Week 13: Highlights-Shmighlights

March 30, 2023 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recaps

Alebrijes de Oaxaca 1 – 2 Atletico La Paz

Fresh off their biggest win in quite a while, Alebrijes looked a little tired. Even though Jair Cortes got them off to a strong start, the defense buckled and Atletico was soon able to take a lead that they kept for the rest of the match, breaking Oaxaca’s unbeaten streak.

Rosenborg 3 – 0 Staebek (F)

RBK has been near the top of the Toppserien ever since they joined the Rosenborg family. But they’ve yet to win one. Clearly, they started out this season looking to break through and grab the big trophy. Cesilie Andreassen, who may be the longest serving RBK alum we know, started the affair to get Rosenborg flying high. Synne Skinnes Hansen and Anna Langas Josendal added their own to kick off the new campaign in style.

Minnesota 1 – 1 Vancouver (M)

There is no other word for it: this was brutal. The Loons got a lead through sheer grit and determination. The Loons held on to that lead with a great showing from back up goal keeper Clint Irwin. I got to watch the debut of a Emmanuel Iwe who seemed to breathe fresh life and excitement into everything he did. They held on to the lead for all of regulation time and stoppage time…and then…the refs gave Vancouver one more chance. The Whitecaps scored. I cursed. Your mom shushed me. And heads hung low. You know a Minnesotan sports event.

Bayer Leverkusen 2 – 0 Freiburg (F)

Leverkusen led the way through the midfield and left die Frauen flabbergasted. Janina Minge was able to give the best showing on a bleak day.

Great Olympics 1 – 1 Legon Cities

I’ve had a hard time tracking down any news from this match. The big equalizer came from my fellow Thursday born: Kwabena Adu Medier.

Toulouse FC 3 – 0 Grenoble Foot (F)

The bad news kept on coming for the ladies of Grenoble. Reports suggested that they did not look cohesive or united. They gave up a goal in the first minute and didn’t seem to threaten after that.

Cimmarones 0 – 0 Alebrijes

This happened. It also began a new unbeaten streak for Alebrijes!! (More importantly it kept them very close to the playoff spots as the season’s second half winds down to a close.)

News & Notes

March Madness Corner

It’s rare that the drama is out of the basketball tournament this early, the title is still up for grabs and this year’s final four features a host of unlikely candidates. But for our purposes it really is all over.

Your mom followed her heart and picked owls and huskies to do well, so she’s the only person with two final four teams left. Give her all the credit in the world and know that I’ll be looking at Owl related teams should any of our other favorites have to disband.

Spring Break! WOO!

On Saturday, we fly out to visit your Auntie Julianna at her new home in Los Angeles. I fully anticipate that we will have some memorable moments and some frustrating ones as well, and as such, I’ll be present watching you be you, rather than watching the scores of distant soccer scores

Player of the Week

As the grand dame of the Kvinner (and the only person to help lead a team to victory this weekend), we have to tip the cap to Cesilie Andreassan (even though part of me wants to pick Emmanuel Iwe just because he was so fun to watch)

Standings

We were in a rush to pick you guys up from preschool so these aren’t up to date.

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
Punjab–b	11	2	1	2.50	2.64	0.79
Emelec	3	0	1	2.25	1.50	0.75
Minnesota	2	2	0	2.00	1.25	0.75
Rosenborg	1	0	1	1.50	1.50	0.50
Freiburg	6	4	9	1.16	1.26	1.79
Legon Cities	3	6	4	1.15	0.92	1.00
Grenoble	7	4	11	1.14	0.91	1.27
Alebrijes	3	5	6	1.00	1.50	1.50
Vozdovac	2	2	4	1.00	0.75	1.88
Ross County	2	3	6	0.82	1.09	1.18
Montana–b	0	0	0	—	—	—

Table Updated 3/30/22
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Thursday, March 30th

Legon Cities v. Asante Kotko

Friday, March 31st

Saturday, April 1st

Arna-Bjornar v. Rosenborg (F)

Freiburg v. Hertha BSC (M)

Vozdovac v. Javor

Grenoble v. Armiens (M)

Delfin v. Emelec (M)

St. Louis City v. Minnesota (M)

Sunday, April 2nd

Ross County v. Celtic

Freiburg v. Turbine Potsdam (F)

Grenoble Foot v. Thonon Evian (F)

Monday, April 3rd

Bibiana Gold Stars v. Legon Cities FC

Tuesday, April 4th

Bayern Munich v. Freiburg (M-Cup)

Wednesday, April 5th

Partizan Belgrade v. Vozdovac

Danubio v. Emelec (M-South American Cup)

Thursday, April 6th

Friday, April 7th

Alebrijes v. Cancun FC

Saturday, April 8th

Freiburg v. Bayern Munich (M)

St. Johnstone v. Ross County

Laval v. Grenoble (M)

Chicago Fire v. Minnesota United

Sunday, April 9th

Vozdovac v. TSC Backa Topola

Aucus v. Emelec (M)

Monday, April 10th

Rosenborg v. Viking (M)

Tuesday, April 11th

Wednesday, April 12th

Week 12: Breakthroughs

March 22, 2023March 22, 2023 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recaps

Freiburg 0 – 2 Juventus (M-European Cup)

There is no joy in Freiburg, a collection of globally elite talents from one of the wealthiest clubs in European history beat them handily. Le sigh. At least we gave them a pretty good showing.

