Like her fellow Italian winner Giossue Carducci, Grazia Deledda was fierecely proud of her local community. Unlike Carducci, who spread his wings to write about the whole world around him, Deledda was stayed on Sardinia and write about the world around her and the people in it. That specificity was critical to both inviting the world into the (often inhospitable) island and appreciating the same for everyone’s appreciation and awareness.
She received her award in 1926 for her ability to picture the life on her native island with depth and sympathy, defying easy categorization and assumptions among visitors. That PR Blitz full of hometown pride is not uncommon (and, was in Deledda’s case supported by world class twit Benito Mussollini).
Works
I read Deledda’s short but truly beautiful story The Mother in which the titular mom fights for her son’s (the local priest) soul. There is a lot of quiet desperation, but also aching love both parental and romantic (between the son and his illicit paramour).
Man is a hunter and Woman his prey.
Little by little, desire crept into that love of theirs, chaste and pure as a pool of spring water beneath a wall that suddenly crumbles and falls into ruins.
He was unhappy because he was a man and was forbidden to lead a man’s natural life of love…. Then he reflected that pleasure enjoyed leaves only horror and anguish behind it.
—The Mother
Message
Deledda relished everything about Sardinia and captured the essence of the spaces that are both protected from danger and deeply insulated to the point of endangering themselves. That definitely reminded me of Montana, where the mountains, and scrub brush make people both leery of and loving to outsiders. To me Deledda’s message sounds more like this: “we can all appreciate each other more and judge each other less.”
Position: #4 Center Back
Try as she might to be inclusive and appreciative, Deledda was born a home with a hearty distrust of others. That combined with her solid (though unremarkable) writing suggests the career of a true center back. Her writing doesn’t push many boundaries or reinvent the wheel, but it is prepared to do what it takes to protect her kith and kin.
Monthly plea for interaction goes here!
Next Time: We dart back to the present to honor one of 3 women honored by the Nobel within the last 6 years. Annie Ernaux (2022), c’mon down!!
When your mom went on a special trip with her friends a few weeks ago it was time for an OPA celebration (Owen, Papa, and Alex). We did some special stuff that I’m much more likely to encourage: we ate a lot of meat, practiced burping, and watched pro wrestling.
O’s Hero
I have a soft spot for the not remotely subtle science, and I can’t help but want to share it with you particularly when my favorite match of the year, the Royal Rumble, is in season. So, we watched, and Owen discovered a new hero: The Boogeyman (also known as Martin Wright).
Owen has long had a soft spot for the bad guys: the Sanderson Sisters, Scar, the Saja Boys, so I’m not overly shocked that a monstrous, worm-eating, figure of fear is the wrestler who sticks with them. What it made me realize though, is that, in sport (and sports-entertainment) there isn’t really one bad guy and one good guy. There are just favorites and foes.
Take the case of Ecuador’s biggest rivalry where our side (Emelec) faces their neighbors (Barcelona) in El Classico del Astillero (the battle of the shipyards). Emelec is vaunted, celebrated, and successful. But they’re widely seen as interlopers, funded by a wealthy foreigner (American George Capwell) and ignoring their actual community.
My Hero
I will still cheer for Emelec, but I can fully acknowledge that others never will. In the same way, I’m actually delighted to hear that Owen’s selected champion is a spooky-wooky monster. Who cares if everyone else responds with fear, disgust, or opposition. Your favorite is your favorite, O. Enjoy it…just like I cheered until Andre the Giant was bodyslammed by Hulk Hogan and everyone else screamed in joy.
It can be tempting to think that we only cheer for the good guys, or that our opponents deserve to lose. But that’s not a fair way to view the world. I can see well reasoned arguments that there are absolute rights and absolute wrongs in some particular areas (treatment of other humans for instance). But shows, entertainments and sports aren’t one of them. So feel free to like who you like, and respect that others will disagree.
All around it was a rougher month for the teams, with most teams struggling to win more than a single game (though, to be fair, several teams only just got off the line…or in the case of Vozdovac forgot to score, or in the case of Emelec, got postponed).
Once again, Noah Atubolu is the biggest name in the conversation, (goal)keeping Freiburg in matches where the rest of the defense struggles to hold a consistent line. Jessy Benet, long a favorite of this website, seems to have a new midfield running partner in Yadala Diaby who is creating lots of chaos and lining up some impressive shots from distance. But the men’s undefeated month really owes a lot to Loris Mouyokolo and Clement Vidal who have stepped up to the vital Center Back positions with ease.
The other team with the most points this month is Alebrijes! Julio Cruz has been more of a super sub this year than his usual lead attacking self, but it’s been working with Hector Mascorro running the show. (I very much want to heap praise on the Ur-Royals’ Forward Makhmud Bansi Isaak who netted twice more than the top division team this month…but the second division Royals also lost 3 games despite scoring 6 goals….oof)
The women’s sides continue to play a strong team game, with Freiburg’s defenders Julia Steirli and Lisa Karl running both sides of the ball, Melanie Charbonnier and Laurine Baga serving the attack in a big derby win against Thonon Evian. And I’m choosing to believe that Ross County’s four goal deluge to notch their first win of 2026 was inspired partly by the goalkeeper “Sofia” who also helped them stem the tide against Arbroath. I’m rooting for her to start a trend of one-named Scottish wonders like “Ederson” or “Marta” only colder.
Looking Ahead
Good luck Coach C!
In the rush of the end of the year I missed some major news out of Missoula where Chris Citwoicki (the superb Griz coach) chose to take his talents to the higher profile and better funded Washington State University up the road in Pullman Washington. Genuinely, Citowicki is a very nice guy and an excellent supporter of his players. It seemed inevitable that he would be going on to bigger things so we wish him well. But this month the Griz got a new coach in Stuart Gore. Gore came to the US from England for college and then as a coach won a lower level national championship in Ohio, a conference championship in Louisiana (with the Northwestern State Demons–an old favorite logo of mine) then Troy in the dangerous Sun Belt conference. We hope he continues what’s going well and continues supporting the toughest team in Big Sky Country.
Sadly, I won’t be attending the World Cup this summer as your uncles and I did not with the lottery, but Alex did try out for his team again so I’ll be having fun regardless.
