Flying Kiwis – July 2
Michael Boxall – Minnesota United (American Major League Soccer)
Michael Boxall may have told reporters that he didn’t want the spotlight of MLS All Star status but the voters didn’t listen, sending him on the way to his first ever selection. The squad was announced last Thursday NZT and alongside names like Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba, and Hirving Lozano (and seven USA internationals) was Michael Boxall of Minnesota United. And also Dayne St Clair of Minnesota Utd, his Canadian goalkeeper teammate who’ll be joining Boxy in playing against the Liga MX All Stars in a month’s time.
This is Boxall’s tenth season in the competition (nine with Minnesota, where he’s the leading appearance maker, and one early in his career with Vancouver Whitecaps). He’ll join Ryan Nelsen as the only other NZer to have played in an MLS All Star game. Fine company to be keeping. Plus, yeah, he’ll potentially get to smack a few long balls over the top for Lionel Messi having already gone up against him (and won) this year.
MLS.com: “An early frontrunner for MLS Defender of the Year, Boxall is the anchor for a stout Minnesota defense. With the New Zealand international starting every one of their first 18 matches, the Loons have conceded 20 goals, tied for the second-fewest in the Western Conference.”
Minnesota United: “Defender Michael Boxall has been a key figure in the Minnesota backline since joining the club during its inaugural season in 2017. He is the all-time leader in appearances (252), starts (251) and minutes (22,501) for the Loons across all competitions. This season, Boxall leads the team with an 86% passing accuracy, has made 26 clearances, and captained a five-man backline that’s tied for fourth for fewest goals conceded in the league, to-date (20). For his crucial defending moments, Boxall has earned Team of the Matchday (TOTM) honors for Matchdays 2, 3, and 15.”
Boxall had been one of the leading vote-getters during the public part of the selection process and that’s how he earned his way in there. He and Tristan Blackmon (Vancouver Whitecaps) were the two centre-backs voted in, while Jakob Glesnes (Philadelphia Union) and Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati) were picked by coach’s choice... though they finished third and fourth in the vote count anyway. That does mean no room for Finn Surman. It’s a 26-man roster picked across 30 MLS teams so this is a pretty exclusive crew and with only four central defenders making the cut it was always unlikely for someone like Surman who hasn’t been around this league long enough to have built up that kind of elite reputation. He’s fast on his way, though. Maybe next season.
Getting back to Minnesota, the club celebrated this news with a presentation for Boxy at team training (Dayne St Clair is away at the Gold Cup with Canada). They got a bunch of local school kids to out there with handmade signs and he took the time to shake the hands of every single of them. Then his family emerged with his son handing him a customised jersey. It was a beautiful scene... even though Boxy did joke that there were far too many cameras for his liking.
Michael Boxall: “I’ve never been disappointed when I haven’t made (the All-Star Game), so I think making it doesn’t really ring like the opposite of that. Me being there, it feels more like a team award. If there ever was a time when an individual took credit for what the whole team does, I think this is an example of that. Just how we play as a team and defend, it’s the whole eleven guys on the field for sure.”
MNUFC head coach Eric Ramsay: “On so many fronts, he is deserving of this. First and foremost for a player who has been here this long to have this opportunity at this stage in his career is huge. It’s huge for him, it’s huge for the club, and it’s also a testament to how he’s looked after himself and the level of performance he’s been able to maintain and the way people look to him here. He’s been a huge part of everything that’s happened since I’ve been here. He’s been a real consistent performer and I’d say that this year he’s gone on to another level.”
With those festivities complete, Minnesota United had two games to play. First they beat Houston Dynamo 3-1 at home, producing a powerhouse defensive showing to restrict Houston to only two shots on target despite allowing them nearly two-thirds of possession. The Loons pounced three times within a ten minute barrage with the goals scored by Bongi Hlongwane (60’, 63’) and Robin Lod (70’). There was a frisky moment at the end of the first half when Boxy conceded a penalty with a sliding challenge... but the VAR took a peek and he clearly won the ball. Decision overturned. It was Boxall who then sparked the opening goal with another one of those tantalising long throws of his. Flicked on at the near post and finished off by Hlongwane (whose family had travelled from South Africa to watch him). The only blemish to the day was a goal conceded in the fourth minute of injury time to spoil the clean sheet.
