Author: scruffyrube
Week 17: A Rough Road Ahead
Scores
Ross County 1 – 3 St Mirren
The Staggies finally fell into the danger zone after their defensive collapse at home against St. Mirren. Coupled with Kilmarnok’s cruising win against Dundee, the pressure is truly on the Staggies to get a result against one of the better teams.
Talleres 1- 2 Emelec [Copa Sudamerica]
Los bombillos opened their quest for continental glory with a fine comeback win in Argentina. Pedro Ortiz was put through his paces against an aggressive and fluid attack, which he (mostly) defended well). Fortunately Emelec stars, Facundo Barcelo and Romario Caicedo, were able to make their connections count beautifully as the game wound down. They combined to set up both a hand ball penalty and a well taken short angle goal to win against the flow of the match. (Side note: Talleres goal scorer and selfie-celebrant Franco Frangapane is heavily rumored to be the latest Argentine attacker bound for Minnesota)
Troyes 3 – 1 Grenoble [M]
A win at the league leaders would have gone a long way to justifying Grenoble’s case for promotion. But despite Anthony Belmont’s opening goal it wasn’t to be, as seven attackers overwhelmed the alpine defenders.
Freiburg 1 – 1 Hoffenheim
While Hoffenheim was in fine form throughout the match and seemed to keep Freiburg permanently on the back foot. Fortunately, Freiburg capitalized when their best chance of the match led to a penalty by one of their best players, Vincenzo Grifo. Grifo’s injuries put him on the sidelines right around the same time Freiburg cemented their spot in the mid-table.
Vozdovac 2 – 1 Cukariki
It was frustrating to see the Red Dragons biggest win of 2021 see them stick on the cusp of relegation. Ivan Milosavljevic buried an absolute screamer to take the lead. Aleksa Jankovic, drew a decisive late penalty. Beating the third place side in Serbia should have been a celebration, instead the dragons stayed stuck near the bottom of the table and were left to wait and hope that the Cukariki comes through against other relegation scrappers.
Minnesota United 1 – 2 Real Salt Lake
The Loons hopes for a playoff run are already looking rough. Constrained by injuries and players out of position, they’ve been burned twice now. We are hoping things are a little less uh…burny…from now on.
SC Freiburg 0 – 3 Eintracht Frankfurt [F]
It’s a been a hard go of it for the ladies from Breigsau. Hoping for smoother sailing ahead.
Legon Cities 1 – 1 Dreams FC
The Royals started with approximately seventy bajillion crosses. However, it paid off when Hans Kwofie broke the early deadlock with a well placed header. But Legon couldn’t hold on to the lead for long enough to take all the points.
Órense v Emelec [M]
A rise in local Covid cases led to Ecuador postponing the match (at least it hasn’t affected the women’s league…yet)
News & Notes
Dancing Shoes
The University of Montana has landed and is training eagerly for their big match in the NCAA tournament. It’s clear from the write up that the team doesn’t have much expected of it in a match against one of the best non-seeded teams in the tournament. The Griz will be bringing the veteran mindset, the improved offense, and the sterling record of Claire Howard against a perennial contender from South Carolina with talented seniors and star freshmen.
New Contest
The Copa SudAmericana isn’t quite the glamorous affair that several other contests might be, but it is a continental battle and, as such, is worth a mention.
The second tier of South American scuffling sees teams who didn’t triumph face off in a group stage followed by a tournament for each group’s winners (and those eliminated from the more prestigious Copa Libertadores). Los Bombillos have a group with contending sides from Argentina (Talleres), Brazil (Red Bull Bragantino), and Colombia (Tolima). There’s a long way to go, but Emelec’s form in Ecuador should make them very excited to fight at a higher level.
Super League Shut Down
I told you that this didn’t matter. Sure enough, a few hours after I posted last week’s update, the supposed “super league” collapsed in a crashing heap of public relations face saving and crying softly into a slightly smaller pillow stuffed with money.
Few if any people complained about the crossing borders, or the quality of play, but the unfairness and unwillingness to risk demotion smacked of greed and shortsightedness. So, out of fear that it might all come undone, almost all the teams bailed. The question of whether they are really in serious financial peril or not remains to be seen.
Player of the Week
After a rough week, there’s not a lot to choose from, but we’ll give the nod this week to Ivan Milosavljevic whose thunderous shot helped steer Vozdovac back towards success.
Standings Update
Nothing changes in this week’s table as Minnesota sinks lower, while Vozdovac inches closer to Ross County. The Griz stay on top, but a lopsided loss (as has happened regularly against top seeded opponents) might drop them down to well within striking distance of Emelec and others.
| Team | W | D | L | PPG | GFA | GAA |
| University of Montana | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2.7 | 2.1 | 0.6 |
| Emelec | 8 | 2 | 1 | 2.4 | 2.0 | 1.0 |
| Grenoble Foot | 8 | 6 | 6 | 1.50 | 1.3 | 1.2 |
| Punjab FC–b | 7 | 4 | 6 | 1.47 | 1.2 | 0.9 |
| Freiburg | 9 | 3 | 10 | 1.36 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Legon Cities FC | 5 | 4 | 5 | 1.33 | 1.3 | 0.9 |
| Alebrijes | 4 | 7 | 5 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 1.9 |
| Ross County | 5 | 2 | 9 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.7 |
| FK Vozdovac | 2 | 5 | 7 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 1.7 |
| Minnesota United | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 3.0 |
| Rosenborg BK-b | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – |
b–Team is between seasons
What’s Next
Wednesday, April 28th
11:00 Novi Pazar v Vozdovac
University of Montana Grizzlies v University of South Carolina Gamecocks [NCAA Tournament]
7:30 Emelec v Red Bull Bragantino [Copa Sudamerica]
Thursday, April 29th
Friday, April 30th
[NCAA TOURNAMENT 2ND ROUND V Georgetown Hoyas IF APPLICABLE]
Saturday, May 1st
8:00 LSV Kvinner v Rosenborg [F]
8:00 Dundee United v Ross County
10:00 Legon Cities v Asante Kotoko
7:00 Minnesota United v Austin FC
8:30 Barcelona SC v Emelec [M]
Sunday, May 2nd
7:00 SC Freiburg v Eintracht Frankfurt [F]
Monday, May 3rd
8:00 Grenoble [M] v Clermont Foot
Tuesday, May 4th
56. Fight, Flight, Freeze, or…
As I was puzzling over what to write about, you boys gave me an idea. As you often do.
