Flying Kiwis – May 27
Michael Boxall – Minnesota United (American Major League Soccer)
Darren Bazeley claimed a few weeks ago that Minnesota United were being careful with Michael Boxall’s adductor injury and that he’d have been playing a lot earlier if it were playoffs or whatever. So in that light, perhaps we shouldn’t look at the ramping up of Boxy’s minutes directly before the World Cup break as a happy coincidence but as a deliberate plan which has seen him make two short bench cameos, then start three games for 45 minutes, 72 minutes, and finally 90 minutes as MN Utd drew 1-1 with Real Salt Lake in the last game before Boxy links up with the All Whites.
That draw required a very late equaliser that began with a Boxall throw-in (remember that tactic?), although instead of going long this time he dropped it off for Joaquin Pereyra who whipped a super cross for Mauricio Gonzalez to head home. That saved the Loons from heading into the two month World Cup break with three consecutive losses. Timely stuff. Just as it’s timely to have this kinda poise back in the eleven...
The break probably comes at a good time for the Loons, who have taken 22 points from 15 games to sit eighth in the Western Conference. That’s alright for a team on a four-game winless run, particularly one whose captain has only been able to play 30% of the season to date. They’ve also had this odd situation with James Rodriguez in and out of the team (he’s not coming back after the World Cup) and it’s not like Boxy’s been the only injury. There’s stuff for Coach Cam Knowles to fix. The main issue is their attack – ranking 26/30 for goals per game despite being 12/30 for Expected Goals. They’re not converting their chances. Probably because they’ve been missing those Boxy long throws.
Cam Knowles: “We’ve made some progress and it’s going to take time, in that sense. The run of total points over this time has set us up for the back half of the season. We’ve been able to be more aggressive in the way we’re defending higher up the field, we’ve had more moments where we’re cleaner in possession and generating chances through that possession or even creating more set pieces through having the ball a little bit longer. We’ve made steps towards it and that’ll continue to be our focus as we move into this break.”
Oh yeah and remember that Team of the Decade vote they were doing a wee while back? No surprises here...
MNUFC: “Michael Boxall became a Loon in 2017, the team’s inaugural season, and currently holds the club’s record (in MLS) for the most game appearances (282, all competitions, to-date). The New Zealand international was notably named a 2025 MLS All-Star for his standout season last year and has worn the captain's armband numerous times. Boxall recently earned a spot on New Zealand’s roster for the FIFA World Cup 2026.”
Up Next: Off to the World Cup, no sweat
Finn Surman - Portland Timbers (American Major League Soccer)
The Portland Timbers did not find a consolation note from their last game as they were beaten by the San Jose Earthquakes. They were 2-0 down after 12 minutes. Got one back through Antony. Then conceded again and the scoreline after 25 minutes remained the scoreline the whole rest of the way as Portland lost 1-3 despite having a 2.02 vs 0.70 xG advantage. Finn Surman captained the side for the fifth time this season but they usually lose when he captains and this was no different. He did add another block to his tally though, six more defensive clearances too.
Therefore the team had to look elsewhere for consolation and they found it by getting rid of coach Phil Neville. It was a mutual decision according to the press release. Doesn’t really matter whose decision it was, only that the decision has been made and the Portland Timbers will have a new head coach when they return to action in mid-July. The Timbers have a roster built for playoffs footy and they’re nowhere near that at the moment, still without consecutive wins at any stage this year, unable to have found any momentum this year. Neville’s tendency to avoid responsibility for bad results hasn’t endeared him to the fanbase and nor has his inability to get the best out of his squad. Even in the previous two years when they did make the playoffs, the feeling was that this was a team that continually failed to live up to its potential. And so here we are.
One thing you’ve gotta hand it to Phil Neville over though: he sure appreciated Finn Surman. Always full of praise for the Pride of Selwyn and willing to hand him captain’s armband on many occasions over the past 15 months. When Surman initially arrived in mid-2024, Neville was cautious and let him settle for six months without hardly playing. But he forced his way into the line-up for the start of 2025 and pretty soon was one of the first names on the team sheet. The player-coach connection is gone now... but that’s a very well-connected reference that he’s got on his CV now.