A few days after that game came a trip to face New York Red Bulls. Again we saw the Minnesota United strategy of defensive solidity whilst conceded lots of possession. This time the opps were harder to withstand though. Emil Forsberg gave Red Bulls an 11th min lead before the Loons took their two best chances to be up 2-1 at half-time with Kelvin Yeboah (32’) and Anthony Markanich (45’) scoring the goals. The first of those was a magical team move. The second... another Boxy long throw leading to chaos. Flick on and finish. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Boxy might’ve felt he owed them that one because he had been beaten for the first goal (and then gave Eric Choupo-Moting a shove that might’ve led to a penalty if Forsberg hadn’t scored anyway). Nevertheless, the Loons were in a great spot leading at the break in a tough away fixture. Except that NYRB didn’t ease up. Instead they piled on the pressure throughout the second half and Choupo-Moting eventually snatched a ninetieth minute equaliser. No less than Red Bulls deserved but still a pesky one for Minnesota to have to settle for a 2-2 draw.
For his midweek exploits, Michael Boxall was selected to his fourth MLS Team of the Matchday for 2025. he’s made it in weeks 2, 3, 15, and now 20. So all within the past week that’s All Star selection, another Team of the Matchday nod, and two strong performances leading to four points which further consolidates Minnesota United in third place of the Western Conference. Not so long ago he scored a crucial goal in helping his country qualify for the World Cup. The Loons have a US Open Cup quarter-final to play in a week’s time. About all that’s missing is a contract extension (he signed a one-year deal for 2025 last September so that actually might be something to watch for).
Finally, here’s the man himself supporting Brother Nikko at the Club World Cup, love to see it...
Up Next: FC Dallas vs Minnesota United on Saturday at 12.45pm (NZT)
Finn Surman - Portland Timbers (American Major League Soccer)
Nice to get a week off... but the return to action was a shock to the system for all involved as Portland were smoked 3-0 away against Toronto FC. The third of those goals was an OG scored by Surman’s pal and host Ian Smith (to be clear: the 22yo American soccer player, not the 68yo kiwi cricket commentator). Nothing that Surman could have done about any of the goals but it wasn’t one of his better performances either. He’s also slipped back to sixth on the “Most Defensive Clearances in the MLS” charts... a couple of spots behind Michael Boxall who is up to third. Lucas Bartlett of DC United is top with 130. Boxy has 127. Surman has 124. It’s going to be very close battle the rest of the way for a statistic that none of these players probably care about.
Up Next: Portland vs New England on Sunday at 2.30pm (NZT)
Ben Waine - Port Vale (English League One)
The Waine Train has pulled in at the Port Vale station. Things didn’t go the way he’d have hoped while at Plymouth Argyle but reputations can be deceptive. Across all of his football in England so far, he’s averaged a goal every 199 minutes. That’s only slightly worse than he did in the A-League. Obviously the cup stuff is doing some heavy lifting there but it’s also only really been cup games where he’s been given a proper opportunity. In two and a half seasons, Waine has made 67 league appearances across the Championship and League One and only twelve of those were starts. He’s never played ninety minutes in England, not even in the cups.
Plymouth Argyle were promoted six months into Waine’s time there and in hindsight that probably wasn’t great for his development. It meant they went from winning regularly to losing regularly and cycling through managers. By the time they loaned him out to Mansfield Town, they’d clearly given up on him – they didn’t even recall him and loan him elsewhere when he was stuck rotting on the bench. No surprises when Argyle chose not to take up the third-year option in his contract... but that’s their problem.
