Catching up with the Cup: 2025

December 30, 2025 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Disclosure

Once again, attempts to keep up on these tactical components did not go well. As I work on direct, specific, and simple apologies: I’m sorry.

Moving on!

Here are the final standings for this year’s MacKenzie Cup from 11th to 1st

11th) Legon Cities

An Explanation:

Legon faced one of the most chaotic seasons in the 6 years of this project, and I should try to explain why:

I try not to write much about owners. The wealthy and powerful already get more than enough attention, and, having been a Minnesota Twins fan, I know that obsessing over the whims of multi-millionaires is an exercise in futility.

But, the owner of Legon Cities requires a little attention.

Richard Attipoe bought Wa All-Stars after a title winning campaign and moved them to Legon, connecting them with a bunch of Accra celebrities to capture attention, followers, and ticket sales. Not so much to win matches. After battling against relegation for several years, the Royals finally fell to the second division last spring. In response, Mr. Attipoe went out and bought a newly promoted team (Eleven Wonders) and moved THEM to Legon, giving them the same kit and asking to call them the New Legon Cities (despite the old Legon Cities still playing in the second division).

So, which is Legon Cities? The Premier League Legon Cities (aka 11 Wonders in some new laundry), or the Original Legon Cities (wallowing in the second division)? I asked Legon Cities directly and a facebook fan group…but haven’t heard anything yet…so…I’m going to count both of them as best I can.

Results

Premier League: W 1 – D 3 – L 12; GF: 9/GA: 23

Division 1: W 1 – D 2 – L 10; GF: 11/GA: 29

Total: W 2- D 5 – L 22; GF 20/ GA: 52

Great Players:

Midfielder Matthew Amponseh (who has more goals in half as many minutes as the other strikers on the moribund Royals/Wonders side).

Quick Notes:

After opening their Division 1 campaign with all three points, the Division 1 Royals only have two more from the following 12.

Things are a little better for the Eleven Wonders who have won and drawn within their last five games…but they also haven’t done much of anything else and remain the poorest performers (both in goals for and goals against) and sit well adrift of the rest of the league.

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10) Alebrijes de Oaxaca

Results

W 3 – D 4 – L 7 GF: 16/GA: 25

Great Players:

Julio Cesar Cruz (Forward), Sergio Meza (Wing), Hector Mascorro (CM), Fernando Morales (CB)

Quick Notes:

New season…same Alebrijes. The goals are in short supply with Julio Cesar Cruz trying to carry the whole load while Fernando Morales tries to anchor a defense that can’t make up for a lower than average attack. The team benefitted from Hector Mascorro taking a more aggressive role in the defense to stop attacks before they start. But there’s a lot more to do before Alebrijes rejoins the top contenders.

9 )Ross County

Results

W 6 – D 8 – L 11; GF: 36 /GA: 40

Great Players:

Akil Wright (WB), Ronan Hale (ST/W), Trevor Carson (GK),

Quick Notes:

A blugenoning of Edinburgh City wasn’t enough to save a League Cup campaign. (They had been successful in recent years, with a few trips to the knockout stages, but a particularly bitter defeat to highland rival Partick Thistle ended that hope). But the Staggies have done quite well in other cup competitions, handling their business in both the League Cup and the Challenge Cup.

However, things have been far less impressive within the league. Four of the Stags six wins came in cups and tournaments, but only two have come in the league. While the other relegated side (St. Johnstone) looks likely to return to the premier league, County is facing another relegation five points away from the automatic trap door (this after they shoved another manager, Tony Docherty, down their own trap door)

8) Emelec

Results

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Masculino: W 10 – D 4 – L 8; GF 29/GA: 28
Feminina: W 0 – D 3 – L 1 ; GF 2 /GA: 3

Total: W 10 – D 7 – L 9; GF 31/GA: 31

Great Players

Romario Caicedo (FB), Pedro Ortiz (GK), Facundo Castelli (ST), Jose Cevallos (CM), Jesus Castillo (FB)

Quick Notes:

A good run of form in July helped the men’s team climb up the table, but what kept them going strong was a new running partner for Romario Caicedo. Jesus Castillo’s ability to advance down the field gave the team a boost in attack, even while they continued to struggle in converting goals. The ultimate outcome put Emelec solidly in the middle of the table.

