Week 31: Oh, here goes gravity

August 10, 2023August 9, 2023 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recap

Rosenborg 3 – 2 Crusaders (M–Europa Conference)

It took a while, including all of extra time, but Rosenborg survived the Northern Irish with a late Leo Cornic goal coming after a string of intense goal mouth chances that the Trolls couldn’t seem to finish. Cornic’s final rooftop blast was great, but still needed Andre Hansen to make a critical save to seal the victory.

UDG 5 – 0 Alebrijes

Ooof. Oaxaca trailed by 4 within 30 minutes and though a raft of defensive changes stymied UDG in most of the second half, this was just ugly.

Libertad 0 – 0 Emelec (M)

The second half of Ecuadors knock out round kicked off but Los bombillos couldn’t capitalize on a Pedro Ortiz clean sheet.

Columbus Crew 3 – 3 Minnesota United (M–League Cup)

Bongokhule Hlongwane struck twice again to continue forcing the question about whether he or Lionel Messi is having a better tournament. But the Loons still needed Hasani Dotson’s long range effort to bounce off of something bizarre to get the Loons for a shout-out. That’s where Dayne St Clair saved two penalties and helped the Loons squeak through.

Celtic 4 – 2 Ross County

It only took 3 minutes for the dominant team in Scotland to take the lead, but County came back in the second half to score their most goals at Celtic since the 2020 upset shocker. Goals from Jordan White and James Brown gave the stags a valuable moral victory (though those don’t help the standings any).

Saint-Etienne 0 – 1 Grenoble

Grenoble’s golden signee, Moldovan striker Virgiliu Postolachi, had several first half chances go wanting. While Saint-Etienne had the better looks in the second half, Brice Mableu stood strong with a penalty stop as well. Finally, late on in the game Amine Sbai managed to dash down the line, feed the redoubtable Jessy Bennet who passed through an absolutely gorgeous dummy run (I couldn’t id the player) to Abdoulie Sanyang for a late winner.

FK IMT Beograd 2 – 2 Vozdovac

The Dragons got another draw with a clever bit of desperation passing from Mihajlo Neskovic leading to Bogdan Jocic’s first goal of the campaign. Some suspect defending and spotty goalkeeping gave IMT a lead but substitutes Lazar Kojic hit Borisav Burmaz on a pin-point cross to hit the equalizer.

Fk Haugesund 1 – 2 Rosenborg (M)

An early goal for Haugesund and Ulrik Jenssen’s injury gave Rosenborg a lot of doubt. But Jennsen’s replacement–Hakon Rosten–at just 18 kept up with the big guys and was in the right place on a deflected free kick to slam home the equalizer. After Haugesund was reduced to ten men, Magnus Holte was again in the right place at the right time to find the winner.

Mohun Bagan SG 2 – 0 Punjab FC (Cup)

Mohun Bagan is one of the premier teams in Indian soccer, so Punjab was unlucky to draw them for their first game in the big time. The Unluckiness continued when defender Melroy Assissi scored the first goal of the game, into the net he was helping to defend for Punjab. One game does not make or break a year, but here’s hoping it wasn’t a sampling of what will be coming.

Defensa y Jusiticia 1 – 0 Emelec (M-Copa Sudamericana)

Trailing by three goals already, Emelec had their work cut out for them, and they didn’t get it done.

Toluca 2 – 2 Minnesota United (M–League Cup)

When I was doing Owen’s bedtime, the Loons were dominant. Joseph Rosales and Bongokhule Hlongwane managed gorgeous goals. When I started watching the match, they looked great, and then it all came undone with Michael Boxall failing to clear a ball near the goal that was hammered for Toluca’s first, and then Hasani Dotson making an ill advised challenge that earned him a second red and Toluca a penalty that promptly equalized. Once they were down a man, the Loons were clearly rattled, and had to hold on with every fingernail to make it to penalties. Despite my doomsaying the Loons came out like Lions during the shoot out, with an Argentine, a Kiwi, an Ohioan, and a Korean finding the net while our Canadian keeper (Dayne St. Clair) saved one and saw another bounce off the corner.

News & Notes

Women’s World Cup-Date

Norway’s great showing against the Phillipines didn’t come with a renewed vigor. The squad bowed out to Japan with Sarah Horte getting a brief run out…I blame the lack of playing time for Blakstad and Josensdal. Denmark’s storied run came to a conclusion as well, losing by 2 to Australia.

But while some of our favorites fell away, THE favorite: the US Women were also ousted, in a major upset for the top rated side in the world and the back-to-back defending champions. Some will blame technology, but c’mon…we know what’s what.

Other Cup-Dates

As the Men’s leagues continue to copy the ladies with cups on cups on cups, we saw Emelec wrap up their run, we will see Freiburg star theirs, while Rosenborg advance to the next stage of Conference League knockouts where they will face Ross Conty’s old foe: Hearts.

The Stags they have another week before their next cup tie, but Minnesota United will march on to face Nashville (this despite the fact that America thought they had won twice and my internet news feed couldn’t decide either). Punjab FC has two matches to round out their group stage, including one against the Bangladeshi Army team…so a bunch of guys trained to kill you…no pressure…and East Bengal, another ISL team, but one less imposing than Mohun Bagan.

Player of the Week

Two teams grabbed a pair of wins this week, and while there are some strong performances from Rosenborg to consider, the Loons wouldn’t have either win if it wasn’t for Dayne St. Clair. So take a bow big Dayne, you are the player of the week.

Standings

The gap is closing between Punjab and their closest rivals, but I couldn’t find it in me to give the Loons 6 points for skin of their teeth penalty wins, otherwise we’d be within 0.1 at the top of the table. Meanwhile, County’s great run in the Scottish Cup has boosted them up past Freiburg and into a dead heat with the fast fading Emelec (Miller Bolanos to Dingwall?)