Emelec will kick off their new campaign in early March after an unexpected stadium related delay (that’s been going around as Punjab had the same issue on their first match day). While Rosenborg hopefully won’t have any such problems as both the men and women start fresh.
Finally, our fondness for Tottenham Hotspur is being tested by something approaching gross incompetence, but our beloved Julie Blakstad is now on their women’s team, so we’re committed again.
Giossue Carducci is as Italian as it is possible to be. The man came from a family of revolutionaries in Tuscany who abhorred separated rule (including the deeply revered Pope) and insisted on the chance for federal unity among Italian regions. Those strong opinions suffused his work, a massive collection of poems that revived some of the classical and pagan world but brought them to bear with more modern (for the time) language.
While Carducci was probably most honored to become a Senator with in Italy’s newly independent system, he was widely appreciated by the Nobel committees becoming a unanimous selection by the committee in 1906 (over the much more widely read Leo Tolstoy). He was cited most plainly for his “creative energy, freshness of style, and lyrical voice”. He was buried in Bologna where he was a professor, and his tomb sits facing the stadium of Bologna FC (literally, one block away).
Works
Satan alone lives. He holds sway in the tremulous flash of some dark eye,
Or the eye which languidly turns and resists, or which, bright and moist, provokes, insists.
He shines in the bright blood of grapes, by which transient joy persists,
Which restores fleeting life, keeps grief at bay, and inspires us with love
You breathe, O Satan in my verses, when from my heart explodes a challenge to the god
Of wicked pontiffs, bloody kings; and like lightning you shock men’s minds.
–Hymn to Satan–
Message
Carducci was as political as he was poetic, and the citation for his “lyrical force” was a very considerate way of describing what sometimes feels like a diss-track master for the turn of the last century. If I were to sum up his message from the poems I read it would probably be something like: “F*** the system, bros…LIVE FOR THE NOW!!”
Position: #9 Striker
With this much aggression and energy, Carducci makes the most sense to me as a Striker, making him the first pre-1980 laureate I’ve put at the point of the attack. I’m aware that his legs have decayed a lot more than other options for the goal scorer, but Carducci’s old school style of doing what has long worked is a good match here. (Like Lucas Holer)
I started writing these notes to you when Owen was still small enough to fit in the crook of my arm, and Alex’s favorite activity was chasing the vacuum cleaner, and while that seemed simple…handling both of you (and a vacuum cleaner)…navigating a pandemic was not.
Dear Kids,
It has stayed hard.
Through murder, unrest, insurrection, division, deceit, venality, corruption, and now an armed invasion again (and that’s just in our country…never mind the terror, invasion, and war crimes abroad), things are hard, have been hard, and will likely remain hard.
When everything is hard, it is so easy to get discouraged, to get mean, to get angry and cold (especially in Minnesota in January), which is why I take heart from the little things.
Ross County is in a hard place. They are struggling to get points of any kind. They have conceded more goals than any other team in their division this year, and they look likely to be demoted for the second straight year.
Alex wants to stop ICE with ice and bologna.
So Alex Iacovitti didn’t need to do this. He could have just let the ball go past again…let the team lose 2-0 instead of 1-0. But he did what he could, he threw himself into the situation and managed to help. Iacovitti’s play is sweet…and a very tiny glimmer of the energy and effort that we and our neighbors are throwing at the situation in Minnesota now.
As federally endorsed officials attempt to detain and expel other Minnesota residents, we have seen senseless brutality and violence. But, I also see breathtaking effort, love and care when your mom and so many others stand in the freezing cold to keep kids safe on their way into your school. I see it in your aunt and uncle fundraising and gathering groceries for other families in their day care. I even see it in the two of you making posters to protest and tease the officials who are imposing their interests on our community.
I don’t know if Alex Iacovitti would be with us in lending help and support to the people in need. But I know that I love living and working with a bunch of people who would, no matter how bad things are, rush back to try to clear an attack away.
Freiburg leads the charge out of the gate in our 2026 season, with Vincenzo Grifo (big shock) being a talisman in attack; Goalie Noah Atubolu stopping both Hamburg and Koln; Matthias Ginter and Christian Gunter offer goal opportunities in the defense (attack and pk to fight back).
Grenoble sits second with a big pair of goals of the bench getting the ladies in to the round of sixteen before the bowed out to Strasbourg. But we’ll also tip a cap to Claudia Fabre who got the winner against Guingamp and Gaetan Paquiez who saved the day in defense before sending in two assists to steal a point against Pau.
Ross County’s Alex Iacovitti has already gotten his flowers, but we’ll also shout out Jay Henderson whose two goals gave the Stags their first win in the league since October. And honorary mentions to the last teams on our list including Rauf Muna with two goals to get the Wonder Royals their first points in six attempts, and Jair Cortes delivering a late equalizer against Cancun.
Looking Ahead
The biggest item on my horizon is finding out if your uncles and I will be attending a World Cup match in Philadelphia this summer. But we’ll also watch as each of these teams builds into fuller form and Minnesota United kicks off their new season with a change in veterans, goalies, and even coaches, while Punjab (maybe) kicks off (maybe) on Valentine’s Day (unless something weird happens…which with Indian soccer…it will)
Standings
Team
W
D
L
PPG
GFA
GAA
Freiburg
4
1
2
1.86
1.00
1.00
Grenoble
3
1
2
1.67
1.00
1.50
Ross County
2
0
3
1.20
0.80
1.00
Legon Cities
3
0
5
1.25
1.00
2.13
Alebrijes
0
1
1
0.50
0.50
2.00
Emelec–b
0
0
0
—
—
—
Montana–b
0
0
0
—
—
—
Rosenborg–b
0
0
0
—
—
—
Minnesota–b
0
0
0
—
—
—
Vozdovac–b
0
0
0
—
—
—
Punjab–b
0
0
0
—
—
—
Table Updated 1/26/26 b–Team is between seasons x–Team is finished playing for 2025
Abdulrazak Gurnah is one of only two black African authors to win the Nobel prize. Unlike the Nigerian Wole Soyinka, he was born and raised on the Eastern coast of the continent in the Sultanate of Zanzibar (part of present day Tanzania), but had to flee the country shortly after he finished his high school education due to an overthrow of the Islamic ruler of the island.
