Flying Kiwis – August 5
Tim Payne – Club Olimpia (Paraguayan Primera División)
The Paraguayan Primera División restarted with its Clausura phase last week and for the first two Olimpia games, the closest we got to any Tim Payne action was the occasional close-up of his face on the bench as the Apertura champs shockingly lost both matches without scoring a goal. They were the only team to do so, sitting last as they prepared for game three at home against Rubio Ñu.
There was some chat in the Paraguayan media that perhaps Tim Payne would start that game. That didn’t happen... at which point you had to start wondering. Was his coach patiently easing him into a new environment or did he perhaps view the whole thing as a gimmick that he wants no part of? Hard to know what to think when this is such an unprecedented scenario. But that gimmick fear discounts a pretty important factor: Tim Payne is a good footballer. He started all three games at the World Cup. He’s earned 50+ caps for his country. He’s highly experienced having played in England and USA alongside his many A-League and NZ National League exploits. There’s definitely some gimmickry about his cult hero status, as you could tell from the crowd reaction when he was finally subbed on for his debut... and there was an ironic cheer when he slipped over in one of his first involvement. But there was no gimmick or irony about what he did next...
Gooooooooooooollllll.
Absolutely unreal. Can’t undermine the build-up with how direct he was running onto that crossfield switch, taking it in stride with his chest and then slipping a clever ball through to his winger to freeze two defenders. But it was that sweep of his right boot that turned this from a social media experiment into a footballing one. Fantastic goal. The first he’s scored since netting for the All Whites in a 7-0 win against Fiji in Wellington in March 2025. He’s usually the fella getting the assist but he had to pull out something a little magical for the Paraguayans. Needless to say, the crowd went loco.
Awesome reaction from his teammates all getting around him too. A few minutes later there was a break in play and the telly coverage took the opportunity to show every possible recorded angle of the goal to the extent that they missed a red card when the game resumed. One of the opposition fellas went in with a boot raised on the other flank and that was his day done, Rubio Ñu finishing the game with ten men. The damage was long since done by then though. Olimpia were already 3-0 up when Payne was introduced and his goal was the fifth in a 5-0 victory that comprehensively gets their campaign back on track after that slow start. As the ancient proverb goes: no Payne, no gain.
Pablo "Vitamina" Sánchez, Olimpia coach: “It was a very good debut, the team looked solid. We spoke in the coaching staff about the possibility of Tim playing, of being in the game, but we understood that because of our poor start it was going to be a significant burden to put that pressure on him. I understand that there is excitement around Tim, he’s a very popular guy, one of those strange issues that life and football produce. We’re glad to have him with us because he is also a good player, very good person, and what he offers on the pitch is very welcome.”
Coach did also thank the fans for applauding starting right-back Raúl Cáceres off the pitch when that sub was made, understandably trying to protect a player who you’d imagine might be feeling rather invisible about now with all this fan focus on a new signing in his position. Don’t assume Payne will wander straight into the first eleven from his point onwards. Hopefully they do at least spell his name correctly on the broadcast graphics next time.
The president at Club Olimpia, Rodrigo "Coto" Nogués, has done truckload of media since that game and has been dropping all sorts of info on the situation:
When Payne first signed, Olimpia were able to bring two fresh sponsors on board. After his goal they had another three or four brands approach them straight away seeking to get aligned with the club.
When they first put his jersey up for sale at the club store, they sold all 8000 items within a week.
He’s not among the ten top earners at the club and thanks to sponsorship and marketing they expect his transfer fee to end up paying for itself.
It was the president’s own idea to make this transfer happen, doing so without recommendation from his football department... although you’d figure they would have kicked up a fuss if they didn’t see the value.
Payne has an 18-month contract with an option for an additional year.
The club are plotting the possibility of playing friendlies against foreign clubs for an extra cash boost.
Up Next: Got ten days off between games, then some Copa Sudamericana round of sixteen with Vasco vs Olimpia in the first leg in Brazil at 10am on Friday 14 August (NZT)
Callum McCowatt - Silkeborg IF (Danish Superliga)
The drama began over the weekend when it was reported in Danish media that Minnesota United – the club of Cam Knowles and Michael Boxall in MLS – were having another go at trying to sign Callum McCowatt after failing to get a deal done last January. Silkeborg refused to sell him back then, correctly deducing that they needed his goals and assists to keep themselves in the Superliga with a relegation battle looming. They did the same thing with top scorer Tonni Adamsen whom they allowed to leave on a free transfer after rejecting transfer offers during that January window so you know these guys drive a hard bargain. Hard enough that they rejected the new offer from Minnesota outright.
McCowatt then played ninety minutes as Silkeborg were beaten 3-1 by FC København. Not a good result, albeit a very expected one. Silkeborg are going to be scrapping to avoid the drop again with a new manager and a very young squad. But for now at least they do still have a bloke who can hit a pass like this...
Two games and two assists for Callum McCowatt to begin the season. Can’t fault that. However, some SIF fans did choose to take fault in McCowatt’s angling for a transfer by putting up a banner during the game that read: “Respect Your Contracts – Let Your Feet Talk”. The fan group later ‘clarified’ that they didn’t intend it personally at McCowatt but were getting at a deeper and longer-term frustration with the club. They wrote it in English though so hard not to feel it was targeted. McCowatt sure did, telling media afterwards that he felt it was “disrespectful” and that they took media reports out of context which didn’t include a single quote from him. And that was the least controversial thing he said after that match...