PVFC manager Darren Moore: “We're really pleased to welcome Ben to the club. He's a young striker who will come in and give us something different, and another player who has experienced this level, as well as the international stage. We'll look forward to embedding him into the group and continuing his development here at Vale Park.”
Not sure if a 24-year-old should still be considered a “young striker” seeking to “[continue] his development” but fair enough, he hasn’t really proven himself in England yet. And he’ll find competition for his place from established strikers like Lorent Tolaj and Jayden Stockley. This oughta be his chance though. Plymouth and Port Vale were two divisions apart this time last year but Plymouth just got relegated and Port Vale just got promoted so they’re meeting in the middle in League One. Circle those fixtures on the schedule. This is the division that Waine began at after first leaving the Wellington Phoenix and it seems like the right level for him to get his career back on the tracks (train pun intended).
Ben Waine: “To be fair, I knew there was a little bit of interest towards the back of last season so I did keep an eye on how Port Vale were doing. And it was really awesome to see how well they did in the end and obviously to get promoted is huge for the club and the area. Then speaking with Darren Moore, it’s just excited me the project that is here and what they think they can do for me as a player and what I can bring to the team. It just all seemed to come together, to be honest.”
In that interview he also stressed how valuable it’ll be for him to have gotten this deal done bright and early (this was announced within hours of his previous contract ending), giving him a full preseason with his new team. That quote above also confirmed that this wasn’t some sudden whim from Port Vale – they very much targeted him even while he was struggling at Mansfield Town. That sounds like a team that believes in what he’s got to offer.
There have been a couple of kiwis who’ve played for Port Vale in the past. Chris Killen and David Mulligan both spent time there plus Deklan Wynne was with the club towards the end of the season before last, carrying on into the following preseason although he never played a competitive game for them. None of those three lasted a full season with the Vale. Last year we saw four different NZers get minutes in League One (Max Crocombe, Tyler Bindon, Nik Tzanev, and Matt Dibley-Dias) but none of them are still at those clubs so this is a nice little addition to keep the kiwi distribution going across the divisions. With Chris Wood in the Premier League, Max Crocombe leading the way in the Championship, Ben Waine in League One, and Max Mata and Nik Tzanev in League Two, we already have a presence in each of the top four tiers of English football for next season and that’s with several more fellas in contention to join them.
Up Next: Happy old preseason things
Joe Bell – Viking FK (Norwegian Eliteserien)
There aren’t very many games happening at this time of the year but we do have the MLS blokes and we do have Joe Bell with Viking FK. And nothing’s slowing these guys down. VFK played twice this week, starting with the Norwegian Cup quarter-final away against Aalesund. They had a surprisingly tough time with this match, struggling to break down a dogged underdog and perhaps bringing a little bit of complacency to the table too. Risky business against the club that knocked Bodø/Glimt out in the third round. But Viking got there eventually when Zlatko Tripic (of course) set up Peter Christiansen for an 82nd minute winner to send them through with a 1-0 result. Survive and advance.
They’ll face Sarpsborg away in the semi-final next week while it’s Lillestrøm vs Kristiansund in the other match. Viking have won the Norwegian Cup on six occasions with the most recent being in 2019... just before Bellinho first joined them. The 2025 run has been extremely blessed because they’ve managed to get to the final four without facing a fellow Eliteserien while their biggest rivals all got knocked out in other ties. Their semi-final opponents, Sarpsborg, currently sit seventh in the Eliteserien – although they did draw 0-0 with Viking back in May. Kristiansund are ninth and Viking have beaten them twice already this year. Lillestrøm are from the second division. In other words, Viking should be genuine favourites to lift the trophy.
The Vikes also remain top of the pops in the Eliteserien after drawing 1-1 with Rosenborg. They did cough up a half-time lead on their way to that point but a draw away against the third-ranked team is clearly a positive result... even if it did snap a nine-game winning streak across league and cup action. Jakob Hansen scored VFK’s goal with a tidy finish in off the post after 28 mins. Rosenborg equalised after 70 mins. Bell completed 42/45 passes with four of those credited as key passes. Won a couple tackles. Drew a couple fouls. Another very controlled performance from him in the middle of the park against a tricky opponent.
