Flying Kiwis – July 30
Callum McCowatt - Silkeborg IF (Danish Superliga)
Callum McCowatt was injured this time last year, meaning that he missed out on Silkeborg’s Europa League qualifiers against Molde of Norway. They lost 5-4 on aggregate and that was the end of their campaign. This year it’s only Conference League qualifiers but McCowatt is fit and firing and coming off the finest form of his career at the end of last season. That didn’t serve him too well when Silkeborg were comfortably beaten 3-0 by Brøndby in the opening weekend of Superliga fixtures. But it sure helped get Silkeborg off to a hot start against KA Akureyri (Iceland)...
Great finish, lovely stuff. This was the first goal scored by any Silkeborg player this season and it was also Callum McCowatt’s European debut – the last time he played continental footy was with Auckland City at the 2018 Oceania Champions League.
Alas, it didn’t turn out to be the glorious afternoon that it should have been. Silkeborg did spend large chunks of time on attack but mostly all they got to show for it was shots from outside the penalty area. McCowatt had already tried a couple of sighters sent straight at the keeper before he banged in his goal after 39 mins. The longer it stayed at 1-0, the more confidence their Icelandic guests seemed to find. Silkeborg got lucky a couple of times where a shot went wide or a touch went astray but that luck ran out on 90+1’ when Hallgrímur Mar Steingrímsson smashed in an equaliser from about ten yards out on the angle. 1-1 final score.
Silkeborg paid the price for a lethargic performance in which they never seemed to find their stride. Callum McCowatt was the best on show for them. He kept things going during the second half, forcing a good low save from a left-footed strike and also picking out Tonni Adamsen with an inlet pass that led to a shot on target. Full game for Callum. However, the draw means that Silkeborg will have to win in Iceland on Friday in order to advance to the next qualifying round. Despite the lackluster first leg, they’re clearly capable of doing so. And if they do then the draw has pitted them against either Novi Pazar (Serbia) or Jagiellonia Białystok (Poland). It was 2-1 to Białystok in the first leg thanks to a 90+5th minute winner.
SIF won’t be bringing any kind of good form into that match though. The message from the coach was not to dwell on the late equaliser against KA but it only got worse when they subsequently lost 2-0 at home against FC Fredericia in the Superliga. They conceded on 25’ and 44’ and then spent most of the second half scrapping unsuccessfully for a way back into the match. McCowatt played 78 minutes and didn’t have any standout moments. That makes it two defeats in a row to begin the league campaign and a disappointing draw in their initial Conference League qualifier. Three games into the term, Callum McCowatt has scored the club’s only goal.
Up Next: Away to KA at 6am Friday in the ECL; away to Randers at 0:00 Monday in the league (NZT)
Joe Bell – Viking FK (Norwegian Eliteserien)
There were no hiccups whatsover for Viking FK as they began their own Europa Conference League journey with a home leg against Koper of Slovenia. We were only six minutes into the contest when Joe Bell dragged one back for Sander Svendsen to put the Norwegians ahead. From there, Bell continued to do his usual thing marshalling the midfield as Viking continued to dominate... though there were a few sketchy moments on the counter attack and it did take them quite a while to find a second goal. When they did, it was a fortunate one. Andrers Baertelsen tried his luck from distance and the keeper fumbled it into the net. 57 minutes gone. It was Joe Bell who passed him the ball so count that as a second assist for the Kiwifruit Bandit.
Svendsen scored his second about two minutes later. That gave Viking enough comfort to be able to substitute Joe Bell with a little over an hour gone. Some rare rest for a bloke who hasn’t missed a minute of league action for VFK since March – no player has gotten more minutes in the entire Eliteserien (granted, Viking have also played the most games... there are still five outfielders who’ve played a higher percentage of their team’s minutes than Bell).