Displaced from his home, Gurnah was pushed into life as a refugee, in a moment that clearly shaped (but did not dictate) his work thereafter. He immersed himself into studies of literature and became a professor first in Nigeria and then at the University of Kent. Throughout this time he also wrote a small selection of lauded and awarded novels (though they weren’t considered big sellers) leading both him and others to believe the announcement of his name was “a prank” or “a joke”. But the Nobel truly did award him “for his uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents”.
Works
I read/listened to his latest novel: Theft, and liked it enough that I’m certainly planning on reading/listening to more later. A few key quotes I loved:
“Does beauty like hers make its own rules, disregarding responsibilities and duties?”
“What do these people (foreigners/tourists/volunteers) want with us? Why do they come here? They come here with their filth and their money and they interfere with us and ruin our lives for their pleasure, and it seems that we cannot resist their wealth and their filthy ways … Volunteer! You see them in their big new cars, bringing us their goodwill. They should stay in their own country and do their goodwill there.”
(This is as perfect an encapsulation of my old colleague’s claim that I and those like me were part of “the New Raj”)
Message
Obviously, as someone who spent several years teaching in post-colonial systems and studying the legacy of British colonialism, I’m biased…but fortunately, so is Gurnah, so we’ll get along fine. Impressively, if unsurprisingly, he doesn’t opt for a simple lesson about that flag planting frenzy, instead I’d say he turns a careful eye on the human scale of the shifts and argues colonialism’s legacy lives on in those with a will to power who adopt its lessons.
Position: #3 Left Back
Gurnah reminds me of a full back, he’s wide ranging, flexible and fluid, able to react to whatever is thrown at him. He often reacts to the world that is flung in his face, but he can still cut in and be dangerous in a way that echoes Tolstoy, Ishiguro, Jane Austen and Scotland star Andy Robertson (yes, I linked a Liverpool player to Leo Tolstoy and I stand by it!)
In another crass attempt to get someone to leave a comment on my posts, I’ll just point this out: Gurnah makes 4 Left Backs, but I only have 1 Right Back and 1 Left Winger…am I going to hard on the position I played back in my AYSO glory days? Or have I been fair to put progressive/socialist leaning players on the left?
Next Time (pingponging back from the most recent decade to the first one) 1906 Honoree–Giossue Carducci
Once again, attempts to keep up on these tactical components did not go well. As I work on direct, specific, and simple apologies: I’m sorry.
Moving on!
Here are the final standings for this year’s MacKenzie Cup from 11th to 1st
11th) Legon Cities
An Explanation:
Legon faced one of the most chaotic seasons in the 6 years of this project, and I should try to explain why:
I try not to write much about owners. The wealthy and powerful already get more than enough attention, and, having been a Minnesota Twins fan, I know that obsessing over the whims of multi-millionaires is an exercise in futility.
But, the owner of Legon Cities requires a little attention.
Richard Attipoe bought Wa All-Stars after a title winning campaign and moved them to Legon, connecting them with a bunch of Accra celebrities to capture attention, followers, and ticket sales. Not so much to win matches. After battling against relegation for several years, the Royals finally fell to the second division last spring. In response, Mr. Attipoe went out and bought a newly promoted team (Eleven Wonders) and moved THEM to Legon, giving them the same kit and asking to call them the New Legon Cities (despite the old Legon Cities still playing in the second division).
So, which is Legon Cities? The Premier League Legon Cities (aka 11 Wonders in some new laundry), or the Original Legon Cities (wallowing in the second division)? I asked Legon Cities directly and a facebook fan group…but haven’t heard anything yet…so…I’m going to count both of them as best I can.
Results
Premier League: W 1 – D 3 – L 12; GF: 9/GA: 23
Division 1: W 1 – D 2 – L 10; GF: 11/GA: 29
Total: W 2- D 5 – L 22; GF 20/ GA: 52
Great Players:
Midfielder Matthew Amponseh (who has more goals in half as many minutes as the other strikers on the moribund Royals/Wonders side).
Quick Notes:
After opening their Division 1 campaign with all three points, the Division 1 Royals only have two more from the following 12.
Things are a little better for the Eleven Wonders who have won and drawn within their last five games…but they also haven’t done much of anything else and remain the poorest performers (both in goals for and goals against) and sit well adrift of the rest of the league.
Julio Cesar Cruz (Forward), Sergio Meza (Wing), Hector Mascorro (CM), Fernando Morales (CB)
Quick Notes:
New season…same Alebrijes. The goals are in short supply with Julio Cesar Cruz trying to carry the whole load while Fernando Morales tries to anchor a defense that can’t make up for a lower than average attack. The team benefitted from Hector Mascorro taking a more aggressive role in the defense to stop attacks before they start. But there’s a lot more to do before Alebrijes rejoins the top contenders.
9 )Ross County
Results
W 6 – D 8 – L 11; GF: 36 /GA: 40
Great Players:
Akil Wright (WB), Ronan Hale (ST/W), Trevor Carson (GK),
Quick Notes:
A blugenoning of Edinburgh City wasn’t enough to save a League Cup campaign. (They had been successful in recent years, with a few trips to the knockout stages, but a particularly bitter defeat to highland rival Partick Thistle ended that hope). But the Staggies have done quite well in other cup competitions, handling their business in both the League Cup and the Challenge Cup.
However, things have been far less impressive within the league. Four of the Stags six wins came in cups and tournaments, but only two have come in the league. While the other relegated side (St. Johnstone) looks likely to return to the premier league, County is facing another relegation five points away from the automatic trap door (this after they shoved another manager, Tony Docherty, down their own trap door)
Masculino: W 10 – D 4 – L 8; GF 29/GA: 28 Feminina: W 0 – D 3 – L 1 ; GF 2 /GA: 3
Total: W 10 – D 7 – L 9; GF 31/GA: 31
Great Players
Romario Caicedo (FB), Pedro Ortiz (GK), Facundo Castelli (ST), Jose Cevallos (CM), Jesus Castillo (FB)
Quick Notes:
A good run of form in July helped the men’s team climb up the table, but what kept them going strong was a new running partner for Romario Caicedo. Jesus Castillo’s ability to advance down the field gave the team a boost in attack, even while they continued to struggle in converting goals. The ultimate outcome put Emelec solidly in the middle of the table.
