Okay so first of all we’ve gotta set the scene here because this is not a normal All Whites squad. Ordinarily we could look at who’s in and who’s out and draw some conclusions about where everyone is in the depth chart but it feels reckless to do that in such crazy circumstances
It’s not often that a team finishes last and you can still call the season an overwhelming success. One more reason why the inaugural Wellington Phoenix women’s team are such trailblazers
CJB to the WSL, that’s what we wanna see. Bott had recently teased a move to England, after leaving Vålerenga in November at the conclusion of her second season there, and this is a pretty great one. Signing on permanent terms with top flight club Leicester City. Up the Foxes
They say no sooner does one season end than the next one begins... however it’s probably taking that idea a bit too literally when you play last season’s cup final during the following preseason
Once upon a time Juventus wanted to sign Liberato Cacace all for themselves. They liked what they’d seen from him in the Belgian Pro League and were keen to hoard him up for their under-23s squad. However Cacace stared them down and said: nah bro
There were many talking points from the Football Ferns’ three-game SheBelieves Cup tour but the one that should always get top billing is Rebekah Stott’s return to the international stage
Six weeks ago the Wellington Phoenix fellas were in a rough space after four straight defeats and a covid outbreak. To be fair there was an FFA Cup semi-final run at the same time which offered a slight salve for the wounds... but overall it was pretty ugly.
It was a warm welcome to the Danish Superliga for Joe Zen Robert Bell. Back from a few training games in Portugal and immediately into the starting eleven for Brøndby for the first game back after the winter break.
The Wellington Phoenix won their first ever A-League Women’s match last Friday night and, despite the nine consecutive defeats that preceded it, that 3-0 win over Canberra United did not come out of the blue. It was a victory that was eleven games in the making, plus a little bit of preseason before that
There ya go. Alex Greive not only scored the winner for St Mirren in that game, a lovely bit of movement to the back post to earn a simple finish on the end of a superb Greg Kiltie cross, but he also won the penalty that equalised things for them late in the first half
This, apparently, is just what the Welly Nix fellas do. They begin each season with a stumble-and-trip out of the starting blocks, giving everyone else a jump as they dust themselves off, but then eventually they get into their stride and by the end of the race they’ve caught right up with the pack
There are two main things to say about this Football Ferns squad which has been named for the She Believes Cup, a friendly tournament to be hosted by the USA in a few weeks offering up three great fixtures for the Ferns on their third tour of Jitka Klimková’s coaching reign
Serie A ain’t no joke. We’re talking about one of the biggest leagues on the planet right here and Liberato Cacace popping up in the incoming transfer list for a top flight Italian club is what’s commonly referred to in the business as A Pretty Big Deal.
There’s not a lot of fun to be had in losing a game where you were up 2-1 after 80 minutes. The Wellington Phoenix sure didn’t seem to be enjoying themselves on Monday night after losing 3-2 to Perth Glory
Chris Wood will have had plenty of reasons why a switch to Newcastle United felt right for him. One of those reasons, which probably shouldn’t be understated, is that perhaps he fancies the prospect of playing a bit of football
Onwards now to a Wednesday nighter in London, Chelsea versus West Ham making up for an earlier covid postponement. Squeezing in one more fixture in which Anna Leat gets to participate rather than just watching from the bench
These are the dawning days of a golden generation after all, thus it’s only fitting that the window SLAMMED shut with two of the guys most symbolic with these changing times of kiwi footballers being sold for significant fees... each sneaking in just under the buzzer
Fair play to Jordan, they’re the strongest team that the AW’s have played since being beaten by the Republic of Ireland in Danny Hay’s first game in charge... but it’ll be a stronger team than Jordan that the All Whites come up against if they make the intercontinental playoff later in the year.
Anna Leat had to wait patiently for her first WSL appearance but when it did eventually arrive the second wasn’t long in following it. Plus she got to play against last season’s beaten Champions League finalists in between.
These All Whites are no longer a hypothetical team, so that’s nice. They’re cranking out the fixtures and seeking to build on what they’ve already achieved together under Danny Hay. Three wins on the bounce.