MLS stat updates at the World Cup break...
Most Shots Blocked
Finn Surman (POR) – 30
Kye Rowles (DCU) – 17
Micael (MIA) – 16
Manu Duah (SD) – 15
Lucas Bartlett (DCU) - 15
Most Defensive Clearances
Lucas Bartlett (DCU) - 114
Morris Duggan (MIN) – 111
Kye Rowles (DCU) - 104
Finn Surman (POR) - 92
Osaze Urhoghide (DAL) - 91
Up Next: Portland’s next game is away to Seattle on 17 July, so plenty of time to find a new coach (NZT)
Andre De Jong - Orlando Pirates (South African Premiership)
They needed to win their last game to claim a first South African championship for 14 years... and thanks to own goals either side of the half-time break that’s exactly what the Orlando Pirates did. A 2-0 victory away against Orbit College, start the celebrations. Orbit College were relegated as a consequence and given the comical nature of the OGs they conceded they probably deserved that fate too. Pirates had already won the MTN8 and Carling Knockout earlier in the season before Andre De Jong arrived (in fact he played against them for Stellenbosch in the MTN8 final) so this wasn’t only a league title it was a domestic treble.
Thus De Jong matches what Jeremy Brockie did twice with Mamelodi Sundowns by becoming a South African league champion. Didn’t really have a lot to do with it, granted. He was an unused sub in the title clincher, as has been the case is four of the last six games. Further to last week’s stat that’s now 17 fixtures across which he’s only gotten 217 minutes on the pitch, with two starts (one of which he was subbed off at half-time in).
ADJ’s minutes in league games since joining Orlando Pirates:
26, 11, DNP, 16, DNP, 62, DNP, DNP, 45, 13, 22, DNP, DNP, 14, 8, DNP, DNP
The very obvious problem that he’s got there is that the 32-man preliminary squad that South African have named ahead of the World Cup contains nine players from Pirates with most of them being attacking players. He’s not only competing with South African internationals for a starting place at this club, he’s competing with them even for his place on the bench. Joining midseason for a team that already had a winning formula was tough mahi. But he’s got a PSL champs medal to show for his efforts and with a full preseason (and maybe some outgoing transfers) next time could be different.
ADJ, one month ago: “Yeah, I think not just the fact that the Pirates are near the top of the table, but also obviously how big a club it is, was something to get to adjust to and get used to. So I think I'm starting to get used to that and really starting to find my feet both at training and hopefully in the games coming up. Really looking forward to the last five games and trying to end strong.
The attacking half of Pirates at the moment is functioning really really well. When guys are in really good form and knocking them in every week, you sort of have to accept that they're playing really well and that obviously they'll start. So for me personally it's just being patient and continuing to work hard at training and obviously taking that opportunity when it comes.”
If you’re going to sit on the bench it might as well be for the best team in the country. ADJ has already played a fair bit of CAF Confederation Cup from his time with Stellies and he once played 45 minutes of a CAF Champions League game away against ES Sétif of Algeria back when he was with AmaZulu. So it won’t be anything unique for him but winning the league does mean African Champions League qualification too and those extra games will definitely help with his playing opportunities.
Up Next: See ya next season
Helena Errington – FH Hafnarfjörður (Icelandic Besta Deild)
She scored in the cup last week and she scored in the league this week. Errington played twice in the Besta Deilden over the past seven days and both times were against previously undefeated teams. She’d been starting in the previous few so perhaps it was a bit more of a cautious approach against the top sides in the country that led to her returning to the bench for these matches... but Errington was still the first player subbed on both times as FH claimed two spectacular victories.