Livingston 2 – 1 Ross County

While County might feel duly frustrated that they had the best chances and came out with the worse result. But their shots were far wilder than Livvie’s and even if you have great chances if you don’t hit them toward goal it doesn’t matter. Keith Watson, Jordan White and Eamonn Brophy could all use some target practice.

Cukariki 3 – 1 Vozdovac

Borisav Burmaz’s early penalty gave some hope for a big road win, but Cukariki came back alive to stymie the Dragon’s fire

Sochaux 1 – 0 Grenoble (M)

Vincent Hognon sent out a mostly second choice side and paid the price as the reserve defenders looked overworked, and the reserve attackers couldn’t break through. They nearly held out for a draw but a late Sochaux goal sealed their fate

Emelec 1 – 0 Tecnico Universitario

They had to wait a week but Emelec got another win. And once again the man in the middle of it all was Miller Bolaños, whose penalty made all the difference.

Colorado 1 – 2 Minnesota (M)

Matches against Colorado always involve a surprising degree of drama, but this one was fun. After falling behind early in the second half, Hassani Dotson’s heads up play won a hand ball penalty that got things level. And Miguel Tapias rose up to deliver a terrific deflected header to snatch a late win!

Freiburg 0 – 1 Hoffenheim (F)

Hoffenheim crashed Freiburg’s big party in the Dreamstadion. It was particularly painful to give up the game on a 90th minute goal when the Frauen’s backline had done so much to keep the game even until then. Samantha Steuerwald, Marie Muller and Lisa Karl were excellent, but couldn’t do enough to leave with an overdue victory.

Mainz 1 – 1 Freiburg (M)

Late goals are becoming something of a problem for Freiburg. This time Ritsu Doan’s opener could well have sealed the victory, especially when five minutes of added time in the second half came. But, in a bonus 6th minute Mainz got their equalizer against an admittedly spent backline of Ginter, Gulde and Kubler, and sent Freiburg home unhappy. (A draw on the road is enough to keep them clicking along near the top of the table, but it’s another round of “what could have been).

Legon Cities 2 – 0 Aduana Stars

Be still my beating heart, the Royals won a game! And not just any game: a game against league leading Aduana Stars!! Micheal Otou got the brace, including a penalty kick, and got Legon their first win in 6 tries (and only their third win this year out of 12 tries–including one cup match)

Mineros 3 – 6 Alebrijes

This was absolutely one of the wildest games of this or any year. You know it’s a crazy time when there are two goals scored before the announcers can even look at the starting line-ups. Cristian Canozales racked up four goals (and might have gotten more if it wasn’t for a missed offside call). Announcers went so far as to call him the Colombian Mbappe and honestly…they don’t seem wrong.

News & Notes

March Madness Corner

A purple upset only you boys saw coming (from NY Times)

During this month there’s a special additional competition that’s impossible to ignore. Even if you only have time to watch one sporting event, you can’t escape March Madness and College Basketball.

Given that your grandpa was a college hoopster (in the 70s…at a tiny Minnesota school) it’s his favorite time of year, and we pass that on to you gladly. This year, in the time honored tradition, each boy (and momma) picked teams to win: Alex favored Tigers and Knights, Owen picked anyone with purple, and Kristina listened to you both. As a result, you are all doing better than the rest of the family.

Cookie, player of the month in our hearts

International Break upcoming

There will be fewer games than usual next week as most leagues take a break for international team matches. Mostly these are far flung friendlies that we’ll check in on if we’re so inclined, but there’s one special match. The US Men will play Grenada and their leader, our old friend, Regan Charles Cook. Cookie has been solid as an occasional starter and frequent sub in Belgium, so we’ll be hoping he can turn some more heads against the regional heavyweights (even if those regional heavyweights represent us).

An Overdue Addition

For a long time I’ve said that I don’t see why Major League Soccer looks only to Europe and South America for their big players. There are, I’ve reasoned, plenty of great players in Africa and Asia who could do just as well as the players from more traditional soccer nations. For proof, consider Bongokhule Hlongwane…and now his potential partner in Minnesota United’s attack South Korean Jeong Sang-Bin. (You may see his name written in another order, but as Koreans prefer to start with their family name, I’m going to respect that and repeat it here). At just 20 years old, he’s an exciting young addition to Minnesota and should offer a much needed goal scorer (knock on all the wood)

Player of the Week

This is another hard one, Michael Otou lifted Legon Cities out of the relegation scene. Cristian Canozales poured in the goals in one of the wildest games of the year. But we’re going to give it to someone who probably could have won recently, and just leave Michael and Cristian in the overdue camp for future awards. Miller Bolaños seems determined to stand above the pack in goal scoring. Luka Macjen and Juan Mera certainly haven’t made it easy for him, but if he continues to contribute all of the goals that Emelec gets, it will get a lot closer a lot faster than any of us anticipated.