Throughout the summer, Las Femininas seemed to be getting their feet underneath them in the Superliga. After a rocky beginning, the steady run of draws (while not inspiring) was a good sign and demonstrated how consistently the defense has played. Over the season the women ranked 8th in goals allowed, but 10th in offense and 10th place is where they finished. If they had a league average offense their goal difference would have put them around 6th or 7th. The club stayed afloat, and now has a clear objective going into next season…if only there were some team full of excellent amateur attacking players Emelec could contact (cou*AURORA*gh!)
7) Punjab
An Explanation
Punjab FC did not start their season in September, but no one else did either. It appears that India’s top soccer league is on the brink of collapse thanks to everybody’s favorite reason: corporate conflicts.
An answer everyone who has been in India recognizes as “yes…or no…I don’t really want to say”
In basic summary: the regular league sponsors felt they didn’t get enough return on their ten years of investment, and the football federation didn’t have a backup in place. Without the money, the league couldn’t start and no one could agree on who could foot the bill. A new corporate entity? The Indian Government? The clubs themselves? We’re currently about to enter month four of a freeze on the league, and one club (Odisha FC) has already shuttered their doors for the year. Some have suggested the league can start up again in February playing in a few closely situated stadia…so is that the plan? Will it happen…?
The summer challenge of the Durand Cup was not what the Lions had in mind for their new rebrand (seriously…we’re an orange side…why are we not the Tigers?) A scramble in the late second half helped them scrape a win in extra time over Karbi Anglong Morning Star, and they didn’t score again: tying with the Indo-Tibetan Police team (having lived near that border, I can vouch for it being excellent for altitude training), and then a defeat to Bodoland FC knocked them out. After making the knockouts last year, this was disappointing. But the two goal scorers are each just 18 (including center back Pramveer), so that’s a plus for the youth movement.
Then came the awkward confrontation between tournament organizers, the government, and clubs themselves, and Punjab could only take the field for the Super Cup in November. There they looked much more like the dangerous side they had been in the I-League, with two 3-0 wins in the group stages and a strong defense propelling them through a shootout to the semi-finals.
6) Grenoble
Results
Femmes: W 5 – D 1 – L 6; GF: 14/GA: 16 Hommes: W 5 – D 7 – L 6 GF: 20/GA: 22
Total: W 10 – D 8 – L 12 GF: 34 /GA: 38
Great Players
Hommes: Jessy Benet (MF), Theo Valls (MF), Stone Muzalimoja Mambo (CB), Clement Vidal (CB), Mamadou Diop (GK) Femmes: Laurine Baga (MF), Candice Charbonnier (MF)
Quick Notes:
The first season in Ligue 2 for the women of Grenoble has seen their steady and reliable performance put them in a reliable position to stay up for another season. No one has been setting the league on fire, but Laurine Baga and Candice Charbonnier have continued their strong leadership.
The men are similarly treading water. Over the past five years, no full-time manager has been able to string together a campaign where they get more than 1.5 points per match (that would be winning a majority of their games). In a quest to shake things up, Franck Rizetto tried talismanic captain Jessy Benet as a center back…but then moved him back to midfield immediately netting 3 chances and an assist…so maybe Jessy isn’t the problem. Since then it has been the traditional defensive showcase for les Alpinerres including possibly my new favorite name in the whole of football: Stone Mambo! (Mr. Muzalimoja if you’re an attacker).
5) Freiburg
Results
Herren: W 12 – D 7- L 5; GF 36 /GA: 30 Frauen: W 8 – D 2 – L 6; GF: 32/GA: 25
Total: W 20 – D -9 – L 11; GF: 68/GA: 55
Great Players
Vincenzo Grifo (MF); Matthias Ginter (D); Noah Atubolu (GK); Johan Manzambi (DM) Lisa Karl (LB), Luca Emily Birkholz (F), Nia Zenk (RB), Leela Egli
Quick Notes:
The Herren have been busy with three competitions running at once: the ever challenging Bundesliga has thrown up a number of strong teams and they’ve only been able a mid-table performance thus far (with an equal number of wins, draws, losses, and goals for and against). But they continue to charge through the German cup (or Pokal) and look like a major threat in the Europa league. The long standing defensive stalwarts continue to carry the squad along, but Noah Atubolu continues to come into his own and at just 20, young Johan Manzambi is proving extremely versatile around the field.
Die Frauen have had another strong if unremarkable campaign firmly in the second-tier of the women’s league in Germany. Alongside the usual suspects have been a horde of talented young women 22 and under. Luca Birkholz has been great up top, while the wings have been the domain of Nia Zenk and Leela Egli (both of whom play with and off of Lisa Karl perfectly). With just 5 points between 8th place and the Europa League position, there’s a lot still to decide for the Griffins.
Vozdovac has put together their best finish in our MacKenzie Cup competition ever! They set the tone early on with a dominant 7-0 win against FAP, and have continued their upwards trend, sitting in one of the end-of-season championship playoff positions. While Nenad Lukic is in great form as a veteran goal scorer, it’s the young combination of Braunovic and Ouanda who has given the dragons reason to hope of a return to the top flight again.
3) Minnesota
Results:
Loons: W 13 – D 8 – L 10; GF: 43 /GA: 35 Aurora: W 3 – D 0 – L 1 ; GF 5 /GA: 1
Total: W 16 – D 8 – L 11 ; GF: 48/ GA: 36
Great Players:
Tani Oluwaseyi (F); Dayne St. Clair (GK), Robin Lod (MF), Bongokuhle Hlongwane (FB); Anthony Markakis (FB); Carlos Harvey (CB), Adrian Pereya (MF) Mariah Nguyen (MF) ; Sage Wimes (F)
Quick Notes:
Once again Aurora celebrated an unbeaten regular season, and once again they stormed into the playoffs with sky high expectations. Unfortunately, once again, the winner-take-all mentality of the single-elimination playoffs sent them home before the title could be claimed.