Alex was playing with a truck as Owen picked up his Ukelele. Immediately, the world seemed to be ending. Alex was convinced that Owen was taking the Uke and would “NEVER EVER GIVE IT BACK!!!” Cue tears and a confused Owen tightening his grip and thus more tears.
I asked you both the next day what scared you. Owen, with his growing vocabulary said “baaah” his word for bottle (distinct from buh/ball or bu-inba/bowling ball). Alex said “nothing.”
“Really,” said I, “it seems like you often are afraid that whatever someone else has something you like. Like when Owen touches your Ukele. Does that scare you?”
“Oh…yeah…I’m scared of that.”
“Why?”
“Because…it’s mine…and he’s taking it and then HE’LL NEVER GIVE IT BACK. NOT EVER!!”
“I can see that would be scary. What do you do when you’re scared?”
Dear Boys,
Alex: “I scream!”
Owen: [makes deep breathing noise]–note Owen actually screams when he’s scared, but he already knows what I hope he’ll do.
When you’re afraid, you react naturally. But you also are more prone to make mistakes, overreact and generally get sucked into a bigger problem. Fear makes you ready to fight (as shown when you boys push eachother for toys), or flee (as when you run off to another room in tears), or freeze (when you can’t do anything else but scream).
Easy as it would be to say, “it’s a phase”, and “you’ll grow out of it,” the reality is lots of people do lots of dumb fight, flight, or flee activities when they’re afraid. Both as individuals, organizations, and even teams.
Take the spate of penalties that have sprung up for teams like Grenoble, Ross County, and Vozdovac.
As the season comes to its conclusion each team has a lot riding on every game. Grenoble is approaching the top tier of French football, Ross County and Vozdovac are fighting to stay afloat and avoid relegation. In that context every ball, every opportunity carries greater and greater weight. So, in fear, foolish challenges occur. Penalties are awarded and Grenoble’s wins become draws. County and Vozdovac see points sail away from the spot.
That’s a fight response. In our neighborhood this week, there’s been a lot more freezing.
The Derek Chauvin trial came to its end. The mountain of evidence, eye witnesses, and expert testimony were enough to hold the officer who killed a man in broad daylight to be held accountable. But all around us there were signs of people and groups freezing. Before the verdict, national guard troops arrived on our block to keep the peace (despite the fact that there was no unrest in the first place). I’ll be frank. I froze when I saw them. Big trucks. Big guns. Right where I pick up the dog’s poop…I didn’t want to go anywhere. That was the hope, but it was a hope based on our fear of the other outcome.
And we even got a textbook example of fleeing in fear this week. Twelve of the biggest teams in the world–teams who could buy and sell our 11 favorites ten times over–announced their plans to flee their current leagues lest they lose, and lose their business. Their fear of failure, of more losses, led them to plan on fleeing their current positions for something that seemed more certain.
And when the backlash was swift. When fans around the world, and players from every team, and coaches, and legends of the game, and politicians all announced that it was stupid, the teams fled again. This time they fled the super league from fear of losing the support they had assumed would follow them. Again they were afraid, and again they fled as fast as their legal briefs could carry them.
These reactions, fight, flight, and flee, are natural. They’re nothing to abandon or grow beyond. They are human responses. You boys are every bit as human as a desperate defender, a local leader, a billionaire owner, or a global soccer icon.
When you’re afraid, know that you’re not alone. If you make a mistake based on your fear, you have good company. If you want help, you have hosts of people who have been through it before.
Fear makes us do foolish things. That’s okay. Just know that fools always have company.
Week 16: Best in the Big Sky!
Scores
Universidad Catholica 2 – 3 Emelec [M]
Doff your caps to Alejandro Cabeza. The young striker raced out to a brace in 10 minutes and got his hat trick in the second half. Just what every Ecuadorian side wanted to see, another in form striker for Los Bombillos.
Leones Negros 1 – 1 Alebrijes
It took just about everything that Alebrijes had to keep up the pressure throughout the match. Johan Alonso took charge of the right flank and peppered a wide array of opportunities that went awry. In the end, the greatest contribution came from Center Back Oscar Torres, who played a critical role at both ends of the field: disrupting a barrage of Leones’ attacks and being in the right place at the right time to net the equalizer.
University of Montana Grizzlies 2 – 1 University of Northern Colorado [Big Sky Semifinal]
After a steady and solid season Taylor Stoeger got a great moment to shine in the conference Semifinal. She was instrumental in the midfield and delivered the golden goal in overtime to get the Grizzlies to the much awaited and much deserved conference final.
Seattle Sounders 4 – 0 Minnesota United
That wasn’t great, but the video we sent to trash talk our Sounders friend Aly was.
Freiburg 4 – 0 Schalke
Boy did Freiburg need this one. Christian Gunter blasted some beautiful goals and Roland Sallai made his presence felt. (Oh also, Schalke is terrible, but every win gets 3 points.)
Dunkerke 1 – 1 Grenoble
Speaking of beating bad teams, it’s something les Grenobloises have failed to do lately. It probably owes something to Jekyll/Hyde games like Maumodou Diallou whose first half assist was mitigated by his second half red card, forcing a team fighting for promotion to simply play not to lose against a team battling to avoid relegation. Their next four all come against teams jockeying for playoff position too so, this time next month things will be great or absolutely not.
University of Montana Grizzlies v. Northern Arizona University Lumberjacks [Big Sky Final]
CANCELLED DUE TO NAU VIOLATIONS OF COVID PROTOCOL–Griz named champions by default
As Homer [Simpson] once said, “the two sweetest words in the English language: De-Fault!!”
TBA Guayaquil City v Emelec [F]
Que soprisa!! Another delay to the women’s league. We’ll see if May 1 proves more lucky than March or April.
Wolfsburg 3 – 2 SC Freiburg [F]
Hasret Kayikci continued her strong showings but Wolfsburg blasted back to confirm their place among Europe’s elite.
Medema 2 – 1 Legon Cities
The Royals made a comeback even without top Center Back Joseph Adjei who got red carded in the first half. Adjei’s absence was felt on Medema’s second and game winning goal 8 minutes from time.