Bell wasn’t the only one who took a breather for the last half hour either... it seems the entire Koper squad phoned it in the rest of the way as Viking romped home with four more goals to win 7-0. Remember that it was only 1-0 after 55 minutes. This was a magnificent victory that puts one foot and nine toes into the next round – where they’ll face either Cherno More (Bulgaria) or İstanbul Başakşehir (Turkey), with the Turkish side winning 1-0 away in the first leg. Plus it snapped that very slippery three-game losing streak that had been threatening to derail so much of VFK’s fine work this year.
Joe Bell: “It was a bit unusual, but I think it was good to have some rest.”
Confidence renewed, Viking then travelled to Byrne and won 3-1 in the Eliteserien. Peter Christiansen gave them the lead after exactly 127 seconds when he finished off a slick team move after a high press turnover (Bell was involved in the early part of the move). They led the entire rest of the way. Andres Baertelsen later added a second (50’) before Christiansen made it a personal brace (64’) and it was only with five minutes left that Byrne finally got on the board. Viking scored early and managed things from there. They had to do a lot of defending at 1-0 so you wouldn’t call it a comfortable ninety minutes for Joe Bell but the job got done.
This win keeps Viking seven points clear in first place. Bodo/Glimt and Tromso can both catch them by winning their games in hand, although Tromso did lose to Rosenborg this week so that helps matters. There’s about a month left in the transfer window and the performances of Joe Bell have no doubt caught the eye of a few scouts... but once upon a time Bell rejected Viking’s original approach so that he could complete his last university season in the USA with a team that had a chance to win the national championship (they lost on penalties in the final). There’s no chance he skips out on a title challenge with VFK unless something undeniable comes along, and even then he’s already had one cautionary experience from his time at Brøndby in Denmark. Wait until January before even thinking about it.
Up Next: Koper vs Viking at 6am on Friday in the ECL; Sandefjord vs Viking at 5.15am on Monday in the Eliteserien (NZT)
Jacqui Hand, Olivia Chance & Liz Anton – Kolbotn (Norwegian Toppserien)
We didn’t get the dream scenario of Chris Wood, Marko Stamenic, and Tyler Bindon all in the same Nottingham Forest team... maybe next season. But the ultra-rare triple Flying Kiwis scenario does exist in the urban municipality of Kolbotn in Norway. That’s where Liv Chance opted to get back into footy after becoming a mother. That’s where Liz Anton joined her a few weeks later after departing Canberra United. And it’s where Jacqui Hand popped up during the summer break having finished up at Sheffield United. Three New Zealanders at the same Norwegian club... and they were all in the starting eleven as the Toppserien resumed after a six week pause.
Kolbotn had to simmer in last place on the ladder during that summer break so they’ve had plenty of time to figure out how they’re going to fix things. Naturally, the signing of Jacqui Hand would have been a major part in that plan - although she is coming off consecutive relegations with Lewes and Sheff Utd. Kolbotn hosted another relegation battler in Røa, making this a hugely important first game back. And guess what? They won 2-0. First league win for KIL since April, snapping an eight-game drought. Exactly the impact they were hoping for.
Jacqui Hand was heavily involved in both goals on debut. She almost scored the first one having been hunting at the back stick, a couple of mins into the second half (48’), when a deflected shot fell into her path. Hand stuck a leg out and guided a touch on target but the keeper dove across and slapped it onto the post... where it ricocheted off her back and ever-so-slightly over the line. It’s gone down as an own goal and that’s probably the right call. Harsh thing is, she doesn’t even get an assist for that... but she does get one for the second goal where JH helped press a turnover and her clever nudge ahead allowed for a quick shot from Camilla Lindberg that caught the keeper off her line for 2-0 (54’).
That was how it ended. Clean sheet for Liz Anton playing ninety as the left-sided centre-back. Liv Chance was substituted after 68 good minutes in central midfield, able to get forward a little more than she has done in other games this season. Hand was replaced in a time-wasting sub deep into stoppage time - contrary to that line-up graphic, she played in the front three. Fantastic stuff. Kolbotn are still last but there are now four clubs directly above them within a three-point reach – including Røa... and also Hønefoss whom they face next week. We’re roughly halfway through the season so there’s plenty of footy left to happen (14 games played out of 27).