She was chucked on for half an hour at home against ÍBV. Her team was already leading at that stage thanks to an early goal from Birna Kristín Björnsdóttir (11’). A penalty on 71’ doubled the lead before two substitutes combined for a third as Eva Marín Sæþórsdóttir set up Helena Errington’s goal for a 3-0 victory. ÍBV had scored 12 goals in their four wins to start the season but FH kept them scoreless in defeat.
That was great and the 3-2 win over defending champs Breiðablik was even greater. Twice they had to fight back from a goal down. They conceded after 16 minutes but levelled up shortly before the break and it was then that Errington was chucked on. A full 45 minutes to influence the game playing slightly deeper in midfield... and although Breiðablik did score next, that was from a defensive giveaway and FH hit back twice to win. No Errington goals or assists but she did go close to both on a couple occasions. She was right amongst the action again. FH made a slow start to the season taking one point from their first two games but they’ve won four in a row since then to rise up to second on the ladder. That’s where they ended last season - hopefully this time they can push Breiðablik the whole way.
Up Next: FH vs Fram on Sunday at 2am (NZT)
Ben Old - AS Saint-Étienne (French Ligue 2)
Ben Old had played every minute for the last 14 matches and had started 20 consecutive games, all at left-back, so he sure picked one hell of a time to collect a hamstring that kept him out of the first leg of their Ligue 1 promotion playoff against Nice. Without him they scrapped through to a 0-0 draw with the away game to come on Saturday NZT. That’s going to make Oldy the last player to arrive in All Whites camp ahead of the World Cup... though that’s alright, he’s working on something important and has Darren Bazeley’s full permission.
Somehow Nice made it all the way to the final of the Coupe de France where they were beaten 3-1 by Lens. Coincidentally, they beat St-Étienne 2-1 in the R64 back in December – those were the very early days of the Ben Old as Left-Back transformation. The round before that, ASSE had won 11-1 against Ecotay Moingt with Old scoring four goals as a forward. Nice’s league form was obviously rubbish for them to have fallen into this playoff. They finished their Ligue 1 campaign on an eight-game winless streak... however they did draw five of those games so a 0-0 draw in the first leg sounds about right.
Old was named in the wider squad for this game so he must have been close to partaking. He picked up his injury in the previous playoff round yet still managed to complete the game and even took a penalty during the shootout (maybe that’s why he missed). His coach said beforehand that he was progressing well and that they’d give him a test on the morning of the game. Clearly that didn’t pan out positively but it suggests he could be back in the mix on the weekend which would be cool given how, you know, their entire season’s success or failure comes down to whether they can win this game.
Philippe Montanier, ASSE coach: “The news is Ben Old, who has been partially injured since the Rodes match, is coming along rather well. We're doing a final little fitness warm-up tomorrow morning, so we'll decide then.”
Up Next: Nice vs Saint-Étienne at 6.45am on Saturday with a spot in the top flight on the line (NZT)
Chris Wood - Nottingham Forest (English Premier League)
And with that comes the end of the season for Nottingham Forest. Sorta feels like it ended a couple weeks ago with the Europa League semi-final exit and their successful relegation avoidance but gotta see it through to the very end. More minutes for The Woodsman leading into a World Cup is a good thing and a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth was a decent result too. All that was missing was another goal for Woodsy. He was heavily in the action in the first half, most notably when Elliot Anderson delivered him a pinpoint cross after half an hour, six yards out, from which he thumped his header onto the crossbar. Felt like one he’d usually convert. He was good though. Set up a good chance for Morgan Gibbs-White and offered plenty of quality in their build-ups and out-of-possession shape.
That means Wood finishes his Prem season with three goals from 15 appearances (907 minutes). He also scored twice in the Europa League, both from the penalty spot, and for good measure he put one away in an U21s game on his way back from injury. He was missing from October until April with that knee issue but he’s back to full fitness now and his team is back on track under the leadership of Vitor Pereira and VP himself is very clearly a massive fan of what Chris Wood brings to his team and Tyler Bindon’s been training with the lads lately and things are grand for the Garibaldi Reds. The ice got very thin during the season but they’re in a good place again now.
