Flying Kiwis – January 13
Liberato Cacace - Wrexham (English Championship)
For almost two months we didn’t see Libby Cacace in action at all. Even before that he was in and out of the team amidst recurring muscle injuries – the first time in his entire career that he’d been stuck with injuries, probably in part due to his lack of a preseason. But he returned to the squad on Boxing Day and made his first appearance back on New Year’s Day. Two short substitute cameos later, an FA Cup meeting against Premier League club Nottingham Forest seemed like as good a moment as any to get him back into the starting eleven, and that’s exactly how coach Phil Parkinson saw it too. You’ve probably heard what happened next...
And that was just the start of it. Cacace looked like he’d never been away, jumping into tackles and getting up and down the left wing. Didn’t get a whole lot of touches but retained the ball as expertly as always. By the time they subbed him off after an hour, as was no doubt planned in advance, Oliver Rathbone had also scored to have Wrexham leading 2-0 with half an hour left to hang on. Both goals came from Wrexham hustling after turnovers in the attacking third.
They didn’t hang on... conceding within five minutes of Cacace being removed and then even after Dominic Hyam made it 3-1 on 74’, a pair of Callum Hudson-Odoi bangers took the game to extra time. The equaliser came in the 89th minute. But while the team that equalises late often carries on that momentum and wins the thing, Nottm Forest (still without the injured Chris Wood, of course) weren’t able to find a fourth despite pretty much having Wrexham fenced in by that stage. The underdogs survived and took it to penalties... where they claimed a 4-3 triumph thanks to a pair of saves by Arthur Okonkwo.
So they led 2-0 up during the hour with Cacace, trailed 3-1 in the hour without him, but advanced to the fourth round thanks to a penalty shootout. First time that Wrexham have beaten a Premier League opponent in any competitive circumstance since 1999. Cacace’s moment ended up being lost in amongst all the rest of the glory. It was only last season with Empoli that he scored his first club goal since moving to Europe so he’s up and running nice and quick for Wrexham.
On the flipside, that result does eliminate Chris Wood from the FA Cup. The latest update from Sean Dyche is that The Woodsman is progressing smoothly but there’s still no time-frame as to when he might return. He was due to have a follow-up scan late last week to survey how well his knee is healing up. But yeah nah no FA Cup for him this season.
There wasn’t much FA Cup happiness for anyone else either. Ben Waine got a bit, more on him later, but otherwise Libby Cacace hogged it all. Max Crocombe was given a rest for Millwall’s game away against Burnley. First appearance since October for Steven Benda... who was rubbish and they lost 5-1. No threat to Crocs’ number one status there. In fact it was Benda’s last game because Fulham have since recalled him, presumably because he was stuck on the bench – George Evans has been recalled from loan at Hartlepool to serve as Crocombe’s backup for the time being (they’ve also got Lucas Jensen to return from injury at some stage).
A similar thing happened with Sheffield United where a rotated team involved the fit-again Ben Mee alongside Mark McGuinness in central defence, leaving Tyler Bindon as an unused substitute while the Blades were beaten 4-3 against Mansfield Town. With Japhet Tanganga also rested for that game, there will be some competition for places amongst the Blades CBs from here on out. Bindon forced his way into that conversation while Mee was injured and regardless of how it pans from here, it seems highly likely he’ll be seeing his loan deal through until the end.
Marko Stamenic had his usual CDM role for Swansea City against West Brom. Picked up a yellow card and was subbed after 82 minutes with the game at 1-1. It went to extras where both sides scored again for a 2-2 draw... whereupon WBA won the penalty shootout to advance to the fourth round. No Joe Wallis or Noah Dupont in the squad for the Baggies. Stamenic had a very tidy game with his passing and defensive mahi yet wasn’t able to spark much going forward. And that’s that. Wrexham and Port Vale are into the fourth round. Ipswich Town, Burnley, and West Brom are still alive and have kiwis on the fringes of their first team who aren’t very likely to see any action (definitely not Henry Gray at Ipswich, for reasons soon to be explained). Onwards.