Up Next: Viking vs Strømsgodset at 2am on Sunday (NZT)
Moses Dyer - Galway United (League of Ireland Premier Division)
Enjoy those spectacular highlights because they’re all we’re gonna get from Mighty Moses in Ireland. News came through last week that Dyer’s release clause (estimated to be around €60,000) had been triggered by LOI rivals Derry Town... but that he’d rejected that offer in favour of a move overseas. It hasn’t been announced yet but it’s understood that he’ll instead be joining Phnom Penh Crown in the Cambodian Premier League. Dyer’s already said his goodbyes to his Galway United teammates, leaving as the current Golden Boot leader with 10 goals from 20 appearances.
This is a move that’s caused shock in Ireland coming so soon after Damien Duff suddenly resigned as manager of defending champs Shelbourne – both instances seen as consequences of the League of Ireland not being as professional about its business as it ought to be. Dyer probably wasn’t going to earn an All Whites recall for the World Cup playing out of Ireland but he’d got himself back into the conversation. Hard to see that continuing while he’s playing in Cambodia... granted, there are always other factors involved. Dyer only recently announced his engagement to his partner Layla and Cambodia is much closer to Aotearoa than Ireland. Plus a big contract offer combined with minimal income tax means he’s going to be earning six figures in USD and let’s be honest very few of us would turn that down.
John Caulfield, Galway Utd coach: “Look, it’s been ongoing for eight or ten weeks. He wants to go closer to home. The World Cup is next year and he wants to make the New Zealand panel. He thinks that going to Oceania is better for him and I think he’s spoken to the management of New Zealand over that. So that obviously played its part. At the moment, he’s still our player. Obviously there’s money involved. But we’ve known it for a while.
Moses has done well when he played for us. But in modern football, nowadays, you know we signed him last November and he insisted on a clause with his agent because he had a choice of staying in Canada and we went for that. And I s’pose like everything it’s a challenge but after twenty games he’s top goal scorer and we’re happy with that. We wish him well.”
That also means that Dyer’s last act in a Galway jersey was to get sent red carded in the defeat against Sligo Rovers last week. He would have played against Shelbourne (a 1-1 draw) more recently except he was suspended. Now there’s a fortnight’s break and the deal should go through before they return away against Bohemians. So it goes. It was a short time in Ireland but it was a good time.
Phnom Penh Crown were second in the Cambodian league last year but have won it more times than any other club. They’re regulars in Asian continental competitions (they were in the same group as Macarthur in the AFC Cup last year, winning 3-0 at home and losing 5-0 away). This is a strong and ambitious team and Dyer should score plenty of goals with them.
Research is a bit tricky on this but at least two NZ-born players featured in last year’s Cambodian PL. They were Aarun Lim, formerly of Melville United (born in NZ but an age-grade international for Cambodia), who played for Tiffy Army though has just made the switch to Boeung Ket for the upcoming season; and also Ashnarvy Mustapha, once of Petone (and also aligned with Cambodia internationally), who signed with Visakha though it’s not clear if he played much/at all and he’s now back in NZ with Christchurch United.
Up Next: Waiting on that transfer to go through
Elijah Just - SKN St. Pölten (Austrian Erste Liga)
Nön.at: “Elijah Just bye, bye! The New Zealander is no longer an issue in autumn. St. Pölten had a purchase option – but this could not be managed after the FC32 exit. Also in view of the fact that Just sees himself at a higher division with a view to the 2026 World Cup. The New Zealand international is under contract with Danish club AC Horsens until next summer. Just scored six times in 19 second division games for the SKN.”
