Flying Kiwis – July 9
Sarpreet Singh - TSC Bačka Topola (Serbian SuperLiga)
Sarpreet Singh has landed in Serbia, ready to add another language to his Duolingo lessons. In a career that’s already taken him from Wellington to Germany to Portugal, he’s now signed a two-year contract with TSC Bačka Topola in the Serbian SuperLiga... the same competition that Marko Stamenic won with Crvena zvezda the season before last. Singh’s not about to go that far, with the Red Star train showing no signs of slowing down after just winning their eighth league title in a row, but he’s found himself at one of the more competitive clubs in the country.
TSC finished seventh in the previous SuperLiga campaign and were runners-up in 2022–23 (their best ever finish), competing in Europe in three of the last five seasons (though they haven’t qualified for this one). Their squad is mostly local with a couple of other Eastern Europeans as well as a Congolese forward (Prestinge Mboungou)... though they do also have Australian international Miloš Degenek in their ranks (who played youth footy for both Serbia and Australia). Singh and Degenek probably don’t know each other as Deg never played A-League (although he was a teammate of Stamenic’s in that Red Star team in 2023-24) and Singh’s been absent on all three occasions that the All Whites have faced the Socceroos during his career, a streak that could end later this year. But he will still find one familiar face in town and that’ll be TSC’s freshly hired head coach... Darije Kalezić.
It was under the interim guidance of Des Buckingham that Sarpreet Singh made his professional debut for the Wellington Phoenix back in February 2017, two days before his 18th birthday. But it was during the ill-fated Kalezić season that followed when Singh got his first start and promptly became a regular. Granted, that first start came in game 20 of the 23 that Kalezić managed before getting sacked. Singh scored within three minutes of that game and remained a key player from then until his move to Bayern Munich.
It was quite a talking point at the time about how Kalezić wasn’t playing Singh more often. In fairness, DK’s hardly the only football manager in history who was reluctant to play a skinny teenaged local from the academy. Not rating him and not thinking he was ready are two different things. Singh’s performances immediately made that holdout look silly but it’s not like it was impossible to understand. Anyway, he’s got a chance to make amends seven years later after succeeding where Des Buckingham once failed. Might be time for a reappraisal.
In all seriousness, that Phoenix season a very messy one for Kalezić in which he proved to be a poor cultural fit within the A-League... yet that’s a relatively rare blip in the Dutch/Bosnian gaffer’s overall career. He’s been successful enough to earn several good jobs along the way, especially in the Netherlands, the most recent being a two-year stint with ADO Den Haag. Now he’s moved to Serbia and one of the very first things he’s done is to reunite with old mate Sarpreet.
This also solves the question of whether UD Leiria would pick up Singh’s contract option for two more years in the Portuguese second tier. Obviously they didn’t, since there’s been no hint of any transfer fee. Singh had an odd season with UDL. Four goals and three assists in 1055 minutes is pretty great but for whatever reason he never started more than four games in a row, finding himself in and out of the eleven (despite his only proper injury being a broken hand that cost him the last four games of the campaign). Moving to the SuperLiga means he’ll be playing top flight football for the first time since his two appearances for Bayern Munich back in the 2019-20 campaign. This is a hugely exciting move, arguably one he hasn’t entirely earned based on the cursed luck he’s had in club footy since leaving Bayern. But that’s what friends are for. Big churs to Darije Kalezić.
Up Next: Might get a clue as to how Kalezić sees him fitting in over the upcoming slate of preseason friendlies – they’ve already played a couple but those were too soon for Singh
Tyler Bindon - Sheffield United (English Championship)
But hold the phone because Sarpreet Singh wasn’t the only one reuniting with a former manager this week. Tyler Bindon’s done the same after it was revealed that he’ll be spending next season on loan with Sheffield United in the English Championship under the tutelage of Ruben Selles – the manager who gave him his debut for Reading not so long ago.