Callum McCowatt: “Yeah they made an offer, the club said no. The club said I’m not for sale. What can I do when the talks between January and the summer have said that the perfect time to be sold is after the World Cup? So I don’t know if there was a miscommunication or if [SIF Sporting Director Jesper] Stüker forgot what he said but yeah, they said no. Maybe if an improved offer comes then they’ll say yes but as long as I’m at Silkeborg them I’m out here to give my best possible for the team. You know, it’s a little bit difficult when Silkeborg is the type of club where you come in and if you do well, they say of course you can make a step further. Then they say oh wait maybe next window. Purely because they cannot recruit the players themselves. I think its a big problem when probably people don’t want to come here because they see how difficult it is to leave. I’ve already said too much but it is what it is.”
Okay, now to be fair, some of that is false. Silkeborg have sold 27 players for profit over the past five years including moves likes Pelle Mattsson to Norwich, Oliver Sonne to Burnley, and Tobias Salquist to Chicago Fire. They clearly will sell if the price is right... but only if the price is right. They were happy to run down the contract of Adamsen, after all. There’s also a parallel situation at the club with defender Pedro Ganchas who has missed the first two games through injury which some fans have interpreted as him going on strike after making it clear he wants to leave. The banner probably should have been written in Portuguese then, aye?
The problem for McCowatt is that he’s contracted until the end of 2027 (another year and a half) which doesn’t give him a whole lot of leverage. He’s since had a telling off from the club’s CEO for airing that dirty laundry, though it’s notable that the fan group with the banner and the bossman in the suit both made note of how excellent his performance was against Copenhagen, complimenting his attitude and application despite the dramas. Also, any thought of standing him down as punishment has been brushed off.
Kent Madsen, CEO of SIF: “No, we didn't promise anything. It is true that it may be a good time to be sold after a World Cup and he had also played a good season for us. But it is always under the crucial condition that someone comes with an attractive offer. We're not just saying: It's a good time for you, so goodbye. Stükers and my job are to optimize the club's situation. Therefore, it must be attractive to all parties. This is always the case but sometimes there is something with players and agents' ears. They hear what they want to hear. I think it is true that it has been said that it can be a good time after the World Cup but it requires something that is attractive to all parties, and that has not happened yet.”
Jesper Stüker, SIF sports director: “Yes, I was a bit taken aback when I saw it on television, I must admit. But we talked to him and he apologised. We had a good talk and now the slate has been wiped clean.”
Bottom line is that if Minnesota United really want him then he’s there for the taking but they have to stump up with a proper offer. The bid that was rejected was reported by Tips Magazine to be “millions of kroner”. They didn’t say how many millions. Kent Madsen wasn’t very specific either although he did suggest that the Minnesota bid was roughly a third of what they sold Rasmus Carstensen to Genk for in 2022. That was reported at €3m, putting the McCowatt bid at €1m. Which, frankly, is a massive undervaluing an attacking midfielder who has 16 goals and 10 assists in 46 Danish Superliga appearances since January 2025. Very understandable why McCowatt’s frustrated. But also very understandable why Silkeborg hasn’t accepted a lowball first offer. The onus is on Minnesota United to make the next move.
Up Next: Silkeborg vs Odense at 5am on Tuesday (NZT)
Kate Taylor - Madrid CFF (Spanish Liga F)
There has never been a New Zealander, male or female, play in the top division of Spanish football... but there’s about to be. Kate Taylor will soon make some sneaky history after signing with Madrid CFF. The Christchurch native spent a couple years with the Wellington Phoenix before moving to France with Dijon FCO. She was pretty comfortable there in another of the world’s best divisions but her team collapsed for financial reasons so she had to leave. And she’s picked a pretty destination.
Amber Hearn almost played Liga F, signing with DUX Logroño in 2018 only to tear her ACL. She tried to recover without surgery in time to play at the 2019 World Cup but that didn’t happen and she ended up retiring, never actually playing for Logroño. There have been a few kiwi lads in Spanish youth systems through the years – Riley Peach is a name that we might get to hear a bit more of in the coming years, 18 years old currently in the Elche CF academy in the men’s second tier having previously had a stint in Barcelona’s system as a young’un. But nobody in La Liga or Liga F.
Those are the only two of Europe’s big five leagues that have never employed a kiwi. Six men in the English Premier League (Norfolk, Hay, Nelsen, Elliott, Wood, Reid) and 16 women in the English WSL. Two men in France’s Ligue 1 (Tuiloma, Old) and two women in France’s Premiere Ligue (Nayler, Taylor... with Suya Haering soon to be the third). Two men in the German Bundesliga (Rufer, Singh) and 23 women in the equivalent. Italy only has Libby Cacace for the blokes and Katie Bowen, Katie Rood, and Kiara Bercelli for the ladies. Nothing in Spain until now.
Dijon’s off-field dramas forced her to move so in that regard this gives Kate Taylor some happy stability heading into a World Cup year. In terms of the footy, she’s going from a mid-table French team to a mid-table Spanish team, effectively a parallel move. But parallel is fine when you’re already near the top. Taylor is basically the most important Football Ferns player these days, first name on the team sheet in central defence and increasingly commonly donning the captain’s armband. With Katie Bowen moving from Italy to Türkiye, it’s now undisputed that Kate Taylor is the kiwi woman in the strongest club situation.