Standings

We’re noticing some pretty stark separation here. Pubjab, Minnesota, and Emelec continue to dominate, but the middle of the table lags far, far behind them. Why? We have no earthly idea, so feel free to leave irrational conjectures in the comments area below!

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
Punjab–b	11	2	1	2.50	2.64	0.79
Minnesota	2	1	0	2,33	1.33	0.66
Emelec	3	0	1	2.25	1.50	0.75
Freiburg	6	4	8	1.22	1.33	1.78
Grenoble	7	4	10	1.19	0.95	1.19
Legon Cities	3	5	4	1.17	0.92	1.00
Alebrijes	3	4	5	1.08	1.67	1.58
Vozdovac	2	2	4	1.00	0.75	1.88
Ross County	2	3	6	0.82	1.09	1.18
Rosenborg	0	0	1	0.00	0.00	1.00
Montana–b	0	0	0	—	—	—

Table Updated 3/22/22
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Thursday, March 23rd

Friday, March 24th

Alebrijes de Oaxaca v. Atletico La Paz

Saturday, March 25th

Rosenborg v. Staebek (F)

Minnesota v. Vancouver (M)

Sunday, March 26th

Bayer Leverkusen v. Freiburg (F)

Great Olympics v. Legon Cities

Toulouse FC v. Grenoble Foot (F)

Monday, March 27th

Tuesday, March 28th

Cimmarones v. Alebrijes

Wednesday, March 29th

78. Lucky and Good

March 20, 2023March 22, 2023 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

We live in a bit of a trophy desert.

The Twin Cities have seen 32 years go by since one of the big sports franchises in town won a title.

There have been smaller victories: college teams that top the land, minor league titles in baseball and soccer, and a truly dominant women’s basketball team.

But ask most fans to talk about Minnesota Sports and the story they tell you is one of pain and defeat: with phrases like, “the Cuzzi Call”, or “Gary Anderson’s Wide Left”, or “Bountygate” sure to bring a rueful sigh and a wince of emotion. Heck just say “New York Yankees” and your mom and I may let loose very un-parental profanity.

Part of doing this writing project for the last three years has been to put some of those defeats into context. To write about how sports are not better or worse because you win or lose. To try to raise you boys up to accept the defeats with grace and good humor rather than embittered angst that you see in the sourest local fans.

But it’s also to appreciate the great moments for what they are: truly special.

Dear Boys,

Most years, there’s not much to cheer for as a fan. In 2020 none of our teams took a trophy. In 2021 two of them (Emelec and Montana) picked up three between them. 2022 saw another round of positive performances that never included a golden trophy. This year was only 61 days old before one of our teams won a trophy.

Chencho, Brandon, and Lallawmawma in a more desperate defensive position (view19.in)

That victory, that trophy, that triumph is undoubtedly special. We’re thrilled for the players, coaches and extra staff that work for Roundglass Punjab. It’s worth while just to sit and savor it for a moment. But it’s also a great opportunity to learn a lesson from it as well.

While Emelec ran away with their league and the Griz took one tournament title through grit and another by default. But Punjab’s triumph was less secure.

In fact, just a week before their triumph hopes were fading.

They trailed a rival (Sreenidi Deccan) by goal difference, and Punjab had arguably the harder schedule ahead. They couldn’t just win, they needed to win by wide margins AND get help if they were going to take the title. A glaring defeat to Deccan seemed to loom bigger and bigger as the matches passed.

And then, it all seemed to fall into place.

No championship is won without a clear plan and organization: chaos does not yield results with any consistency. They went unbeaten in their last ten games. Punjab had one of the most impressive attacking trios of the league. Their goalie has conceded only 1 goal in the last 540 minutes of play. Powerful offense and stingy defense…that’s a pretty easy way to win games. They built a team to do it, developed a plan for it, and executed it perfectly.

Ashish Pradan before a decisive bit of good luck. (view19.in)

At the same time, no championship is won without a sizable amount of good fortune and Punjab’s title certainly shows that too: Deccan’s 4-0 loss to 10th place Mohammadan SC was a huge boon to the cause. The availability of Chenchyo Geltshen to create a three-headed monster at the front of the attack was not expected but extremely welcome. An own goal scored by Gokulam FC accounted for a game that might have been a draw to give Punjab all three points.

Some people will tell you that it’s better to be lucky than good. Punjab is certainly good, and they might be a little luckier than most. But their victory shows an honest reality: the best results come when people make the most of the luck they get.

Success isn’t just about a plan, and it isn’t just happenstance.

Success is a combination of good planning and good fortune.

And as Minnesota sports fans know: success is truly special.

Week 11: Every Team Every Where All At Once

March 16, 2023March 16, 2023 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recaps

Juventus 1 – 0 Freiburg (M-Europa League)

It seemed for a while like Freiburg would get a draw against one of the legendary teams of Europe in that team’s legendary stadium. But Juve did what has made them a legendary team and found a way to win. Not all hope is lost, if Freiburg wins at home (and doesn’t allow Juve to score) they can advance.