Chris Wood: “I’m extremely proud, it’s an honour to have played that many games for this special club and it’s hopefully 100 and more to come in the future. I’m over the moon with what I’ve been able to achieve with Forest so far and there’s a lot more I want to dream and aspire to do. It’s one of those things when you look back at your time at this club and your history with others and this has been a fruitful one for sure. It would be very special if I can achieve that (scoring 100 Premier League goals), it’s one of the goals on the future list and hopefully I can do that sooner rather than later because that will be a very special one for me and my family.”
Woodsy has one more year on the contract he signed with Nottingham Forest last season. Remember they only wanted to give him a one-year extension but he held out for a two-year deal and thanks to his red hot form at the time he eventually got what he wanted. The goals weren’t there this time around but the influence was (evidenced both during his absence and after he returned) and in that interview above he talks about wanting to keep playing for another four years (one more World Cup cycle, in other words) and a few times refers to his future with Forest like it’s a multiple season thing. He’s at the age where it’s one season at a time but there’s no reason to be thinking about him winding up any time soon.
Got a little update for ya from down a division too, with Bristol City offering NZ U20s goalkeeper Josey Casa-Grande a new contract. Good to see, good to see. Still waiting on Braintree Town to say what’s up with Tommy Smith but given their financial woes you can forgive them for not wanting to be too open with contract stuff at a time when they’re not even sure if they can pay them. And of course the Premier League clubs will be doing their Released/Retained business in the coming week or two.
Up Next: All things go to plan, Woodsy will become the first New Zealander to make four appearances at the men’s World Cup (NZT)
Malia Steinmetz & Grace Wisnewski – FC Nordsjælland (Danish A-Liga)
Alrighty, what do we have here? A 0-0 draw away to AGF is what. Ninety minutes for Grace Wisnewski starting in the midfield while Malia Steinmetz played the second half off the bench – which seems to have pushed Wiz back into central defence to accommodate her. Steinmetz picked up a yellow card along the way... one less than her teammate Alberte Mott collected to be sent off with about five minutes to go. Both teams had chances, neither took any, thus a draw was a fair result.
That keeps Nordsjælland in third place and on track for European qualification thanks to Fortuna losing 1-0 against leaders HB Køge. Missed opportunity for FCN to put some distance between third and fourth but at least they’re now one point clear (and also have the better goal difference). FCN host second-placed Brøndby in their penultimate game before finishing with what’ll effectively be a continental playoff away against Fortuna Hjørring.
In between those games is an international break which New Zealand will spend in Spain (playing Haiti and Morocco) that both Wisnewski and Steinmetz have been selected for. It’s Malia’s first Ferns recall since she did her ACL in February 2025 – she last played for NZ at the 2024 Olympics. On that note, the 45 minutes she got in this game is the most she’s gotten in a game this season. Beats the 31 minutes she played last week... might even see her start a game before the season is through, who knows?
Meanwhile, Ally Green’s FC København were on the brink of confirming their promotion to the top division... when they conceded with fifteen minutes to go against last-placed Østerbro for a 1-1 draw. Full game for Green at left-back, having really settling in nicely there now. Heaps of quality crossing. Dominating her tackles. But her team slipped up here in a game they overwhelmingly controlled and should absolutely have won.
Fortunately, Aarhus also drew a game they should have won (2-2 vs Odense) so nothing’s changed in the overall picture. FCK face FC Thy-Thisted next week and then after the international break they host FC Midtjylland which is a tough one – they lost 3-0 to them in the away fixture – but FCM are already confirmed for the first promotion spot so perhaps they’ll take it easy. Or FCK could simply get the job done before that one comes around by winning against Thy-Thisted and having Aarhus, who are two points behind them, fail to do the same against Østerbro.