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
Punjab	12	2	3	2.24	2.29	0.94
Minnesota	22	6	9	1.95	2.46	1.05
Rosenborg	17	6	13	1.58	1.67	0.94
Legon Cities–b	9	7	8	1.42	1.25	1.29
Grenoble	15	6	17	1.34	1.16	1.13
Emelec	7	8	7	1.32	1.23	1.14
Freiburg–b	12	7	19	1.13	1.24	1.66
Alebrijes	5	5	8	1.11	1.33	1.39
Ross County	6	4	12	1.00	1.23	1.50
Vozdova	4	3	11	0.83	0.67	1.65
Montana–b	0	0	0	—	—	—

Table Updated 8/9/23
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Thursday, August 10th

Punjab FC v. Bangladesh Army (Cup)

Hearts v. Rosenborg (M–Europa Conference)

Friday, August 11th

Mineros v. Alebrijes

Nashville v. Minnesota United (M-Leagues Cup)

Saturday, August 12th

Ross County v. St. Johnstone

Vozdovac v. FK Radnik Surdulica

Grenoble v. Paris FC

Sunday, August 13th

SV Oberachen v. Freiburg (M-Cup)

Emelec v. Orense (M)

Monday, August 14th

Tuesday, August 15th

Alebrijes v. Celaya

Wednesday, August 16th

East Bengal FC v. Punjab FC (Cup)

Weeks 30: Back to Reality

August 3, 2023August 4, 2023 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recap

Crusaders 2 – 2 Rosenborg (M–Europa Conference)

The Northern Irish team started out well, getting the first goal, but Carlo Holse and Ole Saeter were able to return fire and put Rosenborg ahead even though they were in hostile territory. While Erland Reitan’s late own goal gave the Crusaders a draw and an even footing for the next match, Rosenborg’s two away goals means they can draw this next week and still survive for the next round.

Minnesota United 2 – 3 Chicago Fire (M- US-Mex Cup)

The Loons looked to be living their best life in their second League Cup match. After dispatching Puebla 4-0 they were holding strong against one of the hottest teams in the US (no pun intended). When Bongokhule Hlongwane found the net to take the lead, things looked great, when he scored again ten minutes later to take the lead back after a Fire penalty, I felt like we were almost unstoppable. When Chicago scored twice within the next ten minutes to take the lead and leave the Loons hoping for results to advance, I remembered that I live in Minnesota, and we can’t have nice things.

Ross County 3 – 3 Kelty Hearts (M-Cup)

Kelty gave the Staggies their most challenging game of the ViaPlay League Cup to this point. Simon Murray continued his absolutely torrid form, but a late penalty for Ross Cunningham gave Kelty a life line and they took full advantage in the penalty kicks that followed (truth to tell, I’d rather lose penalties here than in the premiership playoff that the Staggies had last June.

Vozdovac 0 – 0 Javor

The Red Dragons are back in action in Serbia! Well, action might be a bit strong given the showing against Javor, but we’re always happy to have a reason to cheer and shout for Belgrade’s best Shopping Mall Based team.

Rosenborg 3 – 2 Odd (M)

Odd came out guns blazing in this match, with two goals within the first ten minutes, leaving the normally strong Rosenborg defenders grappling with how things had gone so wrong so quickly. But Andre Hansen stood strong for the rest of the match, and the team came out reset in the second half to notch three goals with Ole Saeter heading in from a corner, and connecting from the spot. When Odd lost a player to red card, Ulrik Yttergard Jenssen was once again ready to capitalize with a chaos goal, giving RBK the win.

Alebrijes 1 – 1 Tapatio

Oaxaca has taken some time this summer to prepare for the new campaign with a new coach, a new mascot and the typically daring new jerseys. The team once again brought on a host of young players to learn the craft and only said farewell to Christian Canozales. The new look team started the campaign with a familiarly tame draw against Tapatio.

Emelec 1 – 2 Defensa y Jusiticia (M-Copa Sudamericana)

Los Bombillos grabbed an early lead against one of the most dangerous teams in Argentina. For a bit it seemed like they might be able to grab a surprising result to take into the second half of the tie…but Defensa y Justicia came storming back, getting two road goals and leaving Emelec with a lot to do during. the away tie in Argentina.

News & Notes

Weekly Kids Highlights

It was Alex’s final week playing for the Highland Groveland Recreational Area’s U-5 Sunday 5 Pm session….breeding ground of champions. Ok, that might be overselling the competition, really, but it was very fun to have both sets of grandparents, both parents and a little brother in attendance. Alex ended up on a team with a young man with an extra six inches on everyone and a real will to dominate the game, so the goals weren’t coming as usual for Big A. But he found a way to have fun, taking the lead in defense, stepping up and knocking away the ball from several opponents, and trying to get a coach to stop eating a sucker while she ran around (it wasn’t safe, said Alex).

Women’s World Cup-Date

Norway left their struggles behind them with a staggering 6 goal outburst against the Phillipines that sees them through to the next round. Unfortunately for our sake, none of the Rosenborg Kvinner factored in the match. I’m holding out hope for Julie Blakstad, super sub miracle worker in the knock-out stages.

Haiti lost both of their final games in the group stage, a heart breaking 1-0 defeat against China, and a 2-0 loss to Denmark that saw Lene Christensen stop Sherly Jeudy’s shots…bestill my heart. Denmark will advance, and Haiti will go home, but don’t take anything away from les Grenadieres, they performed better than most predicted and did their home nation proud.

Other Cup-Dates

A few more Cup related events here in the summer months. Rosenborg and Emelec are in precarious positions going into the next matchday for their continental competitions, but could both advance (or both be eliminated…who knows).

Within domestic contests, both Ross County and Minnesota United have advanced to the knock out stages. Minnesota plays old friend Christian Ramirez in Columbus, while the Staggies join ten other teams in the round of sixteen (where top four finishers Aberdeen, Hearts, Hibs, Celtic and Rangers were already waiting). The Stags will play against Airdrieonians a Lancanshire side that went unbeaten in their group matches.

