Flying Kiwis – August 27
Finn Surman - Portland Timbers (American Major League Soccer)
The Portland Timbers had three debutants in their starting line-up away against San Diego FC with summer signings Kristoffer Velde, Felipe Carballo, and Matias Rojas all involved... but the real headline was 21-year-old Finn Surman being given the captain’s armband. He’s played more minutes than anyone else in the Timbers squad this year. He leads the entire MLS for defensive clearances. Finn Surman is having a spectacular season and now he’s earned another milestone. Youngest bossman you’ve ever seen (except for the time Tyler Bindon captained Reading in an FA Cup game at 20yo).
San Diego is a tough place to go and play. It’s got a very different climate to Portland and, more pertinently, SDFC also happens to be really, really good. They would’ve had the best record in all of the MLS had they won this game... but they don’t because Finn Surman led by example as the Timbers scrapped out a 0-0 draw on the road. That point still allows San Diego to clinch their playoff spot, the first team to do so this season, but at the same time it snaps a three-game losing streak for Portland and gives them some momentum as they chase the finals themselves. You can already guess who the man of the match was. Not the new forward signings. Not the experienced regulars. But the young kiwi defender who does stuff like this...
The first half was pretty nasty and Portland did well to hang on. Second half they made a few adjustments and were much sturdier, albeit without managing to snatch a winning goal. There was the shock of a penalty being awarded against Portland near the end... but sanity prevailed when the VAR took a look and saw that the ball went nowhere near Dario Zuparic’s arm. San Diego also had a goal disallowed by VAR for an offside in the first half. This was a positive draw. The Timbers currently sit sixth in the Western Conference.
Finn Surman: “It was pretty special, for lack of better words. It’s something that fills me with a great deal of pride and honour. I know what I’m representing when I wear that armband and that I have the whole club behind me. That fills me with immense pride. It’s something that’s pretty special to me. Very grateful for the opportunity.”
Michael Boxall always captains Minnesota United so it was business as usual for him to wear the armband on the same day as Finn Surman’s captaincy debut. His Loons team won 3-1 away against Real Salt Lake to stay second in the West. Solid win, grinding out points. Same deal with Charlotte FC who won 1-0 NY Red Bulls with Tuiloma still absent due to that hamstring complaint. Come to think of it, Tuiloma captained CFC during the US Open Cup earlier in the season. That’s still three kiwi CBs who’ve captained American top flight clubs this year while Kyle Adams regularly captains Louisville City in the USL Championship. There’s definitely a trend here.
Guess what? Minnesota United host Portland Timbers in the next set of fixtures. Portland have used seven different captains this year so who knows if Surman will retain the armband but if he does then we’ll get a rare instance of two NZers captaining against each other in a foreign league. It happened a couple years ago with Abby Erceg and Ali Riley in the NWSL but good luck trying to find any other instances.
Meanwhile, Tyler Boyd made the matchday squad for Nashville SC’s 5-1 win against Orlando City. He didn’t end up playing but he’s almost there with his comeback, more than 400 days after tearing his ACL. It was the second best kiwi comeback story in American soccer this week (refer to: Riley, Ali).
Up Next: Minnesota United vs Portland Timbers at 12.30pm on Sunday (NZT)
Alex Paulsen - Lechia Gdańsk (Polish Ekstraklasa)
Say, would you look at that? Everyone understood that a loan was coming for Alex Paulsen, it was simply a matter of when and where. But who had Poland on their bingo card?
Bournemouth had moved a couple of keepers out in recent weeks but they also spent big money on Djordje Petrovic and with Will Dennis having already served the apprenticeship that Paulsen is just beginning, that left AP as third-choice at best. They kept him around throughout preseason and he was still with the club as they played their opening two games of the Premier League season, albeit not included on the bench. That allowed him plenty of time to listen, learn, and show what he’s already capable of. But this was never a short-term project and it’s time to go further his development by playing games.
The initial thought was that perhaps he’d stick within the Black Knights umbrella and play in Scotland or France (as he did with Auckland FC last year)... except those teams didn’t need goalies. The Championship would have been a nice option, perhaps even a League One club if the fit was good. But the fact that they’ve sent him to Poland shows they were very open-minded about his destination, presumably prioritising somewhere that he’d be wanted and needed (we saw the opposite of that approach when Nottingham Forest flipped Marko Stamenic to the easiest possible option in Olympiacos even though the Greek champs didn’t need another midfielder). As recently as a couple of days ago, Cherries coach Andoni Iraola claimed they still hadn’t decided what to do with Paulsen this season...