And it turns out there had been hints of what was to come. Last week, in preparation for this match, Kolbotn played a friendly game against second-tier Molde and beat them 4-1 with Liv Chance scoring once and Jacqui Hand getting a double. These girls are unstoppable…
Up Next: Wednesday at 4am, Hønefoss vs Kolbotn (NZT)
Michael Boxall – Minnesota United (American Major League Soccer)
Not only did Michael Boxall make the MLS All Stars team... he was picked to start and played 45 minutes without conceding as the MLS side won 3-1 against the Liga MX team. He turned up, he did his job, he won another football game.
That’s more than can be said for Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba who went AWOL instead of linking up with the team, earning them one-game suspensions (which they won’t care about at all since the whole point of not going was to play less football, now they’re being forced to play even less than less). No fuss from Boxy though. He’d already said that the player he was most looking forward to teaming up with at All Stars was his Minnesota goalkeeper Dayne St Clair whom he’s teammates with all the time. With this, he became the second kiwi to kit up for the MLS All Stars following after Ryan Nelsen back in the day.
The silly thing about that game is that they held it in the midweek with full rounds of league fixtures on either side of it, hence you can kinda understand where Inter Miami was coming from by withdrawing their dudes. Fortunately it’s a massive squad (24 players even without Messi and Alba) so nobody had to go nuts. Boxall had already been semi-rested for half of the 1-1 draw with Portland Timbers previously and the upcoming Leagues Cup could be a good opportunity for him to put his feet up some more. But before that, there was a trip to face St Louis FC, with Boxy lined up in the middle of the back three and wearing the captain’s armband. St Clair also backed up for the Loons.
This game was looking terrible throughout the whole first half, with St Louis City creating chance after chance. Boxy had to hack one of those shots away off the goal-line in a great bit of anticipation... but after 34 minutes the pressure tolled when Boxall conceded a penalty. There was absolutely nothing in it and it’s actually kinda surprising that VAR never intervened. The bloke just tumbled at the first point of contact. But the penalty was given and SLC scored for a 1-0 lead at the break.
Whereupon Minnesota made a couple of half-time subs and hauled themselves back into the contest. The tables turned with twenty to go when Kelvin Yeboah drew a last man foul – sort of like the Boxy one except that it was actually a foul – and Chris Durkin was also red carded for denying that goal-scoring opportunity. Yeboah converted from the spot for 1-1. Then, with only a couple of minutes remaining, the VAR piped up and Minny were given another penalty for a handball this time. Yeboah scored once more and the Loons won 2-1. A tale of three penalties. Nothing like a good snatch and grab win away from home.
Minnesota Utd are third in the Western Conference and only two points behind leaders San Diego. The next week is going to be crammed with Leagues Cup games, where MLS and Liga MX clubs battle it out for some reason. Minnesota are in a group with three Mexican clubs: Queretaro, Club America, and San Luis. They’ve named a big squad for that which Boxall is part of although, again, it would make sense to do some rotating in these games... so keep an eye on kiwi U20s international Troy Putt who is also part of the wider 30-man squad for this competition. He already made an appearance in a midseason friendly not so long ago. This could be a chance for a competitive senior debut.
Up Next: Thursday at 12.30pm against Queretaro in the Leagues Cup (NZT)
Bill Tuiloma – Charlotte FC (American Major League Soccer)
They’ve finally figured it out in Charlotte. After a run of nine defeats from 11 matches, Bill Tuiloma got his belated chance in the 2-2 draw against Orlando while a couple other centre-backs were missing. He scored. They avoided defeat. The other CBs then returned... so coach Dean Smith manufactured a different role for Tuiloma in order to keep him in the side, moving him to right-back where he’s now started four games in a row. And Charlotte FC has won them all. Four wins from four with Billy T at RB, if only they’d tried it sooner.