Up Next: Wrexham vs Norwich at 4am on Sunday (NZT)
Jacqui Hand - FC Basel (Swiss Super League)
Biggest transfer news of the week: Jacqui Hand has joined FC Basel for the second half of the Swiss season... and also the two after that. Her contract will run through to mid-2028 and they’ve given her the #8 jersey. This follows stints at Åland United in Finland, Lewes and Sheffield United in England, and Kolbotn in Norway. Considering she went to college in the USA before that she’s now graduated into one of our most travelled footballers. Gotta do what you’ve gotta do to make a living in this sport.
The last three clubs that Hand played for all got relegated. Sheff Utd did get a reprieve to stay in the English second tier but that only happened afterwards. Three relegations on the trot is some brutal destiny... even though she did her darndest to keep Kolbotn up last year (alongside Liz Anton and Liv Chance). Fortunately, she won’t get relegated at FC Basel. Probably won’t win trophies either but FCB have been a solid upper-mid-table club in Switzerland for many years, currently sitting fifth after 12 rounds. Servette are bursting clear with a seven point lead at the top but Basel are only three points adrift of second place.
FCB Head of Women's Football, Fabian Sangines: “Jacqui brings international experience and a certain maturity that will give our attacking play a new impetus. Her goal-scoring instinct, dribbling skills, and excellent passing are, of course, very beneficial to our style of play.”
This club was also the home of Ria Percival once upon a time – Percy spent two years there between 2016-2018, playing 30 times and scoring 10 goals (dunno how that happened). Hand’s got some legendary kiwi boots to fill. She’s already over there, having spent a couple days training last week as Basel began their preparations for the rest of the campaign, then travelling with the squad to Malta where they’re playing in a friendly tournament. They lost 4-0 to Hoffenheim (Germany) in the first of two games. The other will be against Wolfsburg (also Germany) in a couple of days. PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands) are also part of the tournament. Hand played at least some part of the Hoffenheim match for an unofficial debut.
The Swiss Super League does already have one representative from Aotearoa because this is where Lara Colpi has been playing for FC Thun-Berner. Her team is dead-last with just one measly point from 10 games so they probably get stuck in the relegated murkiness, although in this league they can save themselves via playoffs.
Up Next: First proper game is Basel vs Grasshoppers on 8 February (NZT)
Michael Boxall – Minnesota United (American Major League Soccer)
As we already know, Michael Boxall is under contract for another year with Minnesota United after triggering an automatic extension during arguably the best year of his entire career (at age 36). He’s now 37 years old and could keep going for several more years if he really wants, given the position that he plays and his stature at the club and the level he’s been playing at, but we’ve reached the one-season-at-a-time phase of his career. There’s a World Cup coming up and after that... who knows? This might even be his last year, depending on how much he feels he still needs to achieve with Minnesota United.
Either way he’ll be doing it with a new coach because Eric Ramsay has been poached (with compensation) by West Bromwich Albion in the English Championship. That’s where Noah Dupont and Joe Wallis have each been working their way up the ranks so Ramsay’s swapping a 37yo NZ centre-back for an 18yo NZ centre-back. Good for him. But who, you may ask, is going to replace him? This guy, that’s who...
That’s Aotearoa’s Cam Knowles and don’t you forget it. The 43yo Aucklander never played for the All Whites (though he was an NZ U17s international) but he did make it to MLS as a player with Real Salt Lake and has been working in various coaching capacities for more than a decade – first with Portland Timbers and then with Minnesota United. In fact, he’s already coached this team in a handful of games as interim prior to Ramsay arriving in the country. After that he stuck around as one of Ramsay’s assistants and now he’s inherited the big job. The Loons will have a kiwi captain and a kiwi head coach this year. Unreal.