Iraola to Bournemouth Echo on 25 Aug: “The goalkeeping situation for us is quite clear. We will definitely keep Petro and Will and then we are thinking what to do with Alex. I think Alex is still not ready for this level but he's a very good keeper and we have to decide what to do with Alex. If we send him on loan, it has to be a team that he can play and he can show the level and the other option is he stays with us. It will depend a little bit on the situation. But more or less we have it quite clear.”
It seems he may have been playing smoke and mirrors with that yarn because Paulsen was already in Poland when that article was published. He was pictured at the stadium for Lechia Gdańsk’s 1-0 win against Arka Gdynia wearing a club jacket. One day later, the loan move was confirmed.
Paolo Urfer, Club President: “We would like to thank AFC Bournemouth for its collaboration with Lechia Gdańsk and for finalizing the loan of Alex Paulsen. He is undoubtedly a goalkeeper who will help us achieve our objectives this season and bring stability to our defensive line.”
According to the Gdańsk announcement, they checked a survey of the estimated top fifty leagues in the world and Paulsen ranked seventh among goalkeepers under the age of 24. Then again, they also failed to specify where that data came from or how it was calculated. In court they’d call that inadmissible evidence. Fortunately, we already know that Paulsen is awesome and don’t need further proof.
Paulsen is coming off a pair of superb seasons in the A-League, one with Wellington and one with Auckland, in which he established himself as the top gloveman in the competition whilst playing for two very different styles of defence. Across those two seasons he kept a whopping 23 clean sheets in 55 appearances. However, the Lechia Gdańsk move is going to be quite different – much more like his teenaged years spent making save after save for a Phoenix Reserve team down at the bottom of the National League. That win this weekend is the only one that Gdańsk has mustered thus far. They’ve already had five points docked for financial irregularities and have conceded 17 times in six matches. Here’s hoping this isn’t a dysfunctional situation... at least AP will get to flex his shot stopping prowess a bit more over the coming campaign.
Up Next: Monday at 3.30am is the first opportunity for a debut, away against Jagiellonia Białystok... better known as the club that knocked Callum McCowatt’s Silkeborg out of the Europa Conference League qualifiers two weeks ago (NZT)
Elijah Just – Motherwell (Scottish Premiership)
There are so many significant transfer that have gone down over the last couple of months and who knows there could yet be a couple more to follow. Most of those guys and girls are now settling into their new homes. They’re trying to earn selection. They’re trying to win over the fans. There will be further candidates that emerge for this title over the coming weeks and months... but as it stands there is nobody, not one of them, who has made a better early impression at their new club than Elijah Just has done since linking up with his old AC Horsens boss at Motherwell.
The Motherwell fans were raving about this bloke following his two assists in the 3-3 draw against Hearts the other day. Playing as an attacking midfielder meant he got to go head to head with former Phoenix player Cam Devlin for a lot of this game and he cooked him. With 62 minutes gone it was looking like a roaring triumph for the Well who led 3-0 thanks to goals from Callum Slattery (21’), Tawanda Maswanhise (49’), and Emmanuel Longelo (62’). Except they coughed it up by conceding three times to draw 3-3. That makes it three draws in a row to start the new campaign.
Bit annoying... but eighth and ninth placed finishes in the last two seasons means there’s not a heap of pressure on Motherwell right now and any that would have arisen from blowing a three-goal lead has been balanced out by the exciting, fluid style of footy that the team is playing under Jens Berthel Askou. A style that Eli Just has been a major instigator for. The same Eli Just who was named to both the BBC’s Team of the Week and the SPFL’s Team of the Week after this performance.
Elsewhere, Kilmarnock had a 0-0 draw with Dundee but George Stanger was an unused substitute again. He hasn’t played since returning from his red card suspension. Stanger earned his first eleven status through preseason and then kinda blew it with that one mistake but his turn will come around again soon. Perhaps even this weekend when Killie are away against Motherwell where we could see two former NZ U20s teammates going head to head.
Up Next: Motherwell vs Kilmarnock at 2am on Sunday (NZT)
Katie Bowen - Inter Milan (Italian Serie A)
Another season is underway over in these parts, beginning with the group stages of the brand new Serie A Cup where Inter Milan won 2-1 away against Genoa. Katie Bowen began on the bench but was subbed on at half-time – they’ve bolstered their squad this season and Elisa Bartoli was able to get a run of games in the back three while Bowen was out injured late last term so there’s a bit of competition for centre-back places at the moment (Bartoli scored against Genoa... and also gave the ball away leading to the concession). Counting the resurgent Bartoli and the signing of Danish international Caroline Pleidrup, there are probably five players challenging for back three starts: Bowen, Pleidrup, Bartoli, Marija Milinkovic, and Ivana Andres.