TSC Backa Topola 4 – 1 FK Vozdovac
This thumping put the Red Dragons firmly in the relegation scrap. Napredak’s great form has capitalized on Vozdovac’s lousy showings. One reason for hope: 3 of the last 6 will be against fellow fighters separated by goals and two points. Here’s hoping the turn around is straight ahead.
Emelec 2 – 0 Técnico Universarito [M]
I hope you boys learn to love beauty in life. Hugs from little kids when they are sleepy, your mom’s smile, monsoon mists in Mussoorie. Caciedo and Barcelo dominating Ecuador isn’t quite at that level, but it’s getting close.
Grenoble 2 – 0 Sochaux [M]
It was quite a crunchy match in the offing with Sochaux on the outer edges of the playoff scrap. A win would have made their last months extra tense. But while Sochaux’s energies seemed to unsettle Esteban Salles, they also led to foolish errors that earned two penalties for Grenoble (both of which were duly buried by Jessy Benet). The win gave a little more breathing room for Grenoble (now 7 points clear in the playoff spots) but likely knocked Sochaux out of the running for progression.
Mineros 6 – 0 Alebrijes de Oaxaca
That was…what’s the word? Bad. That was bad.
News & Notes
Big Sky Superlatives
With the Griz getting both the Northern Division trophy AND the Big Sky trophy we have the first hardware won by any team on our Favorite XI. But the fun doesn’t stop there.
Four Griz were named to the All-Big Sky team: Holding Midfielder Avery Adams, Wingback Taylor Hansen, Striker Alexa Coyle and (quelle surprise) goalie Claire Howard were named best in the conference at what they do. Howard also won the Goalkeeper of the Year honors (not a shock with her record breaking form). Centerback Alli Lang was named to the second team and attackers Rita Lang and Taylor Stoeger took home honorable mentions.
The Griz came into the year as favorites to win, and they delivered. Now all that’s left is…
The Big Dance
The NCAA tournament is one of our family’s favorite events. You boys got a taste of that this year when we went to Grandma and Grandpa’s, ate tasty snacks, talked with family, and played and played and played. While we usually watch the basketball tournaments, Soccer has one too. This year’s tournament will be in North Carolina (one of the biggest hotbeds for college competition in the country).
Thanks to their regular season dominance (and the Lumberjacks’ illness) the Griz are Charlotte bound to be part of the Fabulous 48, and the chance to play into the thrilling thirty-two.
Up first a game with the South Carolina Gamecocks. If you extrapolate out the regular seedings the Griz would be 12th seeded in the region of 12 (45th of all 48 teams). The Gamecocks were a potent force in a powerful league, which means the Griz will be an underdog for the first time this year…but that’s a fine place to be. Win and the Griz tie a best ever season showing, lose and they still have a couple pretty Big Sky trophies in tow.
Superliga Feminina Forever
As in forever waiting to start.
This delay’s irrational cause for optimism that this time it’ll really happen. A detailed and stylish schedule tweet from the official league account! Surely a graphic designer’s work is always respected and honored.
Super League Salvos
The biggest news in soccer this week is the promised beginning of a new European Super League. This will be the 15 biggest clubs in Europe (plus five of their friends) raking in oodles of money, while their former opponents just make gobs of money.
Depending on who you ask, this is either a bad idea or a sign that the world is nearing an implosion of epic proportions. League officials are threatening to banish the big sides. Global leaders in the game claim that they’ll impose harsh fines and punish the players. Fans are mulling boycotts. It’s a fraught subject that brings to mind questions of “nationality”, “tradition”, “fairness,” and “global society.”
None of which matters to you two in the slightest. After all, you are under 4, by the time you bring full attention to any sport this league will either be an established institution or a bygone bit of trivia. Still this is my sporting journal of our times, so…there’s the big news.
Player of the Week
Jessy Benet had a huge impact on Grenoble’s standing for the end of the season, but Alejandro Cabeza had far and away the best performance, the least we can do is acknowledge it again here.
Standings Update
The Loons debut provides a much appreciated cushion to FK Vozdovac in at least one table as Freiburg and Legon Cities continue to jockey for the advantage in the middle of the table.
| Team | W | D | L | PPG | GFA | GAA |
| University of Montana | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2.7 | 2.1 | 0.6 |
| Emelec | 7 | 2 | 1 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 1.0 |
| Grenoble Foot | 8 | 6 | 5 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 1.1 |
| Punjab FC–b | 7 | 4 | 6 | 1.47 | 1.2 | 0.9 |
| Freiburg | 9 | 2 | 9 | 1.45 | 1.6 | 1.5 |
| Legon Cities FC | 5 | 4 | 5 | 1.36 | 1.3 | 0.8 |
| Alebrijes | 4 | 7 | 5 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 1.9 |
| Ross County | 5 | 2 | 8 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.6 |
| FK Vozdovac | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 1.7 |
| Minnesota United | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.0 |
| Rosenborg BK-b | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – |
b–Team is between seasons
What’s Next
Wednesday, April 21st
1:45 Ross County v St Mirren
Thursday, April 22nd
2:00 Talleres v Emelec [Copa Sudamerica]
Friday, April 23rd
Saturday, April 24th
8:00 Troyes v Grenoble [M]
8:30 Freiburg v Hoffenheim
10:00 Legon Cities v Dreams FC
1:00 Vozdovac v Cukariki
7:00 Minnesota United v Real Salt Lake
Sunday, April 25th
7:00 SC Freiburg v Eintracht Frankfurt [F]
3:00 Órense v Emelec [M]
Monday, April 26th
Tuesday, April 27th
Week 14 & 15: Spring Break in Play
A note: I might have gotten behind, but if I hadn’t I wouldn’t have been Owen’s pillow or Alex’s marble run co-designer. I’ll take a delay for that trade
Scores
Olmedo 2 – 3 Emelec [M]
It was a tight affair on Thursday night. Pedro Ortiz was unsettled early on and gave up the lead to the hosts. But los bombillos capitalized on their set pieces. All three goals came off of follow ups to first touches. Anibal Leguizamon, Facundo Barcelo, and Lucas Sosa all capitalized when Olmedo were caught napping.
FK Vozdovac 0 – 0 Macva Sabac
Again…I got nothing.