And finally Punjab FC, who officially joined the Indian Super League this week, will get a taste of the level of competition by taking on Kolkata stalwarts: Mohun Bagan and East Bengal in the group round of the Durand Cup (India’s oldest soccer competition).

Players of the Week

Given the lackluster week for club teams and the enduring strength of her goalkeeping for Denmark let’s give it up for Rosenborg and Denmark’s choice in the goal: Lene Christansen.

Standings

Punjab is back and ready to try to hold on to their spot atop our standings, but there’s plenty of opportunity for the other teams to catch up now that Punjab can, you know, lose. (Due to some delays in posting, standings will be updated next week)

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
Punjab–b	12	2	3	2.24	2.29	0.94
Minnesota	22	6	9	1.95	2.46	1.05
Rosenborg	17	6	13	1.58	1.67	0.94
Legon Cities–b	9	7	8	1.42	1.25	1.29
Grenoble–b	15	6	17	1.34	1.16	1.13
Emelec	7	8	7	1.32	1.23	1.14
Freiburg–b	12	7	19	1.13	1.24	1.66
Alebrijes–b	5	5	8	1.11	1.33	1.39
Ross County–b	6	4	12	1.00	1.23	1.50
Vozdovac–b	4	3	11	0.83	0.67	1.65
Montana–b	0	0	0	—	—	—

Table Updated 7/27/23
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Thursday, August 3rd

Rosenborg v. Crusaders (M–Europa Conference)

Columbus Crew v. Minnesota United (M–League Cup)

UDG v. Alebrijes

Friday, August 4th

Saturday, August 5th

Celtic v. Ross County

Saint-Etienne v. Grenoble

FK IMT Beograd v. Vozdovac

Sunday, August 6th

Fk Haugesund v. Rosenborg (M)

Libertad v. Emelec (M)

Monday, August 7th

Mohun Bagan SG v. Punjab FC (Cup)

Tuesday, August 8th

Emelec v. Defensa y Jusiticia (M-Copa Sudamericana)

Wednesday, August 2nd

Nobel FC: William Golding

August 1, 2023June 26, 2023 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Background

William Golding was born in 1911 and followed in his father’s footsteps to become a teacher. He was a youthful optimist who came to view the world more cynically following a tour of duty during the Second World War (“man produces evil as bees produce honey”). After the war he continued to write while teaching and ultimately published his first novel: Lord of the Flies (a book that has been thoroughly cemented on reading lists). He continued to publish, winning some recognition and awards for his other work, but always being marked apart for his first. In 1983 (my birth year) the Nobel committee gave him its award. They noted “his novels which, with the perspicuity of realistic narrative art and the diversity and universality of myth*, illuminate the human condition in the world of today”.

*I didn’t get this word choice until I read the following quote from Golding: “people always think that [mythic] means ‘full of lies’, whereas of course what it really means is ‘full of truth which cannot be told in any other way but a story’.”

Works

From: Lord of the Flies

“The sticks fell and the mouth of the new circle crunched and screamed. The beast was on its arms in the center, its arms folded over its face. It was crying out against the abominable noise something about a body on the hill. The beast struggled forward, broke the ring and fell over the steep edge of the rock to the sand by the water. At once the crowd surged after it, poured down the rock, leapt on the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore. There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws.”
–From Chapter 10: “View to a Death”

From: To The Ends of the Earth (adapted from Golding’s The Fire Below)

“Why are we such creatures as a few sentences of an angry man should matter more than the prospect of death”

From “Rough Magic” (in the collected essays A Moving Target)

“There is one behest to be engraved over the novelist’s door. Have one hand holding your pen and the other firmly on the nape of the reader’s neck. That is rule one, to which everything else must be sacrificed. Once you have got him, never let him go.”

Message

Golding is the first writer we’ve studied for this project who primarily worked in prose rather than poetry. Perhaps it’s that more direct nature that makes his belief that while everyone can imagine themselves as genteel or respectable, we are, all of us, marked out in our more vicious, cruel, and self-serving tendencies. He makes a habit of slashing and grasping at every opportunity, it’s his way of holding on to the reader’s attention. His habits are help him to attack the hypocrisy of assumed excellence, reveling instead in a dirty rotten humanity, many would rather ignore, while maintaining that there is still something to recommend in each of us. He’s not always easy to read with his penchant for violent and vile actions, but he does apply a deftly funny satirical style as well.

Position: #9 Striker

That aggressive message and style made it clear to me that Golding would be best suited to playing in the attack. But I wasn’t sure where he should play (scoring goals like a striker? causing havoc like a winger? crafting opportunities like a midfielder?). Ultimately the style and incisive message struck me first and foremost as a goal scorer. I also noted that the staying power of Lord of the Flies overshadowing the rest of Golding’s work brings to mind a good player who is always reminded of a single timely or artful strike. So, I opted to sign him up as our first number 9 goal scoring threat.

As an added bonus, Golding is the first laureate I’ve read about who has evidence to back up the positional claim. He was a strong sprinter and cricket team captain during his school days, which leaves me to think he actually would be well suited to playing at the top of the attack (sprinting and leading).

Perhaps I’m biased. Perhaps the presence of a teacher/writer/world-wide commentator and fan of Jane Austen skews my view. But by god, I like William Golding and I think he’d be a great striker. Argue with me below.

Next Time: 2003 Honoree–JM Coetzee

Weeks 28 & 29: Uff Da

July 27, 2023 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Summer illnesses are no fun. I was mostly spared on the illness front, but nursing everyone in the house back to health while also doing the jobs that a running a house requires left me with not much bandwith to write. So here’s a double week review (and hopefully my Dear Boys will post as normal)

Recap

Stranrear 1 – 5 Ross County (Cup)

Nothing says Scottish summer like visits to teams even smaller than County and rain on rain on rain. Simon Murray and Jordan White used their height to loom over Stranrear’s defense and capitalize on the clearest openings whenever they appeared to the tune of a hat trick for Mr. Murray. Which gave County a slightly bigger scoreline than they might have otherwise earned.