Throughout the summer, Las Femininas seemed to be getting their feet underneath them in the Superliga. After a rocky beginning, the steady run of draws (while not inspiring) was a good sign and demonstrated how consistently the defense has played. Over the season the women ranked 8th in goals allowed, but 10th in offense and 10th place is where they finished. If they had a league average offense their goal difference would have put them around 6th or 7th. The club stayed afloat, and now has a clear objective going into next season…if only there were some team full of excellent amateur attacking players Emelec could contact (cou*AURORA*gh!)

7) Punjab

An Explanation

Punjab FC did not start their season in September, but no one else did either. It appears that India’s top soccer league is on the brink of collapse thanks to everybody’s favorite reason: corporate conflicts.

An answer everyone who has been in India recognizes as “yes…or no…I don’t really want to say”

In basic summary: the regular league sponsors felt they didn’t get enough return on their ten years of investment, and the football federation didn’t have a backup in place. Without the money, the league couldn’t start and no one could agree on who could foot the bill. A new corporate entity? The Indian Government? The clubs themselves? We’re currently about to enter month four of a freeze on the league, and one club (Odisha FC) has already shuttered their doors for the year. Some have suggested the league can start up again in February playing in a few closely situated stadia…so is that the plan? Will it happen…?

Results

W 3 – D 2 – L 2; GF 9 /GA: 5

Great Players:

Pramveer (D), Ninthoi Meethi (W), Ricky Shambong (MF), Samir Zjelkovic (D)

Quick Notes:

The summer challenge of the Durand Cup was not what the Lions had in mind for their new rebrand (seriously…we’re an orange side…why are we not the Tigers?) A scramble in the late second half helped them scrape a win in extra time over Karbi Anglong Morning Star, and they didn’t score again: tying with the Indo-Tibetan Police team (having lived near that border, I can vouch for it being excellent for altitude training), and then a defeat to Bodoland FC knocked them out. After making the knockouts last year, this was disappointing. But the two goal scorers are each just 18 (including center back Pramveer), so that’s a plus for the youth movement.

Then came the awkward confrontation between tournament organizers, the government, and clubs themselves, and Punjab could only take the field for the Super Cup in November. There they looked much more like the dangerous side they had been in the I-League, with two 3-0 wins in the group stages and a strong defense propelling them through a shootout to the semi-finals.

6) Grenoble

Results

Femmes: W 5 – D 1 – L 6; GF: 14/GA: 16
Hommes: W 5 – D 7 – L 6 GF: 20/GA: 22

Total: W 10 – D 8 – L 12 GF: 34 /GA: 38

Great Players

Hommes: Jessy Benet (MF), Theo Valls (MF), Stone Muzalimoja Mambo (CB), Clement Vidal (CB), Mamadou Diop (GK)
Femmes: Laurine Baga (MF), Candice Charbonnier (MF)

Quick Notes:

The first season in Ligue 2 for the women of Grenoble has seen their steady and reliable performance put them in a reliable position to stay up for another season. No one has been setting the league on fire, but Laurine Baga and Candice Charbonnier have continued their strong leadership.

The men are similarly treading water. Over the past five years, no full-time manager has been able to string together a campaign where they get more than 1.5 points per match (that would be winning a majority of their games). In a quest to shake things up, Franck Rizetto tried talismanic captain Jessy Benet as a center back…but then moved him back to midfield immediately netting 3 chances and an assist…so maybe Jessy isn’t the problem. Since then it has been the traditional defensive showcase for les Alpinerres including possibly my new favorite name in the whole of football: Stone Mambo! (Mr. Muzalimoja if you’re an attacker).

5) Freiburg

Results

Herren: W 12 – D 7- L 5; GF 36 /GA: 30
Frauen: W 8 – D 2 – L 6; GF: 32/GA: 25

Total: W 20 – D -9 – L 11; GF: 68/GA: 55

Great Players

Vincenzo Grifo (MF); Matthias Ginter (D); Noah Atubolu (GK); Johan Manzambi (DM)
Lisa Karl (LB), Luca Emily Birkholz (F), Nia Zenk (RB), Leela Egli

Quick Notes:

The Herren have been busy with three competitions running at once: the ever challenging Bundesliga has thrown up a number of strong teams and they’ve only been able a mid-table performance thus far (with an equal number of wins, draws, losses, and goals for and against). But they continue to charge through the German cup (or Pokal) and look like a major threat in the Europa league. The long standing defensive stalwarts continue to carry the squad along, but Noah Atubolu continues to come into his own and at just 20, young Johan Manzambi is proving extremely versatile around the field.