We’ll see how the dust settles but one way or another Bowen will remain an important part of this squad having signed a new contract ahead of this season. Particularly since her versatility means she can play anywhere across the back three or at wing-back or in the midfield. Plus this was only a preseason cup game so it wasn’t necessarily an indication of how the depth chart is looking. We’ll get a much better idea of that tomorrow when Inter Milan begin their quest to qualify for the Champions League.
Internazionale got a decent draw for the second round of UWCL prelims. They’ll host a group in which they face Brann (Norway) in one semi-final while Valur (Iceland) and Braga (Portugal) scrap it out in the other. There’ll be a final and third-place game a few days later. No easy matches there but Inter should be favourites to advance... after which there’ll be one more qualifying stage before the League Phase. It’s been four years since CJ Bott (Vålerenga) and Indi Riley (Fortuna Hjørring) last represented Aotearoa in the UWCL proper and this marks the best opportunity we’ve had to snap that drought since the group stage was introduced. Grace Wisnewski is also in the mix with FC Nordsjælland... more on her later.
Up Next: Brann vs Inter at 2am on Thursday in the UWCL qualifiers (NZT)
Marko Stamenic - Swansea City (English Championship)
When last week’s Flying Kiwis was published, they’d done everything except announce Marko Stamenic as a Swansea City player. The BBC had reported it. The club’s YouTube had accidentally published his first interview. Snoop Dogg had followed Marko on IG. He’d done his medical and been in the stands for a game. The coach had even openly discussed the move with media. Dunno why it took so long to be finalised, especially since all parties have since admitted that this move was at least a month in the making... but it’s done now and Marko Stamenic is a Swansea City player.
Respect to a man of culture who picked a Martin Scorsese film as his favourite. There’s a Wellington Phoenix shoutout in there too. As for playing against Kevin De Bruyne, that of course happened in the Champions League with three of Stam’s seven UCL appearances (so far) coming against Manchester City. Three of his first four, even. With FC Copenhagen and Crvena zvezda. KDB only played one of those games – a 0-0 draw with Copenhagen in November 2022.
Stamenic has signed a four-year contract with an option for a fifth. The transfer fee is reported to be around £2m... less than half of what Nottm Forest paid for him 14 months ago. To clarify, this is a permanent move and not a loan. That seems kinda strange from the NFFC perspective, although remember he was signed by a club fresh off a relegation battle and now he’s leaving a club that’s competing in the Europa League. Priorities have changed at Nottingham Forest and they’re now capable of enticing a more proven calibre of player to the City Ground. Easy come, easy go as far as Stamenic is concerned. This way he can direct his full focus towards the Swans.
Sadly, this will (probably) mean an end to his league and cup winning double streak from Denmark to Serbia and then to Greece. S’pose it’s possible that Swansea City could win the Championship and the FA Cup but that’s not the same thing. No worries. He’s banked more winners’ medals by age 23 than most kiwi players earn in a career and now it’s time for some stability as he settles in with his fourth club in four years. Five if you include preseason with Nottingham Forest.
This move means something for Swansea City too, hence why they pushed for a permanent deal. Stamenic is their ninth new signing and there could be more. The four signings that they paid transfer fees for are: Zeidane Inoussa (23yo), Ethan Galbraith (24yo), Bobby Wales (20yo), and Marko Stamenic (23yo). All of them have signed contracts until at least 2029 including option years, showing off a deliberate strategy to lock in these pedigreed younger players whose values will likely increase.
Alan Sheehan, SCFC coach: “Marko is an excellent player, one who has been on our radar for some time, and he will bring us different attributes in our midfield with his physicality and athleticism. He was clear in his desire to be part of what we are building at Swansea City, and we believe his character will make him a really good fit for this group. We want to be an adaptable team that is on the front foot with and without the ball at all times, and Marko will help us to do that.”
Richard Montague, director of football: “Marko provides us with a different profile in terms of our midfield options, and his physicality and ability on the ball mean we believe he has the attributes to be highly effective in the Championship. His arrival strengthens an already robust midfield unit, and will allow us to play with the relentless energy and adaptability that we want to be hallmarks of our team.”
Adam Worth, global head of analytics and recruitment: “As a recruitment team we’d identified adding a level of physicality and technical ability to our midfield as an area of need, and Marko is an exciting addition. Alan has spoken of the need to be tactically adaptable, and we believe adding Marko to the options we already have at our disposal will only add to our flexibility and versatility in the middle of the pitch.”