Emelec 2 – 1 Deportivo Cuenca (M-Copa Sudamericano)

There was some joy in continental competition, as Emelec snagged another spot destined for an Ecuadorian team in the Southamerican version of the Europa league. Miller Bolanos capitalized on one of the best dummy runs you’ll ever see by Samuel Sosa. Bolanos also netted the winner after Cuenca had equalized from the penalty spot. It’s becoming a habit for him.

Grenoble 2 – 1 Annecy (M)

After some underwhelming results, Grenoble got a key victory in the battle between the best sides in the French Alps. Mathias Phaeton made the most of his start up top, finding a way to work free and clear when the ball bounced into the box. Jordy Gaspar pegged an assist and a few crucial bits of defending to help Grenoble top their regional rivals.

Minnesota 1 – 1 NY Red Bulls

Bongokuhle Hlongwane got the Loons first goal in the snowy confines of St Paul, and after New York got even after a pressurized attack at the start of the second half, Minnesota had most of the opportunities to win. But as the score line shows…they didn’t.

Radnicki Nis 2 – 3 Vozdovac

The Dragons love clean sheets. They either take one (usually against the best teams in Serbia) or they enforce one (on pretty much anybody else). This marked only the fifth time in 26 matches this season that both teams scored. Given that they’ve won three, drawn one, and lost one, maybe they could play a little more aggressively and trust that the defense will see them through, especially as Milos Krunic was superb in goal throughout the first half. Mihajlo Neskovic continued his strong form with another goal, and Niska Vujanovic notched one that was drilled so hard he got offered a carpentry job.

Punjab FC 2 – 0 TRAU

It was a triumphant homecoming for Punjab as they finished off the I-League campaign lifting the trophy that they so richly deserved. They did take a little time to trounce their opponents before the party got underway, with (who else) Luka Macjen netting twice (including once from an “I dare you” chip shot) to complete a superb 12 match unbeaten run for the Warriors. (Enjoy the highlights and do stay for the award ceremony celebration)

Freiburg 2 – 1 Hoffenheim (M)

The best of the Black Forest looked to be heading for another underwhelming result in a week full of them, when Ristu Doan slashed a volley on a low cross and snatched a late winner. Freiburg continues to linger on the outer edges of the German title picture, so hopefully whatever happens against Juventus, they’ll be playing meaningful football for the next several months.

Saint Etienne 4 – 0 Grenoble (F)

The ladies of Grenoble struggled against an undefeated Saint Etienne side, as you might expect. Franny Arpine helped solidify the win for the top team in the table with an own goal. The loss drops Grenoble to 10th place in their league, but only 4 points separate them from 6th place…so…who knows.

Berekum Chelsea 1 – 0 Legon Cities

The Royals know…that things are really bleak. Another loss for Legon sees them drop into the relegation zone for Ghana’s Premier League. A year of refocusing may not be the worst thing, but we would sorely miss some of the elite talent that would likely look to leave as soon as the final whistle blows. (Of course there are still 13 matches to go, so things can change, it just doesn’t feel very optimistic around the Royals right now.

SGS Essen 2 – 1 SC Freiburg (F)

Adding to the pessimist punch bowl, the Frauen from Freiburg lost their perfect record against lower table teams when Essen broke out at the start of the second half. Worse there was also an early departure for Hasret Kayicki and general disarray for the attack.

Viking 2 – 0 Rosenborg (M-Cup)

Yes our Norwegian friends are back in action! And they’re also immediately out of it! Truthfully, the fact that Rosenborg’s last round of the Cup came back in June 2022, raises the question of how reliable any of this is. After all, they had time to sign a prolific striker, and sell him between the two rounds.

Emelec v. Tecnico Universitario (M): Postponed

The entire Ecuadorian league was put on a pause this weekend. (See the note below for more information and some total fiction)

Alebrijes 2 – 2 UDG

The first half was pretty tame, but when the skies opened up and rain started to fall in the second, the goals poured in as well (which isn’t too surprising given how poor both team’s defenses have been this season) Alebrijes took the lead, twice. They gave it back, twice. Julio Cruz and Ernesto Reyes got the goals and Octavio Paz (not the poet) gave them back. Still a point is a help for Alebrijes.

News & Notes

More interesting reasons Emelec’s game got cancelled

Choose for yourself the reason why Ecuador’s league was cancelled this week:

The League went on a special Turtle watching expidition in the Galapagos Islands (to learn your boys favorite spanish word: Tortuga!)
A truly terrible round of farts went through every locker room and no one could be near eachother.
The tv broadcasters asked for a rescheduling for undisclosed reasons
Queen Elsa of Arandelle froze every field and the league had to call in the super hot laser blasts of Iron Man to thaw it.

One of those reasons is true (hint: it’s the boring business one), the others should amuse my children. I know which I prefer.