MNUFC: “Knowles has been a cornerstone of Minnesota United since 2021, bringing a unique blend of experience across nearly every facet of the game. He began as a video analyst, steadily rising through the organization. In 2022, he became the first head coach of MNUFC2, the Loons’ MLS NEXT Pro side, where he helped shape the club’s player development pathway and strengthened the connection between the Academy and First Team. In early 2024, Knowles stepped in as MNUFC’s interim head coach, guiding the First Team to an impressive 2-0-1 (W-L-D) start, including a thrilling home opener against the defending MLS Cup champions Columbus Crew and a hard-fought road victory over Orlando City SC. He then transitioned into a First-Team assistant coach role, where his steady leadership and talent for helping players reach their full potential made an impact on the club’s growth over the past two seasons.”
The only previous coach from New Zealand to hold a full-time MLS gig was Ryan Nelson with his ill-fated 13 game stint with Toronto FC back in 2014. Gavin Wilkinson had an interim stint with Portland Timbers in 2012, same as Knowles did with Minnesota in 2024 prior to Ramsay’s arrival.
Considering that there hasn’t even been a New Zealand native coach in the A-League (men or women) since Ricki Herbert left the Wellington Phoenix in 2013, this is an incredibly rare thing. The last NZer to hold any kind of significant coaching helm was Olli Harder with the West Ham women. Maybe chuck in a bit of Declan Edge at Torslanda if you wanna dip slightly lower. Even in the NZ National League you don’t hear that many NZ accents from the dugouts, while Danny Hay and Michael Mayne are rare examples of it at the international level. Damn, even the two OFC Pro League clubs from NZ have foreign coaches. Makes you wonder whether we’re doing enough to develop high quality and ambitious coaches in this country or just outsourcing these roles... but that’s a yarn for another day. Shout out to Cam Knowles for his many years of hard work leading to this opportunity.
He’s going to have his work cut out for him though. Tani Oluwaseyi left for Villarreal in Spain partway through last season and during the offseason they’ve lost a couple more key players with Robin Lod going to Chicago and Dayne St Clair to Inter Miami. They have made some encouraging signings to replace them but time will tell if they can be as effective for a team with playoff expectations.
Michael Boxall: “I mean, in football I feel like no matter what happens, players come and go. Coaches come and go. We’ve seen that every year for the past... my whole career. No stranger to that. You just have to focus on the season and find ways for the new players to make the most of their opportunities and go one better than we did last year.
Just from the two or three speeches he’s already given the guys, you can see the way that [Knowles] carries himself. If you’d asked me after his 2-3 month stint in 2024 I’d have said he’s ready for the job back then. Obviously he’s had a year and a half to reflect on what we can do differently or different ways to approach the game and obviously learned a lot from Eric in that time. So no doubt he’s leaps ahead of where he was. Cam’s well aware of everyone’s tendencies, what they’re good at. I think he’s just finding ways to maximize what we have here.”
Up Next: Preseason training started on Monday... convenient timing with the coaching change
Elijah Just – Motherwell (Scottish Premiership)
What do ya know, that’s another assist for Elijah Just. Second game in a row he’s gotten one of those. Just is up to five assists for the season (to go with three goals) which is tied for second most in the entire league, just one behind Alexandros Kyziridis of Hearts. There isn’t really anything new to say about that, it’s the same stuff every week. He’s in tremendous form within an ideal situation, just gotta hope that manager Jens Berthel Askou (recently named Scottish Prem Manager of the Month for December) doesn’t get kidnapped by a rival because a few other clubs sound keen on him at the moment. Then again, JBA has signed Just twice and tried to get him another time in between so he’d probably just take him with him.
Anyway, Motherwell only drew against Hibernian in this game. 1-1 to add to their long list of stalemates this season. They don’t lose very often though and that keeps the points tally ticking over, with the Steelmen still holding firm in fourth place. Annoyingly, the three teams above them all won this week. Meanwhile, Kilmarnock managed to draw 1-1 against fellow relegation candidate Livingston... but George Stanger was stuck on the bench for the fifth game in a row. He’s only made one appearance since the last All Whites camp.
