The warm-ups are over, the dress rehearsals complete, all that remains now is the main event. You know, the ninety minutes that’ll decide the final qualifier for the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Even more than a regular friendly match, this one was all about preparation. For both teams in fact because while All Whites were obviously preparing for their World Cup qualifying playoff against Costa Rica nine days after this match, Peru were also amassing their forces ahead of an intercontinental game
The All Whites in camp while many European seasons have come to an end recently plus the international window is affecting others that are still ongoing... and yet the abundance of Flying Kiwis goodness means there’s still enough going on to keep churning out the yarns
We’re talking about five goals in 14 MLS games. Two clear of the next best Timbers player (which, to be fair, reflects as badly on their wider attacking group as it does positively on Tuiloma). He also scored one in preseason which doesn’t technically count but it’s still good for illustrating the point
The Ghirls may have finished 17 points off Rangers in first place in the SWPL and they may have finished 10 points back from Glasgow City in second, missing out on the Champions League qualifiers, but they beat City in the SWPL Cup final and they’ve beaten City in the Scottish Cup final
The first few weeks of the offseason always go hard. You’re still coming to terms with the end of the previous term, especially if it ended in an abrupt playoff defeat, and all of a sudden it’s announcement after announcement of housekeeping squad chat
It’s now only a matter of weeks until the biggest game of football that the Aotearoa men’s national team has played for at least four and a half years. Probably more like twelve years given that this particular intercontinental playoff feels a whole lot more plausibly winnable than the previous two
Say would you look at that? Bill Tuiloma scored another goal. That’s already his fourth of the season and having also bagged one last week it meant he’d scored in consecutive MLS games for the first time in his career
Whether he’s taking them or getting on the end of them, Bill Tuiloma is a set piece menace. The people must learn this. As Tui got the scoring underway for Portland Timbers against Sporting Kansas City in the 12th minute he took his tally to three already for the term...
The ruthless thing about finals footy is that it takes an entire season to earn your spot there and then it can all be over after one measly game. One measly, close, competitive game even.
The Wellington Phoenix have a finals game on Saturday. Away against Western United at 9.45pm NZT which, all things considered, is about the best match-up they could have possibly asked for as the sixth placed team
Their regular season may have begun with an unexpected defeat to Angel City FC but North Carolina didn’t have time to lick their wounds because on Thursday NZT they had their Challenge Cup semi-final against Kansas City to play
The date is set. On Tuesday 14 June in Doha, Qatar the Aotearoa men’s football team will take on the intimidating force of Costa Rica for what will at that stage be the final remaining ticket to the FIFA World Cup later in the year
The American NWSL got underway on Saturday afternoon NZT with expansion side Angel City hosting North Carolina Courage in front of a 22,000 strong home crowd and walking each of the two teams out for the kickoff were a pair of kiwi internationals
There really aren’t too many better practitioners of the leadership arts than Abby Erceg. Her prowess for lifting others up around her was on full display as the Courage took on Washington Spirit in their final Challenge Cup group stage match, knowing that if they avoided defeat then they’d finish top of Group A.
It was a surreal feeling. All that positive energy surrounding the Wellington Phoenix and their first game at home all season, with a crowd of 18,000 fans in attendance... and they got pumped 4-0.
Never will get tired of this sight. Liberato Cacace doing his thing in Serie A, rocking that Empoli jersey as he does every second week. It was his turn again as Empoli travelled to face Udinese
The problem with this Footy Ferns series against Australia is that they’re better than us. By a decent margin. They’re out there plotting how they’re gonna progress through the knockouts at the next World Cup while we’re just hoping we can win one game
The Aotearoa Under-20 women’s team played a couple of games against their U20 Australian counterparts over the past week and that’s a pretty significant thing. Not only because there’s an U20 World Cup coming up at the end of the year but also…
Newcastle United (and by extension Chris Wood) met Wolverhampton Wanderers on a Friday night on Tyneside. A welcome fixture in front of their home fans after losing three in a row on their travels