Minnesota United 1 – 1 LAFC (M)

Your mom and I went off to enjoy the match and some of the finest vegetarian vittles available. I regret to report that the samosas are to tiny for you, but was happy to see that the Loons held their own against the defending champions and arguably best team in America right now. The biggest help was Emanuel Reynoso breaking ankles and hearts. The biggest hindrance was that, once again, the previous sentence summarized the entirety of Minnesota’s strategy.

Rosenborg 2 – 1 Tromso (M)

The Trollboys have their first win under coach Svein Maalen, courtesy of some aggressive play by the attacking line of Holse, Nelson, and Saeter. (The nifty give and go of Saeter and Holse got the first goal, and our favorite Canadian attacker continued to stretch the defense). Tromso grew back into the game, and equalized, but their hero quickly was sent off and Rosenborg capitalized on their advantage with Ulrik Ytttergard Jennsen nailing the winner deep in injury time.

Emelec 0 – 0 Sporting Cristal (M-Copa)

This game happened. And while it was certainly disappointing not to score, the result was exactly what Los Bombillos needed. Romario Caicedo, Bryan Carabali and Pedro Ortiz don’t get as much press as the omnipresent Miller Bolanos, but they were vital to Emelec’s result and advancing on to the next round.

Ross County 2 – 1 Greenock Morton (Cup)

In the early stages it looked like Greenock Morton would have the opportunities to capitalize on gaffes in the County defense. But Ross Munro acquitted himself well again, and in the second half, the Staggies made the most of attacking the Jail End fans by scoring twice on Jay Henderson’s excellent volley and another bout of Simon Murray speed.

Stromsgodset 0 – 1 Rosenborg (M)

Sverre Nypan was able to flip the ball over a charging keeper to give Rosenborg another aggressive lead. But the team’s performance there after was textbook defensiveness with Erland Reitan returning to his defensive roots and Andre Hansen holding down the goal

Puebla 0 – 4 Minnesota United (US-Mex Cup)

There has been a long standing assumption that Liga MX is better than MLS. And an assumption that even subpar Mexican teams can dominate American peers. This game put that to the test. Puebla is struggling to start their season and while the Loons have looked adequate at best, they smoked Puebla here with Bongokhule Hlongwane charging down every bit of space and Emmanuel Reynoso delivering some gorgeous moments (and a free kick that rivals Leo Messi from earlier in the weekend).

FC Edinburgh 1 – 3 Ross County (Cup)

Simon Murray and Jordan White continued their strong showing, keeping their unbeaten run in the season opening Viaplay Cup going.

News & Notes

Weekly Kids Highlights

As mentioned above, y’all were sick. So the number of actual highlights was pretty slim. Alex did get a chance to go play with both Mom and Grandpa Bruce watching, but they didn’t have the same detailed reviews of Alex’s play…almost like they don’t write a blog about soccer.

Women’s World Cup-Date

It’s been a surprisingly rough start to the cup for Norway. An upset at the hands of New Zealand and a draw against Switzerland has left Norway at the bottom of Group A and needing a big win against the Philippines to advance to the next round. Mathilde Harviken has done her best to hold down the defense, but my hope for a Julie Blakstad’s emergence as a dominant attacker has been tempered. Meanwhile, Rosenborg’s keeper Lene Christensen, pitched a clean sheet for Denmark against China.

Haiti did a great job keeping a tight hold on England turning what people had predicted to be a trouncing into a narrow defeat. Jennyfer Limage had to leave in the first half with an injury, but Sherly Jeudy performed well (as ever) and Florsie Joseph had a brief appearance.

Big Changes

Nicholas Delpine’s turn at the World Cup naturally gives him some opportunities to go beyond coaching a third division French club, so he will be moving on. So to will Maxwell Konadu at Legon Cities. He kept Legon up and surviving despite plenty of struggles, but I’m definitely more bummed that Michael Otouo is also leaving the club.

Players of the Week

Originally I would have had to choose between Emmanuel Reynoso’s great footwork and passes or Simon Murray’s excellent attacking week. But with two weeks to identify great players, we can rightly applaud both.

Standings

With Aurora’s season at an end and the TrollKvinner on their World Cup break, Punjab can breathe easily. They won’t have many threats to their position until they hit the field again after the Monsoon season ends and they take the field in October.

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
Punjab–b	12	2	3	2.24	2.29	0.94
Minnesota	22	6	9	1.95	2.46	1.05
Rosenborg	17	6	13	1.58	1.67	0.94
Legon Cities–b	9	7	8	1.42	1.25	1.29
Grenoble–b	15	6	17	1.34	1.16	1.13
Emelec	7	8	7	1.32	1.23	1.14
Freiburg–b	12	7	19	1.13	1.24	1.66
Alebrijes–b	5	5	8	1.11	1.33	1.39
Ross County–b	6	4	12	1.00	1.23	1.50
Vozdovac–b	4	3	11	0.83	0.67	1.65
Montana–b	0	0	0	—	—	—

Table Updated 7/27/23
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Thursday, July 27th

Crusaders v. Rosenborg (M–Europa Conference)

Minnesota United v. Chicago Fire (M- US-Mex Cup)

Friday, July 28th

Saturday, July 29th

Ross County v. Kelty Hearts (M-Cup)

Sunday, July 30th

Rosenborg v. Odd (M)

Monday, July 31st

Alebrijes v. Tapatio

Tuesday, August 1st

Emelec v. Defensa y Jusiticia (M-Copa Sudamericana)

Wednesday, August 2nd

82. Bring Your Best Attitude

July 24, 2023 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

In the preparation work for the Nobel XI writing experiment, I read a book by prize winner JM Coetzee where the South African writes about an unfair soccer match.

For context, a rag tag group of local boys, including protagonist David, is groomed to play against a local team with more resources (a group from a do-gooding orphanage). When the local boys are summarily drubbed by the orphans, David’s guardian storms on to the field and denounces the orphans and their teacher.