Speaking of TV

For the first time in…well…ever…I watched the Loons on our TV downstairs. This was made possible by the Loons league making a new and stunning deal to put all their games on a computer streaming service rather than regular TV (which your mom and I stopped having). This is a new move in sports TV, while you can get some matches for some leagues in other countries on line (as we sometimes do with Freiburg), this is a big local league wide gamble. If it pays off you boys will probably never know another way of doing it. If not…well…this will be an odd bit of trivia.

Punjab Wins all the Awards

Most movie awards this weekend went to a oddball movie that involved hot-dog fingers, body slams, and googly eyes.

Best Ensemble (From Roundglass Punjab on Twitter)

Most Indian Hero League awards went to Roundglass Punjab, who celebrated their status as the top team in the league with awards for Best Goalie (Kiran Limbu), Best Midfielder (Juan Mera), Best Coach (Staikos Vergetis). And with his two goals Luka Macjen won both the Golden Boot (for most goals scored) and the league MVP (since they’re sponsored by Hero motorcycles, they named the MVP the “League Hero” award…because they’re clever)

Dayne St. Clair: Style All-Star

’nuff said

Support Local Soccer❗️@MNAuroraFC https://t.co/U6Y8n6l7R0 pic.twitter.com/yR1zwrayi5
— DSC (@SaintC17) March 14, 2023

Player of the Week

It’s hard to settle on a player of the week. While Punjab can rightly lay claim to another trophy, their win was more matter of fact than inspiring. Vozdovac got a great showing from their goalie to keep them in a tightly contested match, but I’m going to give the edge to Ritsu Doan who’s late goal made a huge impact on the mood around Freiburg (despite his goalless drought, he’s been so fundamental to making space for others–and for inspiring in the World Cup that I think he’s overdue for some recognition)

Standings

Rosenborg broke the streak of starting seasons with wins, and in so doing saved Ross County from dropping to the bottom of the table (just six more months until Montana kicks off!). Meanwhile Punjab again claimed the top spot but they won’t be resting on their laurels as the Indian Super Cup will kick off in April with more drama afoot and a chance to see RoundGlass against their future Super League rivals.

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
Punjab	11	2	1	2.50	2.64	0.79
Emelec	2	0	1	2.00	1.67	1.00
Minnesota	1	1	0	2.00	1.00	0.50
Freiburg	6	3	6	1.40	1.53	1.87
Grenoble	7	4	9	1.25	1.00	1.20
Vozdovac	2	2	3	1.14	0.71	1.71
Legon Cities	2	5	4	1.00	0.82	1.09
Alebrijes	2	4	5	0.91	1.27	1.45
Ross County	2	3	5	0.90	1.10	1.10
Rosenborg	0	0	1	0.00	0.00	1.00
Montana–b	0	0	0	—	—	—

Table Updated 3/15/22
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Thursday, March 16th

Freiburg v. Juventus (M-European Cup–Freiburg trails 1-0)

Friday, March 17th

Saturday, March 18th

Livingston v. Ross County

Cukariki v. Vozdovac

Sochaux v. Grenoble (M)

Delfin v. Emelec

Colorado v. Minnesota (M)

Sunday, March 19th

Freiburg v. Hoffenheim (F)

Legon Cities v. Aduana Stars

Mainz v. Freiburg (M)

Monday, March 20th

Tuesday, March 21st

Mineros v. Alebrijes

Wednesday, March 22nd

Week 10: One Happy Warrior and Ten Solemn Faces

March 9, 2023March 9, 2023 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recaps

Tapatio 1 – 1Alebrijes

Armando Gonzalez gave us reason to hope that Oaxaca could be on to a winning streak, but a penalty in the 66th minute gave it all back. So let’s keep rooting for an unbeaten streak!

Eintracht Frankfurt 4 – 1 SC Freiburg (F)

Fresh off their stirring Cup performance, the ladies of Freiburg struggled to connect against Frankfurt and suffered a disappointing defeat. Hasret Kayici netted an equalizer, but the Griffins continue to struggle against anyone above them in the table: (better than most, not at the same level as the others)

Rajasthan United 0 – 4 Punjab FC

Punjab put it beyond all doubt in their game against Rajasthan (who, for some reason, played their game in Delhi?). An early own goal (originally attributed to Chenchyo Geltsen) gave way to more and more from the attacking trio: Luka Macjen and Juan Mera got their own and there was no doubt that the Warriors would win the match and take the title!

Borussia Munchen Gladbach 0 – 0 Freiburg (M)

Mark Flekken did everything he was asked to do and more, as Freiburg got a point on the road. Gladbach was a little extra physical, and even though they went down to ten men before the end of the game, Freiburg couldn’t capitalize.

Ross County 0 – 2 Motherwell

Eomonn Brophy followed his sterling showing without doing much of anything. And when center back Jack Baldwin saw red with twenty minutes to play, it was not terribly promising. Sure enough Motherwell brought forward more attack and got the goals they needed to deny the hosts any points.

Dijon 1 – 0 Grenoble

Les Alpiners also had a bit of a hangover from their cup trip to Lyon last week, giving up a first half goal to Dijon and being forced to chase the match from there.