Meanwhile, the vaunted Loons defense came in for some harder times during the summer swoon. Part of that may have had to do with goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair fighting for Canada in the North American Gold Cup, but continued struggles after it derailed a promising League Cup campaign.
The fall saw the team sputter a bit on its way to the playoffs, while it technically had a shot at the top seed until the last three games, it was practically treading water until the final fury against red hot Seattle Sounders (long the Loons bete noir). But two nervy penalty shoot out wins saw the Loons into the second round agains top seeded San Diego, where everything came undone. There’s plenty of bright spots to savor for the team, but there’s a big transition coming as they try to move forward without striker Tani Oluwaseyi (currently seeing time in the Champions’ League), and goal keeper Dayne St. Clair (bound for a partnership with Lionel Messi in Miami (as well as talismans Hasani Dotson and–possibly–Robin Lod).
The most dominant team in the MacKenzie Cup competition, and back-to-back winners of the Big Sky/Big Sippy Cup, had an injury plagued season that led to one of their least dominant showings in recent memory. With a mix-matched team, coach Chris Citowicki relied on role players stepping up in big moments and a frenetic home atmosphere during the final playoff push to book the team on another trip to the big dance. The Griz ran into a motivated Washington Huskies side who controlled the flow and put lots of pressure on Ashlyn Dvorak before the Griz broke. It was the first year I didn’t expect a tournament upset for the Griz, but the incredible performance to win the Big Sky crown in front of Montana’s largest ever soccer crowd was worth it!
1) Rosenborg
Results
Menner: W 10 – D 5 – L 9; GF 42 /GA: 13 Kvinner: W 10 – D 2 – L 4; GF 27 /GA: 15
Total: W 20 – D 7 – L 11; GF: 69/ GA: 28
Great Players
Marius Broholm (W), Adrien Periera (LB), Ole Kristiansen Saetnes (CM) Thomas Nemcick (CB); Rebecka Holum (W), Celine Emile Nergard (ST), Oline Brekke Fulgem (CM), Syne Austen (D)
Quick Notes:
The wait for a trophy (beyond the sippy cup) in Trondheim continues.
Once again the women put up a strong showing in the league and the cup (with ANOTHER appearance in the final), but any mis-step is enough to throw the team’s chances for a loop. With a strong creative corps, the big question is if they can work out an equally forceful defense (without having defenders flee for other squads).
Likewise the Men had some truly great moments, but they were often overshadowed by a continual two steps forward-one step back approach to the game. Without Sverre Halseth Nypan (decamped for Manchester) the offense grew a little better rounded, but more inconsistent.
While it’s clear the team would prefer to win a trophy that isn’t completely imaginary, we are happy to welcome them back to the top of our trifling table for their first Sippy Cup in 3 years, allowing them to equal the Griz for the most Sippy Cups in MacKenzie Family History.
Alongside the final trophy, here are the final standings for all you number lovers out there.
Team
W
D
L
PPG
GFA
GAA
Rosenborg
35
13
17
1.82
2.34
0.66
Montana
13
6
6
1.80
1.24
0.52
Minnesota
32
15
15
1.79
1.58
0.94
Vozdovac
19
6
8
1.70
1.33
0.67
Freiburg
33
16
20
1.67
1.70
1.29
Grenoble
27
15
9
1.57
1.34
1.08
Punjab
6
5
9
1.15
1.35
1.25
Emelec
18
14
29
1.11
0.90
1.51
Ross County
11
12
13
0.98
1.28
1.65
Alebrijes
4
6
18
0.64
1.04
1.96
Legon Cities
6
7
35
0.52
0.69
1.71
Table Updated 12/30/2025
And here’s this year’s Best XI featuring many players taking a final bow before they head off to bigger clubs, and the indomitable midfield of Vincenzo Grifo and Jessy Benet
Will a new team take the title in 2026? Can the Loons and Aurora finally break through? Is Vozdovac on the cusp of an epic run? Will something radically alter the fortunes of Ross County, Alebrijes and the purgatory of Punjab? Can Richard Appoie just buy every Ghanaian team until it’s Legon Cities v. Legon Cities for ever?
Theodor Mommsen was born in Denmark and spent most of his life studying, teaching and living in Germany. While he advocated for progressive causes in the German legislature and took the controversial opinion of the time that Jewish people aren’t horrible monsters, he probably would have preferred to live elsewhere.
That elsewhere would be ancient Rome. Mommsen got a degree in Roman law. Became a professor of Roman history. Wrote a still cited book compendium of everything you ever wanted to know about Rome forever and even, once (according to some) had to be physically restrained from running into a burning building in order to retrieve documents related to…ROME.
As a historian, he is an unusual laureate, and, as with first ever winner Sully Prudhomme, a large segment of academics disliked that he was selected instead of Leo Tolstoy and Henrik Ibsen (who this time were at least nominated) for being “the greatest living master of the art of historical writing”. If Wikipedia (citing Nobel Prize historian Gustav Källstrand) is to be believed, the chairman of the time (Carl David af Wirsen) nixed the two better known candidates because they were “too radical”. Mommsen definitely was not radical…but he was cool enough to make Mark Twain turn into a fan boy.
Works
I will confess, I did not read Mommsen’s complete 7 volume history of Rome. (I probably would just poke the pages of Roman history with a long stick to try to save them…sorry Teddy.) But even the small samples I found were well worded and impressively thoughtful.
“The grandest system of civilization has its orbit, and may complete its course, but not so the human race, to which, just when it seems to have reached its goal, th eold task is ever set anew with a wider range and with a deeper meaning.”
