town. Max Crocombe played the first half against Palace while George Evans played the second spell (and conceded the only goal). Then Evans started against Northampton and Crocombe was subbed on after an hour when ten changes were made (to go with the one they made at HT when Aussie international and trialist Massimo Luongo was chucked on). The Lions won 3-0. So far they’re mixing it up and giving both (fit) goalies an extended run.
Up Next: Plenty more friendlies where those came from
Tyler Bindon - Sheffield United (English Championship)
The gaffer speaks...
Sheffield United began their preseason with a training camp in Girona. They’ve now wrapped that up and returned to England where they cracked into their first friendly by beating York City 6-2. Last year’s centre-back combo of Anel Ahmedhodzic and Jack Robinson started the game with Tyler Bindon brought on at half-time when they made a full eleven changes. Bindon wore the #6 jersey. Both goals were conceded while he was out there but they came from a direct free kick and a back-post header off a corner so neither had anything to do with Bindy. It’s Robinson that Blades fans would most like to see ousted if Bindon settles in but Ahmedhodzic is entering the last year of his current contract so he could be on transfer watch. TB will have to earn his way but it’s not hard to see a path for him eventually becoming a starter.
Up Next: The Blades are back from camp in Girona and cracking into the friendlies
Macey Fraser - Utah Royals (American National Women’s Soccer League)
How’s that for a random collaboration? Just ol’ Macey Fraser fending off Edgar Davids at a showcase pick-up event, hosted by NBA Hall of Famer (and noted footy fan) Steve Nash as a fundraiser for his foundation. Not sure how it came about but it’s something fun during the NWSL’s mid-season break... and good to see Fraser playing without any strapping on her knee or anything after her recent injury. The event was a few weeks back, held on 24 June, and featured a variety of footballers, basketballers, and other personalities. Midge Purce and Ali Krieger were among the other notable women’s players involved.
Up Next: The Royals return away against Orlando Pride on 4 August (NZT)
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