“This is not a football game, this is a slaughter of the innocents…They are bullies. They win by intimidating their opponents…If you really want to test your team, Senor, you should play against stronger opponents.”
JM Coetzee The Death of Jesus

That same despair of unfair treatment occurs in a few other spheres of our Soccer fandom, and with surprising frequency in the women’s game.

In the USL-W Heartland, Minnesota Aurora is patently the dominant force. The biggest market, the biggest ownership base, the most accomplished players leading to consecutive unbeaten seasons and local conference titles. To our rivals in Chicago, Green Bay and Kenosha, our lovable little Aurora is the biggest bully on the playground.

Dear Boys,

At the same time, half-way around the world, the Women’s World Cup has kicked off with its largest ever field. It will feature teams from 32 nations in action (the same as the men’s, though for less prize money). There’s been some celebration about the growth of the game, but there’s also been a lot of handwringing and cogitating about the lack of quality that comes with expanding the tournament. Many expect big sides like Sweden, Norway, England, France, and (of course) the United States to win, the only question is by how much.

To paraphrase the concern as voiced on a recent World Football by our one-time reader Mani Djazmi: these uncompetitive games can turn off viewers. People will know what will probably happen and therefore won’t watch until later rounds when a few true contenders are left standing. This will lead to lower ratings which leads to lower revenue which leads to a lower perceived value for the women’s game.

Better then to have the best teams play the best teams, and leave potential punching bags like New Zealand and Haiti, Zambia and Vietnam out of it.

But to me disliking the bully or wincing at blow outs is only one view of the situation.

Rather than viewing it as bullies and blowouts creating hurt feelings and lost value, what if we re-center around the perspective of those teams who are out on the field.

The teams who face Aurora might well be frustrated not to be winning trophies, but they are (like Aurora) largely college and High School kids who want to get better. Who are there most of all, to learn. They get a chance to spend a few summer weeks as semi-professional athletes with big crowd and televised matches and newly built friendships.

Batcheba Louis and Alex Greenwood in action

The teams who are on the field are stepping up to a challenge. We could continue to focus on the teams that are likely going to win, but we could also set that aside and talk about how great it is to see a team like Nicholas Delpine’s Haiti stepping up to a challenge. Connecting women from a global diaspora to support their home country, learn, and grow.

Sports, and soccer in particular, isn’t just about who won and who lost. It’s about after the final whistle too.

If you boil it down to the end result then, yes, you don’t need to report much on Haiti because they don’t have much of a chance. But by that same logic, since the vast majority of teams around the world aren’t getting hardware this year, we probably could write about only two-three clubs in every country and ignore the rest. It’s the theory of the Superleague all over again, but more well-intentioned than that ill-begotten cash grab.

But if you consider what comes after the final whistle, then it’s not about who won or lost. It’s not even about why they won or lost. It’s about how teams learn from what they experience.

You can learn by doing like having success against the greatest opponents. But success need not be defined by winning: Sherly Jeudy set up some solid chances for her teammates in Haiti’s game against England. Those are great, and, knowing Sherly, she’ll look for ways to make them better.

And you can learn by seeing: there’s no shortage of great examples in your opponents. Whether you faced off against Tianna Harris or Cat Rapp, you can learn from what they did. After all, they aren’t your enemies, they’re just your opposition.

If it seems like your team doesn’t learn anything after these lopsided games, then you have learned one thing: you need a new coach.

And in addition to all those fuzzier outcomes, occasionally surprises and upsets happen and we’re all better for it (to wit the long standing giants in Norway getting beaten by New Zealand in the league opener, or the team that matched Aurora last year failing to make the playoffs this year).

In reality, everyone, every day, can only control two things: their actions, and their attitude.

The risks of blow out games (whether to goliaths of women’s soccer or a fictional team of orphans) may appear great. The actions of your beloved side may not match your opponents. But ultimately your attitude affects how you respond, and how you learn from the experience.

Bring your best attitude.

Week 27: End of the Line

July 13, 2023July 13, 2023 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recap

Minnesota Aurora 1 – 0 Chicago City SC (F–Playoffs)

This game might be the dictionary definition of the word “frustrating”. As I was home alone I got to watch and write along with the game and was stunned at first the weather (a sloppy, driving rain mixed with oppressive humidity) then the number of chances that Aurora missed, and finally the absolute apathy of the Chicago City side that clearly had been through enough facing Aurora this year. Ari Del Moral converted the vital penalty, and Minnesota advanced to the next round.

Minnesota Aurora 0 – 1 Indy XI (F-Playoffs)

Aurora met Indianapolis facing their fellow Central Conference division winner. The result was surprising in that Minnesota lost and went goalless for the first time this season. Full credit to goalie Amanda Poorbaugh (often left waiting around this season by a great defense). She stopped many Indy attempts but couldn’t stop the final free for all spot kick into the box.

It’s a discouraging end to Minnesotas excellent season as a league championship seemed thoroughly possible, but it doesn’t diminish a great year of growing and learning as a team.

Minnesota United 1 – 4 Austin FC (M)

A week after a great outing, the loons got the inverse service. Of course Austin is near the top of the Western conference and Portland is near the bottom, so it makes more sense.

Rosenborg 1 – 2 Lillestrom (M)

An early lead was promising for the Trolls with Ole Sæter scoring eleven minutes in. But the last seven minutes were a disaster, with LSK scoring twice to wipe out any chance for Rosenborg to get some credit.

Sporting Cristal 0 – 1 Emelec (M-Copa)

Emelec could not ask for a better way to start their knock out campaign in the Copa Sudamericana. They spent most of the game defending against Cristal’s attack. Jose Cevallos’ free kick set up his own off-ball run for the winning goal. Beyond winning this one game, they also got an away goal, so even if next week’s match ends 0-0 Emelec will advance.

Houston Dynamo 0 – 3 Minnesota United (M)

For several months Minnesota United games have been marked by two things: an offense that can’t score much, and a defense that is constantly having to save the day. While the game against Austin showed that the defense might be suffering a bit of fatigue, this game showed that the offense has started to click. It helps to have Emanuel Reynoso back, but it also helps to have new striker Teemu Puuki who helped set up the first goal for our buddy Bongi, and scored the second.