Up Next: FCN vs Brøndby at 10pm on Saturday (NZT)
Elijah Just – Motherwell (Scottish Premiership)
The first bell has sounded at Motherwell after their superb fourth-placed Premiership finish and it was a loud one. Any time a team other than Celtic or Rangers has a good season, the chat turns to whether they’ll be able to keep it together once richer clubs in fancier leagues start swooping (or Celtic and Rangers start swooping). Elijah Just has already been subjected to a heap of those rumours but rumours are rumours and facts are facts and the fact is that Motherwell coach Jens Berthel Askou has left to take the job at Toulouse in France.
It was Askou who signed Just at Horsens, tried to sign him at Göteborg, then did sign him again at Motherwell. Will he try to sign him at Toulouse too? Or any of the other fellas for that matter. English midfielder Callum Slattery has already said he’ll be leaving when his contract expires in a month’s time but the fortunate thing for Motherwell is that the rest of them are settled and won’t be leaving without at least drawing some hefty compensation. Lukas Fadinger, Elliot Watt, Tawanda Maswanhise, Emmanuel Longelo, and Elijah Just are all under contract for two more seasons (assuming the club uses their options) and they’re the guys that other clubs would be circling around. We’ll see how it goes. Squad rebuilds, new managers, and Motherwell Football Club are a familiar trio but it would be a shame to have to remake the team after their best season in ages – although equally you don’t want to be the one left behind in a weaker side if those players do leave.
Elijah Just has been fending off these questions for a while now and his tune hasn’t changed. He said a few weeks ago that his focus was on the end of the season and then would shift to the World Cup and any talk about next season would have to wait until afterwards. His agent recently offered up a quote to Scottish media reiterating that same idea, saying let’s all park such yarns for the meantime (while confirming outside interest and stoking the flames simply by speaking at all).
Gustaf Grauers, the agent: “Elijah has had a very strong season and really enjoyed his football at Motherwell, where everyone around the club has been excellent with him. There is interest from different clubs, as you would expect, but the focus now is fully on the World Cup and we will evaluate everything properly after the tournament.”
Up Next: World Cup then possible transfer chat
Rebecca Lake - Thai Nguyen T&T (Vietnamese National League)
After breezing through the group stage of the Vietnamese Cup, Thai Nguyen T&T took on Ha Noi in the semis... and drew 0-0. Decent game with a lot of opportunities at each end. As you’d expect, the Tea Tigers pretty much aim for Rebecca Lake’s head with every attacking set piece. Nothing came of it here though you’ve gotta think there’ll be goals to her name at some stage this season. She nearly scored last week only to have it ruled as an own goal. Actually, she nearly scored this game too when she sliced a defensive clearance off her own post early in the second half. All goods they got away with it.
Because of the draw, it was off to penalties to see who’d advance to face defending champs Ho Chi Minh City in the final (who beat Thai Nguyen at that stage last year). Lake scored hers confidently down the middle... but TN had already missed their first attempt before that and would miss the one afterwards too. 4-2 shootout win for Ha Noi. What makes that even more of a bummer is that Thai Nguyen are hosting the final this year – although they will at least still be there for the third-placed playoff.
Up Next: Thai Nguyen T&T vs Phong Phu Ha Nam at 9pm tonight (NZT)
Joe Bell – Viking FK (Norwegian Eliteserien)
Morten Jensen, VFK coach: “It is very well deserved. He is one of the country's best players, and it came as no surprise to us that he is going to the World Cup. All of Viking and Stavanger are proud that Joe Bell is our player. In the World Cup he will represent his own country, but also us in a way. I think most people in Stavanger will follow New Zealand and cheer for Bell.”
Right on, brother. They reckon that Bell was the first active Viking player to be selected for a World Cup squad since Reidar Kvammen for Norway all the way back in 1938... although that honour didn’t last too long with Henrik Falchener since included in Norway’s class of 2026. There’s still hope for Gianni Stensness and Nick D’Agostino (the latter has been on loan at Brisbane Roar) who are in the wider training squad for Australia and could yet make the final cut.