Up Next: Scottish Cup fourth rounder against Ross County at 4am on Sunday (NZT)
Matthew Garbett - Peterborough United (English League One)
Been waiting for that. This was Garbett’s third goal for Posh but the first he’s scored since Luke Williams took over as manager (he scored in Darren Ferguson’s last game in charge). He’s been taking a lot of shots, albeit not always from high-percentage situations, so it was only a matter of time until he converted something. Good quick shift onto his left and a smart guided finish past the keeper after overlapping down the right. That’s what we like to see.
This goal gave Peterborough a 2-0 advantage against Bolton Wanderers and they went on to turn that into a 3-1 victory. As the tweet says, that’s six wins from their last eight matches. They were last when Fergie got sacked... they’ve since climbed all the way up to tenth and are much closer to playoffs than to relegation. Amazing turnaround and Garbett has been busy in amongst it all, finally getting some reward for his toil with this goal.
Garbs was mostly playing as a central midfielder under Ferguson but Williams has a different system and he’s predominantly been an attacker since then, usually out on the right wing. Fortunately, the coach has given him a licence to drift around and get involved where he can. Needless to say, the Posh fanbase still adores him, voting him as the club’s Man of the Match as has been the case in three of the last five matches. He’s the second most fouled played in League One this term (averaging 2.6 free kicks won per 90 mins).
Matt Garbett: "I’m not really a winger so the gaffer gives me a lot of freedom. I am allowed to float around and it’s been working well. Bolton struggled at times to know who they needed to pick up. Peter Kioso sacrifices a lot when I play on that side with him as he knows I will go inside a lot which leaves the channel for him to cover. But I can spin on the outside as well and often the opposition don’t know what we are going to do next. We’ve become very adaptable and we are evolving nicely.
The only way to bounce back from a tough loss was to get a good home win, and I was pleased I managed to get my first goal since the new gaffer came in. We spoke at half-time about making sure we scored the second goal of the game and we managed to do it early. I’ve had a lot of chances in recent weeks. I’ve been getting in good positions and getting shots away so now I’ve got a goal hopefully a few more will follow. The response from the previous game shows we are in a great place. To win so convincingly shows the fans we are still focussed on winning as many games as possible.”
It’s been a good few weeks for the Garbett clan because Dundalk have confirmed that they’re keeping brother Norman around for a third season after being promoted back to the League of Ireland Premier Division. His first two years have been heavily injury-plagued, only getting around 400 mins of league action, but they must see something in him to keep persisting. He was featuring pretty regularly down the stretch of last season, albeit mostly off the bench. That’ll give him something to build from.
Norman Garbett: “It’s been a bit unfortunate with the spell I’ve had here but the little glimpses I’ve had, I’ve shown what I can do. I was back at the end of the season and starting to get more minutes, which was a bit annoying when the season was ending, but I’m excited for this season and I’m leaving all that in the past. People don’t see it, but I did a lot to get back. I was working really hard. With footballers, everyone goes through tough periods. Even with injuries, I’ve been through quite a bit, and I think I can give advice to young ones who might be suffering with injuries.”
Up Next: Peterborough vs Plymouth at 4am on Sunday (NZT)
Ben Waine - Port Vale (English League One)
The Waine Train is back in service, folks. Subject to possible delays because it’s been off and on all season with him... but we’ve had another boost this week. To recap, he signed with Port Vale on a multi-year contract after being released by Plymouth Argyle following a disappointing loan spell at Mansfield Town. He looked alright through preseason but then a difficult start to the League One campaign saw him fall entirely out of favour once some late window reinforcements arrived. Waine went two months without playing a single minute... until some cup footy rotation gave him a chance last month and he took it, scoring in three straight games (in three different competitions) as a remodelled left winger. But then after all that work, coach Darren Moore got sacked and Waine didn’t feature in either game under the interim boss.
