The Wellington Phoenix’s task ahead was already tough enough. For the third straight season they’re going to have to spend a large chunk of it based in Australia away from home crowds, not to mention friends and family.
A midweek trip to the Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal in front of 50,000 fans was definitely right up there in the Choice Bro rankings for AFC Wimbledon… and for kiwi goalie Nik Tzanev.
Once upon a time there was no way that you could have ever picked a New Zealand football team, male or female, worthy of the international stage built entirely from players based outside Australia and Aotearoa. But these days aren’t the old days.
On the same day that Aucklanders moved out of level four lockdown and could finally wrap their mouths around those twelve secret herbs and spices again, Winston Reid cleared out his locker and packed up his desk at West Ham HQ to seek out new footballing pastures
Another week, another top of the table clash, another game in which Elijah Just and Callum McCowatt were absolutely full of delights. FC Fredericia were the opponents with both teams entering on 20 points after eight games.
Liberato Cacace made his senior international debut in June 2018 and still only has three caps. Compare that to Winston Reid’s buddy at West Ham, Declan Rice, who made his debut for England in March 2019 and has 26 caps with a couple goals to his name already.
Three wins and a draw despite some tricky fixtures in August, with Joe Bell playing every minute and contributing a goal and an assist... it’s not gone unnoticed. Player of the Month for the entire Eliteserien, mate. Bellinho putting them all on notice.
The Football Ferns have a new manager. Jitka Klimková was announced last week as the successor to Tom Sermanni and given a hefty six year contract that’ll take her through the co-hosted 2023 World Cup right up until the next one in 2027 with an Olympics in between.
The English Women’s Super League is underway and there are two Flying Kiwis in the mix: Anna Leat is the newest addition to the crew while Ria Percival is the record NZ appearance maker in this comp by a country mile, back for another crack with Tottenham Hotspur.
Flying Kiwis Transfer Season was about more than a few frantic hours of deals. It was about an entire month’s worth of moves. In between the Olympics and now it’s just been one transfer after another, top tier kiwi footballers on the up and up and up.
When Ufuk Talay took over as manager of the Wellington Phoenix he spoke about recruitment. In his words, 70% of successful coaching is about recruitment and the other 30% is motivation and tactics.
Then came the goal. James Tarkowski had just hit the crossbar with a header and the ball stayed alive, leading to a Matt Lowton shot that Wood cheekily diverted past the keeper. A small touch but a decisive one.
Every week, man. Five games in and it’s been the same thing every time with SSV Jahn Regensburg winning and Sarpreet Singh contributing at least one goal or assist. Schalke at home was no different.
What a move this is, Flying Kiwis Transfer Season serving up another belter with Liv Chance off to Celtic. Back in the UK after previous stints with Everton, Bristol City, and Sheffield United... and following an excellent campaign with Brisbane Roar in the last W-League.
the Olympics are done now and the kiwi footballers from therein are already back to tearing it up for their clubs so it must be time to check in on how the Phoenix are doing.
Fresh from the Olympics, where she played against eventual bronze medallist the United States for her fourth international cap, Footy Ferns goalkeeper Anna Leat has stepped into the big time club scene with West Ham United.
It was the 2019 U20 World Cup that tipped the scales for Bayern Munich in their long term monitoring of Sarpreet Singh, having been aware of him since he was an 11 year old touring Germany with an age grade team.
Hardest working... Saturday’s match... but she was only just the Olympics? Yeah well she was and then she was back in North Carolina and nobody on the planet can doubt the hardest-workingness of NCC’s Kiwi.
It was overwhelming. A quarter-final against hosts Japan who had won all three of their group stage games with the prospect of advancing to the semis of a major-ish men’s football tournament but to do so would mean a pretty significant upset.
That chaotic defeat against Honduras seemed to rattle a fair few people but it didn’t shake the blokes who mattered. Or if it did, it did so in a good way.