“The great problem of man–how to live in conscious harmony with himself, with his neighbor, and with the whole to which he belongs–admits of as many solutions as their are provinces in our Father’s kingdom; and it is in this, and not in the material sphere, that individuals and nations display their divergence of character”
Message
I’m sure there’s more to it if I read more of the 7 volumes and the life’s work Mommsen dedicated to the Eternal City. Perhaps you could even see the parallels between his work and his progressive views (I was impressed that he took time to specify ways that Rome only reached its heights due to ancient tribes of India). But realistically, the primary message he seems to have is: “Did you know that Rome was super cool?” (Also that lets me link Mommsen to Momoa)
Position: #1 Goalkeeper
Mommsen’s traditional mindset and emphasis on the past aligned him with my other Goalkeepers in this project. He’s not a terribly adventurous guy (despite being politically progressive), so I likened him to some of the strongest shot-stopping keepers of his native Germany’s Bundesliga. While some folks might fan out about him, he’s more of an acquired taste and a deep cut from Nobel lore, so I put him in line with many of the good spot starters (rather than true stars of international soccer).
Next Time, we start off the 2026 class with one of the 2020 honorees we haven’t covered yet: Abdulrazak Gurnah
The most recent honoree for the Nobel Committee has been lauded as one of the best writers in the world for many years now. More than a few scholars have declared it being a matter of when, not if, he was honored (though, given how many “deserving” winners ended up medal-less, I’m more inclined to say that it was some very strident projecting).
But before the universal acclamation, Kraszhnahorkai was born in a small Hungarian village to a family of both Jewish and Transylvanian extraction. He grew up studying Latin and then Law under a repressive Soviet-aligned government. Though his dad was a lawyer, he pursued the law because he sought to emulate his favorite writer: Czech master, Franz Kafka. He witnessed tragedies during military service but still found power in art, both writing and playing in Jazz and Rock groups (apparently, he wanted to write like Franz Kafka, play like Thelonious Monk, and sing like Aretha Franklin…which is as wild a sentence to consider as it is to write).
After leaving the Law, he became a freelance writer, and then literary marvel in Hungary. As the Soviet Union broke apart, he was able to explore the world more widely, including long stays in Germany and New York City. In all of it he witnessed a great deal of suffering (like his Soviet-era youth) but remained optimistic and hopeful which clearly has gone on to influence his writing, so widely appreciated. Eventually, the critics were right and he did take home the laureate for “his compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art”
Works
Kraszhnahorkai has a wide range of work, most of which fits in the category of “door stops” aka books big enough to keep doors open. As an added bonus, most of those massive tomes are also one sentence that ebbs and flows through any number of phrases and ideas. So reading a whole work in a month was a little beyond my abilities, but I did get through a number of essays/stories/prose poems in the collection The World Goes On, here now, a few select quotes (all translated by John Bakti)
“We are in the midst of a cynical self-reckoning as the not-too-illustirous children of a not-too-illustrious epoch that will consider itself truly fulfilled when every individual writhing in it…will finally attain the sad and temperorarily self evident goal: oblivion.”
–He Wants to Forget
“The most lasting and most profound melancholy springs from love.”
–Universal Theseus (Pt. 1)
“Good can never catch up with evil, because, with the gap between good and evil, there is no hope whatsoever”
–Universal Theseus (Pt. 2)
BONUS QUOTE! (Luckily found this within three random tries to flip pages in one doorstop)
The inspiration of Krasznahorkai’s Dante
[When a conniving schemer asks to be called “Dante” another character challenges him as that is too synonymous with the famous Italian poet, but the schemer defends himself…thusly]
“getting over his surprise in one brief moment interrupted him, saying that the Baron shouldn’t think that he was speaking about a nobody here, Bayern Munchen was one of the world’s greatest teams, if not the greatest, certainly he must of heard of them–well never mind, that’s not important, the self-designated secretary interrupted, the main thing was that he proudly bore the name of Dante, because the Dante who played for Bayern Munchen, you could say, had reached his peak, and for him–he pointed at himself–such a comparison could only be advantageous, nameely it expressed that within his own realm of endeavor (the colorful world of slot machines) he himself was regarded as an expert…[the poet] didn’t matter at all, the secretary quickly replied because according to many, his Dante was the greatest rearguard ever.”
–p. 137 Baron von Weckenheim’s Homecoming (trans. Ottilie Mulzet)
Message
As the committee mentioned in their citation, Kraszhnahorkai is a master of the apocalypse, but it’s not so much about the desolate wasteland of that future, it’s the existential dread that accompanies our quickly evolving, increasingly threatening modern world. He does a fine job of capturing the fear that comes within our modern global society, but (despite the often dire quotes that I selected above) balances it beautifully with artistic sincerity. Even in a time of unprecedented disaster and terror, there is–and always will be–beauty.
Position: #6
I went back and forth on this position for a while. John Fosse and Han Kang fit what I imagine to be literary equivalents of Box-to-Box midfielders, and Kraszhnahorkai has some clear similarities to those recent honorees, running the gamut of emotions through writing that ebbs and flows as well. But the apocalyptic parts of his work led me to position him more defensively (though not as far back as the “Dante” who is now immortalized in the quote I lucked upon).
I’m putting Kraszhnahorkai in as a Defensive Midfielder. He is absolutely able to dwell on defensive destruction, but there’s a silver lining there that suggests that he knows that such destruction has its own value and (here’s that word again) beauty.
I’m definitely not done reading Kraszhnahorkai (just like I’m still working on this literal doorstop I’m having for lunch), and you can jump in the mix too! I have an additional outpost of nerdery over on Fable, and have a book club for people who love high-falutin literature discussed in decidedly non-high falutin’ language: Nobel, No Bull. Come join us and try to read some Kraszhnahorkai.
Next Time (I’m going to finally do it…[deep breath]…monthly posts)-In December, roll back the clocks and let’s talk about Theodor Mommsen (1902’s winner)
In just over a week, the Nobel committee will announce the winner of the 2025 Nobel Prize for Literature. Just like last year, the honoree will join an elite group of writers from around the world, and a small selection of those writers who we have read, reviewed, and classified as members of Nobel FC: The only Fantasy Football team where the Fantasy is that these people would spend a bunch of free time together playing soccer rather than, you know, talking about books.
Here now is my third annual prep-blogpost for the prize. If you need an explainer on “sports drafts” (book nerds) or “who decides the Nobel Prize for Literature” (sports nerds) take a look at my posts from years gone by and you should be better informed.
So Who Could be “Drafted” This Year?