Legon Cities 1 – 1 Real Tamale

Any point is a positive point for Legon Cities, but losing the lead that Samuel Armah gave them with just seven minutes to play stings. They now sit above relegation based only on goal difference. Last time things were this close, it took a major penalty to a relegation rival to survive. Fingernails are getting short in Legon.

Yzeure Allier 2 – 0 Grenoble Foot (F)

There was little to enjoy about Grenoble’s match against their neighbor in the standings. Several ugly errors cost them dearly as Yzeure grabbed three valuable points, and the offense seemed unable to do anything against one of Ligue Deux’s worst defenses.

Vozdovac 0 – 0 Vojvodina

This was a soccer match. It happened. And, it kind of didn’t.

Orense 2 – 1 Emelec (M)

Despite going a man up within 5 minutes, Emelec could not find a way through Orense. In fact, they ended up being out maneuvered by their opponents and coughing up all the points to a shorthanded opposition.

Raya2Expansion 1 – 1 Alebrijes

Oaxaca was first off the mark (again). Armando Gonzalez provided the first half goal (again). But the defense faltered (again). hmm…is there a Time Machine about?

Note: this match is not included in the standings posted below

News & Notes

Boys Weekend!

Your mom went out of town to a yoga retreat for the weekend, so it was boys time! We had a nice time watching superhero movies and you were mightily impressive at cleaning up the house and packing your bags for a sleepover with grandma and grandpa. Once we were there, Alex built some daring marble races out of my old train set, and Owen hit grandpa’s soft toss all over the house (which is more than he let me do). Then you finished your Soccer Shots training program and celebrated both having medals! (HUZZAH Medals!)

The Conquering Warriors

There will be much more to say about Punjab FC’s victory in the I-League (trust me I’ve been writing a piece about it to post later this month), but suffice to say it feels pretty darn good. And I just watch the team!

The victory comes with hardware for the trophy case, yes; but it also comes with the promise of more exciting days to come. First in April, Punjab will be guaranteed a spot in the Super Cup (an event kind of like the World Cup, but only for Indian club sides). Then, next fall, they’ll join the top flight of Indian soccer: the Indian Super League (as long as they prove that they can financially manage it).

Not So Luck of the Draw

Freiburg’s cup opponents are…uh…good. First, the men step into the last 16 of the Europa League against a little team named Juventus: a team with 3 Europa Leagues already (as well as 9 Champions League finals). Then, in the German Cup, they go into the quarter final against Bayern Munich (the team that has 9 straight League titles and twenty cup titles). And the ladies, well, they’ll face RB Leipzig’s women side in the Semi-final of their tournament (the same Leipzig organization that beat the men last year in the final).

But Freiburg did win the second division. When has Juventus done that?!? (Never, they play in Italy…but still, I’m looking for hope)

Player of the Week

It wasn’t a great week for almost all our teams, but when it was good it was down right great! So let’s give a nod to a great goalkeeper well worthy of being the first keeper named this year: Kiran Limbu of the Punjabi champions: this one is for you.

Standings

Emelec’s stay at the top was brief, but Minnesota is still blocking Punjab’s path to the top…for now. (There is a match at home, but having seen them play in sub-zero snowy weather before, I’m not eager to repeat that experience.) Next week we’ll see if Rosenborg continues the trend of strong starts as the men have their first match of the year in the Norwegian Cup.

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
Minnesota	1	0	0	3.00	1.00	0.00
Punjab	10	2	1	2.46	2.69	0.85
Emelec	1	0	1	1.50	1.50	1.00
Freiburg	5	3	4	1.50	1.67	2.00
Grenoble	6	4	8	1.22	1.00	1.06
Legon Cities	2	5	3	1.10	0.90	1.10
Ross County	2	3	5	0.90	1.10	1.10
Alebrijes	2	2	5	0.89	1.22	1.44
Vozdovac	1	2	3	0.83	0.33	1.67
Rosenborg–b	0	0	0	—	—	—
Montana–b	0	0	0	—	—	—

Table Updated 3/8/22
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Thursday, March 9th

Juventus v. Freiburg (M-European Cup)

Emelec v. Deportivo Cuenca (M-South American Copa)

Friday, March 10th

Saturday, March 11th

Grenoble v. Annecy (M)

Minnesota v. NY Red Bulls

Sunday, March 12th

Radnicki Nis v. Vozdovac

Punjab FC v. TRAU

Freiburg v. Hoffenheim (M)

Saint Etienne v. Grenoble (F)

Berekum Chelsea v. Legon Cities

SGS Essen v. SC Freiburg (F)

Viking v. Rosenborg (M-Cup)

Emelec v. Tecnico Universitario (M)

Monday, March 13th

Tuesday, March 14th

Wednesday, March 15th

Alebrijes v. UDG

Week 9: Pouring Goals

March 2, 2023March 1, 2023 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recaps

Vozdovac 1 – 1 Mladost Lucani

The Dragons staged an impressive comeback thanks in part to a great goal from youngster Mihajlo Neskovic who netted after a perfectly placed headed pass from Borisav Burmaz.