Okay, that was annoying... but Port Vale have a proper gaffer now. They’ve hired Australian-born Jon Brady on an 18-month contract, the manager who got Northampton Town promoted to this division a couple years ago. New boss, fresh start. And straight away, Waine went back into the starting eleven, on the left wing, as Port Vale won 1-0 against Fleetwood Town to progress to the fourth round of the FA Cup. The goal was scored by Jordan Shipley in first half added-time. Waine had nothing to do with it (he was there in the area looking for it, however the cut-back went behind him for Shipley who slammed it home) but he did have several bright moments running behind the fullback in chilly conditions. Managed to stab a few crosses into the middle and almost scored when he slid onto a George Byers ball across the six yard box but couldn’t quite reach it.
The second half wasn’t as fruitful for PVFC and Waine was therefore a lot quieter... though he chipped in well with his defensive duties. Always gotta respect a good defensive shift because you know for damn sure that his coach will. Waine was subbed after 78 mins. That win takes PVFC into the fourth round of the FA Cup for the first time since 2013–14 (and they haven’t gone beyond that since the 1995-96 season).
Also of relevance: the Vale just sold striker/winger Ronan Curtis to Plymouth Argyle (Waine’s former club). Curtis had been struggling for starts but had been a regular off the bench, appearing in 19/23 league games this term. There’s a chance that Vale go and sign a new replacement but if they don’t then this lifts Ben Waine up the pecking order at a convenient time.
Up Next: EFL Trophy round of sixteen away to Bolton on Weds at 8am; Mansfield Town vs PVFC in L1 at 4am on Sunday (NZT)
Indiah-Paige Riley - Crystal Palace (English Super League 2)
Very brief sighting there of Indi Riley, with her orange bib on, congratulating new Palace signing Hayley Ladd after the former Manchester United and Everton midfielder came off the bench to score a beautiful free kick, in the 85th minute, to seal a narrow 1-0 victory on debut against Sheffield United. At least one of the substitutes got to enjoy herself. IPL was stuck on the bench on a freezing evening, serving as an unused sub for the eighth time in a dozen league matches this season. Ridiculous behaviour from the coach... but at least CPFC did win so they’re now only three points behind the second automatic promotion spot.
Ordinarily that’d be nothing to bother writing about but the return of the WSL 2 after the holidays was a complete bust otherwise. All the other kiwis had their games postponed amidst some winter weather in England. Good thing for Jacqui Hand’s transfer keeping up the women’s contributions because between winter breaks and offseasons and a couple of non-selections mean that there’s not much else going on. Aforementioned postponements in England too. Kate Taylor was rested for a Dijon FCO cup win. Abby Erceg hasn’t been involved in either of Toluca’s first two matches of the Clausura phase in Mexico. Both were wins. There’s been no announcement of her leaving so it’s probably either that she’s late returning after the break or she’s got a wee injury to deal with. The same thing happened early in the Apertura phase. A few more leagues resume next week though, that’ll aid matters.
Up Next: On Sunday at 1.30am it’s Chelsea vs Crystal Palace in the FA Cup (NZT)
Henry Gray - Harrogate Town (English League Two)
For the last few years, Ipswich Town goalkeeping prospect (and former Waterside Karori and Wellington Phoenix Academy gloveman, not to mention NZ U20 standout) Henry Gray has followed a similar path:
First half of the season, he hangs around Ipswich. Plays a few games for the academy sides, trains with the first team, and often accompanies them as an extra goalkeeper on matchday (although he’s yet to make a senior matchday squad).
Second half of the season he goes out on loan for senior game time.
A few years ago, he joined Chelmsford City in the sixth tier and helped lead them to the playoffs. The following year was Braintree Town in the fifth tier where he won the club’s Young Player of the Year award after keeping eight cleanies in 20 league matches to help them avoid relegation. He briefly went back to Braintree earlier this season (linking with Tommy Smith who is now there – albeit constantly injured) but only lasted one cup game before being recalled after Ipswich suffered a first team injury to their goalkeeping department.