Taylor has signed a one-year contract with Madrid CFF. The club said farewell to eleven players at the end of last season so half the squad is being rebuilt and Taylor is one of the early arrivals in that project. Next season will be the tenth consecutive in the top division for Madrid, their best effort being a fifth-placed finish in 2022-23. They’ve been sixth, tenth, and ninth in the three terms since. Made it to the quarters of the Copa de la Reina in the last two editions. Liga F has 16 clubs and a full home/away season, making this one of the longest women’s club seasons at this level. 30 games plus cup stuff.
This is also a women’s club without a men’s affiliate, having only been founded in 2010. There was some talk in the early days about Real Madrid buying in but instead those guys swallowed up Club Deportivo TACÓN in 2019 to form Real Madrid Femenino, who are now established as Barcelona’s closest challengers. Madrid CFF conceded more goals than any team outside the relegation zone last season so that’s what Kate Taylor’s there to sort out. She’s already made her first appearance for the club in a preseason game, coming off the bench in a 2-0 loss against... Real Madrid.
Up Next: Season starts against Granada at 7am on 30 August (NZT)
Alex Paulsen – Motherwell (Scottish Premiership)
Nothing to worry about with that second leg Conference League qualifier in the Faroe Islands. After a 2-0 win in the home game, probably leaving a few goals on the table there in manager Alfred Johansson’s first game in charge, they won 3-0 away to HB Torshavn to cruise into the next round with a 5-0 aggregate result. Lukas Fadinger (25’ pen), Regan Charles-Cook (36’), and Dylan Williams (50’) all got goals. A second consecutive clean sheet for Alex Paulsen... which, sure, not a particularly challenging level compared with what’s to follow... but that’s more clean sheets than he mustered in all of last season with Lechia Gdansk.
He had a few saves to make across those two matches, albeit all ones he was expected to stop. They’ll face HJK of Finland in the next round with the victors moving through to the final playoffs before the League Phase. Unfortunately, they’ve been stuck with last year’s Europa League runners-up Freiberg of Germany in that tie. Ruthless luck with the draw – whoever advances out of Motherwell and HJK will be big underdogs against a very good Bundesliga side.
There’s also the Scottish Premiership to think about. Paulsen made his competition debut in a 2-1 victory away against Hibernian. Again it was a Lukas Fadinger penalty (40’) that put them ahead... though after a solid first half, it was Hibs who dominated the second stanza at home. Hibs got level from a penalty of their own as Motherwell’s fullback played a silly pass that led to a foul, their playing out from the back strategy failing them on that occasion (it’s had a couple of sketchy moments but most of that is down to having unfamiliar players in those roles – including AP, whose ability with his feet in these situations was a major reason why they brought him in... it’ll improve as they build connections).
AP dove the right way but Martin Boyle’s spot kick was too far into the corner to stop (56’). From there it was a bit of an onslaught... except that Paulsen made a couple of mean saves and twice when he fumbled aerial crosses in traffic he had Martin Moormann there on the line to clear away the resulting shot. Then Ibrahim Said converted a slick counter attack (85’) and Motherwell had themselves a late winner. Paulsen made another good low save in the time that remained. Three wins from three. No goals conceded from open play yet. Yeah, that’s choice.
Alfred Johansson: “It was a game of ups and downs for both teams and obviously I'm really pleased to come out with the three points. In the first half we showed some good stuff on the ball, but more than tactics, we have to praise the spirit of the team because at times we had to ride out storms. We have Martin Moormann throwing himself to make blocks, the front three dropping deep to help and Alex Paulsen making exceptional saves. When we hit it off, the good periods look really good, but we want those periods to be longer, but even months from now when we are better we will have to suffer and the guys showed they are ready to do that.”
Up Next: HJK vs Motherwell in the ECL qualies on Friday at 4am; then Motherwell vs Falkirk in the Premiership on Monday at 2am (NZT)
Jesse Randall - Dundee United (Scottish Premiership)
Now that’s how you make an introduction. Could have been even better had he not fluffed a 1v1 in the closing moments, played through on goal by a delicious switch of play from Daniel Bennie with the outside of his boot in transition. Randall took a great first touch in-stride only to gamble on a chipped finish thinking the keeper was going to dive at his feet. He didn’t and it ended up like an open play version of a missed panenka penalty.
Nevertheless, an assist on his Scottish Premiership debut in a draw against Rangers whilst playing ninety minutes (the only one of the front three to do so) is hugely encouraging. Randall was whipping in some excellent set piece deliveries. That flat stabbed cross for the Lachlan Rose assist was not a one-off either, he was stinging those ones into some very tasty areas whenever he could. Really bright display from Randall, all that was missing was that winning goal at the end. He’d already played twice in the League Cup group stage but those were against lower-division teams and this was against Rangers so a major step upwards and if anything he was better for it.