Alebrijes 4 – 0 Correcaminos

Oaxaca found their scoring shoes at last! A full 40% of their goals this term came from the second 45 minutes of play, their best showing since the first half against Dorados a little under a month ago. The best of the bunch was probably Ernesto Reyes’ volley smash, but that might leave out the sensational play of Cristian Canozales who notched the first goal and two assists on absurd little fakes that seemed to break ankles and hearts in equal measure. (We’ll post Reyes’ goal below, but enjoy Canozales’ celebration as well)

Grenoble 0 – 0 Le Havre (M)

Ordinarily I make a “and that happened” joke, but this was a pretty fraught nil-nil. Le Havre tops Ligue 2 and hadn’t lost since August. But they couldn’t get past Brice Maubleu even on a penalty chance.

Dallas 0 – 1 Minnesota United

Coming into this season there was plenty of talk about how the Loons were so dependent on Emmanuel Reynoso that the Argentine’s absence would be the death knell of any Minnesota opportunities. Enter: Mender Garcia. The Colombian rampaged around Dallas’ area, providing a trap that set up one blast and hitting the rebound even harder. He might have had a second if not for a late tackle that truly looked dangerous to me. Add in Kervin Arriaga’s free kick blasts and the Loons were showing strong shots even without their talisman.

Ross County 4 – 0 Dundee United

Eamonn Brophy hasn’t exactly set Dingwall alight since he arrived on a loan in January, but this might have changed that, as two goals, an assist, and some absolute blasted attempts made the Stags look better than they have in ages over fellow relegation battlers Dundee United.

Punjab FC 8 – 0 Sudeva FC

Not to be out done, Punjab FC utterly smoked lowly Sudeva FC featuring a Juan Mera hat trick and five other goals to boost their point total and their goal difference.

Grenoble Foot 0 -2 Nice (F)

It might have been a bit of a hangover for Nicholas Delpine and his Haitian contingent coming back to a hard grinding league match after clinching World Cup qualification.

Freiburg 1 – 1 Bayern Leverkusen (M)

The Griffins always seem to struggle against Leverkusen, and with Vincenzo Grifo’s early goal to back them, they were quite happy to hunker down and soak up the pressure. Still, Bayern worked their way back into the match and split the points.

Volta Rangers 1 – 2 Legon Cities FC (CUP)

The Royals took the early lead thanks to Adu Medier, but sloppy defending gave Volta a life line in the second half. As is the way when tournament games end in a tie, they turned to Penalty Kicks and Legon got the results they needed to advance on to the next round.

Emelec 2 – 0 Libertad (M)

Miller Bolanos returned to Emelec and swiftly notched his first assist and his first goal for Los Bombillos since February 2016 (he had gotten 42 goals across Brazil, Mexico, and China in the interim.) The cheeky heel flick and the confident goal in stride made it clear, we’re going to like this going forward.

Lyon 2 – 1 Grenoble (M-Cup)

Les Grenobloises had an uphill climb to knock out the Lions of Lyon including a number of world class players. Matthais Phaeton and Jessy Benet didn’t look intimidated, but they also didn’t run the back line, and Lyon capitalized with two first half goals that led to a rare goalkeeping substitution in the second half for Grenoble. A consolation goal for Amine Sbai gave Grenoble a small lifeline, but even biased folks like me have to acknowledge the better team won.

FK Radnik Surdulica 2 – 0 FK Vozdovac

Borisav Burmaz’s second half red card turned the tide and gave Radnik the advantage it needed to push up and get not just one, but two goals to tame the dragons.

Carl Zeiss Jena FC 0 – 4 SC Freiburg (F-Cup)

The Frauen brought their A game to Jena and spread the wealth around ensuring that three different scorers (and one very ugly own goal) notched some credit in the Quarter final victory. The team’s incisive passing and clear communication gave them a big advantage on the unsteady and unsafe hands of Jena’s defense.

Punjab FC 3 – 1 Churchill Brothers

The Warriors rolled through the toughest match remaining on their schedule. Again the dynamic attack of Macjen, Mera, and Gyeltshen was formidable. Each one netted a goal, and the win vaulted Punjab even farther up the standings.

Legon Cities 1 – 1 Tamale United

Kofi Kordzi continues to have the best form of anyone on the Royals roster, but after years with with one of the best defenses in Ghana, Legon’s suspect back line has let them down. There’s nothing wrong with getting a point in a match, but it’s also disappointing after what they wanted to get.

News & Notes

Soccer Shots Shoot-out

For the first time MacKenzie boys took the field for the first time. Okay, the field was a gym and, by Owen’s account, Alex played and he hung out on the sideline dancing around. But still! You had fun, and that alone is celebration!

Immediately after that we got bombarded with snow and over the ensuing 5 day mini-vacation you discovered lots of other ways to play together, in particular fighting mummies (me) and throwing snowballs (at me). I’m awfully proud.