This time Gray has joined Harrogate Town in League Two. Fourth tier. Another progressive move and a massive opportunity for a dude who doesn’t even turn 21 until late March. Getting a loan move to League Two, coming from a Championship club, is serious business, made possible by the fact that Harrogate just lost current number one James Belshaw to Notts County. They’re lingering in the drop zone with the only team below them being Nik Tzanev’s Newport County (Tanz got dropped to back-up a few months ago and has only played sparingly in the cups since – meaning that Gray can potentially now claim to have surpassed him on the All Whites list). There’s no guarantee that Gray will come in and be the starter here but the way they’re talking about sure him makes it sound like he will be.
Simon Weaver, Harrogate Town manager: “We’re delighted to have him with us. He’s a talented young player who's really hungry to do well, he went out on loan last year to Braintree and helped keep them up and had great reviews. We’ve seen a lot of coverage of him and are excited about what he can bring.”
Gray’s current contract with Ipswich runs for another year and a half... so if he nails it at Harrogate Town then don’t be surprised if there’s an extension brewing back home. League Two is a pretty wild spot for goalkeepers... Salford City have a starter, Matt Young, who only recently turned 19yo while there are also two starting keepers in this division aged in their 40s (Joe Murphy of Tranmere is 44yo and has made 18 starts). Gray will be the third youngest goalie to start a game in League Two this season should it come to pass. One of the other youngsters on loan in this division is Cieran Slicker at who has made 21 appearances for Barnet... on loan from Ipswich Town. So not only is HG catching up to All Whites rivals, he’s also catching up to the Ipswich depth.
Elsewhere in League Two, Matt Dibley-Dias has had his Chesterfield loan cut short. Both he and fellow loanee Devan Tanton were sent back to Fulham by the Spireites halfway through what were meant to be season-long deals. Tanton actually played quite a bit at fullback, having also spent the first half of last season at the club. But that’s not our concern. As for Dibs, he started really sharply and seemed to be making a good impression... until a knee injury suffered in late August required surgery and an extended recovery. He’s been back at Fulham doing his rehab for months already.
Sucks to say but that’s the second year in a row where injuries have spoiled what was supposed to be a progressive loan spell... and he had surgery on a hamstring issue sustained while training with the All Whites the season before. He’s 22 years old and has barely played 200 minutes of senior league football. However he does have a contract with Fulham that runs through until the end of 2026-27 so there’s still that lifeline available for him. Without the support of Fulham these past couple years, it’s hard to guess where he’d be.
Up Next: Gray will be available for the EFL Trophy knockout match against Stockport at 8am on Weds, after which they’re waay to Shrewsbury at 4am in League Two (NZT)
Luis Toomey - Vancouver FC (Canadian Premier League)
There ya go. Nearly a full year after his last minutes for Auckland FC, Luis Toomey has signed with Vancouver FC in the Canadian Premier League. Same club that Jay Herdman spent some time at on loan in 2025 and the same competition that Monty Patterson won as a bench player for Atletico Ottawa last year (Patterson’s since returned to Birkenhead United). Moses Dyer had a long, successful CPL spell across a few different clubs – with 27 goals and 11 assists in 77 matches. Myer Bevan was really good playing for Cavalry FC. Oskar Van Hattum is the other kiwi to have trod those paths... he played exactly one minute for Valour FC last year in a short, injury-plagued visit. He’s now back with South Island United in the OPL.
That’ll make Toomey the sixth NZer to play in the Canadian Premier League. None of them have made All Whites squads whilst in that league but Dyer in particular has been able to forge a pretty tidy professional career from there (he’d already played a bit in Scandinavia but it was in Canada where he truly found his feet). Toomey showed flashes with AFC but didn’t really get enough opportunity yet anyone who watched him in the National League with the Wellington Phoenix Reserves and then especially with Eastern Suburbs knows that this dude is of a similar calibre to the other National League standouts who’ve done well in the CPL (Bevan, Dyer, Patterson).