Well, there we go. Confirmation that SKN St. Pölten will not be picking up the buy-now option after Elijah Just’s loan deal ended. The deadline was the end of last month and they would have liked to keep him around but they simply couldn’t afford it after the whole FC32 debacle (American investors who abruptly withdrew their support of the club a few weeks ago, leaving them strapped for cash – this was covered in the last edition). On top of that, Just didn’t really want to stay. He’d been awesome dipping down into the Austrian second division to get his career flowing again after falling out with AC Horsens but that only proved that he’s capable of playing at a better level. He should get that chance now.
As the Austrians point out, EJ still has one more year under contract with AC Horsens in the Danish second tier so we may be looking at another loan or we may be looking at a permanent transfer with a fee. Horsens would no doubt prefer the latter. It’s also possible he reintegrates with ACH but that feels like the smallest likelihood of the three possibilities. We shall see what unfolds.
Up Next: To be determined...
Helena Errington – Sporting Club Jacksonville (American USL Super League)
Sporting JAX: “Helena Errington, a native of New Zealand, made her professional debut for the Wellington Phoenix FC. She was the top scorer at the Oceania U-20 World Cup qualifiers. She was an all-star in the National Premier League Women in Australia and played in Portugal with Sporting CP before signing with Wellington Phoenix. Her attacking creativity and international flair will be a strength for Sporting JAX’s midfield.”
Helena Errington’s had an atypical career to date. She excelled as a youngster playing in the NZ National League a few years ago and has been one of the standouts at every NZ age grade level she’s played at, including both U17 and U20 World Cups. However, it’s taken time to get the club stuff settled. She went over to Sporting Lisbon in Portugal a couple of years ago and trained with them for an extended time but wasn’t able to sign permanently. Then she came back as a scholarship player for the Wellington Phoenix before spending last winter as a key player for Bentleigh Greens in the Aussie state league. Now here she is signing with USL Super League expansion team Sporting Club Jacksonville.
This the same competition that Grace Wisnewski left the Wellington Phoenix for (as well as Nix imports Isabel Cox, Hope Breslin, and Hailey Davidson) – it was designed as a rival to the NWSL, though effectively operates as the competition which scoops up the excess players that don’t make it in that ruthless and much more established main competition. It’s also healthily backed financially with player salaries way in excess of what the A-League can offer based on what A-League folks have been saying. The USL Super League recently finished its inaugural season with the Tampa Bay Sun lifting the championship.
SC Jacksonville are an expansion team for the 2025-26 season that’ll bring it up to nine teams with several more in the process of joining in the future. Errington was part of a wave of signings which also included Englishwoman Jade Pennock who was part of the Central Coast Mariners team that won the previous A-League. The team now has 20 players under contract, most of them Americans and most of those Americans being recent college graduates. The other international players are Spanish forward Andrea Fernandez and German goalkeeper Jamie Gerstenberg, both of whom came through USA universities. SCJ’s first ever game will be a preseason friendly against Scottish champions Hibernian (followed by an exhibition against Wrexham). Hibs beat Vic Esson’s Rangers in the final game to win that title. That’ll be a great initial test for the Floridans.
Alas, as one kiwi midfielder joins the competition, another has had to leave. Grace Wisnewski was the first signing made by Lexington but she barely ended up playing for them. She was coming back off an ACL injury to begin with and she did manage to finally make a few consecutive starts at the end of things but with only 13 appearances (498 mins) from 28 games for the team that finished dead last... it’s probably best that she looks somewhere else. For what it’s worth, they’re dumping damn near the whole roster...
Americans have a history of underrating and underusing kiwi footballers hence that’s the risk that Helena Errington is taking with this move. But when it works, it really works. This’ll be good fun.
Up Next: Sunday 3 August at 11am is the SCJ vs Hib friendly (NZT)
Niko Kirwan – Calcio Padova (Italian Serie C)
There’s the official confirmation of what we knew to be true a month ago (based on media reports). Niko Kirwan has been released by Calcio Padova at the conclusion of his contract. He captained the team many times over the past two years but after earning promotion to Serie B there are now different regulations to adhere to when it comes to squad building. The main part of that is an emphasis on younger players so the club decided to cut ties with one of their two older right wing-backs... and it was Kirwan who drew the short straw.
