Seven out of ten managers have changed, the champs have lost ten of their eleven starters from the grand final, nobody’s going to the Club World Cup this year, and amidst all this chaos is all kicks off again this weekend.
There it is. Back to back NWSL championships for Abby Erceg as captain and her third in four seasons overall. Just gotta rock back in your chair and throw them hands up for one of Aotearoa’s finest.
Sooner or later it all gets real. And it tends to happen quicker than anyone’s prepared for. The Wellington Phoenix lost their first two games but any sense of panic was offset by the progress that this team in transition was showing, however a third loss, 2-1 at home to Perth Glory, really ramps the pressure up.
We’re less than two weeks out from another delightful summer season of kiwi Premiership football and that means we’re probably about a day short of that date from getting those beautiful complete squad lists... but more than ever before the clubs (well, most of them) have been getting in on the fun and announcing new signings as things have gone along.
It was a perfect little representation of what Wood offers as a striker. Brought down the ball on his chest, laid it out wide to Dwight McNeil, drifted into the penalty area looking for the cross, and then timed a perfect late run to the far post to win what was quite honestly a brilliant header into the top of the goal. After ten games without a goal the Woodsman now has four in his last four.
The theme of that opening game was that the Wellington Phoenix are a work in progress, so it stands to reason that their second game, away to the defending champions, has to be viewed in that light as well. But it looks like the work is working.
We don’t to worry about that missing import striker anymore because a big old beautiful #PhoenixAnnouncement came along on Thursday arvo (with a quality bit of suspenseful promo work) and Gary Hooper is our fella.
What a way to start. The kiwi crew at Bayern Munich, Ali Riley and Sarpreet Singh, showing a few more kiwis what’s up – the NZ Men’s Sevens team, who had popped by the city for the Oktoberfest Sevens, a preseason tournament ahead of the 2018-19 World Series.
Against Western United they looked like the team that they were expected to be, with endearing positives and concerning negatives all more or less in the anticipated places. They played some very good football but struggled to create the clear-cut chances they needed to win. Or even to draw.
Not only are they bringing in a new manager but basically three-quarters of the squad are new as well which is mental to think about – especially since there was similar player turnover when Mark Rudan took over as well. Two fresh starts in two years… Alex Rufer must feel like a grizzled veteran at this point.
Qualifying for major tournaments through the Oceania region is a rather fortunate situation for New Zealand Football to be in, opening up so many of our youth teams to the opportunity to test themselves against some of the world’s best. And a couple times lately that test has been graded a majestic pass mark – thinking specifically of the U17 women and U20 men over the last 12 months or so.
With five minutes to go in a routine 4-1 win over VVV-Venlo, something substantial happened. It was just before they scored the fourth goal but the win was already in the bag and coach Mark van Bommel made his third and final substitution, replacing midfielder Erick Gutiérrez with some guy called Ryan Thomas.
After the world’s longest offseason, the new A-League season finally begins in less than two weeks, and with it comes an eleventh franchise, an expansion team, the dastardly and nefarious Western United.
Big Shaq moods at this time of the year? That can only mean one thing: the Loons are going to the playoffs. For the first time in franchise history they’ll be playing postseason footy following a 2-1 win over Sporting Kansas City.
Ask and ye shall receive! No need for pessimism here because the 2019-20 ISPS Handa Premiership draw has been released with plenty of time to spare, 83 games across five and a half months before we crown a new national champion.
Last time I wrote about the chaos that so many teams find themselves in as managers make way and players move on. This time I wanna take a peek at some of the player movement that’s been happening as we begin to make sense of all that chaos.
It was a while in coming but then once that first goal of the season rustled rewardingly into that net, Chris Wood didn’t have to wait long for a second. His last Premier League goal came on 14 April against Cardiff City. After waiting 160 days between strikes he only had to wait four minutes and fifteen seconds for the next one.
Exploiting their status as the only professional club in Aotearoa and tapping into that production line – of which they were already a major part – just seems like the natural antidote… but then it’s understandable that it took the copious remuneration of the Sarpreet Singh transfer to tip that one over the top.
Starting this week with Erin Nayler and her Bordeaux crew because taking any possible risk of them sliding under the radar would be a crime. This team has started the season so strongly and up against Montpellier, the club that beat them to third last season, they laid down another statement of intent with their third straight win to begin the new campaign.
The New Zealand U23 men just came through a couple friendly games against Australia and in a week they take on the best of Oceania for a spot at the 2020 Olympics. Back in July an U23 selection went to Samoa and won the Pacific Games. Busy times indeed for Des Buckingham