Dundee United coach Jim Goodwin: “He could have been the hero on the night but unfortunately that wasn’t to be. But we know what we’re going to get with Jesse. He’s a terrific young player and I think we saw glimpses of that against Rangers. He can play on the right or the left side. With the way we’re lining up, with [Zac] Sapsford, [Lachie] Rose, and Randall, I like him on the right. But I know that he’s very effective off the left as well. He was one we identified a long time ago and he’s going to be very important. Last Friday is not going to impact him at all. It’s just one of those things. In fairness to the kid, he came in and apologised to the group. I thought his overall performance was great but he’s a young lad and, in a split-second moment, picked the wrong choice. That’s just the way it goes sometimes.”
The miss was a shocker to the extent that it seems the reaction’s become confused from “how did he miss it that badly?” to “how did he miss it at all!?”. Because it’s not like he shanked an open goal. He had to bring the ball down while moving at pace, with the keeper rushing out and two defenders retreating towards the net, on an angle where he didn’t have a huge amount of goal to aim for. It was the method of the miss, the panenka-esque aspect, that made it look disastrous. If he’d drilled a low shot narrowly past the far corner then there’s no way his coach would have felt the need to defend him to the media. Although we know from his Auckland FC days that Randall’s final third decisions remain a work in progress. Something to learn from, it’s all good. Everything else about that debut should have people fizzing for what he’s going to do in this league.
Meanwhile, George Stanger played a full game in central defence as Kilmarnock began their league season by losing 4-3 away to St Johnstone, having been leading 3-2 with 25 mins remaining. Stanger could have been quicker to step out for the first goal conceded but he also won the ball back on halfway to start the move that gave Killie their third. Crazy game of football. Not a great advertisement for defence, granted, although that didn’t stop Burton Albion (England League One) from being linked with Stanger in the gossip columns in the days afterwards. Colchester United and Gillingham were also mentioned by one of the aggregators. Stanger only signed a two-year deal when he joined the club in June 2025 so this smells a lot like leverage for contract extension talks but we shall see.
George Stanger: “I would have loved to be there and was disappointed when I found out I wouldn’t be, but that’s football. As soon as I dealt with the disappointment, it was just full support for New Zealand. It was a great tournament for the country and it’s just only going to keep growing there. I also know how highly the manager speaks and thinks of this league and this level. There’s quite a few Kiwis in the league now. Elijah Just did so well at Motherwell and he’s now moved on, but we’ve gained a couple this summer. I’ve always said that’s the thing that’s going to give me the opportunities with New Zealand is playing and doing well here at Kilmarnock. It’s still a massive goal of mine. I feel like I’m getting closer and closer with each season. I’ve still been speaking to the New Zealand manager. He texted me the other day. I know I’m there or thereabouts.”
Up Next: Hearts vs Dundee United on Monday at 2am (NZT)
Alina Santos - Southampton (English Super League 2)
There aren’t many Football Ferns who’ve boosted their reputations more over the past 18 months than Alina Santos. Maybe just Pia Vlok and even then she hasn’t yet had the national team consistency of Santos, who not so long ago was a back-up goalie for the University of Denver and nowhere near the national team set-up.
In her fourth and final year of college, Santos finally became a starter and had a magnificent season keeping five clean sheets in 17 appearances with a save percentage of 82.8%. It just so happened that the Football Ferns were desperate for goalkeeping depth at this time and Santos was one of several keepers who were called up as part of that rotation. Beyond the established Vic Esson and Anna Leat, other keepers selected in that phase were Murphy Sheaff, Geo Candy, Bri Edwards, Claudia Jenkins, Maddie Iro, and Brooke Neary. But they were all in and out, whereas Santos was called up for the (aborted) tour of Chinese Taipei and has been in every squad since, earning four caps beginning with her debut vs Australia in December 2025.
Now she’s signed with Southampton in the English second tier. Pretty clear connection as to why that happened: the goalkeeping coach for the Ferns is the former goalkeeping coach for Southampton. Englishman Will Britt, who clearly rates what Santos brings to the picnic and has backed that opinion up by helping give her a first professional opportunity. Graduated from the Uni of Denver, into the pro scene with Southampton. She’s come a long way from the Kapiti Coast.
We didn’t have a single player in the WSL last season and we don’t currently have any this season either. But the WSL2 usually serves up a decent scattering and that hasn’t changed. Gotta see if Santos lands the number one status yet but she could debut against Mickey Foster’s Durham in week one if she does. Also got Grace Neville at Ipswich and of course Katie Kitching at Sunderland. The women’s season starts a few weeks later than the men so these preseason transfers are also happening later, giving us time for a couple more additions if we’re lucky. Southampton finished fifth last season. Plenty to build upon.
Fran Stenson started all 22 league games for the Saints in 2025-26 but transferred to Sunderland a few weeks ago. They gave her a new contract but then the club, who’ve had to make budget cuts to their women’s programme recently, accepted a transfer fee to let her go... opening the door for Alina Santos to get this opportunity. The threat is that they’ve also signed Irish international Grace Moloney - who once kept Erin Nayler on the bench for a full WSL season with Reading, and has signed from Sunderland going the other way to Stenson. So Santos will have to earn it.