Sacramento State Hornets 0 – 1 University of Montana Grizzlies
Make it six in the row for the Griz and another crucial clean sheet from Claire Howard. This time it took an overtime header to pull the squad over the line, but, as usual, the Griz got the job done.
Ross County 1 – 3 Inverness CT [Cup]
Buried in the bottom half of the Scottish table, Ross County’s last chance for silverware ended with their defeat to arch rivals Inverness. While Billy McKay fired them in front early on, the collapsing defense sent the Staggies out of the Cup in the third round. The one plus, it will allow them to focus fully on saving their top flight status.
Grenoble 2 – 2 Chateroux [M]
Up two goals and one man within 30 minutes, you would probably expect Grenoble to cruise over bottom of the table Chateroux. You would be disappointed . Our Alpine side struggled, ceding two goals through sloppy man marking (and a tentative/tender Esteban Salles) and watching Adrien Monfry leave the field to end up all square with a side they surely should have dispatched.
Borussia Munchengladbach 2 – 1 Freiburg [M]
Rolland Sallai gave the griffins a great start, but Gladbach got them back quickly (courtesy of Marcus Thurman whose dad Lillian is one of my favorites). Freiburg continued to press for a goal and got one from Keven Schlotterback at the death…only for video review to rule him offsides, and seal the defeat.
CS Emelec v. CD Macara [F]
Postponed…again…sigh…
Berekum Chelsea 2 – 1 Legon Cities FC
Hans Kwofie continued to show up for LCFC, but the second half of the season started much like the last, with the Royals struggling to balance attack and defense
Sacramento State Hornets 0 -3 University of Montana Grizzlies
Sami Seims was awesomely opportunisitic, capitalizing on two opportunities in the box to give her three goals for the weekend and making Sacramaento “Samimento”. Another Claire Howard shutout (it might get dull if it weren’t always awesome), and the Griz locked down their division title and a spot in the Big Sky Semifinals in two weeks
Emelec 2 – 0 CSD Macara [M-Cup]
A convincing 2-0 win over fellow Ecuadorians sees Los Bombillos into the next round of the Copa Sudamerica. When your attack is as linked as Facundo Barcelo and Ramario Caicedo it seems quite easy.
Alebrijes 4 – 1 Jaibos
A pair of insurance goals for Oaxaca made the score line look more flattering than it ought to. Still Alebrijes should wear the win with pride. Especially when they were fluid and effective in Johan Alonso setting up Fernando Vasquez and Carlos Fonseco scored on a sterling run.
FK Spartak Subotica 3 – 0 FK Vozdovac
The collapse of Vozdovac’s defense is only slightly more surprising than Serbia’s superb COVID Vaccine rollout.
Arminia Bielefeld 1 – 0 Freiburg [M]
In an otherwise solid first campaign in Breigsau, Baptiste Santamira would probably rather forget this one. His second half own goal cost the Griffins dearly, especially against a lower tier opponent, as Freiburg’s lost four of five.
University of Montana Grizzlies 2 – 3 Eastern Washington Eagles
The first loss of the Griz season came against their Spokane rivals. But it also came, stunningly, at home. Avery Adam’s and Taylor Hansen came through late to force an overtime. But they couldn’t grab the golden goal and a hungry Eastern Washington got the win to keep their hopes for the Conference tournament alive.
Kilmarnock 2 – 2 Ross County
The Staggies started the relegation rumble with a sprint to the goal. Within 5 minutes each side had a goal (worth it for Michael Gardyne’s textbook move). But when Kilmarnock took the edge through some sloppy positioning ten minutes later and held it through much of the match, it looked like County was destined for defeat and relegation. As the game got extra chippy, you could tell each team knew how important it was. Some ratty gamesmanship started silly shoving matches. County came through when Ian Vigurs cross met with Alex Iacovitti’s head and the draw was preserved. From there it got more brutal with Vigurs getting a busted nose (that only merited a yellow card) and Iacovitti getting a make up call with no whistle on a fairly blatant penalty. It wasn’t the knock out punch we might have hoped for, but it keeps the highlanders in good position to stay afloat.
Vozdovac 1-1 Proleter
Good news: Vozdovac scored early to put them in control and provide some positive momentum.
Bad News: Aleksandar Bogdanavic’s foolish red card gave Proleter its equalizer and turned a win into a draw. (I mean…goodness sakes, there’s no need to pretend you didn’t commit a foul when you actively drag a guy’s arm…cryin’ out loud Aleks!)
Grenoble 3 – 1 Caen
While Grenoble often pioneered the kind of collapse that Vozdovac is falling into, the Alpiners have been quite steady this year. After a dull first half, Yoric Ravet did quite well to finish a loose through pass from Jordy Gaspar and create several more opportunities.
Emelec 1-1 LDU de Quito [M]
A long-standing Quito v Guayaquil rivalry, remained hard fought, with both sides pressuring and pushing for every positive position. In the end Facundo Barcelo set up an equalizer for Alejandro Cabeza and Emelec kept pace at the top of the table.
Legon Cities 2 – 0 Great Olympics
The Royals locked in their strongest showing yet as they pestered and penned in the Olympics offense. Nicholas Mensah’s header eked over the line and Jonah Attuquaye persisted in the face of high pressure defense to give Legon a solid win.
University of Montana Grizzlies 3 – 1 Eastern Washington Eagles
The Griz got a great rebound win on Senior day and we tip our collective caps to the stellar squad that continues to run roughshod over rocky mountain lady’s soccer. At the same time it’s rather exciting to start expecting the next class to rise up given that Rita Lang and Sami Siems have another year to go, and everyone benefits when you work with stars this talented. Up next a trip to Ogden Utah and a match with old rivals Northern Colorado.
News & Notes
Súper liga Súper late
Another couple weeks another couple delays to Ecuador’s women’s league: the new goal? April 17th. Fingers crossed.
Dragons Dilemma
Since the calendar flipped Vozdovac has only taken 11 points from a possible 33. With their strong start they can afford a slip, but this is starting to look less like a slip and more like a crashing back to earth.
While Serbia expanded its top tier for this post-pandemic season, they’ll be squeezing down to 14 for next year. The Red Dragons spent most of the fall around the top 7, but they’ve slipped to 13th, (4) points from the drop. To make matters worse, only 2/3 of their last 7 come against teams below them on the table.