The latest was a 2-0 win against Toronto where goals from Idan Gorno (60’) and Kerwin Vargas (65’) saw them to victory. Tuiloma did get injured though. He pulled up untouched tracking back in defence with twenty minutes left and was promptly substituted. Tuiloma was out on the pitch afterwards for the celebrations and crowd acknowledgement so obviously nothing too serious... his coach seemed to think it was only cramp. That’d make sense since Tuiloma has been subbed around the 70-min mark of his last three right-back starts which means he would have been right around his limit when the spasm struck.
Dean Smith: “I don’t know, it looked like a full body cramp. I’m not too sure but I’ll get told by the medical guys. Hopefully it’s just cramp and not a hamstring injury. It looked like they were stretching him, I’d be surprised if it’s anything more.”
If they need to, they can rest him during the Leagues Cup stuff. These four wins in a row have raised Charlotte up to seventh in the Eastern Conference, above the two play-in positions. They’ve taken 13 points from five games with Bill Tuiloma in the eleven (2.6 points per game) and 25 points from 20 games with Tuiloma not involved (1.25 points per game). To think he was there all along just waiting for the coach to notice him.
Up Next: Friday at 11.30am is Charlotte vs Juarez in the Leagues Cup (NZT)
Finn Surman - Portland Timbers (American Major League Soccer)
Not to be overshadowed, Finn Surman was at the heart of an outstanding defensive performance from the Portland Timbers who went to California and beat LAFC 1-0 on their own soil. Christhian Paredes scored the winning goal right before half-time, while Surman pocketed Denis Bouanga who is one of the league’s most dominant forwards (this may have been his last game for LAFC, with strong rumours of a move to Mexico on the cards for the Gabon international, so if he leaves he’ll be leaving with fresh memories of being Surmanated).
Finn Surman made nine defensive clearances, blocked a shot, made two tackles, and completed 54/59 passes in this game. It would be amazing except that he does it every week. Especially the defensive clearances. Once again, our pal Pedro’s got us covered there...
Depending on where you look, these numbers do vary slightly. FBRef gives him 166 clearances but the same bottom line remains: Finn Surman has more than any other MLS player. Adilson Malanda, teammate of Bill Tuiloma’s at Charlotte FC, is second on 160. Michael Boxall’s dropped to sixth with 151 after only getting half a game last week. Still very much in range.
Up Next: Portland vs San Luis on Thursday at 2.30pm to begin the Leagues Cup (NZT)
Ali Riley - Angel City FC (American National Women’s Soccer League)
Oh the comeback is on. Ali Riley is off the season-ending injury list (which she’d been on since last year) and is now an active part of the Angel City FC roster once again. She’s been back in training for a wee while, steadily upping her workload after so much time spent out with a chronic nerve issue in her leg. As Riley herself said in the announcement, this could easily have been a career-ending injury. Especially at her age (she turns 38 in October). But it wasn’t. Amazing perseverance.
Sarah Smith, ACFC VP of Medical and Performance: “Ali’s drive to get back on the field with her teammates has been an example to us all, she is world class. This has been an incredibly difficult process both mentally and physically and she is a testament to perseverance. Her condition was difficult to navigate, which makes the hard work she put in to get to this point even more impressive. We are thrilled she is able to come off of SEI.”
The next step is to try and earn some minutes to complete the comeback. Riley has played 64 times in the NWSL but has been limited to 260 minutes since the start of 2024 due to that injury. Her leadership will no doubt come in handy as ACFC tries to climb up into the top eight for playoffs – something they’ve only achieved once in three years (and they lost in the first round without scoring a goal). Angel City are currently three points adrift after carrying a five-game winless streak into the mid-season break.
We’re also hoping/expecting Macey Fraser to be back in action for Utah Royals after the knee injury that’s kept her out since April. She was pictured training with the team this week so that’s a very promising sign.
Up Next: Seattle Reign vs Angel City at 2.30pm on Saturday (NZT)
Sarpreet Singh - TSC Backa Topola (Serbian SuperLiga)
TSC were not particularly impressive in their second game of the season, drawing 0-0 away against promoted side Radnik. The goalkeeper who’d cost them their goal last week was the only bloke who prevented them from losing this week as he made a number of crucial saves. Huge from him. In contrast, TSC only forged maybe one or two decent chances all afternoon.