While about 2 million people published books in the last year alone, the field probably isn’t quite that big: instead eagle-eyed sleuths and prognosticators have developed a system for scrupulously combing the Swedish Academy’s Library databases to find some likely candidates. After reviewing both betting odds and the message boards at worldliteratureforum.com, I am ready to toss out the following 11 candidates based on my own gut instincts.
Last year’s 11 now off the list:
First, the sad news: Ngui Wa Thiong’o of Kenya, who had appeared on the last two lists passed away in May of this year. He was a rare author who wrote in his native African langauge, and was widely beloved. Another African writer who never gained a lot of traction but wrote one of my all time favorite plays Master Harold and The Boys, Athol Fugard of South Africa passed away as well.
Additionally, even though last year’s winner, Han Kang was not on my radar, she still has a clear effect on this list. While betting favorite Can Xue still tops the odds list, it would be extremely unusual for the Nobel to reward the same area (other than Europe) in back-to-back years, and the committee has a recently established streak of awarding things in the same boy, girl, boy, girl order so beloved by Elementary School Gym Teachers. So while Xue was my “will win” pick last year, she’s not even in the top 11 candidates this year. Ditto the popular but similarly geographically disadvantaged Haruki Murakami (sorry millions of people who buy his books, this isn’t about popularity.)
Leading Candidates:
As mentioned above, there’s a clear Boy/Girl/Boy/Girl pattern going on in Sweden’s salons, and while this is vastly preferable to a 25 year jag of nothing but dudes, it does impact the perception of the award. Given the recent parity, the most buzzy names this year belong to men. But the question is what region the Academy will recognize.
Many feel that after adding in a token Asian writer, they will return to familiar European ground while adding linguistic diversity. In that vein, the most likely laureates would probably be Romanian novelist Mircea Cartarescu or Hungary’s Laszlo Krasznahorkai (who is a new name on our list) and seems to be consistently buzzed about as a guaranteed future winner. After reading short-stories from each, these writers struck me as similar to Jon Fosse, though Cartacescu felt more estranged from reality, and Krasznahorkai seemed truly depressing. Europeans are usually a good bet, but I’m not sold.
The other option would be to keep globetrotting and approaching a few regions that could use some more love. For example: the Arab world is often overlooked as a slice of land that’s not quite Asia but not quite Africa either. There hasn’t been a winner from the Arab world since 1988, so Syrian poet and frequent betting pool favorite Adonis (aka Ali Ahmad Said Esber) would make a lot of sense as an overdue honoree. What I’ve read of Adonis has made me think his style is a good match with other recent winners (very fluid and stream of conscious) but less dark and dire than other writers I’ve named. At 95, it’s hard to tell if the Academy will deem him too old to travel for the prize or be motivated to finally give it to him.
But you can also make the case that no Australian has ever won (Sure, Patrick White (1973) lived there, but given his upper-crust English heritage and education…that’s a selective choice). Gerald Murnane has popped up on several lists as a worthy and true Aussie, fair dinkum. I finished his A Season on Earth a month or so ago and found his interior monologue reverie style to be perfectly in keeping with recent winners even if some passages grated like an overwrought Holden Caufield.
Other Candidates
The final region worth mentioning would be the Hispanophone world. As South America and the Spanish language has not seen a winner since 2010, they fit “geographic region rotation” logic. But I’m struggling to see a consensus winner. Two writers in the top 5 of betting pools fit the bill, but as one’s a woman and the other’s from Spain, I’m going to look elsewhere. One buzzy candidate at longer odds is Argentina’s Cesar Aira. He was kept in the wings of my list last year, but I’m adding him in this year after finding some kooky and odd bits in his writing (which apparently, he never edits…which is a look). And while I considered dropping Homero Aridjis, a widely appreciated poet/environmentalist from Mexico who is even farther down the odds list, I’ve grown too fond of him in my three years of this project (but I freely acknowledge that’s more my stubbornness than popular opinion).
Rushdie would be a popular and thus, unlikely pick
Without Murakami on the list, the biggest name out there is probably Slaman Rushdie despite his recent decline in critical acclimations, a career retrospective award could make sense (see Hemmingway, Ernest). Thomas Pynchon‘s another name from the New York Times’ Best Seller list (and above Rushdie in many of the betting pools) but as I actually read a work of his this year (Inherent Vice) I’m wildly underwhelmed and certainly won’t put him in my top choices.
The same could be said of other writers recently on top of the pools who have fallen a bit but can’t be totally discounted. Canadian Anne Carson has a broad appeal and parcel of awards while anti-Putin Russian author Lyudmila Ulitskaya may have faded from public consciousness as the autocrat digs in but remains a powerful read. (I read Ulitskaya’s Funeral Party this year and found it a great distillation of expatriate experiences (“[The USA] hated suffering; it rejected it ontologically, admitting it only as an instant which must be instantly eradicated“) full of funny jabs at home culture (“the finest monument to Soviet power was an empty pedestal“) and romantic foibles (“over time the small sums [she loaned her lover] grew unnoticed, like children“). Her slide may be owed to her gender, or the less lyrical, florid style that has been popular among recent winners, but I still want to shout her out.
After compiling a list of likely candidates who match the common leading contender profiles, I’m opting for Caribbean author Caryl Phillips whose fluid writing touches on a wide array of topics and especially delves into issues of race. One factor that’s also worth noting, locals who share the Swedish academy’s library reported that suddenly Phillips’ works were all checked out at once…perhaps because he was being seriously considered for the prize.
Left Out of the Line up (no points to me if they win)
Injured–have been in the 11, but aren’t there now: Can Xue, Haruki Murakami, Pierre Michon, Helene Cixous
On Bench: Good writers widely recognized (and highly touted by the odds) that I haven’t included yet Michael Oondjaate, Peter Nadas, Colm Tobin, Cristina Rivera Garza, Enrique Vila-Matas, Vladimir Sorokin, Botho Strauss, David Grossman, Antonio Lobo Antunes, Ibrahim Al Koni and Tahar Ben Jelloun.
On Loan: Names that might make big noise soon, but are still betting pool long shots: Louise Erdrich, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Percival Everett, Yan Lianke, Mohamed Mbougar Sarr, Javier Cercas
Analysis: Who will it be? Who should it be?