Die Frauen have had another strong if unremarkable campaign firmly in the second-tier of the women’s league in Germany. Alongside the usual suspects have been a horde of talented young women 22 and under. Luca Birkholz has been great up top, while the wings have been the domain of Nia Zenk and Leela Egli (both of whom play with and off of Lisa Karl perfectly). With just 5 points between 8th place and the Europa League position, there’s a lot still to decide for the Griffins.

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4) FK Vozdovac

Results:

W 14 – D 7 – L 5; GF: 41/GA: 15

Great Players:

Lukasin Braunovic (MF); Adonjia Ouanda (RW); Nenad Lukic (CF)

Quick Notes:

Vozdovac has put together their best finish in our MacKenzie Cup competition ever! They set the tone early on with a dominant 7-0 win against FAP, and have continued their upwards trend, sitting in one of the end-of-season championship playoff positions. While Nenad Lukic is in great form as a veteran goal scorer, it’s the young combination of Braunovic and Ouanda who has given the dragons reason to hope of a return to the top flight again.

3) Minnesota

Results:

Loons: W 13 – D 8 – L 10; GF: 43 /GA: 35
Aurora: W 3 – D 0 – L 1 ; GF 5 /GA: 1

Total: W 16 – D 8 – L 11 ; GF: 48/ GA: 36

Great Players:

Tani Oluwaseyi (F); Dayne St. Clair (GK), Robin Lod (MF), Bongokuhle Hlongwane (FB); Anthony Markakis (FB); Carlos Harvey (CB), Adrian Pereya (MF)
Mariah Nguyen (MF) ; Sage Wimes (F)

Quick Notes:

Once again Aurora celebrated an unbeaten regular season, and once again they stormed into the playoffs with sky high expectations. Unfortunately, once again, the winner-take-all mentality of the single-elimination playoffs sent them home before the title could be claimed.

Meanwhile, the vaunted Loons defense came in for some harder times during the summer swoon. Part of that may have had to do with goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair fighting for Canada in the North American Gold Cup, but continued struggles after it derailed a promising League Cup campaign.

The fall saw the team sputter a bit on its way to the playoffs, while it technically had a shot at the top seed until the last three games, it was practically treading water until the final fury against red hot Seattle Sounders (long the Loons bete noir). But two nervy penalty shoot out wins saw the Loons into the second round agains top seeded San Diego, where everything came undone. There’s plenty of bright spots to savor for the team, but there’s a big transition coming as they try to move forward without striker Tani Oluwaseyi (currently seeing time in the Champions’ League), and goal keeper Dayne St. Clair (bound for a partnership with Lionel Messi in Miami (as well as talismans Hasani Dotson and–possibly–Robin Lod).

2) Montana

Results

W 13 – D 6 – L 6 GF: 38/GA: 18

Great Players:

Chloe Seelhoff (MF), Maddie Ditta, Regan Brisendine (MF), Mia Parkhurst, Ashlyn Dvorak (GK)

Quick Notes:

The most dominant team in the MacKenzie Cup competition, and back-to-back winners of the Big Sky/Big Sippy Cup, had an injury plagued season that led to one of their least dominant showings in recent memory. With a mix-matched team, coach Chris Citowicki relied on role players stepping up in big moments and a frenetic home atmosphere during the final playoff push to book the team on another trip to the big dance. The Griz ran into a motivated Washington Huskies side who controlled the flow and put lots of pressure on Ashlyn Dvorak before the Griz broke. It was the first year I didn’t expect a tournament upset for the Griz, but the incredible performance to win the Big Sky crown in front of Montana’s largest ever soccer crowd was worth it!

1) Rosenborg

Results

Menner: W 10 – D 5 – L 9; GF 42 /GA: 13
Kvinner: W 10 – D 2 – L 4; GF 27 /GA: 15

Total: W 20 – D 7 – L 11; GF: 69/ GA: 28

Great Players

Marius Broholm (W), Adrien Periera (LB), Ole Kristiansen Saetnes (CM) Thomas Nemcick (CB); Rebecka Holum (W), Celine Emile Nergard (ST), Oline Brekke Fulgem (CM), Syne Austen (D)

Quick Notes:

The wait for a trophy (beyond the sippy cup) in Trondheim continues.