Selles left Reading to join Hull City early last season and there were whispers even then that he was keen on bringing Bindon with him. That didn’t happen because obviously Nottingham Forest stepped up with a more enticing offer, buying Bindon in January and then loaning him back to Reading for the remainder of the season where he won the club’s Player of the Year award as the Royals continued on their merry way even after Selles departed. Selles only lasted five months before Hull City gave him the sack despite avoiding relegation. That was controversial... as was Sheffield United’s decision to sack Chris Wilder after they finished third with 90 points and only missed out on Premier League promotion by losing 2-1 to Sunderland in the playoff final (the winner coming in the 90+5th minute). The Blades then hired Selles and he promptly used his connections to get Bindon through the doors.
We’d all rather Bindon be playing Premier League with Nottingham Forest... but there’s got to be room in the squad and the re-signing of Willy Boly didn’t bode well for that possibility. Even with midweek European ties this season, there may not have been a lot of opportunities for him. It seems that Forest see him more as one for the future and that’s fair enough. Can’t underestimate that jump from League One to the Premier League and at 20 years of age he’s got plenty of time on his side so forget the Forest factor for now. This is Bindon going from a League One club to one of the favourites to lift the Championship. That’s massive.
Tyler Bindon: “I’m very grateful to be here and it’s amazing that I get the opportunity. [Selles] is a great person and a great coach and I still feel like I can learn so much more from him so to be able to do that at United is special. Any new challenge I can come across, I’m always looking forward to.”
Plenty can change between now and the start of the season but when Bindon walked through that door, the Blades only had two senior centre-backs in the squad: Anel Ahmedhodzic and Jack Robinson. Those were their top choice dudes in that position last season so Bindon’s got competition. But they’re also both in the last year of their contracts and Ahmedhodzic in particular has garnered heaps of transfer interest.
By getting this deal done so swiftly, it means that Bindon’s already into preseason mahi with the Blades... which also means that he didn’t get to join in on anything Nottingham Forest have been up to. They only began preseason the day after this move was confirmed. No news yet on Marko Stamenic so you’d imagine he’ll get to rip into preseason training with Forest, at least to begin with. NFFC haven’t released much footage so no confirmation yet. However, AFC Bournemouth has, and take a look at this bloke...
Meanwhile, it sounds like we’re about to get a third major All Whites player linking back up with a former coach in the space of one week. There was Sarpreet Singh and Darije Kalezic. There was Tyler Bindon and Ruben Selles. Next in line is Elijah Just and Jens Berthel Askou. Not only was JBA the manager who signed Just at AC Horsens back in 2022... he also tried to bring him over to IFK Göteborg when he got that job. ACH rejected the move since the timing of the windows meant they couldn’t sign a replacement and that led to a bit of a breakdown in that relationship. Just was training away from the group as that all went down and six months later he was out on loan. Now it seems he’s about to be moving for a transfer fee, with Askou finally getting his man (again).
But that’s not confirmed yet so check the Substack newsletter on Thursday and next week’s Flying Kiwis for the deeper yarn when it becomes a fact. It’s also been reported that we should expect some Libby Cacace news next week. And one of these days there oughta be something about Matt Garbett who has been on the search for a move since January and still nothing.
Up Next: Sheffield United preseason camp in Spain has already begun
Michaela Foster – Durham FC (English Super League 2)
In the books with a one-year extension for Mickey Foster at Durham. Having quickly established herself as a first choice player in the midfield for a team that finished fourth, only seven points behind the champions, continuing onwards makes perfect sense for both parties. Especially coming into a season where WSL expansion means that there’ll be two automatic promotion spots plus a playoff for the third-placed team instead of the usual one spot. This is a unique opportunity for WSL2 clubs to rise up into the big time. There’s never been a more exciting season for this division. Durham would only have needed to turn one draw into a win from last season’s results to earn that playoff opportunity.
Mickey Foster: “It’s exciting. It’s what me and club wanted when I first signed last year was to go out with a good season and see if they would sign me again. So yeah I’m really excited to be here and continue contributing for the club.”