It’s still destination unknown for Kirwan at this stage. Suggestions had been that he may choose to look outside of Italy for his next move in the hope of putting himself in contention for World Cup selection... though there have been whispers about other Serie C clubs. We’ll see how that goes. In the meantime, here’s a hang with him and his dad...
Up Next: TBD
Andre De Jong – Stellenbosch (South African Premier Soccer League)
Preseason has begun with ADJ returning for a third full season with the Stellies. They finished third in the PSL last term, meaning that they’ve qualified again for the CAF Confederation Cup (which they made the semi-finals of in 2024-25 despite it being the club’s first ever continental excursion). While he only got one goal and two assists in 25 league appearances during that campaign, playing mostly as an attacking midfielder, De Jong was a regular starter and his coach assures us he’s got that underrated special ability to improve the team around him. Plus he scored seven goals across the various other competitions so he wasn’t exactly in a drought.
Coach Steve Barker made several pleas for ADJ to be recalled to the New Zealand national team which so far have gone unheeded but he’s gotta be close. It might only take one or two injuries and with a World Cup coming up that makes this a hugely important season for Andre. And he’s already bossing it in preseason fitness testing so he’s off to a promising start.
Up Next: He’s probably still running shuttles
Nik Tzanev – Newport County (English League Two)
It was announced two weeks ago (read about that here) but now that June has faded into July, it can be made official: Nik Tzanev has joined Newport County. He’s linked up with the English fourth tier club (which is actually based in Wales) with the intention of being their starting goalkeeper and potentially earning a spot in the All Whites squad for the World Cup, having recently gotten back into the mix for their tour of Canada.
Nik Tzanev: “I’m really excited to get going. Now I’m in with the lads and the coaches, I just want to crack on, kick-start pre-season, and make sure we begin the season really strong. Everything we’ve discussed is positive. We want to play attacking football but also be hard to beat. We want to run teams over, keep clean sheets, and stay compact as a unit. It’s a big focus this season to be solid defensively and limit the goals we concede. Personally, it’s about building strong relationships with the back line and keeping as many clean sheets as possible. It’s not just about the defence, and we’ve got to work together as a team. I’m really looking forward to it. The fans have a reputation for being passionate and I always try to build that connection with them early on. They’re there every week for us – we want to repay them with strong performances.”
Newport County have also signed 26yo goalie Jordan Wright who played 37 times for Grimsby Town last season before they kicked him to the curb. He’ll be Tzanev’s competition for the gloves. The Exiles, as they’re known, have made six new signings so far with one of those being centre-back Lee Jenkins who previously played alongside NZ’s Zac Jones at Haverfordwest County in the Welsh top flight. No word on what Jones is up to since he left that club but with The New Saints having signed another keeper and already having gotten into preseason it’s looking like that rumour may have been a bit presumptuous.
Up Next: Straight into it with the preseason friendlies
Ali Riley - Angel City FC (American National Women’s Soccer League)
What a happy sight. Ali Riley has been on the season-ending injury list since last August due to a chronic leg injury. She tried to make a comeback for the Olympic Games just prior but it didn’t happen. It’s been a bummer... yet she’s been battling away behind the scenes to try and keep her career going and getting back into limited training again is a massive milestone in that quest. It’s probably unlikely she gets back onto the pitch this year but who knows. Her contract with Angel City expires at the end of this season meaning she’s at least got to prove to them that she’s worthy of another deal. Even if she doesn’t play, these could be a crucial few months in her career.
The NWSL is in the middle of its midseason break while international fixtures take place around the world... although not for New Zealand, of course. The next round of fixtures aren’t until the start of August so you’d hope that Macey Fraser will be ready to go for Utah Royals by then having not played since late-April due to a knee injury. Utah had a big injury crisis around that time so Fraser’s issue didn’t get covered very specifically. All we know is that it’s a “knee injury”... at least it’s not a recurrence of the ankle issues she struggled with last year. She’s back juggling in her latest TikTok and her coach implied a few weeks ago that all the injured players were close to a comeback so they probably just didn’t want to rush her back when there was a five-week break coming up.