Up Next: New season begins in the first weekend of September
Owen Parker-Price - Örgryte IS (Swedish Allsvenskan)
Örgryte have been struggling since promotion, stuck down near the bottom of the standings. But whenever they play well you can always trust that Owen Parker-Price had a lot to do with it. When they beat defending champs Mjällby at the start of the season, OPP was so good that a few weeks later he was getting linked with a transfer to those guys. When they won 4-3 against BK Häcken, OPP assisted two goals including the 87th minute winner. This weekend they won their third game of the season. It was a 3-0 victory away to AIK with Noah Christoffersson scoring a hat-trick. Fair play to that bloke but naturally there was some heavy dosage OPP in there too, involved in all three goals and directly assisting the first and third with his through-balls.
Superb stuff from OPP. He played so well that there are folks out there calling him the man of the match despite Christoffersson’s hat-trick. Here are two such examples...
Fotboll Skanalen: “Owen Parker-Price is in good form, the midfielder is a really great Allsvenskan player. There are many Örgryte players I would like to highlight after this evening, but I really like what Parker-Price and his midfield colleague [Benjamin] Laturnus contributed to this match. They took on the fight in the middle and didn't stress themselves out because it was AIK away. They were calm with the ball and it often felt like Parker-Price was everywhere. He was constantly on the move and he completed some very nice passes from deep. The 27-year-old was involved in all three Öis goals and for me he was the giant of the pitch, despite Christoffersson's hat trick.”
Svenska Fans: “It is no longer possible to say that OPP is evolving into the central midfielder we have been missing. He IS that player now. Today he accounted for 2 assists (close to 3 after the nice pass to Hofvander). But it is not only the passes that make him worth mentioning. He plays smart, is mobile, wins space, and is quick. The fact that he spent so many years in Division-1 is really a waste.”
While we’re hovering in Scandinavia, Kees Sims also had some Europa Conference League qualifiers with GAIS. But as mentioned last week, he was never going to play ahead of Mergim Krasniqi in those matches and unfortunately picked up an injury that prevented him from getting a rotated start in the league game in between ties against Denmark’s FC Nordsjælland. The good news is that Kees Sims was named on the bench for the second leg against FCN so he was fit enough to travel. But after GAIS won the home leg 1-0, they lost the away leg 6-0. Righto then, never mind. This is the third-tier competition so no consolation prizes. The European journey is over and it’s back to the Allsvenskan from here on out.
Over in Norway there was a 3-0 win for Viking FK away against Start. By far their most comfortable outing since the Eliteserien resumed... however Joe Bell had no part in it. He pulled up injured during the week and wasn’t able to recover in time, adding to a disturbingly long list of absentees just two weeks out from their Champions League playoffs. They now know they’ll face either Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) or FK Kauno Zalgiris (Lithuania) in that two-legged tie, with the winner moving into the UCL league phase and the loser dropping into the Europa League league phase. Gianni Stensness was also suspended for the Start game. Didn’t matter for that match but Bellinho has two weeks to get himself fit again.
Also, Dalton Wilkins was an unused substitute again for Sønderjyske as they lost 1-0 away to Odense. Consecutive 1-0 defeats for them. Just gotta be patient (and stay fit) there.
Up Next: ÖIS vs AIK in a rematch at home on Sunday at 1am (NZT)
Luke Brooke-Smith - Portsmouth (English Championship)
Say, look at that fella. Portsmouth were able to get the Luke Brooke-Smith transfer done just in time to sneak him into the starting line-up for their last preseason match – where they hosted Bundesliga 2 side SV Darmstadt (who themselves had a new attacking signing on board in Lee Ho-jae, a 25yo South Korean international who lived for several years during his childhood in Aotearoa after his dad, Lee Ki-hyung, signed with Auckland City – Lee Ho-jae was an Onehunga Sports junior back in the day).
The fact that Brooke-Smith started was down to injuries in the squad around him. That and also they probably wanted to have a decent look at him before the competitive games begin. Nothing to overreact to there... but don’t fall into the trap of anticipating a loan move. That was never on the cards for a project player like this – if you’ve bought him to develop, you want him on your training pitch with your coaches competing with your best players. The benefit of LBS moving over so early is that there’s no harm in sitting on the bench most weeks as an 18-year-old. He’ll get opportunities as and when he earns them (and with his physical profile and talent he could very well surprise a few folks with how much he does). But in case you need extra convincing, here’s his coach outright stating: “we aren’t looking to loan him out”...
John Mousinho: “We played Luke on Saturday because we’ve been short of wide players considering where we are with injuries at the moment and we wanted to bring him in. Ultimately, he’s a player who we think can affect the first-team, it’s much more of a development project as well. Luke has started a handful of games in the A-League and only just turned 18. As you can probably imagine, he’s had a busy summer with a lot of speculation around the transfer, not just for us but there were other clubs involved as well. So he’s not been at it in terms of the levels of fitness and levels of training which maybe some of the players have, but I thought he did well against Darmstadt for his first time out in a Pompey shirt against good opposition. We aren’t looking to loan him out. We brought him in to be a development project, but also someone who we think can affect the squad. He's also our only fit left winger at the moment. If Luke’s good enough to play, he'll play. Probably the way I would envisage it this season is he’ll have an impact off the bench, but be around the first-team because I think he has the attributes to affect the Championship this year.”
Helps that he plays in a position where substitutions are common and you can still make a big impact in small windows. Helps that staying in town will make it easier for him and his family to get settled. Helps that Portsmouth would probably be happy with a mid-table finish which gives them some week-to-week margin for error. This is a great spot for him.