Now we wait and see if Hannah Blake will be joining her... she wasn’t listed as one of the released players so the chances are good, especially after she scored four goals for them last term. But Durham are making all sorts of announcements lately so they’re spreading everything all out. From new signings to re-signings to season ticket details to shirt sponsors. Just gotta stay patient and wait for her turn.
Alas, the news wasn’t so flash at Sheffield United who finally did their retained list over the weekend and both Jacqui Hand and Olivia Page were in the released column. No surprises about Hand given that she’s already signed with another club (Kolbotn in Norway). Page is more disappointing because she’d been bridging the gap between a successful academy side and the first team at Sheffield United. Seemed like someone they’d want to keep around... but perhaps Page has other plans.
Grace Neville is off-contract with London City and they’re the same as Durham only multiplied, making so many splashy announcements that a new deal for a homegrown right-back is probably down the pecking order – though she wasn’t on the released lists either. That would appear to point towards her staying with the team after promotion. Other than that, it’s just CJ Bott with Leicester City that we’re waiting on from last year’s crew in England. LCFC have announced next to nothing for next season yet. All they’ve done is hype up the Euros and made two farewells that were forced on them by Lena Petermann and Saori Takarada signing elsewhere. That doesn’t tell us anything about CJB’s status. She’s off contract but has been a favourite at right-back under multiple coaches for the Foxes.
Up Next: Hannah Blake’s extension, hopefully
Bill Tuiloma – Charlotte FC (American Major League Soccer)
After being available and in the squad for all twenty previous games this MLS season and forced to stay sitting on the bench in every single one of them, something amazing happened against Orlando Pride on Sunday NZT. With Tim Ream away at the Gold Cup with the USA team (they lost 2-1 to Mexico in the final) and Andrew Privett dealing with an injury, Bill Tuiloma’s number finally got called. Twenty-first time lucky.
Tui was picked to start alongside Adilson Malanda in central defence and, being the man that he is, he very quickly set about showing Charlotte what they’d been wasting by leaving him on the sidelines. It was Tuiloma’s sumptuous long ball out to the wing that put Nick Scardina into space to set up Pep Biel’s goal after 40 mins (one of a couple marvellous passes he made from inside his own half). Then, just to make sure the credit didn’t get too diluted, he scored the second one himself in trademarked fashion with a lunging header from a set piece delivery...
That’s not to say that it was a flawless performance because his pace and fitness weren’t what they have been in the past, hence he was subbed off after 84 mins after suffering a bit of cramp (understandable in the midyear heat given how he’s barely played over the last two years). And defensively he’s always had a few hiccups at this level – it’s just that he balances them out with the attacking threats that he adds to any team. As we saw in this match. But, yeah, sadly Charlotte did cough up a couple of goals in the last twenty-odd minutes to have to settle for a 2-2 draw. Snaps a three-game losing streak though. With a number of absentees in their squad this was still a positive result and Billy T was one of the major contributors.
This happened to be Tuiloma’s first MLS start since April 2024 and only his third in the past two years. Remember that he scored in the US Open Cup when he got a chance as well. It’s scandalous how he’s been stuck on the sidelines there... although they announced the latest MLS Salary Guide a couple weeks ago so keep that in mind if you’ve got any A-League ideas. Not even Auckland FC can compete with that coin (and they already have a kiwi centre-back who is higher up the national team queue than Tuiloma anyway).
Bill Tuiloma: “Yeah it feels amazing, hopefully there’s more to come. I always, going up for free kicks or corners, tell myself alright this is going to be me putting it in the back of the net. That’s what I tell myself every time. Glad I put it in the back of the net.”
Tim Ream will be back for the next game and Andrew Privett ended up being the dude who replaced Tuiloma for the last few minutes so this could be a one and done situation for Billy T with his usual bench spot beckoning again. But at least he got a chance to show what he still does when given the chance.
Up Next: Sunday at 11.30am against New York City 9NZT)
Michael Boxall – Minnesota United (American Major League Soccer)
Would you believe it, he did it again...