Up Next: More recovery
Oscar Obel-Hall - Middelfart BK (Danish Division 2)
MiddelfartBoldKlub.dk: “Players have been sent on a short summer holiday, but there is a bustle in the office and stadium preparing for an upcoming season which will present new challenges. Training starts again on Monday 30 June in preparation for Middelfart Boldklub's debut in Betinia LIGA, which in the coming season is the name of the first division previously called NordicBet Liga. In this process, changes are made to the squad, where new forces must be added and that work will continue for the rest of June, July, and further into August. The transfer window closes September 1st. We have said goodbye to Peter Dahl Kristensen, William Akpan, Mads Jørgensen, and Oscar Obel-Hall from the last season's squad and also Assistant Lars Spinner Hansen wanted to resign.”
Righto then, no more Oscar Obel-Hall with Middelfart. The 21yo kiwi striker managed 14 games with one goal for the club last season though only one of those was a start. His contributions added up to roughly 222 minutes of footy. Much of that was in the league as Middelfart went on to finish second and earn promotion up to the first division (second tier)... but all of it was prior to the winter break. When the club returned to action in 2025, he popped up occasionally as an unused sub across the initial month back and then disappeared completely over the final ten matches. He’s now unattached. Unlike another lad from his same age group: Kian Donkers, who had been playing academy stuff with NEC Nijmegen and VVV-Venlo over in the Netherlands... but he’s now back and has signed with Birkenhead United. Watch out for him in future editions of The Niche Cache’s Domestic Football Roundups.
Up Next: Another TBD
Zac Jones – The New Saints (Welsh/Cymru Premier)
Cymru Premier Team of the Season: “GK – Zac Jones (Haverfordwest County) - Haverfordwest conceded the least amount of goals than any other side this season and a lot of that was down to the heroics of New Zealand goalkeeper Zac Jones. The Kiwi shutout the opposition a total of 15 times in the 31 matches he played in.”
Been saving that one for when Jonesy’s next move gets announced... but that whole scenario’s gotten kinda murky. See, Welsh media had made it sound like Zac Jones was an imminent signing for Cymru Premier champs The New Saints when he left Haverfordwest County with the league’s Golden Glove award and Team of the Season selection. To be specific, The Pembrokeshire Herald wrote: “Club officials have confirmed that Jones will now move on to a full-time opportunity, with multiple sources suggesting a transfer to The New Saints (TNS) is imminent—although neither club has officially confirmed the move”.
Except that it’s now four weeks later and nothing has happened. Also, TNS just signed Nathan Shepperd, a former Welsh U21 international, from Queen’s Park Rangers. Maybe they want two options and they’ll let them duke it out. Or maybe TNS have gone in a different direction. Given that they’re already several games into preseason due to the early start demanded by Champions League qualifiers... it would appear to be the latter. But let’s not jump to conclusions too soon.
Up Next: Yet more TBD stuff
George Stanger - Kilmarnock (Scottish Premiership)
Straight into it for George Stanger at Killie. Wearing the same #14 jersey that he wore at his previous club Ayr United (his dad Tony was a rugby winger so there may be a connection there), he nestled straight into the starting line-up for a preseason game against AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands. Killie lost 2-0 and there was a triallist in goal so we can’t read too much into this as far as any first eleven indications go... but the rest of the team looked pretty decent - there were only two shirt numbers above 20. Kilmarnock have since won 3-0 against Welsh champs The New Saints back in Scotland although line-up details weren’t revealed for that one. So far so good.
Up Next: There’s a friendly on Saturday between Kilmarnock and Ayr United... that’ll be a doozy for George Stanger having just left one to join the other
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