Up Next: West Ham vs Portsmouth at 2am on Sunday in the EFL Cup first round (NZT)
Chris Wood & Tyler Bindon - Nottingham Forest (English Premier League)
Turns out the Woodsman is as handy on the darts board as he is in the penalty box. Good chat there with the man himself and a few of his teammates – worth the price of admission for seeing Ola Aina’s imitation of Chris Wood’s chest control from the NZ vs Iran game.
Nottingham Forest are done with their Portuguese training camp now having wrapped things up with a pair of friendlies. The one that got all the focus was the 4-1 loss against Sporting CP in which new coach Oliver Glasner picked his best available eleven and left them all out there for ninety minutes. There was a reserve goalkeeper and a few academy players on the bench just in case but they weren’t used. Chris Wood played up top and it was his early effort that was parried into the path of Igor Jesus for Forest’s goal. He had a couple other half-chances along the way before the scoreline got away from them towards the end – don’t worry about that bit, it’s only preseason. This was the team that played that match:
Mats Sels; Jair Cunha, Zach Abbott, Nikola Milenković; Ola Aina, Nico Domínguez, James McAtee, Neco Williams; Morgan Gibbs-White (C), Igor Jesus; Chris Wood
His best eleven for that day isn’t necessarily his best eleven overall. Murillo and Ibrahim Sangare weren’t ready for that kinda exertion while Dan Ndoye didn’t return after his deep World Cup run with Switzerland until after they got back to England. Transfers should be incoming soon as well. But that’s a decent glimpse as to where things are... including Zach Abbott getting a run with the firsts instead of Tyler Bindon. Abbott’s homegrown and started a Europa League quarter-final last season so nothing surprising about that but it does tell you that Bindon’s sitting sixth in the CB depth chart at the very best... and that’s before any transfers happen.
However, Bindon did play earlier that same day in a closed-door friendly against Portimonense which NFFC won 2-1 (Taiwo Awoniyi and Xaver Schlager scored the goals). This was very much a training game and they didn’t release the line-up but there is a little bit of match footage on their socials and a brief recap on the club website which confirm Bindon’s involvement. Not sure if the second unit also did full nineties without subs but it’s probable. This seems to be the consensus eleven from that fixture (with some guesswork as to the positions):
John Victor; Tyler Bindon, Omar Richards, Jimmy Sinclair; Eric da Silva Moreira, Ibrahim Sangare, Xaver Schlager, Lucas Netz; Arnaud Kalimuendo, Omari Hutchinson; Taiwo Awoniyi
NFFC still have four more preseason games before the Premier League gets going with a visit from Leeds United on 23 August NZT – including one against Barcelona on Sunday. But we are nearing the stage where Glasner will begin trimming his squad and Bindon is one of those who’ll be on the Available For Loan list. Almost certainly to a Championship club like last year to continue his progression: bit more consistency, bit more dominance in his challenges, bit more athleticism when he’s drawn outside the box, bit more attacking threat from set pieces. All the things that’ll keep him in the frame for Nottingham Forest in the long-term if he keeps getting better... there’s a very good explainer from Dan Cook’s Field Notes that highlights what Glasner wants from his centre-backs and how Bindon (and also Jair Cunha and Zach Abbott) stack up against that ideal.
Fulham have also wrapped up their preseason camp with Matt Dibley-Dias going unused on the bench in a 2-1 win against Farense. He’s another who’ll be looking for a loan out at some stage soon but great to see him fit and available. Dibs is more likely to land at a League One or League Two spot given how much he’s got to prove but we’ll see how that goes. Something to remember is that Nottingham Forest and Fulham will both have played two Premier League fixtures before the transfer window closes so it’s not impossible that Bindon and MDD hang around for those before leaving. Or they could be on the move tomorrow, who knows.
Up Next: Overlapping friendlies against Udinese and Barcelona on Sunday morning, probably gonna see Bindon and Wood separated again for those (NZT)
Meikayla Moore & Tilly James – Calgary Wild (Canadian Northern Super League)
The good news is that Meikayla Moore was fine to start for Calgary Wild in their rematch with AFC Toronto despite having to be subbed after being kicked in the face in the previous meeting. She did have a protective headband on but she was fine to captain the team four days after the incident. Moore moved to right centre-back for this game with Taylor Otto (an American CB previously with Melbourne City) coming in for her first start after debuting in the narrow 1-0 defeat to Toronto last time.
The bad news was that they had a second fresh signing in the backline with 28yo American Madison Pogarch (previously with Hammarby in Sweden and before that a regular in NWSL with Utah Royals where she was a teammate of Macey Fraser’s for a bit) picked at left-back and thus relegating Tilly James to the bench. James had started every previous game this year, either at CB or LB, until this point. Admittedly, being a regular defensive starter for a team that has failed to win a single game maybe isn’t much to brag about.
Anyway, she wasn’t on the bench for long. James was subbed on after only 37 minutes as part of a defensive reshuffle after the right-back, Grace Stordy, gave away a penalty and was red carded. Presumably because of something she said because the penalty itself was only a simple trip, definite foul but nothing card-worthy. They were already one down at the time. The penalty was scored and then another goal followed straight after and James was brought on at RB before the game kicked off again. TJ’s first major involvement was a very good tackle in the box... but there was no midfield for the second ball so a Toronto player picked it up and curled in a very nice fourth goal. Calgary ended up losing 6-0. Yikes.