That’s three games in a row in which the Loons have scored from a Michael Boxall long throw being flicked on at the near post and finished at the far post. It’s happened from both sides of the pitch. It’s happened in other games outside of this recent burst. Minnesota United have scored 13 goals from set pieces this year which is the most in all of Major League Soccer and the most fruitful of those situations has been Boxy’s throw-ins. Anthony Markanich has scored three of those goals himself (after the game he spoke about how much he loves seeing Boxy with that ball in his hands). Just imagine Bill Tuiloma on the end of these Boxall throws, now that’s a recipe for world domination.
That latest instance was to go 2-0 up away against FC Dallas. Carlos Harvey had scored earlier. The Loons would concede one with about quarter of an hour to go but they held on for the 2-1 victory. Another quality result, this time on the road in Texas. Probably not one of Minnesota’s best outings since they did allow a lot of chances and FCD hit the woodwork twice but that’s the whole point: they’re winning games like that this year. And for whatever Dallas mustered, the Loons created more and deserved the outcome that they got.
Minnesota United remains third in the Western Conference and are hunting down San Diego and Vancouver above them... although before they get around to that there’s also the wee matter of the US Open Cup quarter-final against Chicago Fire on Wednesday NZT. Plus they played a midweek friendly against touring German side Holstein Kiel which ended in a 0-0 draw. None of the main Minny Utd players were involved in that... but there was room for kiwi U20s international Troy Putt to sit on the bench. He’s become a regular at wing-back for the Next Pro team since joining from Birkenhead United at the start of the year. He got around 25 mins in that match.
Up Next: The US Open Cup QF is at midday on Weds; then it’s Minny Utd vs San Jose at 12.30pm on Sunday (NZT)
Finn Surman - Portland Timbers (American Major League Soccer)
And obviously Finn Surman was up to the good stuff too. This was a fantastic week for the kiwi centre-back trio in MLS. Portland won 2-1 against New England with Surman’s holiday bro Ian Smith (who was also teammates with Ronan Wynne at college) scoring the first and then David Da Costa clinched it with twenty to go, putting the Timbers back into the win column after a disappointing performance last week in Toronto.
This win means that Portland are now on a 10-game unbeaten streak in home matches. They’re up to fourth in the Western Conference. By the way, David Da Costa (a Portuguese import) is the only player in the Timbers squad to have played more minutes than 21yo Finn Surman this season.
Up Next: St Louis vs Portland on Monday at 11am (NZT)
Matt Dibley-Dias - Chesterfield (English League Two)
It’ll be Chesterfield for the 2025-26 season for Matt Dibley-Dias. Take two at senior level after his loan with Northampton Town fizzed out due to a combination of injuries and a coach who didn’t rate his physicality. That led to him being recalled in January after barely playing and he finished the season back with Fulham’s U21s team. Dibs has been superb through the Fulham academy, captaining those U21s many times... but it’s time to move that into men’s football and the Spireites should be a good fit.
For one thing, this is a division below where MDD played last year. League Two instead of League One. That’ll hopefully reduce the expectations a little and allow him to settle. It’s also a common destination for Fulham prospects with MDD’s U21s teammates Devan Tanton and Harvey Araujo both having spent time there last season – in fact, it was just announced that Tanton will be returning for another spell at the club. Chesterfield have lost a number of midfielders recently so there should be room for Dibs to contribute right from the get-go.
Dibley-Dias has a contract with Fulham that lasts until the end of the 2026-27 season so he’s still got time on his side. But there is some pressure to progress given that he turns 22 in a few months and has only logged 90 combined minutes across three senior appearances in his career. Tyler Bindon is 15 months younger and has played over 100 senior games. Fortunately, this Chesterfield loan already seems more of a fit than what the Northampton Town one was (remember that Northampton stitched up a well-performing Nik Tzanev in that same season too, dropping him and then releasing him – Tanz is also now at League Two with Newport County).