Once again the women put up a strong showing in the league and the cup (with ANOTHER appearance in the final), but any mis-step is enough to throw the team’s chances for a loop. With a strong creative corps, the big question is if they can work out an equally forceful defense (without having defenders flee for other squads).

Likewise the Men had some truly great moments, but they were often overshadowed by a continual two steps forward-one step back approach to the game. Without Sverre Halseth Nypan (decamped for Manchester) the offense grew a little better rounded, but more inconsistent.

While it’s clear the team would prefer to win a trophy that isn’t completely imaginary, we are happy to welcome them back to the top of our trifling table for their first Sippy Cup in 3 years, allowing them to equal the Griz for the most Sippy Cups in MacKenzie Family History.

Alongside the final trophy, here are the final standings for all you number lovers out there.

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
Rosenborg	35	13	17	1.82	2.34	0.66
Montana	13	6	6	1.80	1.24	0.52
Minnesota	32	15	15	1.79	1.58	0.94
Vozdovac	19	6	8	1.70	1.33	0.67
Freiburg	33	16	20	1.67	1.70	1.29
Grenoble	27	15	9	1.57	1.34	1.08
Punjab	6	5	9	1.15	1.35	1.25
Emelec	18	14	29	1.11	0.90	1.51
Ross County	11	12	13	0.98	1.28	1.65
Alebrijes	4	6	18	0.64	1.04	1.96
Legon Cities	6	7	35	0.52	0.69	1.71

Table Updated 12/30/2025

And here’s this year’s Best XI featuring many players taking a final bow before they head off to bigger clubs, and the indomitable midfield of Vincenzo Grifo and Jessy Benet

Will a new team take the title in 2026? Can the Loons and Aurora finally break through? Is Vozdovac on the cusp of an epic run? Will something radically alter the fortunes of Ross County, Alebrijes and the purgatory of Punjab? Can Richard Appoie just buy every Ghanaian team until it’s Legon Cities v. Legon Cities for ever?

Catching up with the Cup: Spring 2025

June 27, 2025 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Disclosure

Okay, so I started with 11 teams that I would write about because it seemed a good way to keep me writing consistently.

For 3 years, I kept up with that pretty well. But in the last two it’s been an absolute non-starter. Knowing that there are LOTS of other places to find scores and analysis, I’m willing to let go of the weekly or even monthly writing…but I really don’t want to forget about the joy of following teams and finding things to learn about and love.

So! Here’s my new model for the MacKenzie Cup: I’ll summarize team records and name a few great players while trying to keep myself to 1-2 sentences and I’ll post about it at key moments in the season to wit

1 post in May/June to cover the end of the European seasons (and start of the others); 1 post in August/September to cover the summer season and changes; 1 post in December to recap the year and crown the champion! So, with that! Here’s the spring summary for our Favorite XIs. (All results from 2/11/2025-6/27/2025)

Minnesota

Results:

Loons: W 9 – D 6- L 4 GF: 31/GA: 21;
Aurora: W 9 – D 2- L 0; GF 27/GA: 4

Total: W 16 – D 7 – L 4; GF: 50/ GA: 22

Great Players:

Tani Oluwaseyi (F); Dayne St. Clair (GK), Robin Lod (MF), Bongokuhle Hlongwane (FB);
Cat Rapp (F–5 goals); Charley Boone (D mastermind); Natalie Tavana (M)

Quick Notes:

The Loons have quietly turned into a premier team in the Western Conference by virtue of hard nosed defense led by Canada’s national goalkeeper: Dayne St. Clair, and the dynamic trio of Jaoquin Pereyra, Tani Oluwaseyi (another Canuck), and Kelvin Yeboah. While the Loons are doing America’s Canada proud, Aurora have been no slouches topping their table again with a ridonkulous goal differential led by Cat Rapp but anchored by one of our favorite Grizz now favorite Aurora Charley Boone! (There have been lots of great moments, but you can’t top our favorite player scoring an amazing goal and celebrating with his baby brother visiting from South Africa.)