Which brings us to his action-packed debut at home against Watford where he made an instant impression upon an already excited Swansea City fanbase. The Swans were trailing 1-0 when Stamenic joined the game as part of a double change after 53 minutes – Aussie prodigy Nestory Irankunda had scored a ridiculously good free kick earlier in the match. Having told the fans how he plays with his heart on his sleeve at all times, the first thing that Stamenic did in a Swansea City jersey was to rugby tackle Irankunda out by the wing to earn a yellow card. He stepped onto the pitch at 52:49. The card was out at 53:28.
But the second thing he did was to make a 60 metres sprint on the counter attack after the free kick was cleared, getting onto the ball and chopping past his marker with a stepover before slipping a pass through for Ronald who was a step away from getting there ahead of the keeper. And despite the yellow card, he was still keen to launch into challenges like this one...
That fella stayed down hurt for ages too, he really felt it. Clean tackle though. Swansea City ended up drawing 1-1 thanks to an equaliser from Zan Vipotnik and Marko Stamenic is already well on the way towards establishing himself as a fan favourite after his very bright cameo. At his previous European clubs, he’s tended to be seen as a youngster trying to earn his way, having to follow instructions and do fit into the team around him. This Swansea City debut was different. He was bouncing around with full confidence looking far more like the dude we see for the All Whites.
And he carried that onwards into his first start for the club, laying down an excellent hour’s mahi in a 1-1 draw against Plymouth Argyle in the EFL Cup – a tie which Swansea City went on to win via penalty shootout. Stamenic bossed the midfield completing 48/54 passes including some wicked crossfield switches. He was a physical presence and he showed a keenness throughout to advance the ball and spark his team onto the attack. Never was that more valuable than the pass he fizzed to the feet of striker Zan Vipotnik after 22 mins, allowing the striker to turn and unleash a wicked shot into the roof of the net. Count the assist for Marko Stamenic. That’s what we love to see. He’s barely played ninety cumulative minutes for this club and already it looks like a perfect fit for him.
Up Next: Sheffield Wednesday vs Swansea City at 2am on Sunday (NZT)
Chris Wood - Nottingham Forest (English Premier League)
It all kicked off during the week with some stroppy press conference comments from Nuno Espirito Santo brought to light an apparent rift between Coach Nuno and Head of Football Edu Gaspar. That’s apparently led to conflict with owner Evangelos Marinakis and there are meetings set for the days ahead to try and resolve things (disagreements over preferred transfer targets seem to have been the drama). Because of that, there are even worries that Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest may have been Nuno’s last game in charge of the club. Nuno called the idea that he might quit “absurd” without saying much else to put the minds of the fanbase at ease. Time will tell. Edu was formerly the sporting director at Arsenal and was only hired by NFFC in July... less than three weeks after Nuno had been given a new contract.
That shadow hung over the Palace vs Forest game on Sunday afternoon London time. Except for Crystal Palace fans who were more bothered about Nottingham Forest taking their Europa League spot. Lots of drama in the wider context... not much drama on the pitch. Chris Wood had an early chance where he flipped the ball wide of the near post from a driven cross by Morgan Gibbs-White. Woodsy returned the favour later in the half when he collected a deep delivery and laid it back for MGW to run onto rather than trying to shoot from a tricky angle on the volley. MGW sent it into the stands. Otherwise... Woodsy was mostly marginalised outside of some strong hold-up play.
This wasn’t a game where much fell Wood’s way. Crystal Palace were the more perceptive team, especially late in the first half when they took the lead through Ismaila Sarr (37’) and then hit the post with another chance before the break. It was all looking pretty dangerous for Forest. Fortunately, NFFC had a great start to the second spell with Callum Hudson-Odoi dashing through to equalise on 57’, then Wood had an opportunity to give his team the lead straight afterwards. He was flagged offside but it was close enough that it would have been checked. Alas, his difficult dipping strike went straight at the keeper.
Onwards it went with Forest giving debuts to several new signings off the bench: Omari Hutchinson, James McAtee, and Arnaud Kalumuendo. Wood was subbed with a couple of minutes to go. Igor Jesus came on in his place and smashed a great shot onto the post. Palace had a very decent penalty shout declined because of an offside in the move. 1-1 was the final score, that’ll do. Keeps NFFC undefeated with four points from their two fixtures and an out of form West Ham side upcoming. They’ll also learn their Europa League fixtures in a few days. We’ve just gotta hope they can find a happy resolution with this Nuno stuff because it was the arrival of the current gaffer that took Chris Wood into the stratosphere: he’s scored 33 goals in 54 games under Nuno’s guidance.