I-League Update

The biggest shift in the I-League didn’t come in a Punjab match. Instead, Deccan’s loss to Mohamadan SC in an absolute wild match, created a vital opening that Punjab promptly capitalized on. The monstrous 8-0 completely erased the goal difference deficit and put them firmly in the driver seat. As if that wasn’t enough, Deccan dropped more points by only getting a draw against 10 man Aizawl FC, and another win puts Punjab up by 5 points with two matches to play.

A win against Rajasthan, and Punjab can be sure of taking home this year’s trophy…set your alarms!

Electric Loons!

Emelec and Minnesota both kicked off this week, giving us 9 of the 11 teams in action. Both teams are in an unusual position to start the year. Emelec, having spent last season outside of the top tier of challengers, they have brought in a host of veterans to bolster their claim to the crown. Meanwhile Minnesota, operating without Emmanuel Reynoso, will need to try to find a way to win without having one man run the show.

Player of the Week

Jiminy Christmas! When it rains it absolutely pours great performances. Cristian Canozales, Kervin Arriaga, Eomon Brophy. But the huge week for Punjab puts them in the pole position for the award, and while I’d like to give it to Kiran Limbu’s dominance in goal, you can’t ignore the fact that Juan Mera scored as many goals ON HIS OWN, as every other team in our competition scored TOGETHER. So, Juan Mera, take a bow, and a plethora of points!

Standings

The early going of the season can often flatter folks. Emelec and Minnesota shouldn’t get too fond of their top of the table position, just ask Vozdovac who went from the top to the bottom in a few short weeks. After all, Punjab is clearly determined to top their own league, and maybe ours too.

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
Emelec	1	0	0	3.00	2.00	0.00
Minnesota	1	0	0	3.00	1.00	0.00
Punjab	9	2	1	2.42	2.58	0.92
Freiburg	5	2	3	1.70	1.90	2.00
Grenoble	6	4	6	1.38	1.13	1.00
Legon Cities	2	4	3	1.11	0.89	1.11
Ross County	2	3	4	1.00	1.22	1.00
Alebrijes	2	1	5	0.88	1.25	1.50
Vozdovac	1	1	3	0.80	0.40	2.00
Rosenborg–b	0	0	0	—	—	—
Montana–b	0	0	0	—	—	—

Table Updated 3/1/22
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Thursday, March 2nd

Tapatio v. Alebrijes

Friday, March 3rd

Eintracht Frankfurt v. SC Freiburg (F)

Saturday, March 4th

Rajastan United v. Punjab FC

Borussia Munchen Gladbach v. Freiburg (M)

Ross County v. Motherwell

Dijon v. Grenoble

Sunday, March 5th

Legon Cities v. Real Tamale

Vozdovac v. Vojvodina

Monday, March 6th

Tuesday, March 7th

Wednesday, March 8th

Raya2Expansion v. Alebrijes

Nobel FC: WB Yeats

March 1, 2023April 8, 2023 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Background

William Butler Yeats won the Nobel Prize in literature for his poetry in 1923. The committee noted “his always inspired poetry, which in a highly artistic form gives expression to the spirit of a whole nation”. The nation in question was Ireland, but the from and expression in question is something else.

Yeats was a part of an artistic family and carried on the family business quickly. He adopted the style of the time in his early years. He celebrated all things artistic, beautiful, and emotional while studying and employing references to otherworldly and the occult. As he aged, and as the country around him became a hotbed, first for revolution and then sectarian violence, he left behind some of the more philosophical studies and became more physical and combative, but remained just as artistic.

Works

Renoir’s The Umbrella’s (whose Irish owner partly inspired “To a friend…”)

To a friend whose work has come to nothing

NOW all the truth is out,
Be secret and take defeat
From any brazen throat,
For how can you compete,
Being honour bred, with one
Who, were it proved he lies,
Were neither shamed in his own
Nor in his neighbours’ eyes?
Bred to a harder thing
Than Triumph, turn away
And like a laughing string
Whereon mad fingers play
Amid a place of stone,
Be secret and exult,
Because of all things known
That is most difficult.
–1913

The Four Ages of Man

He with body waged a fight,
But body won; it walks upright.

Then he struggled with the heart;
Innocence and peace depart.

Then he struggled with the mind;
His proud heart he left behind.

Now his wars on God begin;
At stroke of midnight God shall win.
–1934

Message

In poetry, every work deserves to be judged on its own accord and its own merits. No poet adopts a single perspective or message, but their style often evokes a common trend. So it is with Yeats.

These works do a very good job of capturing the idea that one must be ever ready. It’s an aggressive defensiveness, and a robust reaction to the challenges of life. You should expect to face difficulty, and you should prepare to fight through it.

Position: #4

Yeats strikes me as a center back, but not your typical stout and serious center back. He’s more overeager, like someone who played striker as a kid, but kept being moved back on the pitch as they grew older. Now their job is to stop attacks, but they still yearn to be set loose at the spear of the attack. As time goes on he grows more blunt and aggressive than before. In short he’s both more physical than he needs to be and a little more confident in attack than he ought to be. It makes him a dangerous defender (both to the opponent and to his own side).

What do you think? Should Yeats end up somewhere else on the field? Did I critically misunderstand his style? Leave a comment below.