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Montana

Quick Notes:

The Griz focused on their school work this spring (as per usual) but had fun in training and was recognized as one of 10 programs in the nation (out of 1830 total) to win the United Soccer Coaches Team Pinnacle Award. It honors teams with a 75% winning percentage, superb academics (3.62 GPA) and excellent ethics (ie not drawing cards and penalties). Only 3 teams (men and womens) in the top Collegiate division (560 teams) won the award…the other women’s team? Fancy Pants Braniacs and National Championship contender: Stanford.

Oaxaca

Results

W 1 – D 2 – L 7 GF: 11/GA: 23

Great Players:

Hector Mascorra (MF); Edson Santos (LB)

Quick Notes:

I genuinely don’t know what has happened to Oaxaca of late. The consistent shellacking they received this spring is slightly impressive just in terms of its consistency. At this point there has to be some major changes made to funding or team building or literally everything to see the team change before the next campaign kicks off.

Emelec

Results

Masculino: W 4 – D 6 – L 7; GF 12 /GA: 21
Feminino: W 4 – D 1 – L 13; GF 12/GA: 40

Total: W 8 – D 7- L 20; GF 24/GA: 61

Great Players

Romario Caicedo (FB), Pedro Ortiz (GK), Facundo Castelli (ST)
Melanie Orbia (AM), Kiara Contreras (ST), Domenica Castillo (MF)

Quick Notes:

Halfway through their season, Emelec’s men are once again struggling to meet the expectations of the club and its fans. They seem anchored among the bottom four of the table, though a fortunate return to form for Keeper Pedro Ortiz has them hopeful of righting the ship if they can ever get the attack working beyond Facundo Castelli. Meanwhile, the women’s step up to the Superiga Feminina has brought challenges on both sides of the ball, but the teamwork and dedication has remained steady. Melanie Orbia seems to be the least intimidated of the newly minted top division players with several of the vital goals, she’ll need to be on her game to keep them out of relegation danger.

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Legon

Results

W 2 – D 2 – L 11; GF 9 /GA: 27

Great Players

Frank Akoto (CB), Mohammed Alidu (CM)

Quick Notes:

After dodging the drop for the whole time we’ve covered them, the bell tolled for Legon at the end of this season. A dismal run of form sealed an already shaky season, and now that the team is poised to lose their midfield core (Alidu) and other vital players to local rivals Hearts of Oak (including returning legend Jonah Attaquaye) while also being hit with a transfer ban and possible point penalty for unpaid wages means the squad is in a dire situation and some have suggested moving the team back to Wa.

FK Vozdovac

Results:

6/23 (between seasons): W 5 – D 9 – L 3; GF: 16 /GA: 14

Great Players:

Bogdan Petrovic (F), Milan Kolarevic (LW), Mihajlo Milosavic (AM), Danilo Knezivic (DM), Nikola Jankovic (RB)

Quick Notes:

Having dropped into the second division last season, the Red Dragons needed to rediscover their confidence, and it certainly helped to have Bogdan Petrovic lead the charge with 13 goals (good for 2nd place in the league’s golden boot race). But as effective as Petrovic was, the team seemed most effective when Mihajlo Milosavic and Danilo Knezivic were at their best (their decisive loss to Macva that sealed a spot outside of promotion did not have Knezivic in the side…just saying).

Freiburg

Results

Herren: W 6 – D 4 – L 4; GF 21 /GA: 18
Frauen: W 5 – D 3 – L 1; GF 14 /GA: 9

Total: W 11 – D 7 – L 5; GF: 45/GA: 27

Great Players

Vincenzo Grifo (MF); Ritsu Doan (W), Noah Atubolu (GK);
Cora Zicai (W), Selina Vobian (W), Lisa Karl (LB)

Quick Notes:

Freiburg was in the hunt for a Champions’ League spot until the final day of the season when a loss to Frankfurt allowed (Alex’s favorite) Dortmund to slip in tot he final spot. Still it was a great first season for Julian Schuster taking over the reigns from Christian Streich…unfortunately some of the most superb showings of the season may be headed out the door as bigger clubs come knocking (notably Frankfurt for Ritsu Doan and AC Milan for Noah Atubolu). Meanwhile the Frauen had an excellent run of form in the spring, going unbeaten for over two months as the left flank of Lisa Karl and Cora Zicai handled everything they were asked to do and more. The ladies of the black forest are still trying to crack the top three of the league, but they continue to show formidable reserve.