News & Notes

Weekly Kids Highlights

Alex was back in action with his weekly soccer practice, and while the team didn’t fare as well as the last time, Alex was doing it all once again. He was noticeably upset when the opponents got their fifth goal, but when we remembered that fun was the main purpose, and that supporting your team was the goal, things seemed better–as if to prove it, went out got another goal and an assist.

Gold Cup-Date

After Honduras was dumped out at the group stage, our attention turned entirely to Jamaica and Canada. Kemar Lawrence’s injury left him on the bench for Jamaica’s defeat against Mexico, and somehow the strong showings for both Jayden Nelson and Viktor Loturi, they too didn’t make it to the pitch but Canada held their own against the United States, thanks largely to the one player who did come back: Dayne St. Clair. Big Save Dayne had a great match, keeping the United States in check, until Canada came back with a pair of late goals to take the lead (unfortunately the US got their own late equalizer and then survived the shoot out, so Dayne was back to Minnesota in time for the match against Houston.

Women’s World Cup-Date

In one week the women’s world cup will kick off in Australia and New Zealand. Of the five women’s teams we follow, three will have players down under for the tournament. Freiburg’s lone representative will be Janina Minge, who is part of the reserve list for Germany (just in case someone gets hurt), Rosenborg will send four players, three for Norway (Sara Horte, Mathilde Harviken, and Anna Josendal) and the starting keeper for Denmark (Lene Christiansen). But Grenoble has five players plus coach Nicholas Delpine who will all be supporting Haiti. So naturally we’re excited about seeing Haiti, Chelsea Surpris, Jennyfer Limage, Sherly Jeudy, Maudeline Moreyl, and Florsie Joseph.

Player of the Week

Dayne St. Clair had two great games in two competitions. I was surprised that he hasn’t already gotten a Player of the Week award this year, but this is certainly deserved.

Standings

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
Punjab–b	12	2	3	2.24	2.29	0.94
Minnesota	22	6	9	1.95	2.46	1.05
Rosenborg	17	6	13	1.58	1.67	0.94
Legon Cities–b	9	7	8	1.42	1.25	1.29
Grenoble–b	15	6	17	1.34	1.16	1.13
Emelec	7	8	7	1.32	1.23	1.14
Freiburg–b	12	7	19	1.13	1.24	1.66
Alebrijes–b	5	5	8	1.11	1.33	1.39
Ross County–b	6	4	12	1.00	1.23	1.50
Vozdovac–b	4	3	11	0.83	0.67	1.65
Montana–b	0	0	0	—	—	—

Table Updated 7/13/23
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Thursday, July 13th

Friday, July 14th

Saturday, July 15th

Stranrear v. Ross County (Cup)

Minnesota United v. LAFC (M)

Sunday, July 16th

Rosenborg v. Tromso (M)

Monday, July 17th

Tuesday, July 18th

Wednesday, July 19th

Emelec v. Sporting Cristal (M-Copa)

Week 26: Staycation the Second

July 6, 2023July 6, 2023 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recap

Green Bay Glory 0 – 4 Minnesota Aurora (F)

Sophie French joined the dynamic duo of Rapp and Hansen in helping Aurora make the most of another trip to Wisconsin. Even more impressive: French was playing out of position as a defender before charging up and bringing her usual attacking brilliance and find the net.

Roa 0 – 3 Rosenborg BK (F)

Anna Josensdal continued to be an iron woman and netted another goal for the Trolls, young Synne Bronsted (only 20) did the same as Rosenborg rolled to victory.

Minnesota United 4 -1 Portland Timbers (M)

This was an absolutely wild match, and one that I got to go see with Alex! You had plenty of attacking football, you had a crazy number of calls by the referee (not all of them were dumb…no matter what the people sitting next to us said), you had a goal directly from the corner kick by Emanuel Reynoso. And that was just the half we watched! In the second half we had more goals, a brief bit of fear, and another goal from Alex’s new favorite Bongokhule Hlongwane (sorry Boxall, I was advocating for you but the kid likes goals)

Minnesota Aurora 7 – 0 Chicago City SC (F)

Aurora wrapped up their second unbeaten regular season with what amounted to a bit of a curtain call as Cat Rapp scored twice (9 for her this year), Maya Hansen once (12 goals for her), and Hannah Adler once (11 for her). Those three accounted for half of the team’s total 60 goals during the regular season.

Aalesund 1 – 0 Rosenborg (M)

Coach Svein Malen’s second game in charge of Rosenborg went a lot like his first. Rosenborg looked okay, competent for sure…and then they gave up a second half goal and sunk deeper down the table.

Alex cheers and hits the guy in front of us…

News & Notes

Weekly Kids Highlights

We completed our two weeks of vacation with a fourth of July celebration that included grandparents, and all the assorted aunties, uncles, and cousins. While I was kind of hoping that Alex would get to challenge goalie Uncle Simon or midfielder Uncle Matt, we settled for seeing the MacKenzie kids deliver a thorough water balloon drubbing to the MacKenzie dads.

Gold Cup-Date

The Gold Cup’s opening round came to an end. Kemar Lawrence started for Jamaica against St. Kitt’s and Nevis. He was strong in distribution but not the best at stopping and spent the second half on the bench. ,Joseph Rosales did an excellent job with his usual two-way play for Honduras in a draw against Qatar and a win over Haiti. But, that wasn’t enough to pull El H into the second round.

The real story that got us fired up though was the tournament saving win for Canada against Cuba. The Maple Leafs could have been knocked out in the first round (a major come down for the team after their first world cup in 3 decades). But that was why they clearly used our favorite players: Dayne St. Clair of Minnesota was in goal, Jayden Nelson of Rosenborg was an attacking substitute in the first half and Viktor Loturi of Ross County came in for the end of the game. (Sidebar one: Okay, yes, one of Cuba’s goals came after Dayne gave up a foul…but c’mon…it’s Bootroom or Bust for the Canucks!)