But there is a worry here because Bell has a calf injury and hasn’t played for a month. He’s missed four straight games... though according to the linked article he reckons he’ll be fine for the World Cup opener. The thing is, Viking have won all four of those games so it hasn’t really been a talking point. After losing their season opener they’re now on a nine-game winning streak and sitting happily at the top of the table same as how they finished 2025.
It’s possible that they’ve been taking it easy with Bell and that he’d have been playing if not for the World Cup (which VFK will be healthily remunerated for, remember). They did have a game scheduled against Lillestrøm this upcoming weekend but thanks to having two players selected for World Cup squads they’ve been allowed to postpone that. Whatever the deal is with Bell’s calf, it’s full steam ahead for the World Cup now with no more Eliteserien matches until mid-July.
Up Next: Flying to Florida (if he’s not already there)
Alex Paulsen - Lechia Gdańsk (Polish Ekstraklasa)
The capitulation of Lechia Gdańsk reached its conclusion when they were beaten 3-2 by last-placed Nieciecza to confirm their relegation. They took one point from their last seven matches. It began with a five-point deduction due to financial troubles and they were a mess when Alex Paulsen turned up on loan. Things got steadily tidier from there to where they were briefly in the hunt for European qualification... then came the drop off. And as you’ll know from reading these things over recent weeks, Alex Paulsen did not do much to halt that slide.
It was a bit nasty of them but WeszłoTV voted Paulsen the Worst Goalkeeper of the Ekstraklasa season. That doesn’t actually mean he’s the worst, it just means he was a talking point. The fact that he’s quite short for a goalkeeper has been a focus of the criticism with these chaps fairly stating that a short keeper has to be able to go nuts with his shot-stopping to compensate... and while Paulsen was certainly that kinda keeper in the A-League, the Polish pundits are only watching Polish football and with -8.3 goals prevented (per FotMob’s model) there was no shot-stopping compensation at all from AP. For whatever reason that aspect of his game hasn’t translated to the Ekstraklasa. Additional complaints were that he struggles to catch the ball and is late to react sometimes. That’s harsh but when you concede eight goals more than your Expected Goals Against marker and you’re the main goalkeeper for a team that got relegated despite scoring the same number of goals as the champions then you’re going to want to delete those social media apps because there will be backlash.
All of which led to that pitiful last game... where AP was nowhere to be seen. Szymon Weirauch was recalled as goalkeeper, the same bloke who played during the start of the season and then for a couple more games in November when AP was injured. Weirauch conceded 22 goals in nine matches so it wasn’t any better with him. Paulsen wasn’t even on the bench despite his coach reiterating during the week that AP is the best goalkeeper available to him... that might have been the ol’ kiss of death there. Worth adding that Paulsen was much better earlier on in the season when the team was going well. Unfortunately that means he’s finished on a sour note but at least we can say this chapter is complete. His loan deal is over and he won’t be back.
Zawsze Pomorze: “The situation in goal was also an important factor in Lechia’s defensive problems. Alex Paulsen was given many chances – some think too many - but his limitations were evident in many matches. Especially when the game was in front of him and when facing crosses. In the realities of the physical and intense Ekstraklasa, his lack of appropriate physical conditions was noticeable, and the opponents were able to take advantage of this. The change to Szymon Weirauch in the last match turned out to be late. This doesn't mean Paulsen was the only culprit for the poor results but keeping him as first-choice goalkeeper for too long nay have cost the team valuable points. Admittedly, Lechia conceded many goals from set pieces where he wasn't the only one making mistakes.”
Speaking of relegations and kiwi loan players, Sarpreet Singh hasn’t been back to Serbia for a while and he might not be going back at all after his parent club TSC Bačka Topola were relegated following a 1-1 draw away to IMT in the final round of the Serbian Superliga. They were level on points with Radnički 1923 and actually had the better goal difference but the tiebreaker in Serbia is head to head record and they had two draws and a loss against them over the course of the season. Don’t blame Sarpreet Singh – he scored in the 2-1 loss back in October. Singh still possesses another year on his contract with TSC... but it was already hard to see him returning once it became clear he wasn’t in the plans after Darije Kalezic got fired. Relegation only makes that outcome even more unlikely. To be honest, it might even help him to wriggle free if they decide they need to trim the squad or if his contract as an out-clause or the like. Singh scored two goals and got one assist in his 15 SuperLiga appearances. It was good until it wasn’t.