In articles analysing a team’s draft-day decisions, writers look at two things. What they think the team leaders will do, and what the author themselves would do if they had a chance.
This year I’ve made an effort to expand my reading of the potential honorees going through whole books by a few (Thomas Pynchon, Lyudmila Ulitskaya, Javier Cercas, and Gerald Murnane) and here is my earnest evaluation.
The Academy Will Pick
The last two years I’ve done this, the Swedish Academy has continued to prioritize authors with something artistic to offer in their work, primarily through stream of conscious and fluid prose poetry. They have also been doggedly consistent in their “boy/girl” alternating since 2017, and while they could truly drive to parity by picking only women for the next 87 years, I don’t see that happening now.
So I think they will pick: Syrian Poet Adonis. I think his writing speaks for itself, and he has long been considered a contender for the prize which arguably makes this an overdue award. At the same time, I don’t think it’s just a matter of finally throwing him a bone. Politically the moment is ripe with Syria emerging from a dictatorship, and a 95 year old with a broad and significant body of work balancing out 53 year old Han Kang’s win for youthful promise.
I’m not quite so hidebound as the committee and I’d really rather prioritize looking beyond the common-sphere of Nobel winners (ie Western Europe/America and white men). A more diverse writer with a point of view that connects to the wider world would be the ideal for me. Artistry is something I think lies in the eye of the beholder, so better to be clear than artful in my eyes.
As time in this project has gone on, I’ve come to accept that I’m a bit of a Basic Bookworm, with little tolerance for artistic writing for art’s sake. I prefer clarity and focus in writing, and so, even though he’s been entrenched for two years as my best writer available, I’m standing with Homero Aridjis. Come at me.
Honorable Mentions: Salman Rushdie (I still think of him as an Indian writer despite his increasingly American identity) and Caryl Phillips
Chaos Pick
Here’s a totally left field suggestion: Japanese animator/story teller: Hayao Miyazaki. Plenty of folks will get up in arms about a film maker and an artist getting awarded, but if literature is “written work” not “published books”–then he counts. Add in his fierce opposition to AI and he could be a bit of a statement (even if he would double up East Asia’s wins)
Who would you pick?
Leave a comment below, please, there’s dozens of you who will talk about this, so I’m just going to keep begging for you to comment with your pick.
Next Time…I rush to judgement on whomever our winner is László Krasznahorkai
Given the repetition of 11s in this site, I wanted to see how soon I can hit 11 points with
5 points if I correctly predict either on the *will win*, should win, or chaos pick
2 points if they’re on either “honorable mentions” list
1 if they’re in my 11 top candidates—Krasznahorkai fits here so 1 more point to me
Nonsense Point total: (was) 2/11… (now) 3/11
For an added Challenge, I’m also going to award points to the Universe for the other side of the coin
1 point if the winner is in one of my “left out of the line up” lists
2 points if they aren’t on that list but are within 25/1 on the odds
5 points if they are outside of 25/1 odds
…and since I got points for 2023 and 2025, I shouldn’t omit 2024’s winner. So congrats Universe, the unexpected Han Kang pick nets you 5 points and gives you the lead…for now.
You can join in this too! I will keep pleading for comments until I get them.
The first winner of the Nobel Prize in literature lived his whole life in Paris, where he spent time studying to be an engineer, working in a steel foundry, and writing poetry. He struggled with his eye sight after serving in the war and had to turn his career goals to arts and philosophy. Good news, that sure look like it worked out.
Well…up to a point. Prudhomme’s inaugural win has remained a controversial one as he suffers from the incurable case of not being Leo Tolstoy, a case that infuriated a wide range of Swedish intellectuals and prompted accusations that the Swedish Academy just wanted to butter up the French one. Yes, Leo Tolstoy is a master of novels and an absolute game changer of a writer…but he also wasn’t officially nominated, which makes winning tricky. So, Prudhomme has the distinction of being the first winner because his work has “evidence of lofty idealism, artistic perfection and a rare combination of the qualities of both heart and intellect.”
Works
The vase where this verbena is dying was cracked by a blow from a fan. It must have barely brushed it, for it made no sound.
But the slight wound, biting into the crystal day by day, surely, invisibly crept slowly all around it.
The clear water leaked out drop by drop. The flowers’ sap was exhausted. Still no one suspected anything. Don’t touch! It’s broken.
Thus often does the hand we love, barely touching the heart, wound it. Then the heart cracks by itself and the flower of its love dies.
–Broken Vase
Ma premiere lecon d’histoire mon premier pas vers l’infini
My first history lesson My first step towards infinity
–The Alphabet (Prudhomme’s thoughts about an old Alphabet reader…we found that reader! (not really))
Songez que nous chantions les fleurs et les amours Dans un age plien d’ombre, au mortel bruit des armes, Pour des coeurs anxieux que ce bruit rendait sourds;
Lors plaignez nos chansons, ou tremblaient tant d’alarmes Vous qui, mieux ecoutes, ferez en d’heureux jours Sur de plus haut objet des poemes sans larmes.
–Aux poetes futurs (To future poets)
Message
Alright, it’s gotta be said: Prudhomme is not Leo Tolstoy. His writing isn’t as good as Tolstoy’s, but the fact that nobody remembers him and there are still full careers built off studying Tolstoy, suggests that maybe winning a Nobel isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Still, Prudhomme is the one who won, so Prudhomme gets a write up and Tolstoy doesn’t.
As such, Prudhomme provides pretty simple and direct lesson: what we write thrives on what we love.
Position: #4 Center Back
Prudhomme is clearly a pretty traditional poet. His writing is simple and genuine. He thrives on emotion and romance, while doing all the traditional things you’d expect of a poet. While many have said that he is not worthy in contrast to Tolstoy, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who was. He sure looks plenty worthy in comparison with some other writers I’ve put in the defensive line…well enough that just being a standard Ligue 2 Center Back (a Loic Nestor, if you will) he automatically becomes a starter for our 4-4-2 formation.
Next Time, we gear up for this year’s award winner with our annual preview post! Like a mock draft…but somehow nerdier.
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MacKenzie's Boot Room 