Up Next: Nottm Forest vs West Ham at 1am on Monday (NZT)
Callum McCowatt - Silkeborg IF (Danish Superliga)
Hold up, stop what you’re doing, we’ve got a Callum McCowatt goal to admire...
Good from Cal. This is his second goal of the season and first in the Superliga (the other being in the Conference League qualies). He also got an assist last week against Viborg so righteous things are happening. McCowatt has started 9/10 games this season across both competitions with the lone exception being a league game three days after an extra time ECL match in Iceland. They rested him then but SIF don’t otherwise bother with much rotation. If McCowatt keeps banging them away like that then there’s no reason there should.
The game in question was away against last season’s runners-up FC Midtjylland. Silkeborg started well and even took the lead after 32 minutes thanks to an own goal from a smooth move instigated by a piercing McCowatt pass. Alas, the game didn’t stay like that. FC Midtjylland hit back and then hit back some more with goals on 35’, 52’ and 64’ to put them up 3-1 and on course for victory. Then McCowatt did what he did and all of a sudden it was a contest again with CM also ripping one into the side-netting from just outside the area a few mins later.
Yeah but FCM scored again on the counter-attack (81’) to cease the comeback hopes and McCowatt was subbed after 86 minutes. 4-2 was the final score in favour of Midtjylland. That breaks the two-game winning streak that Silkeborg had been working on, though at least they’re showing much better signs these day having scored multiple goals in each of their past four matches (including the ECL).
You know what else? We could be in for a fun reunion next week when SIF face Sønderjyske because check this out...
Dalton Wilkins is back! He had a great start to last season with Sonders, starting three of their first six matches, but then those old pesky injuries reared their ugly head again and he ended up having to go under the knife in March. That meant season over... and plenty more. The recovery process continued all the way through preseason and the opening month of the Superliga until he got 45 minutes for the reserves last week and then played ten minutes off the bench in a 2-0 win against Brøndby over the weekend. Back in action after five and a half months. He even managed to collect a yellow card for time wasting as Sonders held on for an upset victory.
Up Next: Silkeborg vs Sønderjyske at 0:00 on Monday (NZT)
Rebekah Trewhitt - Lewes FC (English National League South)
That goal came in a 2-1 win away against Exeter City... a pretty big result considering that Exeter only lost one home game in all of last season. Trewhitt’s goal was the second of the match and gave Lewes a 2-0 lead after only nine minutes. Exeter City then scored from the penalty spot to make it 2-1 after 14 mins but that was all the scoring done and dusted. This is third tier English footy which means that if Lewes can get promoted then they’d enter WSL2 where Mickey Foster, Hannah Blake, Katie Kitching, Grace Neville, and Indi Riley are all currently employed. That league kicks off in two weeks.
Lewes drew 0-0 against Watford in their first match and also had a 2-1 win against Fulham in the National League Cup. Bex Trewhitt has started all three games. She’s yet to play more than an hour in any of them but that’s normal for a new signing. Seems she’s being used as an attacker on the left-wing too, rather than the fullback/wing-back position she usually held down for the Wellington Phoenix Reserves... and based on that goal you’d have to say they’ve made the right decision.
Up Next: Lewes vs Bedford at 1am on Monday (NZT)
Matthew Garbett - Peterborough United (English League One)
They said they’d ease Matt Garbett into the team after he signed with Peterborough, which is as it ought to be after eight months without any senior club football. The funny thing about that is he kept getting selected for the All Whites throughout that difficult span but then as soon as he found a new club he was dropped from the national team – albeit that’s only because League One doesn’t break for the FIFA window so it made more sense to let him (and the likes of Nik Tzanev and Ben Waine) settle into their new clubs instead. The other funny thing is that after being banished to the U21s with NAC Breda (where despite his awkward personal situation he still won lots of praise for how well he helped out the youngsters around him), his first appearance for Peterborough United came playing for their U21s team.
Both Garbett and fellow new signing Tom Lees were given a run with the kids in a Professional Development League game against QPR last week. Garbett scored a goal and the pair were subbed at half-time with the Posh leading 2-0. It ended up being a 2-2 draw. This was first team coach Darren Ferguson’s assessment afterwards:
“I have decisions to make. As a centre-back Tom doesn’t have to run around so much and he reads the game so well he breezed through the match. Matt took longer to get going, but for the final 30 minutes of his appearance he was very good. He’s a strong, athletic player who will be a good signing for us.”
Well, he must have liked what he saw because both of those dudes were named on the bench for the League One game against Bradford City and Garbett was chucked on for his proper debut as part of a four-man substitution midway through the second half. This was shortly after Bradford City had scored to take the lead. Garbs played as a right-leaning central midfielder in a three, the same spot where his best performances usually came for NAC (except that for this team his marauding nature is encouraged). MG’s most notable contribution was that he somehow managed to get fouled five times in 23 minutes.