A couple other quick ones here. Grace Wisnewski was absent again as FC Nordsjælland drew 1-1 away to Brøndby. Better from FCN this time although they remain winless after two matches. Malia Steinmetz played 63 minutes and got a yellow card. Ally Green dropped to the bench for FC København’s second match since promotion before being chucked on as part of a double change down 1-0 at the break. FCK equalised shortly after but ended up losing 2-1 to Odense. Same team that beat Nordsjælland first up.
Over in Sweden, Milly Clegg got 15 minutes off the bench for Vittsjö as they found a late equaliser in a 1-1 draw vs Rosengård. Clegg was chucked on as a second striker immediately after they conceded. Wasn’t involved in Lisa Klinga’s 88th min leveller but good to see they trust her when the game’s on the line. That’s now 11 sub appearances totalling 190 minutes for Clegg in the Damallsvenskan. Vittsjö are running fifth after 13 matches so she’s in a pretty good team. Eskilstuna United aren’t far behind although they had a stinker this week losing 6-0 away to BK Häcken. Gabi Rennie got an hour playing up front, rather than her usual right wing, in a more defensive 4-5-1 formation that obviously didn’t work. One big chance for Rennie six yards out from a low cross, her shot almost squeezing in via a deflection through the defender’s legs except the keeper was alert.
Bit annoying to see Maya Hahn coming off the bench in Viktoria Berlin’s season opener. She was sent on in the 77th min as VB won 3-1 against Hoffenheim Reserves, replacing Alina Grincenco who was her usual midfield partner last season. VB are a club with good investment and after finishing strongly last campaign they should be aiming for promotion to the big time. There were four new signings in the starting team. Hahn’s just going to have to fight for it.
Up Next: Vancouver vs Calgary, Sunday at 11am (NZT)
Jana Niedermayr - BW Linz/Union Kleinmünchen (Austrian Bundesliga)
New season in Austria and Jana Niedermayr is back for her third year in a row with FC Blau-Weiß Linz/Kleinmünchen. The 23yo defender has appeared 45 times for the joint-venture team over the previous two Bundesliga campaigns, playing every single minute in 2024-25 season and she wasn’t far off matching that achievement last term either. Now she’s added another ninety minutes to the count as Kleinmünchen lost 3-2 against LASK to get the new one underway.
This was a pesky defeat for a club who usually find themselves hovering just above the relegation zone needing all the points they can get. Kleinmünchen were 1-0 up after an early penalty. They scored again from the penalty spot to make it 2-2 with fifteen minutes to go... but they conceded again straight afterwards and lost. Niedermayr got megged for the second goal. LASK were one of the other clubs in the relegation rounds last season so this was an opportunity missed... but there should be plenty more where that came from.
Up Next: RB Salzburg vs BW Linz/Union Kleinmünchen at 3am on Sunday (NZT)
Ben Old - AS Saint-Étienne (French Ligue 2)
ASSE have a new coach this season with Scotsman Ian Cathro joining after two years with Estoril in Portugal (he previously worked as an assistant to Nuno Espirito Santo at both Wolves and Spurs). He’ll be the fourth manager that Ben Old has played for in three years at the club. It was Olivier Dall'Oglio who initially signed him. Then came Eirik Horneland came along and it was his genius idea to transform Old into a left-back. Philippe Montanier took over on a short-term basis last season after Horneland was sacked and it was under his guidance that the Ben Old LB experiment became permanent. Old proved himself a first eleven player the rest of the way, although he got injured in the playoffs and wasn’t able to do anything as Saint-Étienne were beaten 4-1 on aggregate by Nice to condemn them to another year in the second tier.
Guess what? In comes Ian Cathro and he’s been using Ben Old as a left-back too. Three consecutive coaches. Nothing makeshift about it. Nothing alternative. This is his position now... and it suits him beautifully, having played easily his best footy in France after making that transition.
Alas, he won’t be doing any more left-backing for at least the next month or two because Old tore an ankle ligament in a friendly game against Lausanne over the weekend. Rolled his ankle in a collision and had to be subbed after only twenty minutes. He revealed the diagnosis on LinkedIn of all places...
Ben Old: “It is the 31st of July 2026 and two days ago, only 20 minutes into my first pre-season match of the season, I was forced off injured, jamming my ankle in a tackle. Just like that, my ankle ligament was torn, other parts of the ankle are a complete mess, and it's looking like a minimum of 6 weeks before I can play football again.”
Ian Cathro: “Against Lausanne, we also proceeded in the same way with Ben Old. Unfortunately, he suffered a shock which caused him an injury and which will keep him away from the field for some time. Overall, our goal is simply to manage players in a way that keeps them healthy and available to help the team.”
Bugger.
Up Next: Hopefully see him back some time in October
Michael Boxall – Minnesota United (American Major League Soccer)
Momentum building, maybe, after a 1-1 draw against San Diego... but make no mistake Cam Knowles remains under a lot of pressure with Minnesota Utd having now gone seven MLS games without a win. They’ve only allowed nine goals in those seven games so Boxy’s defence is doing okay. It’s the only scoring six themselves bit where the problem lies. A certain Callum McCowatt would help solve that issue but they’re going to have to lay some proper money on the table for that to happen.