Loons Launch
In the last run up to America’s Major League Soccer, Minnesota United did two things. First, train in sunny Orlando. Two, bring north Boca Juniors striker Ramon Abila. Bébelo Reynoso’s old teammate brings with him 39 goals in 89 matches for one of Argentina’s most storied clubs. Whether he provides the Loons with a difference making attack option we will soon see. (But one things for sure, “Boca du Nord” is a fun new nickname.)
Players of the Weeks
With two players to recognize, we have plenty of options to choose from. We’ll consider both one player who was superb in an individual week and one player who has been holding things down for weeks now. Sami Seims deserves all the credit for dominating the Hornets in Sacramento and Romario Caciedo has been superb both on defense and linking up the attack for Emelec as they continue to hover around the top of the standings.
Standings Update
Despite their slip, the Griz hold strong at the top of the table, and Freiburg takes a big step back, sliding from third down to sixth in the mid table log-jam.
| Team | W | D | L | PPG | GFA | GAA |
| University of Montana | 8 | 0 | 1 | 2.7 | 2.1 | 0.6 |
| Emelec | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 1.0 |
| Grenoble Foot | 7 | 5 | 5 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| Punjab FC–b | 7 | 4 | 6 | 1.47 | 1.2 | 0.9 |
| Legon Cities FC | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1.46 | 1.2 | 0.9 |
| Freiburg | 8 | 2 | 8 | 1.44 | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| Alebrijes | 4 | 6 | 4 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.6 |
| Ross County | 5 | 2 | 8 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.6 |
| FK Vozdovac | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Rosenborg BK | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Minnesota United | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – |
b–Team is between seasons
What’s Next
Wednesday, April 14th
3:00 Universidad Catholics v Emelec [M]
5:00 Leones Negros v Alebrijes
Thursday, April 15th
University of Montana Grizzlies v. University of Northern Colorado [Big Sky Semifinal]
Friday, April 16th
8:30 Seattle Sounders v Minnesota United
Saturday, April 17th
8:30 Freiburg v Schalke
10:00 Medema v Legon Cities
1:00 Dunkerke v Grenoble
1:00 TSC Back Topola v FK Vozdovac
[Big Sky Final, if applicable]
TBA Guayaquil City v Emelec [F]
Sunday, April 18th
7:00 Wolfsburg v Sc Freiburg [F]
3:00 Emelec v Técnico Universarito [M]
Monday, April 19th
Tuesday, April 20th
Boys Talk April
Week 13: We can see Claire-ly Now
Scores
University of Montana Grizzlies 2 – 1 Portland State Vikings
Friday night lights in Big Sky Country showed the Griz continuing their winning streak. While Claire Howard gave up her first goal of the year, Avery Adams scored the first two of her college career to win it.
Celaya 0 – 0 Alebrijes
Not all scoreless draws are the same. In this one Oaxaca withstood a late onslaught after Esteban Torres was sent off in the 84th minute. Still, running the scoreless streak to 210 minutes isn’t making for thrilling football in Mexico’s second tier.
Churchill Brothers 3 – 2 Punjab FC
Punjab’s truncated season came to an end Saturday in Mumbai. While Golukam Kerala ran up their score, Churchill’s late concessions to Joseba Beitia and Baba Diawara solidified the goal difference edge. Not exactly the role Punjab would prefer to play in deciding a title, but a solid first showing for coach Curtis Fleming.
[Bonus reading: our friends at the Away End had a great summation of the end of the campaign]
Guyaquil City v. Emelec [F]
Silly me. If the past year has taught us nothing else, it’s taught us to expect delays especially to start seasons, especially for women. [sigh]
SC Freiburg 1 – 0 Turbine Potsdam [F]
Hasret Kayikci hasn’t been talked up enough this year. She’s always there in Freiburg’s hour of need. Another late goal blunted Potsdam’s momentum and kept the griffins in the hunt for 4th place.
University of Montana Grizzlies 3 – 0 Portland State Vikings
After two more tense affairs, this one was Grizzlies from snout to tail. Another Alexa Coyle banger, a heckuva shot from Allie Larsen and a record setting 30th shutout for Claire Howard!
Dorados 1 – 1 Alebrijes
Alebrijes is getting used to this point a game thing…maybe a little too used to it. With four draws in a row, they’re starting to run out of points to make up. (Hate to think of where they’d be without Julio Cesar Cruz’s clinical penalty taking.)
News & Notes
International Affairs
While most of our teams were not in action, lots of our favorite players were. Here’s a quick peek at how they fared.
Africa
- Our favorite Madagascar madmen (Jerome Mombris and Romain Metanire) got gobsmacked when their team was bested 4-0 by Ethiopia. By the time that they had to win and see Ethiopia lose to move on. Ethiopia did falter…but Madagascar couldn’t get a goal, and the darlings of the last tournament ran out of luck.
- Ghana’s Black Stars will be at the cup of nations (as well). Though Center Back Joseph Adjei didn’t play in their final two qualifiers, he continues to take strides towards hitting the field in Cameroon this summer.
- Harouna Demba of Grenoble was on the bench as Mauritania drew with Morocco but was on the field for their 1-0 win over CAR that booked them a spot in the finals.
Asia
- Freiburg’s Woo-yeong Jeong got his first run out for South Korea in a friendly against Japan. Sadly, it was a 3-0 drubbing against arch rivals, but it didn’t impact their quest for cups.
Europe
- Finland saw two Minnesota United stars–Jakku Raitala and Robin Lod–(and one former player, Rasmus Schuller) take the field in a pair of draws
- One of those draws came against Bosnia/Herzegovina and included Ermedin Demirovic of Freiburg as part of the attack that Raitala had to repel in the game’s dying minutes. Demirovic got the start in Bosnia’s friendly against Costa Rica, but didn’t get any goals. The final match against World Champs France happened after I posted this
- Justas Lasickas of Vozdovac saw lots of action for Lithuania and did his best to put up with the offensive onslaught from Kosovo, Switzerland, and Italy.
- Andre Hansen had to come on at half-time when Norway was getting spanked by Turkey. He didn’t see action when the team faced Montenegro, which spared him the awkwardness of facing a teammate.