The main thing for Dibley-Dias is just to stay fit. If he can do that then he’s got qualities as a deep-lying midfielder that have already gotten him onto the bench for a couple of Premier League games so that’ll take care of itself. Chesterfield finished seventh last season in their first swing after promotion. They should be pretty useful, especially if the Fulham lads get it going.
Up Next: He’s already impressing the fans with his friendly game performances
Joe Bell – Viking FK (Norwegian Eliteserien)
Another week and another win. This time it was Strømsgodset on the other end of Viking FK’s run of form with a Jakob Hansen goal after 38 mins setting up a 1-0 victory. You don’t really need to be told that Bell was awesome, completing 75/80 passess and winning tackles and making interceptions like he usually does. No shots this week but he could have had a couple of assists – there was a header nodded down for Sondre Björshol whose half-volley forced a really good save, as well as a tackle that led immediately to a chance. He was involved in the play that led to the goal as well. Standard stuff for Bellinho.
Viking could have gotten themselves in trouble by not finding a second goal in this match. They were in control most of the way but Strømsgodset gave them some wobbles towards the end. Nothing they couldn’t handle though. That’s now 19 games undefeated for the Vikes across all competitions, surging them way out in front on the Eliteserien table and into the Norwegian Cup semis. There’s no stopping them at the moment. They’re halfway towards what could be an absolutely legendary campaign and Joe Bell is right there at the heart of it.
Up Next: Just the sneaky matter of the Norwegian Cup semi-final against Sarpsborg at 6am on Thursday... then also Brann vs Viking at 5.15am on Monday (NZT)
Milly Clegg - Halifax Tides / Meikayla Moore – Calgary Wild (Canadian Northern Super League)
At the third time of asking, we finally got a kiwi derby in the Northern Super League. First time these two teams met, Milly Clegg was injured for Halifax as Meikayla Moore scored Calgary’s first ever goal on the way to a 4-1 win for the Wild. Second time they met, it was a 3-2 win for the Wild in which Ally Green scored a belter but Moore and Clegg were both rested immediately after national team duty (and Green herself only played the first half, having flown back into Canada in the early hours of that morning). This time around, there was no Ally Green due to injury... however Clegg and Moore both started on opposite sides.
It would have only been fair if Milly Clegg scored so that each of the three could have gotten goals across these three meetings... except she didn’t. She played pretty well in her 70 minutes and kept looking for ways to link up and create goals but the combinations aren’t quite there yet with her teammates. Also, like, she did have to deal with Meikayla Moore as a shadow all game. There were definitely a couple of times where it looked like Moore was extra wary of what Clegg was up to, fully aware of the quality of her finishing and not wanting to see it tested.
Halifax Tides still won. Megumi Nakamura scored after 37 minutes and that was enough for the 1-0 result. Calgary have now lost three games in a row, all away matches, while Halifax’s only two wins have come within their past three fixtures. These are the bottom two clubs, sitting fifth and sixth in a competition where the top four make the playoffs... but we’re not even halfway through the season yet. Nothing to panic about. Plenty more to come.
Up Next: Calgary vs Vancouver at 11am on Saturday; Montreal vs Halifax at 9am on Sunday (NZT)
Ben Old - AS Saint-Étienne (French Ligue 2)
Preseason Benjamin Old is next level...
He was scoring and assisting goals for ASSE last preseason too... then the real stuff came around and they started losing and Old got injured and missed most of the season and didn’t actually end up with a single goal or assist during the proper stuff as Les Verts got relegated.
But relegation might be good for Oldie, allowing him room to properly establish himself in the Saint-Étienne formation, which we never really got last campaign due to the injury. With the gap between the first and second divisions in France being what it is, it’s highly likely that Saint-Étienne are immediately contending for promotion. They’ll definitely be one of the best funded and best supported teams in Ligue 2... although whether they’re the most in either category depends on if Lyon’s proposed relegation happens or not.