Up Next: Flush the dunny and move on
Tilly James – Calgary Wild (Canadian Northern Super League)
The Football Ferns named their squad for the April window the other day and for the first time in a long time there were no players from the Calgary Wild included. Tilly James hasn’t been part of a senior national team squad before so that’s no shocker. She’s surely on the radar now that she’s healthy and playing regularly as a professional... but her team lost 4-0 against Halifax this week with James playing in central defence, taking Calgary’s early season record to 0 wins, 1 draw, and 3 defeats.
That’s not exactly the kind of production that’s knocking down the door for selection in NZ’s most competitive position. Mack Barry’s been struggling to make squads as a centre-back while captaining the Wellington Phoenix to a grand final so James is going to have to do a lot more than this - there’s some good and some bad from her in the above highlights. Remember the 24yo hadn’t played professionally until last year where she was restricted to just three appearances after recovering from an ACL injury. That’s all behind her now with James having played all but around 15 minutes of their four games thus far. She’s moving in the right direction... but yeah conceding 13 goals in four games ain’t ideal.
What the Wild really need is a bit of Meikayla Moore alongside her in central defence. That’d do the trick except that Moore has only played 35 minutes so far and wasn’t involved at all in this latest game. She also wasn’t selected in the aforementioned Ferns squad (with Barry taking her place), suggesting that she may have had an injury setback. She’d already been struggling with a knock before that, something that Ferns coach Michael Mayne confirmed as the reason she didn’t get on the field during the World Cup qualifying knockout stages in April. Upon her return, she also missed the first game of the Canadian season but had seemed to be building herself back up with those two substitute cameos before whatever’s happened now. She wasn’t listed on the injury report but then those things are never fully accurate.
Up Next: Monday at 8am it’s Calgary vs Toronto (NZT)
Myer Bevan - Boeung Ket (Cambodian Premier League)
Boeung Ket were beaten 3-2 after extra time of the Hun Sen Cup semi-final second leg, losing to Svay Rieng who went on to lift the trophy on penalties after another thriller in the final where they drew 4-4 with Visakha after 120 minutes (they equalised to force extras in the sixth minute of added time via an own goal in their favour - crazy stuff). No trophies for either Moses Dyer or Myer Bevan during this Cambodian season but Bevan did at least go out with a bang scoring in four consecutive games including this goal to give his team the lead in that cup semi. He showed what he’s capable of in that final month. Bring them both back and let’s see the goals keep flowing.
Up Next: Yeah dunno
Jana Radosavljević - CF Marítimo (Portugese Campeonato Nacional)
Look who’s back starting games again having recovered from the ACL injury she suffered during her Football Ferns recall last year. This wasn’t a throwaway late season game either. This was all or nothing as Maritomo found themselves in a relegation playoff against CD Albergaria. Rado got 85 minutes as an attacking midfielder as Maritomo took a 1-0 advantage from the home leg thanks to a Carolina Ferreira goal on 72’. Radosavljević has made 10 appearances since her return in late January. This was the third start. Rio Ave and Gil Vicente drew 1-1 in the first leg of the other playoff... though that doesn’t really matter because there’s no final or anything. Both winners of these playoffs get a spot in the Campeonato Nacional for 2026-27. Maritomo were the lower seed so they’re up against the higher qualifier from the second tier.
Couple other relegation notes to get to. Mentioned last week how Jana Niedermayr’s Union Kleinmünchen team had avoided the wooden spoon in Austria. They’d already had the spectre of relegation removed by another team’s withdrawal but you still don’t want to finish last. And they didn’t. In fact, they even polished off their campaign with a 1-0 win over Altach. It was a nothing game but they won it and Niedermayr kept a clean sheet (with a yellow card), sweet as.