Peterborough played their best stuff after those substitutions which led to a stoppage time equaliser from Cian Hayes. That’s the impact we like. 1-1 was the final score – giving the Posh their first point following four defeats to start the campaign. Even though he was only out there for a quarter of the match, Garbett was shortlisted for the Player of the Day vote on the club’s social channels. Not too shabby for a lad who hadn’t played a club game since December.
Matt Garbett post-game: “We deserved more. We got into the final third, but we couldn’t seem to execute that final action. However you see can see the positives box to box and it is just the final product that is missing. Ultimately, we can take a point though and build from there. We were unlucky not to get three points and we could have had a few points from the others games I’ve watched as well. We need to keep going as we’ve got the quality and the manager knows what he wants. I’m happy on a personal level. I managed get going quite quickly and my fitness is good so I’m feeling good. I’m looking forward to getting some more games in my legs and really getting going.”
Now it’s time to update the other English-based kiwis whose exploits don’t quite warrant full yarns in yet another stacked week of Flying Kiwis happenings. Starting with Liberato Cacace who has missed three games for Wrexham with his hamstring issue. That’s three more than he ever missed with injury whilst at Empoli across three and a half years – he didn’t always play, especially in his first year and a half, but the only two times he was ever out of a Serie A matchday squad were due to suspension. Seems like Wrexham are just taking it easy with him because the latest update is that he’s back training on the grass and could be involved before the international break (which in turn should keep him available for the international break). Wrexham drew 2-2 with Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship and then won 3-2 against Preston in the EFL Cup with Kieffer Moore scoring the winner in stoppage time.
Ben Waine got a boost to his stocks when his old club Plymouth Argyle met the release clause for Port Vale forward Lorent Tolaj. That cleared a spot in the starting line-up for Waine to play a full game in the 1-0 defeat against Doncaster Rovers. That, friends, is the first time that Waineo has done a complete ninety in a league game since 22 October 2022 whilst playing for the Wellington Phoenix. His only other nineties across those three years were against Guinea at the Olympic Games and in a League Cup tie against Blackpool a fortnight ago. So already we can see that things are better for him at PVFC. Only problem is that they did lose that game and Waine’s massive workrate will only take him so far if the goals don’t follow. He had some good moments though. Waine then watched from the sideline as a rotated Vale side (seven changes to the starting eleven) pulled off an impressive 1-0 win away against Birmingham in the League Cup.
Max Crocombe’s Millwall stocks took a blow this week, not for anything he did but because number one Steven Benda shrugged off a couple of poor showings to produce a Man of the Match display in a 1-0 win against Tyler Bindon’s Sheffield United. Another crap result for the Blades who sit last after three games. Bindon was subbed for the last ten minutes as they chased an equaliser - he’s doing okay but the team’s wider struggles are causing some dark clouds to form.
Back to Crocombe, he did at least have an EFL Cup match against Coventry City in which to further his case. Millwall were 1-0 up at half-time with Crocs hardly having had to do anything. They’d score a decisive second goal with quarter of an hour remaining but the more Coventry went to their bench, the stronger they got. Crocombe was kept very busy in the second spell and pulled off a number of classy stops. Wasn’t able to save the late penalty his team conceded but he did manage to avoid any dramas with the new time-wasting laws (eight seconds to boot the ball or else it’s a corner kick) as Millwall claimed their place in the next round with a 2-1 win.
There are still a couple more League Cup games to be played on Thursday NZT and the draw will take place after that. Round three will contain the last 32 teams in contention. Of those teams, we’ve got Swansea City, Millwall, Wrexham, Port Vale, and Nottingham Forest (who enter in round three) all containing kiwi players... in fact, there might be a sixth because Marley Leuluai was a notable absentee from the Burnley U21s game this weekend. Was it rotation? Was it an injury? Was he dropped? None of the above... he was called up to sit on the bench for the senior team as Burnley won 2-1 against Derby County. Didn’t get on the pitch but he was there in his #53 jersey for his first matchday experience aged 18yo. First of many, no doubt.
Up Next: Exeter City vs Peterborough, Sunday at 2am (NZT)
Grace Wisnewski – FC Nordsjælland (Danish A-Liga)
Grace Wisnewski was named in the starting eleven to make her debut in week one of the new A-Liga season but she must have gotten injured in warm-ups because in the end she wasn’t actually involved. No dramas because last week she popped up off the bench for her first FCN appearance and then this week she reclaimed her original starting spot. In fact, she played ninety minutes as goals from Anna Christine Walter (20’) and Carli Scheuer Moesgaard (31’) sent Nordsjælland onwards to a 2-0 win away against Odense Boldklub. Nobody seems to want to share the highlights of that game but that’s another good milestone for the Wiz, who only played ninety minutes once in all of last season with Lexington in the USA.