The Loons have since lost 2-1 in the opening game of the Leagues Cup against Juarez. Michael Boxall was available on the bench but there was never any need to risk him on a short turnaround in a secondary competition. They have also included young kiwi winger Troy Putt in the wider Leagues Cup squad so we could see a second senior appearance for him across these three games. Didn’t happen in the first match but he’s there with the lads if required. This after he set up a goal in his latest Next Pro outing...
It’ll be worth keeping an eye on Minnesota’s third Leagues Cup game where they’ll face Atlante FC who boast a fella called Eugenio Pizzuto in their midfield. He’s on loan from Tigres UANL having previously been on the books with Braga, Lille, Pachuca, and... the Wellington Phoenix. He’s a Mexican youth international so don’t get carried away here but Pizzuto did spend some time in Wellywood on a scholarship to Scots College, set up through the Asia-Pacific Football Academy. He trained with the Wellington Phoenix Academy but as a foreign national he wasn’t eligible to play in competitive games (played heaps for his school though) and later returned to Mexico to chase a professional career. Pizzuto suffered a really bad ankle injury a few years ago but is back on track now and has already scored a couple of goals during this Liga MX Clausura season.
On the flipside of the form book, Portland Timbers have three wins and a draw since the MLS season resumed. Two of those were against arch-rivals Seattle Sounders, including a 2-1 victory on the weekend thanks to an 82nd min goal from Brandon Bye. Nice to be able to say that in a more cohesive team, Finn Surman hasn’t had to do as much heroic defending as he did earlier in the year. He’s simply keeping it steady with the occasional blocked shot amongst his headers and clearances. And physically dominating attackers like this...
And with that the transfer speculation has risen again, with Football League World reporting that: “[Derby] County are one of the clubs on British shores to be eyeing up a move for Portland Timbers star Finn Surman, who starred for New Zealand at the FIFA World Cup this summer”. Not a coincidence that Callum McCowatt to Minnesota and Finn Surman from Portland rumours are sprouting as the MLS takes a pause for Leagues Cup activities. This is the time to make those moves. It was rumoured during the World Cup that several clubs in England and wider Europe were interested in Surman’s services but Derby County are the first of them to be named. Remains to be seen if it leads to anything but we all know that the Surmanator is ready for the next step... and his Welsh heritage makes the UK a natural destination (that and the fact that half the next All Whites squad is going to be based in the English Championship at this rate).
Up Next: Tigres vs Minnesota at 1pm on Saturday (NZT)
Stipe Ukich - NK Istra 1961 (Croatian Nogometna Liga)
Number 23 on the bench: Stipe Ukich.
Ukich spent his first half year with the club playing U19s footy. Last season he got into a few matchday squads for the first team and was given a debut as a late sub in a cup game but then went out on loan to their lower-league affiliate where he was able to play regularly. Ukich returned for preseason and was pretty prominent throughout and now it looks like a Nogometna Liga debut may not be too far away. NK Istra lost 3-2 to Lokomotiva in week one.
Up Next: Hajduk vs Istra on Monday at 7am (NZT)
Nathan Garrow – Stellenbosch (South African Premiership)
Another curious bench inclusion here... with Nathan Garrow preferred to Dublin Boon at Stellenbosch for the opening fixture of the South African Premiership. The starting keeper Sage Stephens is the captain so there won’t be a lot of rotated starts to go around (if any) but Boon won a lot of admirers for his work with the academy team last season and was named on the bench for the last game of the previous term.
Boon has also been the subject of much speculation over a move to Orlando Pirates and based on this development, you’d have to think that transfer just got a lot more likely. Stellies lost 1-0 to AmaZulu. Meanwhile, defending champs Orlando Pirates won 2-0 against Milford FC however Andre De Jong was absent from the squad same as he was absent for most of preseason. Gotta imagine that’s an injury... though he didn’t exactly play a whole lot last season after moving to the club either.
Up Next: Polokwane City vs Stellies on Weds at 5.30am (NZT)
Bailey Gaughan - Cardiff Metropolitan University (Welsh Premier League)
Unexpected but what do ya know, 22yo defensive midfielder Bailey Gaughan has signed with Cardiff Met in the top division of Welsh football. Previously with Northern Rovers having also spent time at Auckland United and West Coast Rangers. Was in the wider frame for NZ U20s a few years ago though didn’t make any official squads. He travelled to Cardiff. Had a trial. Impressed the right people. Signed a one-year contract.
Bailey Gaughan: “When I came to trial at Cardiff Met, the professionalism of the club, along with the staff and the environment, really stood out to me straight away. I’m very grateful to Ryan Jenkins and the coaching staff for giving me an opportunity as a complete unknown in UK football. I’m really excited to be playing in the Cymru Premier. It’s far more professionalised than domestic football back home, and I’m really looking forward to the challenge that comes with it and the new experience.”
This is the same level that Greg Draper used to score bundles of goals at back in the day. Zac Jones was a more recent kiwi standout in the Cymru Premier. Gaughan will be doing well if he follows those examples. He’s already made his debut getting half an hour as a substitute in a 6-1 opening round win over Holywell Town (three of those goals scored after he was introduced). Cardiff Met were ninth last season so a top-half finish would be a reasonable aim.
Up Next: Broughton vs Cardiff Met at 6.45am Saturday (NZT)
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