(Sidebar two: we somehow missed that Matthais Phaeton led the Guadaloupe team throughout the cup including a tie against Canada and a win–with two goals–against Cuba, but a missed penalty cost them a draw that would have pulled them through to the second round)

Transfer Time

Last week I covered most teams, but failed to account for changes coming to Grenoble’s men’s side. While some of the strong willed GF38 back line (Loris Nery and Bart Straalman) reached the end of their contracts, the big change was seeing lead creator Matthais Phaeton depart for CSKA Sofia in Hungary. Aside from Hungary’s abysmal politics, we hope Mathais can step up to the Conference League and draw more attention by playing against Europe’s best.

But Grenoble brought on several strong young players, poaching players who have impressed them the last few seasons with Eddy Sylvestre and Mattheo Xanthippe coming in, the big fresh blood for the team is Belgian Dante Rigo coming in to settle the midfield.

One other team we haven’t discussed much (as they continue preseason before the league stars at the end of the month) is Alebrijes de Oxaca. Their primary change was to say so long to long time coach Jorge Manrique Islas and bring in new coach Carlos Guttierez

Player of the Week

Cat Rapp has been utterly outstanding all season long for Minnesota Aurora and if she wanted to be mad at us for not recognizing her as player of the week sooner we couldn’t blame her. But hopefully she’s understanding.

Standing

Half way through the summer holidays Punjab should be grateful to the guys in Minnesota and Rosenborg, becuase while the women’s teams might well be charging towards the title by now, the mens teams in each club setting are simply surviving. What happens when the Loons join Aurora in bringing the heat? Well…you can see how close it’s gotten.

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
Punjab–b	12	2	3	2.24	2.29	0.94
Minnesota	20	6	7	2.00	2.61	1.06
Rosenborg	17	6	12	1.63	1.69	0.91
Legon Cities–b	9	7	8	1.42	1.25	1.29
Grenoble–b	15	6	17	1.34	1.16	1.13
Emelec	6	8	7	1.24	1.24	1.19
Freiburg–b	12	7	19	1.13	1.24	1.66
Alebrijes–b	5	5	8	1.11	1.33	1.39
Ross County–b	6	4	12	1.00	1.23	1.50
Vozdovac–b	4	3	11	0.83	0.67	1.65
Montana–b	0	0	0	—	—	—

Table Updated 6/22/23
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Thursday, July 6th

Minnesota Aurora v. Chicago City SC (F–Playoffs)

Friday, July 7th

Saturday, July 8th

Minnesota United v. Austin FC (M)

Sunday, July 9th

Rosenborg v. Lillestrom (M)

USL-W 2nd Round Playoff (Minnesota/Chicago winner versus Flint City/Indy XI winner)

Gold Cup 2nd Round (with Canada’s Bootroom connection, and Kemar Lawrence in action)

Monday, July 10th

Tuesday, July 11th

Wednesday, July 12th

Sporting Cristal v. Emelec (M-Copa)

Houston Dynamo v. Minnesota United (M)

Plus tracking results for Gold Cup matches and the impending Women’s World Cup.

Boys Talk: Loons v Timbers

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

Alex has thoughts after seeing the Loons play well, Foul a lot, and score a little

Please enjoy another installment of match analysis by toddlers.

Nobel FC: Giorgios Seferis

July 1, 2023July 1, 2023 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Background

The winner of the 1963 Nobel Prize in Literature, Giorgios Seferis was often a stranger in a strange land (not unlike the wandering heroes of Greek legend). From a childhood in Smyrna that was marked by a Greek invasion of the Ottoman empire, Seferis moved to France to study law and poetry, then back to Greece to help the government. When World War II broke out, Seferis helped the government in exile and then continued a long career as a diplomat around Europe. The award gave particular citation to ” his eminent lyrical writing, inspired by a deep feeling for the Hellenic world of culture” (Nobel Prize site)

Works

From: “Erotikos Logos Pt. V”

On the stone of patience we wait for the miracle
that opens the heavens and makes all things possible
we wait for the herald as in the ancient drama
at the moment when the open roses of twilight

disappear…Red rose of the wind and of fate,
you remained in memory only, a heavy rhythm
rose of the night, you passed, undulating purple
undulation of the sea…The world is simple
–1930

From: “The Light”

As the years go by
the judges who condemn you grow in number;
as the years go by and you converse with fewer voices,
you see the sun with different eyes:
you know that those who stayed behind were deceiving you
the delirium of flesh, the lovely dance
that ends in nakedness.

–1946

Message

I had never heard of Seferis before, I found him for this project. So it was kind of amazing when I found a collection of his poems from Edmund Keely and Phillip Sherrard that included this line: “”The distinguishing attribute of Seferis’ genius–one that he shares with Yeats and Eliot–has always been his ability to make out of local politics, out of personal history or mythology, some sort of general statement or metaphor.”

I mean, how amazingly convenient that Seferis shares a stylistic trait with the other two poets I wrote about this year.

Also, how…uh…underwhelming it made this feel.

It’s certainly not bad poetry. Believe me, I write bad poetry, this ain’t it. It’s just very familiar. Reading all these poems gave me a sense that Seferis has a sense of history that justifies the modern sensibility of somber doom. Lots of poets allude to mythology and history, but few of them have the personal and cultural connection that Seferis has. The examples I gave above capture that whatever we feel now, will fade and vanish. He’s able to bring that out in other poems by evoking forgotten Kings in tossed off lines of the Iliad, or empires that crumbled. I didn’t see as much of the “genius [or] personal history” use that Keely and Sherrard did, but the overriding general statement of our present as an echo of our past certainly came through.