- The best represented nation from our teams: Montenegro which features three players (Vozdovac’s Milos Milovic and Nikola Vujnovic and Rosenborg’s Dino Islamovic). Sadly none of them made the pitch, until Dino Islamovic came on against Norway in the second half (he didn’t make much impact)
- Iceland left Rosenborg’s Holmar Orn Eyjolfsson on the bench as they scuffled back down the table
North America
- Dayne St. Clair was part of Team Canada, but didn’t get on the pitch.
- Hasani Dotson and Callum Montgomery were part of the US and Canada youth teams vying for an olympic berth. While both played well, neither will have a chance to march in the opening ceremonies in Tokyo.
South America
- Emelec sent three players to the Ecuadorian national side (Keeper Pedro Ortiz, Defender Romario Caicedo, and Midfielder Dixon Arroyo). However, a qualifier with Venezuela was called off, and the friendly tune up with Bolivia only saw Arroyo on the field (he was solid in distribution, if unremarkable in their win)
Limbu lays it on the line
As the I-League ends, it’s worth rewarding the best in the competition. In particular, Kiran Limbu who led the stingiest defense in the competition. Winning best keeper is nice, and should be a first step on the road to winning it all next time round.
Las Electricas are Back
With limited news reporting on South American women’s teams (insert shocked not shocked emoji here). I missed the news that Emelec’s ladies will be back in action. The team will see weekly action through the first weeks of July. If they finish in the top four of the southern league, they’ll advance to the playoffs against one of the top four from the north (likely someone from Quito). The biggest change this means is that we get to appreciate more awesome branding images like this one…
Player of the Week
You might argue that since she already won a Player of the Week recently, we ought to look elsewhere, but come on…Claire Howard broke a Big Sky conference record and has kept her team perfect through the first five games of the season. (We’ll share a nod with Kiran Limbu for his keeping award as well)
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Standings Update
Not much changed here…most notably, Punjab FC has entered their offseason and will be locked in at their Points Per Game until the 2021-2022 season kicks off in…many many months. Oh, and Claire Howard continues to carry the Grizzlies to the top of our table.
| Team | W | D | L | PPG | GFA | GAA |
| University of Montana | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2.0 | 0.2 |
| Emelec | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 1.0 |
| Freiburg | 8 | 2 | 6 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 1.4 |
| Punjab FC–b | 7 | 4 | 6 | 1.47 | 1.2 | 0.9 |
| Grenoble Foot | 6 | 4 | 5 | 1.47 | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| Legon Cities FC | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1.45 | 1.2 | 0.8 |
| Ross County | 5 | 1 | 7 | 1.23 | 1.2 | 1.5 |
| Alebrijes | 3 | 6 | 4 | 1.15 | 1.5 | 1.7 |
| FK Vozdovac | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Rosenborg BK | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Minnesota United | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – |
b–Team is between seasons
What’s Next
Wednesday, March 31st
Thursday, April 1st
Friday, April 2nd
10:00 FK Vozdovac v. Macva Sabac
5:00 Sacramento State Hornets v. University of Montana Grizzlies
Saturday, April 3rd
9:00 Madema SC v. Legon Cities FC
9:00 Ross County v. Inverness CT [Cup]
1:00 Grenoble v. Chateroux
1:30 Borussia Munchengladbach v. Freiburg [M]
CS Emelec v. CD Macara [F]
Sunday, April 4th
2:00 Sacramento State Hornets v. University of Montana Grizzlies
3:00 Olmedo v. Emelec [M]
Monday, April 5th
Tuesday, April 6th
5:15 Emelec v. CSD Macara [M-Cup]
9:00 Alebrijes v Jaibos
Week 12: A goal here, a goal there
Scores
Werder Bremen 2 – 1 SC Freiburg [F]
Again the Griffins came up short. Despite Stephanie Sanders staking Freiburg to a lead early on, they couldn’t hold on for another 85 minutes.
Atlante 1 – 1 Alebrijes
In the rare mid-week/mid-day match Oaxaca came away with a point. Ricardo Monreal was imperious in midfield picking out great passes only to be thwarted by Atlante’s strong keeper (and Alebrijes’ inefficient attacking). It took a strong run by, and silly foul on Julio Cesar Cruz to crucial penalty to equalize and walk away with the draw.
Berekum Chelsea v. Legon Cities
See update on Ghana below.
St. Johnstone 1 – 0 Ross County
Close can’t keep the Staggies clicking. They head into the split just one point out of danger. [Cue the nail biting]
Paris FC 2 – 0 Grenoble [M]
The trip to the capitol was weighted with importance, but even a full strength back line and going a man up for the final 20 minutes couldn’t keep Paris at bay.
Radnicki Nis 0 – 1 Vozdovac
It always throws me off when the RED Dragons wear blue, but maybe there’s something to it. For only the second time in ten matches, Vozdovac got a win. Miloje Prekovic was on the bench for the second straight game, but most of the defensive strength came from center back Aleksander Bogdanovic. Stefan Purtic’s booming long ball to Aleksandar Stanisavljevic caught Radnicki napping and sealed the victory.
Punjab FC 1 – 0 Real Kashmir
The last Northeast derby of the year came out in the Warriors column. Surabh Banwala refused to let his recent struggles define the campaign and made his presence felt everywhere. He pestered the attack and made a daring run up for a header. But it was Chencho Gyeltshen who notched his seventh of the campaign (albeit on his least inventive opportunity) and pushed Punjab to another valuable win.
Freiburg 2 – 0 Augsburg [M]
Despite far less consistency recently, Freiburg remains a solid, dependable side in German soccer. Even with spot starter Guus Til leading the charge, the attack was focused, and the defense was effective (thanks Florian Muller). In particular, team captain and extended contract signed Christian Gunter whose chance creation was second to none.
Emelec 0 – 1 Nueve de Octubre [M]
Emelec’s unbeaten run has ended, dropping them to second place in Ecuador. Surprisingly it came at the hands of new comers Nueve de Octubre celebrating their first season in the top flight for over 25 years.
Alebrijes 0 – 0 Cancun FC
And that happened.
News & Notes
Norway’s No-Way til May
The Powers that be in Norway’s top leagues have decided to postpone the start of their seasons. Both the Eliteseren (for Males) and Toppserien (for Females) will kick off on the first weekend in May. The Federation’s announcement touched on the risk of increasing case numbers throughout the country, hopefully, some more vaccinations and lots of time help everyone out.