Singh lasted 88 minutes against Radnik and it was his shot on target, midway through the first half, that gave TSC their closest opportunity. A cut back had been collected and then flipped further back again for Singh making that late run into the area. He stabbed his left boot through the ball but the parried save was made down low. That was his team’s only shot on target... yet they held firm for a point on the road and there’s nothing wrong with that. Point collecting on the off-days is a virtue worth celebrating.
After getting chopped five times last game, Singh was only fouled once in this match – although that’s misleading because there was at least one instance where advantage was played and a couple more fouls that should have been called but weren’t. Actually, this entire game was a scrappy one with 39 free kicks awarded in total (split almost evenly between the two teams) and there were times towards the end where tempers threatened to boil over.
That’s not an easy environment for a silky creator like Singh yet he’s held his own, drawing contact when in possession and getting stuck-in defensively. Not shying away from any of it. Most valuably, he’s already looking like an important player for TSC – playing 80+ minutes in both games so far, something that he only managed once for UD Leiria in Portugal last season and not at all for Hansa Rostock in Germany the season before.
Up Next: TSC vs Spartak Subotica at 6am on Sunday (NZT)
Nik Tzanev – Newport County (English League Two)
When Nik Tzanev dropped down a division from Northampton Town in League One to Newport County in League Two, the assumption was that he was searching for game time as he contends for World Cup selection next year. The addition of ex-Grimsby Town keeper Jordan Wright meant that was never going to be a straightforward thing for Tanz and throughout preseason Newport kept up a steady rotation to get all of their goalkeepers up to speed. It pays never to read too much into preseason friendlies though.
It’ll take a few more weeks for everything to shake out but the first competitive game of the campaign arrived this morning as Newport County faced Barnet away in an EFL Cup preliminary game... and it was Nik Tzanev who wore the gloves and delivered a superb debut performance. Newport scored twice in the first half, both were bangers. Cameron Antwi (31’) and Michael Reindorf (42’) supplied those goals. Then Barnet spent the whole second half applying tremendous pressure with Tzanev making a flurry of saves before Barnet scored twice in stoppage time to force a penalty shootout (no extra time). No worries because that only meant that Tzanev also got to save a crucial penalty as Newport County won 4-2 in the shootout to advance to the EFL Cup first round.
And in that EFL Cup first rounder, Newport County will face... Millwall. Could be Nik Tzanev versus Max Crocombe, assuming that they both play. They probably won’t but we’ll see how it goes. Anyway, great debut from Tzanev for Newport County and hopefully a sign of things to come.
Up Next: Newport County vs Notts County at 2am on Sunday in EFL Legaue Two (NZT)
Grace Neville - London City Lionesses (English Super League)
London City Lionesses announced the departure of six players on 15 May and then another five players on 30 June. Grace Neville wasn’t part of either of those culls, giving hope that she might be sticking with the club she joined in their foundation season beyond their promotion to the Women’s Super League. But nope...
“London City Lionesses can confirm that defender Grace Neville will leave the Club ahead of the 2025/26 season. Grace Neville has been an integral part of London City Lionesses since the club's inception in 2019. Over six seasons with the club, Grace has become far more than a reliable right-back; her presence has come to define the spirit of Hayes Lane on and off the pitch. From scoring the club’s first-ever goal to playing a pivotal role in Barclays Women’s Super League promotion, Grace’s legacy is etched into the club’s history. Her loyalty, professionalism, and resilience have quietly shaped London City’s identity. Everyone at London City thanks Nev for her efforts on and off the pitch and we wish her the very best for the next chapter of her career.”
