Recaps
Emelec 2 – 3 Independente del Valle (M)
Emelec had a lead against a dangerous rival in Ecuador’s Serie A early on in the second half, and then it all came undone. Goalscorer Jhon Sanchez drew a red card, and though it took them some time, Independente capitalized…scoring twice in the last 5 minutes of regular time to win the match.
Rosenborg BK 3 – 0 Lyn Football (F)
A week after their first slip of the season, the Trolljenta were back in action. Emilie Joramo opened the scoring (continuing to make defensive midfielders around our leagues look awesome on a great run in combination play), and Emilie Nauntes finally got on the scoresheet but the attack remains unsettled in Trondheim.
Koln 0 – 1 Freiburg (M)
Lucas Holer has been making magic happen with his boots lately, but in this showing he spread the wealth around connecting aon a bit of head to head ping pong with Ritsu Doan to net the winner. The excellent timing kept Freiburg squarely in the conversation for European soccer.
Grenoble 2 – 0 Niort (M)
Les Alpiners have solidified their spot in the middle of the Ligue 2 table (with this win they officially made it impossible to be demoted), but the real focus for this year now needs to be defining who will help lead the team going forward. Mathais Phaeton certainly seems to be Jessy Benet’s new midfield partner in crime and Abdoulie Sanyang threat on the right (complete with goal in this match) makes him a plus too. Keep an eye on the defense which has been stout, and still includes the ever amusing Loic Nestor back heel (setting up the second goal in this match).
Vojvodina 2 – 0 Vozdovac
Back-to-back wins didn’t become a winning streak for the dragons as they fell to Vojvodina (but as this result helped Vojvodina leapfrog the fascists at Partizan Belgrade in the race for European soccer…I’m okay with that.)
Dreams FC 5 – 1 Legon Cities
Welp, there went the Royals’ momentum. The social media team was NOT pleased with the ref, and I can see why: two red cards in the second half was a pretty rock road to hoe. But would it be spring of a Legon season if there wasn’t untoward drama?
Odd 0 – 0 Rosenborg (M)
And that happened. (Seriously though, Rosenborg’s 3 goals in 4 matches is worryingly poor. Isak Thorvaldsen was pulled after one half and Oscar Aga had more chances but was similarly ineffective. Erlend Reiten and Samuel Rogers have been vital in defense, but they can’t do everything.
Minnesota 0 – 0 Dallas (M)
Speaking of defenders we’re grateful for, in our first match at Allianz field this season we were impressed by Kemar Lawrence. The defender was an absolute bulldozer both with and without the ball, and we know how you boys like bulldozers. Bongokhule Hlongwane and Luis Amarilla tried to be, but found that kicking while falling over doesn’t provide enough power to score.
Avaldsnes 1 – 1 Rosenborg BK 
The search for a reliable goal scorer continues. With Celine Nergård netting her first goal of the season, but then leaving with 30 minutes to play. Mixing and matching strikers hasn’t worked yet…but don’t bet against the Trolljenta.
Freiburg 1 – 4 RB Leipzig (M-Cup)
Hopes were high for revenge on Red Bull and a return to the dfb Pokal Final. In about twenty minutes hopes were dashed and there was no joy in Freiburg. The two teams play again this weekend…more reason for revenge.
Rosenborg 0 – 2 Brann (M)
Rosenborg’s best work this year has come when the defense is able to be themselves and hold down the fort (thanks again Sam Rogers). So when they drew two yellow cards before the first ten minutes, they were set up to struggle. Sure enough Brann ran straight at them and picked up two goals against the Rosenborg side with 5 yellows before the match was done and dusted.
Guarani 1 -1 Emelec (M-South American Cup)
Alejandro Cabeza consistently appears when Emelec needs him most. Like Batman, only without the dark and brooding backstory. So it was here when he struck late in the second half to salvage a road point in Paraguay.
News & Notes
Emelec turns 94!
I turn heads of random drivers on Lexington Avenue
A couple of months ago, Alex was sick and throwing up all over the place. On our drive to the Urgent Care, I was stunned to see a Red Chevy with an SC Freiburg Decal. In part because Freiburg isn’t exactly a world renowned side, and also in part because seeing them endorsed on a road firmly within our little corner of St. Paul seemed extremely odd. Eventually Alex felt better, we cleaned the puke out of the car, and I saw the Red Freiburg Chevy a few more times. Finally, this last week, I managed to actually be stopped at a light next to them, urged them to roll down the window and shouted “Freiburg Uber Alles” to a great laugh from the family inside. Love of a favorite team man, it connects people in weird ways and unforeseen places.
Player of the Week
It’s hard to find a lot of comprehensive statistics for defenders. But I generally trust FootMob’s point of view when it comes to overall quality of play. In that regard it’s hard to argue against giving overdue recognition to a new right back (because at some point we come to expect Gaspar, Monfray and Nestor to be awesome). So hat’s off to Mathys Tourraine who certainly fits the mold of Grenoble’s new Dartagnan
Standings
As we come into May we’ve got a lot of teams getting ready for their big final pushes in their domestic seasons. But in the year long MacKenzie Cup we’re not yet half-way through. Grenoble’s improvement for both the men and the women made them the biggest gainers in this week’s standings, while more slips have continued Emelec’s tumble (obligatory reference to Miller Bolanos goes here).
| Team | W | D | L | PPG | GFA | GAA |
| Punjab–b | 12 | 2 | 3 | 2.24 | 2.29 | 0.94 |
| Rosenborg | 6 | 4 | 3 | 1.69 | 1.15 | 0.54 |
| Minnesota | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1.50 | 1.10 | 0.90 |
| Grenoble | 13 | 4 | 13 | 1.43 | 1.10 | 1.17 |
| Legon Cities | 6 | 7 | 6 | 1.32 | 1.16 | 1.16 |
| Freiburg | 11 | 5 | 13 | 1.31 | 1.24 | 1.66 |
| Emelec | 4 | 2 | 5 | 1.27 | 1.18 | 1.27 |
| Alebrijes–b | 5 | 5 | 8 | 1.11 | 1.33 | 1.39 |
| Vozdovac | 4 | 2 | 8 | 1.00 | 0.71 | 1.64 |
| Ross County | 3 | 3 | 9 | 0.80 | 1.00 | 1.47 |
| Montana–b | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
b–Team is between seasons
What’s Next
Thursday, May 4th
Friday, May 5th
Saturday, May 6th
Freiburg v. RB Leipzig
Ross County v. Livingston
Rosenborg v. Valerenga (M)
Rosenborg BK v. Lyn Football (F)
Paris FC v. Grenoble (M)
Vancouver v. Minnesota
Sunday, May 7th
SC Freiburg v. Werder Bremen (F)
Legon Cities v. Nsoatreman
Rosenborg v. Valerenga (F)
Vozdovac v. Red Star Belgrade
Cumbaya v. Emelec (M)
Nimes Metropole Gard v. Grenoble Foot (F)
Monday, May 8th
Tuesday, May 9th
Minnesota v. Philadelphia (M-Cup)
MacKenzie's Boot Room 