Jay Herdman is the only other NZer on the books for 2026 (so far) and that’ll be back at his parent club Cavalry. Considering they loaned him out for the second half of last year after he fell out of favour that could be a developing situation itself. 2025 was a bad year for him and it’ll be telling to see how he responds. Also, if you’re wondering what his dad is up to these days (after the scandal that ended his time with Canada), John Herdman’s just been unveiled as the new coach of the Indonesia men’s team. He replaces Patrick Kluivert who was sacked after failing to qualify Indonesia for the World Cup.
Vancouver FC came last in the eight-club CPL last year. There’s likely to be a bit of a rebuild going on and Toomey is part of that... yet despite their rubbish league form, with only 4 wins from 28 games, they managed to make a run all the way to the Canadian Championship final (a cup competition for Canadian-based clubs... including MLS teams) where they lost 4-2 to Vancouver Whitecaps. Since the Whitecaps had already qualified for the Concacaf Champions Cup via MLS, that means that the last-placed team in the CPL will in a few weeks have Champions Cup round one matches against Cruz Azul of Mexico. They’ll probably get thrashed but that’s a heck of a way for Toomey to potentially debut for his new club.
Up Next: Vancouver FC vs Cruz Azil at 4pm on 5 February (NZT)
Codey Phoenix - Tacoma Defiance (American MLS Next Pro)
Sneaky wee move over here. Auckland FC’s Reserves had a magnificent first season of existence last year, taking some time to settle in the Northern League but then really coming in strong over the second half of the season and with a few more signings for the National League they ended up finishing an astonishing fourth place with the defensive record of all. Who was their inaugural captain? That’d be Codey Phoenix. Left-back and leader. U20 World Cup representative during the year as well, starting two of their three group games.
Phoenix has also been on a youth contract with the A-League squad... but he’s not sticking around for OFC Pro League or another year with the reserves. Instead he’s packed his suitcase and headed to America where he’s signed with the MLS Next Pro affiliate team for the Seattle Sounders. CP turns 21 in February so perhaps the reserves path was closing for him and this is a good move that comes with a possibility of MLS progression. Same scenario that two other dudes from his U20s wave took up last year: James Bulkeley at North Texas (affiliate to FC Dallas) and Troy Putt at Minnesota United 2 (you can figure that one out yourself). Putt is contracted to return in 2026, though North Texas declined James Bulkeley’s second-year option.
Sounders FC Technical Director Henry Brauner: “We’re excited to welcome Codey to Tacoma Defiance. He is an up-and-coming young talent, already with a good amount of experience at the club and national level, and we are confident he will fit in well within our system. He also exhibits the type of person and character that we strive to have within our development pathway.”
Sounders FC Director of Development Wade Webber: “Codey has impressed us with his performances at the club and international level. He’s shown maturity in big moments, a strong competitive edge and an ability to handle different challenges. We’re excited to bring him into the Defiance group and support his continued growth as he takes this next step.”
This is in contrast to Ronan Wynne who has moved in the opposite direction. After being drafted by Atlanta United, getting minutes during preseason, then playing every game for their Next Pro reserve team... he was surprisingly released after only one year. Wynne has signed with Auckland FC for the OFC Pro League. That season will finish around about Maywhereupon Wynne will be one of a couple of ex-pros without an NZ National League club to return to (and too old for AFC Reserves). Oscar Faulds, most recently playing for Kalmar in Sweden, is another.
Up Next: MLS Next Pro usually gets going in early March
Tyler Boyd - Nashville SC (American Major League Soccer)
Rather rude of them to do this after he spent more than a year out injured with an ACL tear and only just got back in action for the last two months of the 2025 MLS campaign, during which he made five appearances from the team’s last six games. He then only played seven minutes across three playoff matches so obviously he wasn’t front and centre for Nashville last year... but he still had another year on his contract and will surely be much more of a factor in 2026. But nah, they have these waiver things in America which allowed Nashville to dump his contract just like that.