Position:

Given that Seferis has some clear comparisons with Yeats and Eliot, it was easy to see him as a defender. The common perception of Greek football as extremely defensive didn’t hurt matters either. But for me, there was something that didn’t quite fit with Seferis being an outfield player. Certainly, outside backs can get a little wild and wander through things (just as Seferis wanders through centuries of Greek history) but to me, he seemed less like an outfield player and more of a goalkeeper. He seems to alternate between letting his mind wander and suddenly feeling an impending sense of doom…as I expect goalkeepers far removed from action often would. And given his fondness for mythology and closeness to the Mediterranean I thought he fit best as part of FK Vozdovac (hence the red and white shield provided here).

What do you think? Greek scholars, I’m looking particularly at you as I’m a little out of my depth here. Do you have a different view of Greek soccer than I do, please bring on the corrections!

Not to give too much away, but after all these defensive writers, I’m excited for the next one to shake things up a bit…

Next Time: 1983 Honoree–William Golding

Week 26: Staycation the First

June 29, 2023June 29, 2023 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recap

Rosenborg BK 2 – 0 Asane (F)

Rosenborg combined for two goals in the first half as the center of the attack was able to connect more effectively. The team held on for the rest of the match.

Real Salt Lake 2 – 2 Minnesota United (M)

The Loons combined for two goals in the first half with Emanuel Reynoso having an immediate impact in his return to the starting line up (and strong showings by both Hasani Dotson and Jeong Sang-Bin). But team was not able to hold on for the rest of the match, giving up two goals in the last 11 minutes (plus stoppage time) to turn an excellent road win into an acceptable road draw.

Bavarian United 0 – 2 Minnesota Aurora (F)

Aurora completed their biggest road trip of the year with another win, another pair of goals for Maya Hansen and another Heartland Division title (their second in as many years)

Rosenborg 0 – 3 Sarpsborg 08 (M)

The other team from Trondheim did not seem to have much of anything in this match as they defended as best they could, and saw Sarpsborg stride forward with purpose and intensity and Rosenborg was…there.

Emelec 2 – 1 Danubio (M-Copa Sudamericana)

Los Bombillos continue to save their best showings for the continental competition (though if they keep doing so, they may not qualify for next year’s competitions). They applied tremendous pressure throughout the match and it was a particularly great game for fullbacks as Bryan Carabali got a goal and Romario Caicedo notched an assist. They will move on to the knockout stages.

News & Notes

Weekly Kids Highlights

We were on a family staycation at your grandparents this week, so Alex was out of action for his regular Sunday practice. However both boys have taken to wrestling and punching…so…

Gold Cup-Date

Several Loons players are still on international duty (heh-heh, duty sounds like doody) at the Gold Cup, North America’s big international tournament. Dayne St. Clair didn’t start for Canada, but after Milan Borjan gave up two more goals to Guadaloupe, maybe it’s time for a change between the posts.

Joseph Rosales was on the struggling side of a 4-0 drubbing by Mexico. Kemar Lawrence came on for the second half for Jamaica against the United States, but the Reggae Boyz gave up a late equalizer to fall short of an epic upset.

Transfer Time

Every team is looking to upgrade in the summer season and ours have been impressively active.

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Start with the Loons, whose offense I have bemoaned a fair few times. They responded by getting Robin Lod’s teammate and Norwich’s favorite Fin Teemu Puuki. So hopefully he and Bebelo are able to get together quickly to pull the Loons back into contention.

Freiburg has continued their routine of selling high and buying low, as long as the premier league continues to offer big sums, the Griffins will keep taking them and reinvesting in the next generation. As in addition to the Austrian Adamu they grabbed a replacement goalie in old pal Florian Muller.

Vozdovac and Ross County have trended to younger academy players, but the Dragons did bring in former Red Star defender Aleksandar Lukic, and the Stags grabbed recent thistle in their sides, Kyle Turner (because he played for Partick Thistle in the playoffs just a few weeks ago…get it?) and left back Josh Reid who just missed a trip to the Premier League with Coventry City. Unfortunately the Stags also said goodbye to stalwart defender Alex Iacovitti, so there will be some shoes to fill.

RBK’s Finances

I don’t much like writing about the business side of soccer, because (1) I don’t understand it and (2) I have no idea how to work it into life lessons for you boys. But it seems relevant at this point because, apparently Rosenborg’s women’s side has suffered financially in the last year, and the Norwegian Federation is worried about their ability to stay afloat. (I’m not quite sure why they’re struggling, they’ve been consistently one of the best teams in the country, the stands at Koateng arena are usually full, but like I said…I don’t understand a lot of the business stuff.) As a result they have been docked a point in the league dropping them further behind Valerenga…but I don’t have to do that, and I won’t.

Player of the Week

Her hat trick could have been rewarded last week, but there was a bigger point to make by standing with her fellow defender. But after another clean sheet boosting the best defense in our table, Sara Horte you are our player of the week.

Standing

Emelec will get a much needed break after their Copa Sudamericana tie this week and then it’ll be a summer of Minnesota and Rosenborg! (And a summer where Punjab keeps looking over their shoulders)

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
Punjab–b	12	2	3	2.24	2.29	0.94
Minnesota	16	5	7	1.89	2.39	1.14
Rosenborg	15	6	10	1.65	1.74	0.90
Legon Cities–b	9	7	8	1.42	1.25	1.29
Grenoble–b	15	6	17	1.34	1.16	1.13
Emelec	5	8	7	1.15	1.20	1.20
Freiburg–b	12	7	19	1.13	1.24	1.66
Alebrijes–b	5	5	8	1.11	1.33	1.39
Ross County–b	6	4	12	1.00	1.23	1.50
Vozdovac–b	4	3	11	0.83	0.67	1.65
Montana–b	0	0	0	—	—	—

Table Updated 6/22/23
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Thursday, June 29th

Green Bay Glory v. Minnesota Aurora (F)

Friday, June 30th

Saturday, July 1st

Roa v. Rosenborg BK (F)

Minnesota United v. Portland Timbers (M)

Minnesota Aurora v. Chicago City SC (F)

Sunday, July 2nd

Aalesund v. Rosenborg (M)