Ghana’s Gone Fishin
To more effectively prepare the national team for upcoming challenges Ghana has delayed the start of the season’s second half until April. (Given that they actually have a better handle on Covid than Norway…that’s understandable). Meanwhile, Legon has started teasing the of the Asamoah Gyan era…again…and celebrating Fatua Duda’s wedding (which, is so much better than all other “celebrity weddings” that I’m going to use it as my go to comparison from now on).
Scotland’s Split
Ross County’s season continues to creep along to the end, but the end will be squeakier than the fresh lemon grass used in Pabrai’s Fresh and Naturelle Lemongrass Ice Cream (available in Kolkata)
The Stags have a point edge on long tenured Premiership side Kilmarnock, and evenly split their first three meetings (1-1-1). The two point edge on finishing last and being guaranteed relegation is better, though they and current cellar dwellars Hamilton Accies have split goals this year 3-3.
Loon’s Wings
Minnesota United has frequently found themselves short of an attacking winger (overloading one side, under filling another). Enter: Niko Hansen, the Danish-American attacker formerly of Houston who will join the Loon’s Finnish contingent in repping Scandanavia.
International Affairs
World Cup qualifying is in full swing this week, so there are only a few games ahead.
Player of the Week
This week saw plenty of good performances that didn’t quite reach a level of remarkable. So we’ll send this award out to someone who both had a good game and set a great example of how to lead their team. Christian Gunter stepped up when Freiburg needed him, just as he has done and will continue to do.
Standings Update
Punjab, Freiburg and Grenoble continue to shuffle around the top tier. Let’s also take a moment to respect that Freiburg has managed to and up with 1.53 points per game, 1.53 Goals For per game, and 1.53 Goals against per game….symmetry people…symmetry
| Team | W | D | L | PPG | GFA | GAA |
| University of Montana | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1.7 | 0 |
| Emelec | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 1.0 |
| Punjab FC | 7 | 4 | 5 | 1.56 | 1.1 | 0.8 |
| Freiburg | 7 | 2 | 6 | 1.53 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Grenoble Foot | 6 | 4 | 5 | 1.47 | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| Legon Cities FC | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1.45 | 1.2 | 0.8 |
| Ross County | 5 | 1 | 7 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.5 |
| Alebrijes | 3 | 4 | 4 | 1.1 | 1.6 | 1.9 |
| FK Vozdovac | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Rosenborg BK | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Minnesota United | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – |
What’s Next
Wednesday, March 24th
Thursday, March 25th
Friday, March 26th
7:00 University of Montana Grizzlies v. Portland State Vikings
8:00 Celaya v. Alebrijes
Saturday, March 27th
6:30 Churchill Brothers v. Punjab FC
Sunday, March 28th
7:00 SC Freiburg v. Turbine Potsdam [F]
12:00 University of Montana Grizzlies v. Portland State Vikings
Monday, March 29th
Tuesday, March 30th
10:00 Dorados v. Alebrijes
55: Complexity
Nobody likes to take the blame for the problems we face. When emotions run high and pain runs deep, being the one who takes the blame hurts.
Sometimes you can shift the blame to someone else, something else, extenuating circumstances or unwieldy fate. Sometimes you can’t. But it’s worth remembering that same feeling when you are blameless and you start looking around for someone to accuse.
It’s easy to pin blame on one person, it’s more valuable to comprehend the context.
Dear Boys,
Hard core sports fans like to say that they live and die with the team’s performance. Of course, they don’t really have a death wish, so rather than jumping off a bridge because of a blow out or a bad beat, they tend to pin the blame on a player turned scapegoat. Consider Punjab FC, who slipped in form after a strong month of showings just when they needed it most.
via Golukam Kerala Club Site
To most eyes, the disappointing results fall on the shoulders of a few rookie defenders. First Surabh Banwala gifted a penalty to Golukam, then the defense and Souvik Das were caught flatfooted against Mohamedan, and Mohammed Irshad made a gaffe against TRAU, and before you could say “pakora” the title hopes were in tatters.
But making Banwala or Das or Irshad the scapegoat for a poor turn in form at the last minute ignores all the context that goes with it.
Sure the defenders are easy to see slipping, but they don’t operate alone. As teams bottle up Chencho Gyeltshen and Baba Diawara, goals become rarer. And defenders push up to add to the attack. And that leaves the defense more vulnerable to miscues. So, yes the defense slipped but they might not have if the offense had continued firing.
Via Kehl Now
Even roping in the offense ignores most of the people on the pitch. There’s a whole second team out there, as well as officials. To put Punjab off their game, Golukam, Mohamedan and TRAU had to be on theirs. While their assigned referees whistled for fouls, others might have missed the mark. You can’t control how others play, you can’t control how refs perform. so yes, the defense slipped but would we have noticed if the referees had missed it or if other teams hadn’t capitalized?
This is to say nothing of the complexity beyond the field. The defense can’t control coaching tactics, or training field injuries, or the intense two match a week schedule. One player making one mistake is a comforting target for blame, but it ignores how complex human life is.
All of this is borne out by the current pop culture obsession of our quarantined community: Wandavision.
After a year without daring deeds and heroic exploits, super hero stories came back with a bang. And while you’re still too young for more than five minutes of cartoon adventures, the broader public has gone deep on the story of one superhero, Wanda Maximoff, who commandeers a small town and all the people in it to allay her grief at another devastating loss.
(via Sportskeeda)
To be sure, forcing people to do what you say without giving them a choice is cruel and immoral. Wanda’s actions here aren’t remotely heroic. At series end she is judged harshly and has been thoroughly criticized by viewers of all stripes.
But demanding that Wanda be punished ignores so much more complexity that surrounds her.
For starters, Wanda isn’t divine goodness personified. She also human, and demanding more of her than we do other fallible humans seems unfair. As your mom said, “she’s not a super hero; she’s a person with super powers”.
Add to that the fraught relationship the rest of the world seems to have with superheroes. At once seeing them as saviors, pleading with them for help at every turn, and limiting them to obedient servitude (particularly with regulations requiring them to check their free will).
In that context, Wanda using her powers to their full potential is less cruel and more a side effect of the position the society around her put her in. Wanda could inaccurately think she’s helping the bedraggled and woebegone residents of a dilapidated New Jersey town to have amusing, idyllic lives. She’s using her powers, and she’s using them for herself and others. Society put her in a position to have these phenomenal powers, when she uses them, we can’t exactly be astonished.