Up Next: Lots more friendlies where that came from... including one against Cagliari in four weeks which is the club that seems to be trying the hardest to sign Libby Cacace
Niko Kirwan – Trapani 1905 (Italian Serie C)
Niko Kirwan: “What pushed me to choose Trapani was the club’s ambition to be at the top of the championship. This is a historic venue, very passionate, and I love going where you can breathe football. They strongly wanted me so I will do everything I can to contribute.”
There had been some whispers in Italy that Niko Kirwan was considering moving abroad to try and put himself in the frame for the All Whites again... but realistically his best bet there would have been the A-League and neither of the kiwi clubs need a right-back at the moment. So he’s chosen to stick around in Italy.
The only mildly disappointing thing there is that he’s missed out on playing in Serie B with Calcio Padova after their promotion and had to settle with another Serie C club in Trapani. But that’s not so bad. It’s a level that he knows well and where he is highly regarded, plus he gets to live in a different part of the county. Padova were a Group A club whereas Trapani plays in Group C, meaning that he’s traded north for south. Trapani is based on the island of Sicily and has history dating back 120 years. They were promoted from Serie D two years ago, finishing 11th out of 20 teams in 2024-25 to narrowly miss out on the wider promotion playoffs. Decent effort... albeit Niko Kirwan is used to being much higher on the ladder than eleventh so he’ll have to teach the lads a few things once they get cracking again.
Up Next: Straight into preseason
Zac Jones - AFC Fylde (English National League North)
When Zac Jones left Haverfordwest County after three and a half excellent years in the Welsh Premier Division, the rumour was that he was about to sign with The New Saints, the perennial champs of the same league. That didn’t happen. Instead TNS opted for a former Welsh international goalkeeper. We’ll never know how legitimate that rumour was... although the AFC Fylde announcement did conclude with this line...
“The club are delighted to have fended off interest from clubs involved in European football this season to attract a talent like Zac to the Fylde coast.”
... and that would appear to suggest that it was Jonesy who rejected the TNS overtures rather than the other way around. Both Haverfordwest and The New Saints have European footy upcoming so that ticks the “clubs involved in European football this season” box. And with that interest on the table, 24yo Jones opted rather to push his career forward in England, joining sixth-tier AFC Fylde as they try to get promoted back to the National League immediately after relegation.
That might not seem like the fanciest move he could have made but it means becoming a full-time professional in a very competitive league which is ultimately better for his development. He wasn’t full-time at Haverfordwest and he wouldn’t have been in a competitive situation with TNS (who won the league by 14 clear points in 2024-25... and that was a down year for them). Last season, Fylde’s main goalkeeper was Ben Winterbottom who was on loan from Premier League side Brentford. That loan is now over and he’ll instead spend the upcoming term with Barrow in League Two. Theo Richardson also played a handful of games in goal but he’s been released. That should also give Jonesy a clear runway to be the main man between the sticks.
Fylde goalkeeping coach Chris Neal: “We’re absolutely delighted to welcome Zac to the club. Zac is someone we’ve been tracking for a while, and across last season. He’s an exciting prospect, who we’re hoping to help develop even further into a top goalkeeper.”
For what it’s worth, Max Crocombe was the same age when he played for Salford City in this very same division. Crocs even managed a couple years away in the A-League before returning to the fifth tier and working his way up to where, at the age of 31, he’s about to play Championship footy with Millwall and is New Zealand’s number one. Former NZ U17s international Laura Merrin also played for several years with the AFC Fylde women’s team (before moving to Burnley in 2023-24 and then having a baby).
Up Next: Preseason friendlies begin in a few days
Josh Redfearn - Maidstone United (English National League South)
Nice move there for 24yo Redfearn. He scored seven goals for Welling United last year and also scored the winner in the Kent Senior Cup. Pretty successful first year in England for the former Auckland United forward... but less so for his club which was relegated. Not to worry because he’s swapped a relegated National League South club for a beaten playoff semi-finalist National League South club by joining Maidstone United. Redfearn didn’t score in either game against his new club last season but with luck he’ll score plenty for them. He’s already played in a couple of preseason games, supplying an assist in the first of those.
Up Next: New season begins in a month, preseason is already underway
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