Seems pretty harsh... almost callous of them. London City have plenty of money behind them since their 2024 takeover so it could be said that they’re doing the pragmatic thing by rebuilding their squad after promotion, acknowledging the gulf between the WSL and WSL2 and the way in which promoted teams tend to struggle. It could also be said that they’re skipping the step of trying to establish themselves in the top division and arrogantly thinking they can go directly into competing for Europe, casting off much of the club’s longer-term history (including their longest-serving player in Grace Neville) in the process. But that’s not going to be our problem.
Our problem is that with CJ Bott leaving Leicester City and Grace Neville leaving London City and Anna Leat having long since left Aston Villa and Indi Riley’s Crystal Palace getting relegated... we’re on the brink of snapping a 15-year streak of having at least one New Zealander in the Women’s Super League. The last eight of those have all had multiple kiwis. This ain’t right. But there’s still plenty of time left in the transfer window with the WSL season not kicking off until early September, not to mention a January window as well. The Euros have kept everyone busy in the meantime so it’s only now that the focus is finally switching back to club priorities.
Up Next: To be determined...
Elijah Just – Motherwell (Scottish Premiership)
A 3-0 win last Wednesday against Greenock Morton saw Motherwell ease on into the knockouts of the League Cup, topping their group with three wins and a bonus-point draw from their four fixtures. Aussie forward Apostolos Stamatelopoulos (formerly of the Newcastle Jets) scrambled in the opening goal after 53 minutes to finally five the Well an overdue lead. Tawanda Maswanhise then scored a couple of late ones to pad things out (83’, 90+3’). Eli Just played 77 mins and looked as flash as he has done in any game so far, including going close with a header and a lefty shot from outside the box.
Just featured in all four League Cup games and progressive got more minutes each time. He played 28 mins off the bench against Clyde (and scored in the successful shootout). He then moved into the starting eleven and got 45 minutes against Peterhead, 59 minutes against Stenhousemuir, and 77 minutes against Morton. This was a pretty generous group so levels will rise when the Scottish Premiership gets underway this weekend... with Motherwell hosting Rangers. That’ll be a baptism. Motherwell had a bye for the last League Cup matchday, so in preparation for the league start they brought German second tier club Hertha Berlin over for a weekend friendly in which Just played 70 minutes of a 1-1 draw.
Up Next: Motherwell vs Rangers at 4.30am on Sunday (NZT)
George Stanger - Kilmarnock (Scottish Premiership)
Two games this week for Killie in the League Cup. They slipped up against Kelty Hearts in a 0-0 draw which they they lost the bonus point penalty shootout for (Stanger didn’t take a pen) but they bounced back proudly with a 4-0 win against East Fife. That was good enough for Kilmarnock to finish top of their group and advance to the knockout rounds. Kilmarnock will host Dundee United in the round of sixteen with that game to be played in about three weeks. Eli Just’s Motherwell are away against St Johnstone.
GS: “It’s a really good group of lads and everyone was really welcoming. There’s a decent amount of turnover at the club so there’s quite a lot of new faces and sometimes that makes it easier when you are a new face. But everyone’s been brilliant. I’m really enjoying it so far and looking forward to the league starting.”
Stanger played every minute of those four League Cup games for Killie. He’s a new signing who seems to have gone directly into the first eleven and he’s now on the verge of making his first Scottish Premiership appearance since January 2021 back when he was a youngster for Hamilton Academical. Coincidentally, that last Prem game for the Accies was against Kilmarnock. Stanger played four Premier Division games for Hamilton before embarking upon his long journey through the tiers – gaining experience in each of the top five leagues in the country and only now finding his way back to the pinnacle. He’s come full circle.
Up Next: Kilmarnock vs Livingston at 2am on Sunday in matchday one of the 2025-26 Scottish Premiership (NZT)
Chris Wood - Nottingham Forest (English Premier League)
Goes without saying that Chris Wood is scoring in preseason...
Nottm Forest lost 3-1 against Fulham but preseason results are irrelevant. The only thing we care about is that Chris Wood scored a goal and of course it was a header that did it. The Woodsman remains The Woodsman.