Less fun for Lara Copi at Thun. They were leading after two minutes against Luzern but a terrible second half saw them fall to a 4-1 defeat while their main rivals for safety, Yverdon Sport, won 5-0 against bottom team Sion. That’s not only a blow with the six-point swing but it also does carnage to their goal difference. The good news is that they swap opponents for the final week of the season so if Luzern also beat Yverdon then Thun can still save themselves with a win so long as they overturn a six-goal GD buffer. Their head to head record is identical with Yverdon (2-0 win and a 4-2 loss) so that won’t do it. Huge game next week, then.
Up Next: Second leg vs Albergaria on Saturday at 10pm (NZT)
Indiah-Paige Riley - Crystal Palace (English Super League 2)
Crystal Palace: “Crystal Palace Women can confirm that Indiah-Paige Riley will depart the club, upon the expiry of her contract. Riley joined Palace from PSV Eindhoven in 2024 ahead of the club's first-ever season in the Women's Super League. She scored our first-ever home goal in the top-flight, netting the opener against Everton within a minute of the game kicking off. The New Zealand international played 12 times in all competitions last season, grabbing an assist in the 3-0 win against Leicester City in the Women's League Cup. She departs the club having made 32 appearances for Palace, scoring two goals. Everyone at Crystal Palace would like to thank Indiah for her contributions and wish her all the very best for the future.”
Nice of them to give her an individual farewell. Some of the others just got lumped in together so at least Indi was popular with Palace even if she hardly got to play last season. Their promotion back up to the WSL wasn’t ever very likely to affect her given her status in that squad – stuck as a reserve right-back and never getting a proper chance to play further forward.
She actually played more when they were in the top division than she did in the second division... and it wasn’t even close. 15 games for 827 minutes (with two goals) in the WSL in 2024-25; 7 games for 162 minutes (0 goals) in the WSL2 in 2025-26. Obviously that’s not a situation she needed to stick around in, especially not in a World Cup year where she’s arguably New Zealand’s most important player now. We’ve got cover in midfield and defence but scoring goals is the team’s weakness and that seems to be something that works a whole lot better with IPR on the field. Here’s hoping she’s got something tasty lined up for her next move.
Elsewhere in WSL2, we’ve already had confirmation that Grace Neville remains contracted to Ipswich Town for another year. Might have to wait a wee bit longer for clarity around Mickey Foster and Hannah Blake (Durham) or Katie Kitching (Sunderland) as those clubs don’t normally do their Released/Retained things until deeper into the offseason.
Up Next: On the lookout for the next move
Riley Bidois – Monterey Bay (American USL Championship)
It’s been a bit of a stuttered start for Riley Bidois with Monterey Bay. He joined them two games into the season and then came off the bench to set up a goal on debut. RB was into the starting line-up the following game... but then he got injured and missed a few weeks so this was only his second start. And he scored a goal in a 2-0 win – their first win of the season. Beautiful stuff.
Bidois got the first one after an hour. Eduardo Blanco scored another on 78’. Tenth time lucky for Monterey Bay who remain last in their conference but at least they’ve finally won something. Bidois did limp off injured in between the goals although it didn’t look like anything serious and he was probably due a substitution anyway having only played half an hour combined over the last two months. He walked off without a limp. We shall see. The main thing is that he’s already got a goal and an assist in 166 minutes of USL Championship action this season so if they can get him properly fit then that might be their path to competitiveness. They play his former team, Loudoun United, next so he’ll want to be available for that.
Good weekend for the Bidois Bros, aye? Riley was back in the starting eleven and scored his first goal for Monterey Bay while Jonty’s Auckland FC won the A-League championship while he himself started for the OFC Pro League team as they also won their grand final.
Up Next: Sunday at 2pm, Monterey vs Loudoun United (NZT)
Rebekah Trewhitt - Lewes FC (English National League South)
Golazoooooooo.
Up Next: Season’s over
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