And not a moment too soon either... because just like Katie Bowen’s Inter Milan, Grace Wisnewski’s FCN will now embark upon a bit of cheeky Champions League qualification. Theirs is a tougher group where they face mini-tournament hosts Sparta Prague (Czechia) in the semis with either Roma (Italy) or Aktobe (Kazakhstan) to follow. Only the winners of the section advance to the final round of qualifying – which will be a two-legged playoff. In other words, Nordsjælland are four games away from getting to the UWCL league phase and that journey begins in a matter of hours.
Up Next: Sparta Prague vs FCN at 3am on Thursday in UWCL qualifying (NZT)
Kees Sims - GAIS (Swedish Allsvenskan)
Being the back-up goalkeeper at a club can be a serious test of one’s patience. Kees Sims is highly regarded at GAIS but they’re also having a very good season and veteran Mergim Krasniqi’s been amongst the best keepers in the country so what are you gonna do? Just gotta keep working hard and wait for weeks like these, where Sims not only got the start in a 3-1 Svenska Cupen second round win against Lödde, as expected, but he also got the start in a 2-0 league defeat against top-of-the-table Mjällby, very unexpectedly.
The cup game was a routine affair with GAIS going 3-0 up after 48 minutes and the only concession being a late-ish penalty kick. Even with a rotated team they were way too good for their lower-tiered opponents. The Mjällby game was the opposite. This time GAIS were the underdogs, producing a strong performance for much of the game to frustrate the league leaders with their sharp press and defensive shape... but they couldn’t withstand them for the full distance. Goals conceded after 63 and 87 minutes. Sims kinda got sent for the first one, though that was because his entire backline left him exposed by sleeping on a ball over the top. The second was a header at the back post from a corner kick where Sims claimed (unsuccessfully) that he’d been fouled. Could’ve done better on both counts... but otherwise he did good, including a nice low save leading to the corner.
Down a division, Owen Parker-Price followed his impactful cup debut for Örgryte by getting half an hour off the bench as a league debut in a 2-2 draw against Brage. That’s a pesky result which sees them drop from first on goal difference to second place in the standings. Meanwhile, back at the old stomping ground...
Woolridge, usually a defender, has scored two goals in 39 appearances since Torslanda were promoted to the Ettan Södra (third tier) and this was the second. They drew this game 1-1 against Skövde with Harry Moss-Edge and Sean Bright also getting ninety minutes. Elsewhere in the same division, Cameron Hogg captained FC Trollhättan to a 3-1 win away against Rosengard while Oscar Faulds got half an hour off the bench for Karlstad as they lost 3-2 against Vasalund. And although Gabi Rennie’s had a couple of quiet games in the Swedish women’s second tier (in other words: no goals or assists), her Eskilstuna United team has mustered a couple of clean sheet wins on the trot to sit third in the Elitettan, keeping the heat on the teams above them in the promotion race.
Up Next: GAIS vs Häcken at 2.30am Monday (NZT)
Matt Dibley-Dias - Chesterfield (English League Two)
Ankle injuries stuttered the early weeks of this Matt Dibley-Dias x Chesterfield loan spell but he cast those worries to the wind when he made his first league start for the Spireites in a 2-1 win against Harrogate Town the other day. Really tidy performance from him too... not only with his smooth, rhythmic passing but also with his defensive workrate making challenges and tracking down possession. Even picked up a yellow card for his efforts. The previous time that MDD was named to start for Chesterfield, he didn’t make it to half-time of a cup defeat against Mansfield Town before the ankle flared up. He had no such dramas here. Dibs is back on track... and Chesterfield are sitting second in League Two having won 4/5 games.
Up Next: Chesterfield vs Crawley Town at 2am on Sunday (NZT)
Ali Riley - Angel City FC (American National Women’s Soccer League)
Perhaps it’s jumping the gun to be using the word comeback already but dammit close enough. Ali Riley was on the long-term injury list from April 2024 until just a couple of weeks ago. It’s taken a lot of work to get back with no guarantees that she’d even be able to manage it. But as Angel City walked out for warm-ups ahead of their game against Orlando Pride the other day, there she was. Named on the bench for an NWSL matchday squad return after nearly a year and a half away. It’s been 13 months since she was involved in any sort of game, dating back to the Football Ferns vs Zambia in July 2024.