The way it works with waivers is that there’s then a “48-hour claiming period” during which any other club can grab him on his existing contract with priority going to the team with the worst record in the previous season in the case of multiple teams putting in a claim. But nobody did so Boyd is now a free agent and able to sign wherever he damn well pleases. Should still be enough MLS interest in the 31yo, being a capped USA international and everything. We’ll see how it goes for him.
Add that to the list of curiosities across the kiwis in MLS. On top of that, Bill Tuiloma’s broken the shackles at Charlotte FC and left to join the Wellington Phoenix. Expect him to make his debut this weekend, as soon as the registration window allows. So he’s gone. Already covered the excitement around Michael Boxall’s new coach. That only leaves Finn Surman at Portland Timbers who is about to have some A-League company after the Timbers added Alex Bonetig from Western Sydney Wanderers for a chunky fee. Both are Australasian centre-backs but this shouldn’t be seen as a sign that Surman is leaving. Boniteg is a left-sided ball player so if anything he’s being seen as a complimentary option. Timbers fans are already steeling themselves for his inevitable departure but you’d imagine nothing happens until after the World Cup at the very least. Having said that, back in November the general manager did say they were trying to get him to sign an extension and two months later we’ve heard nothing more about it.
Up Next: MLS preseason commences later this month, with the proper stuff beginning in late February
Ryan Thomas – PEC Zwolle (Dutch Eredivisie)
A 1-1 draw with FC Twente, not too bad. Would have been better without conceding that 86th minute equaliser (after Shola Shoretire had given Zwolle the lead on 66’) but considering that FC Twente had 64% of possession and took 23 shots (2.03 xG) compared to just three for Zwolle (0.40 xG) it was probably more than they had a right to. Full game for captain Ryan Thomas with a yellow card near the end. Another point keeps them six clear of the relegation zone and that’s the main focus.
Up Next: PEC Zwolle vs AZ Alkmaar at 6.45am on Sunday (NZT)
Myer Bevan - Boeung Ket (Cambodian Premier League)
There ya go, son. On the board at the fourth attempt. Couple close calls in those previous games but he made one count to polish off a 3-1 win at home against Dangkor Senchey. He missed a few chances in this game too that you’d ordinarily expect him to score – Bevan may have won the NZ National League with Auckland City but he only scored twice in 11 matches there, and not at all until the ninth game of the campaign, so he wasn’t in prime form leading into this move. But he finally slotted one in the 83rd minute of his fourth match after being played in behind by Iago Bento. Rare positive assist from a bloke called Iago (that’s a joke for the English majors). One on one with the keeper, no dramas.
That win keeps Boeung Ket nestled in third place on the standings. They’re six points behind the joint leaders Svay Rieng and Phnom Penh Crown. The latter have dropped to second on goal difference after only drawing 1-1 at home against MOI Kompong Dewa. They had the nerve to rest Moses Dyer on the bench and it kinda cost them... though Dyer did play the last twenty minutes and had two decent chances to score a winner, unable to hit the target with either. PPC have a game in hand on Svay Rieng though.
Up Next: MOI Kompong Dewa vs Boeung Ket at 0:00 on Monday (NZT)
Joe Bell – Viking FK (Norwegian Eliteserien)
Highly doubt that Joe Bell will prove a genuine transfer target to Rangers... but after the year he’s just had, winning the Norwegian championship and earning Champions League qualifiers (like, seriously, do people think another UCL club is going to come in and offer him the vice captaincy and a guaranteed starting spot? Because anything short of that would be a downgrade right now), he at least deserves a bit of rumour and speculation. And with that comes scouting profiles from people with access to paid stat subscriptions...
Up Next: His own contract has two more years but it’ll be interesting to see what VFK do in this transfer window... do they cash in on a few rising stars? Do they use their new clout to stock up for the year ahead?
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