These aren’t excuses or dismissals they are complications. You don’t have to forgive (and certainly on field gaffes isn’t the same as perpetual manipulation), but given the choice between chastising and complicating first thoughts, I hope you take the time to consider the complicated context.
Week 11: Slipping and Saving
Scores
Punjab FC 3 – 3 Mohammedan SC
While Chencho Gyeltshen set up Punjab for a victory (including a good gracious slam to start the second half), ten terrible minutes in the second half allowed Mohammedan to take the lead. (Part of that was Kiran Limpu’s bad luck, part of it was Souvik Das and Hormipum Ruviah’s poor positioning.) Ashish Jah’s late equalizer preserved the draw. Luckily Churchill Brother’s dropped points to keep the Warriors alive in the title hunt.
Partizan Belgrade 4 – 0 FK Vozdovac
Over the past year Vozdovac has greatly improved, but they’re still not in the same league as Serbia’s top two. Their record against Partizan is now 4-1-14.
CSD Macara 1 – 1 Emelec
It took a while for Emelec to break through (thanks again Facundo Barcelo). Unfortunately it didn’t take long at all for Macará to equalize (through a diving header/hander that went uncalled) and end Los Bombillos winning streak.
Idaho Vandals 0 – 1 Montana Grizzlies
Alexa Coyle struck early and goalie Claire Howard notched her 28th clean sheet in a text book coach Citowicki win. Best of all the midfield was again dominant, bossing the park throughout.
Mainz 1 – 0 Freiburg [M]
The Griffins continued to struggle in the season’s later stages. They couldn’t seem to find an edge against lowly Mainz and only Florian Muller saved it from being worse than it was.
Ross County 1 – 2 Hibernian
An early Billy McKay goal set Staggies hearts a singing. However as the midfield was run ragged by Hibs, the good fortune faded and a chance to keep growing the gap against fellow relegation battlers slipped away.
Grenoble 1 – 1 Pau [M]
The first choice defensive line was almost back to full force with Jerome Mombris, Jordy Gaspar and Loic Nestor shutting down Pau for most of the match (Gaspar’s booming cross to net the opening goal was also good to see). Note, I said “most”. An injury time equalizer threaded through all those otherwise stellar defenders denied les bleus a vital 3 points.
MSV Duisburg 1 – 2 SC Freiburg [F]
After the beat down from Bayern Munich, Freiburg needed a strong showing like this to get back on track. Mia Buchele and Cora Zicai led the scoring as Freiburg continued Duisburgs winless streak.
Idaho Vandals 0-1 Montana Grizzlies
It took 9 minutes of overtime before the Griz found a way through on Rita Lang’s free kick. Though the referee initially thought the onrushing attackers had interfered with the goalie, video review showed Lang’s kick was in before hand.
TRAU 1 – 0 Punjab FC
With the attack struggling to break through, Punjab needed the defense to guard against foolish mistakes. Mohammed Irshad’s ill timed tackle was foolish. The ensuing red card and advantage goal sunk the fading title hopes of the Northwesterners.
FK Vozdovac 1 – 4 Red Star Belgrade
Red Star is the other team in Serbia’s duopoly. Against them, the Red Dragons are 2-1-15 and haven’t gotten a point since May 2017. Having the lead for 26 whole minutes in the first half was pretty sweet though.
News & Notes
Grenoble’s Gearing Up
As les Grenoblois near the business end of their season I thought it would be wise to talk about what comes next.
In two months League 2 will end, and the top two teams in the league will move up to face the top teams in France. The next three will battle each other for the chance to face a struggling League 1 side.
Grenoble sits 5 points back from automatic promotion and 7 points safe in the playoff crew. But a lot can still happen. The last 27 points of the campaign depend on les bleus showing against opponents, 5 of whom will have the same promotion goal in mind. 3 others will be battling to stay in League 2.
That means Grenoble needs to persevere through a tough final 9 games to stay in the hunt. If they do, we’ll watch some of the world’s best visit le stade des Alpes.
Royals Rumbling
Meanwhile Legon Cities spent the week preparing for their season’s second half, and welcoming in a new striker: Victorien Adebayor. The Niger international had starred in Ghana before a transfer to Europe. Family needs led him to request a move closer to home and the Royals obliged. With Hans Kwofie and Asamoah Gyan, he adds to the attacking stockpile Legon is hording.
Player of the Week
While it was a less than stellar week for most teams, it should be noted that Claire Howard racked up another pair of clean sheets. Withstanding the Vandals barrage in game 2 kept the Griz alive and helped her tie a Big Sky record for most clean sheets in a career.
Standings Update
A perfect week pushed the Griz to the top of the table, while Punjab’s struggles dropped them from 3rd to 5th. The worst news for Vozdovac…Rosenborg and Minnesota United are going to start up soon…and then there will be no one left to cushion them from the bottom.
| Team | W | D | L | PPG | GFA | GAA |
| University of Montana | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1.7 | 0 |
| Emelec | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 1.0 |
| Grenoble Foot 38 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 1.57 | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| Freiburg | 6 | 2 | 5 | 1.54 | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Punjab FC | 6 | 4 | 5 | 1.47 | 1.1 | 0.9 |
| Legon Cities FC | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1.45 | 1.2 | 0.8 |
| Ross County | 5 | 1 | 6 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.6 |
| Alebrijes | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1.2 | 1.9 | 2.2 |
| FK Vozdovac | 1 | 3 | 5 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.8 |
| Rosenborg BK | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Minnesota United | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – |
What’s Next
Wednesday, March 17th
8:00 Werder Bremen v. SC Freiburg [F]
Thursday, March 18th
7:00 Atlante v. Alebrijes
Friday, March 19th
Saturday, March 20th
7:00 Rosenborg BK v. Staebek [F]
10:00 Berekum Chelsea v. Legon Cities
10:00 St. Johnstone v. Ross County
2:00 Paris FC v. Grenoble [M]
2:00 Radnicki Nis v. Vozdovac
Sunday, March 21st
8:30 Punjab FC v. Real Kashmir
12:00 Freiburg v. Augsburg
6:00 Emelec v. Nueve de Octubre
Monday, March 22nd
Tuesday, March 23rd
6:00 Alebrijes v. Cancun FC
MacKenzie's Boot Room 