The reason that the ‘comeback’ tag is a little premature is that Riley didn’t actually play against Orlando Pride. She wasn’t subbed on. It would have been perfect given how Orlando is one of her former clubs... but the game didn’t pan out that way. Instead, Angel City spent the latter stages chasing a victory which they eventually got 1-0 thanks to an 86th minute goal from Alyssa Thompson. Great result as ACFC try to stage a late sprint towards the playoffs. With Milly Clegg out on loan in Canada and Macey Fraser being rudely shunned in Utah, it’s nice to have some good news from the NWSL.
Ali Riley: “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to describe what tonight meant to me. It holds a different space in my heart than my other favourite football moments. Just to stand in the huddle with my teammates and pass the ball in warm-ups and feel the energy of La Fortaleza again was more than I dared hope for. Plus three points? Pinch me. Thank you to everyone who celebrated this impossible moment with me, especially my Angels. I love you all so much.”
Up Next: Angel City vs Bay FC on Tuesday at 1pm (NZT)
Marco Lorenz - Eastern SC (Hong Kong Premier League)
We’ve had a few fascinating transfers to Asian countries recently. Moses Dyer to Cambodia. Dane Ingham to Malaysia. Now here’s Marco Lorenz joining Eastern Sports Club in Hong Kong.
Eastern SC finished third in the league and won the FA Cup in both of the past two seasons. Those cup titles have earned them a couple of stints in AFC Champions League Two, the second tier of continental competition (equivalent to UEFA’s Europa League... or CAF’s Confederation Cup - which Andre De Jong and Stellenbosch made the semis of last season). Among others, they were placed with Sydney FC in their group last season and lost 4-1 and 5-0. This season they’ll face Ratchaburi (Thailand), Nam Định (Vietnam), and Gamba Osaka (Japan).
Lorenz is a skilled defender who can play anywhere across the backline and ought to go well in Hong Kong – a nation that he’s got a strong connection to given that his grandparents were born in Hong Kong and he visited the city multiple times during his childhood. He joins from Auckland United in the Northern League where he was a key player in the backline. He’ll miss a Chatham Cup final as a consequence but a few Asian confederation games should make up for that.
Lorenz is only 21yo but he’s already played for a lot of teams. He first came to prominence with the Wellington Phoenix Reserves and spent time at Tasman United and Wellington Olympic before his first attempt heading overseas where he trialled with Werder Bremen U23s and then later returned to sign with BSV Rehden. That didn’t work out so he was soon back with Western Springs before playing for Auckland City in the National League. This year he settled at Auckland United. Now he’s with Eastern SC.
Marco Lorenz: “I feel very comfortable here in Hong Kong and the team has been very warm and welcoming. I hope we can achieve good results in the new season. ACL 2 is one of the big events in Asia and maybe the outside world may not expect much from us there, but I’m confident that we can work together and surprise many people.”
Up Next: Eastern vs Kitchee at 0:00 on Saturday (NZT)
Oskar Van Hattum - Valour FC (Canadian Premier League)
It never worked out for OVH at Sligo Rovers in Ireland. He started with an assist on debut but struggled to hold down a consistent position, the club seemingly unsure if they were dealing with a forward or a wing-back, and then the injuries set in. He’s only played 51 minutes of football since May and there didn’t seem to be much of a future there for him considering he only signed a one-year contract. Therefore he’s wrangled an early release and flown to Canada.
This is the opposite path to what Moses Dyer took. Dyer was really good in Canada and then awesome in Ireland. OVH didn’t get much of a chance to show what he can do in Ireland but he’ll get a window to audition in Canada. His contract is only guaranteed for the rest of this season but there’s a club option for 2026. Valour has eight games left and are 14 points adrift of making the play-in game so there’s no reason not to play him.
Phil Dos Santos, Coach & GM at Valour: “We like a lot of things about Oskar. He’s young but brings international experience. Oskar will help us in this final stretch… He’s decisive in the final third and can give us goals and assists.”
Up Next: Valour vs Pacific at 7am on Monday (NZT)
Zac Jones - AFC Fylde (English National League North)
We’re yet to see a Zac Jones clean sheet since joining Fylde but safe to say the saves have been there. Jones has gone straight in as the number one and has carried on the fine form he showed with Haverfordwest County. Fylde have won four of their five games to date, living up to their expectations of a promotion challenge, and while the clean sheets haven’t translated directly from Wales to England for Zac Jones, a different aspect of his game sure has. Check out who got the assist for the 90+6th minute winner that they scored against Southport on the weekend...
Up Next: Sunday at 2am against Bedford Town (NZT)
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