NFFC have been training in Portugal, getting in another good friendly game, playing some golf, and best of all the club even announced a new contract for Morgan Gibbs-White despite him having been on the brink of a move to Tottenham a week ago. MGW has re-uppped for three more years and presumably with a much higher release clause, thus keeping one of Woodsy’s top assisters on board. Plus Dan Ndoye has reportedly already had his medical ahead of an expensive move from Bologna. That’s the Anthony Elanga replacement all sorted then. Happy days.
Marko Stamenic didn’t make the trip to Portugal, sadly. He got good minutes in both of Forest’s friendlies before this training camp but the time has obviously come for his path to diverge from NFFC’s again. Must be getting close to a loan deal being announced. Nobody oughta be surprised by that probability, it’s just a matter of where he ends up.
Up Next: More friendlies for The Woodsman before the Premier League kicks off on 18 August (NZT)
Alex Paulsen - AFC Bournemouth (English Premier League)
Marko Stamenic may not have made the travelling squad for his Premier League team but Alex Paulsen did. Squint your eyes and you’ll see his name on the substitute list for the 3-0 win against Everton the other day. He didn’t play but he’s with the squad in America. Doing his bit in training every day. It was new signing Djordje Petrovic who started against Everton while Raul Neto played the second half between the sticks. Will Dennis was also on the bench alongside Paulsen so they’ve brought four goalies in their travelling squad.
Paulsen and Dennis were two of the only three dudes on the teamsheet not to feature, the other being a defender from the U18s squad. Gotta think that either Alex Paulsen or Will Dennis – probably AP – will be going out on loan at some stage soon. In the meantime, this is all great experience for Paulsen, getting a glimpse of the level that’s going to be required of him and being able to make his introductions. He was in and then almost immediately out again after signing last year. This time he’s been able to stick around for an extended spell before whatever happens next.
We do have some unfortunate injury news from elsewhere in the traps. Matt Dibley-Dias made a strong impression in his first two friendlies on loan with Chesterfield but an ankle injury has kept him out for the past two weeks. Apparently this is a Fulham Academy trait because their other Fulham loanee, Devon Tanton, rolled his ankle in the latest friendly and is expected to miss at least two months as a result. Tanton’s going to go back to Fulham for his recovery and then return later on. Dibs wasn’t nearly as serious so there’s a chance he plays some part against Barrow in the League Two opener next week.
That’s not going to be the case for Max Mata, sadly. After missing the beginning of preseason with an injury, Mata impressed with a goal off the bench in his first friendly and got a start in the next one... but now he’s re-aggravated the hamstring issue that prematurely ended his Auckland FC season. This sucks.
Shrewsbury Town coach Michael Appleton: “The only downside this week is Max Mata picked up a hamstring injury which looks like it’s going to keep him out for a while. It’s not only a blow for us, it’s a blow for him. It’s something that he suffered back end of last season while he was on loan and unfortunately on Thursday in training he pulled up quite sharp and I don’t think it’s going to be a short one, put it that way.”
Up Next: Maybe Paulsen will get some minutes against Manchester United on Thursday at 1.30pm (NZT)
Riley Bidois - Loudoun United (American USL Championship)
Nothing preseason about this goal. That’s Riley Bidois netting for Loudoun United in a 1-1 draw against North Carolina FC in the USL Cup. Sadly, Loudoun went on to lose on penalties... but that’s okay because it’s still the group stage and they won two and drew (with a bonus point) one of their other games so they still finished top of the group and will face Sacramento Republic in the quarter-finals in three weeks. Riley Bidois has scored seven goals across all competitions this year and he’s done that at a rate of a goal every 141 minutes. Very efficient work from the lad from Tauranga.
Up Next: FC Tulsa vs Loudoun Utd at 12.30pm on Saturday (NZT)
Andre De Jong – Stellenbosch (South African Premier Soccer League)
Yeah, there’s an ADJ goal in there, just gotta look closely.
Up Next: The new season kicks off with the annual MTN8 knockout with Stellies hosting AmaZulu at 1am on Monday in the quarters (NZT)
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