Rosenborg

Results

(6/26) Menner: W 10 – D 5 – L 2; GF 38 /GA: 15
(6/26) Kvinner: W 13 – D 1 – L 3; GF 45 /GA: 15

Total: W 20 – D 6 – L 5; GF: 83/ GA: 30

Great Players

Marius Broholm (W), Adrien Periera (LB), Thomas Nemcick (CB), Sverre Halseth Nypan (CM); Rebecka Holum (W), Celine Emile Nergard (ST), Oline Brekke Fulgem (CM)

Quick Notes:

Reports of the men’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. After a few years of wandering in the wilderness, they are back in the European qualification spots, and owe it largely to a youth movement that may be about to bear even bigger dividends in selling top talents to major clubs around the world (the big buzz isi Sverre Halseth Nypan going to learn from Norwegian giant Erling Haaland in Manchester), but the team’s real strength this season has been the defense which has locked down opponents for the second fewest goals (the leader has played three fewer games).

While the youth took over the men’s team, the women’s side has relied on some more practiced hands…or feet. Striking tandem: Rebecka Holum and Celine Emile Nergard have been a great one-two punch for the Trolljenta with Oline Brekke Fulgem serving as the primary driver of the midfield engine. Sadly, the top two teams (Brann and Valerenga) appear to have run away from the rest of the division, so despite a great showing the long quest for a league championship looks likely to continue into next season. (*Note: I wrote this hoping to reverse jinx the team and put them in line for a trophy…but now that I’ve said that…oh never mind)

Ross County

Results

W 3 – D 3 – L 9; GF 16 /GA: 23

Great Players:

Jordan Amissah (GK), Kacper Lopata (CB), Akil Wright (WB)

Quick Notes:

It must be said that County had been playing with fire for several years now and they finally got burnt to the ground, dropping out of the Premiership in their third trip to the playoffs. They didn’t win a game after March, and while the defense was able to keep them competitive, the absolute disappearance of the attack doomed their hopes of staying in the top tier. Of course, the last time they dropped down they popped right back up again as the top team in the Championship…so here’s hoping to another quick return.

Grenoble

Results

Women: W 9 – D 2 – L 1 GF: 23/GA: 7
Men: W 4 – D 3 – L 5 GF: 17/GA: 17

Total: W 13- D 5 – L 6 GF: 40/GA 24

Great Players

Women: Julie Tissino (GK), Romane Pilot (DF), Elsa Domenjoud (DF), Laurine Baga (MF), Melanie Chabrier (F)
Men: Jessy Bennet (MF), Theo Valls (MF), Shaq Delop (WB), Allain Tchaptchet (CB)

Quick Notes:

The big headline belongs to the ladies of the Alps who captured their long deserved Division 3 Trophy and celebrated with an even more well earned party! The promotion was pegged to the defense as Julie Tissino allowed only 14 goals, 11 fewer than their next closest competitor (with credit also due to captain Elsa Domenjoud and veteran defender Romane Pilot), while Laurine Baga ran the offense in midfield.

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Once again, the men’s team had a change in management (though I remain uncontacted…hint), but ever present in the teams consistently competent production was Jessy Bennet, this time bolstered by a defensive duo of Allain Tchaptchet (handling everything in the air) and Shaquil Delos (handling most of the attacks form the wings).

Punjab

Results

W 2 – D 1 – L 4; GF 12 /GA: 10

Great Players:

Ezequiel Vidal (W), Nikhil Prabhu (CM/CB), Tekcham Singh (LB)

Quick Notes:

The Lions of Punjab (via Delhi) had a rough go of their last few matches this season. A three match losing streak, struggling without Luka Macjen or Filip Mrzljak, saw them fall out of the playoff spots and settle in a tenth position. They showed good work in the Super Cup with Ezequiel Vidal helping them to the quarter finals where they fell to eventual Cup Winner FC Goa.

Catching Up with the Kids: Emelec

September 18, 2024 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

This is it…my last Catch Up post!!

Well…except for the fact that I started these in August and it’s now mid-September…so I’ll need to do another one to capture all the results for teams I recapped back before the fall started.

I’m going to do it…seriously…I promise you random reader who clearly doesn’t open the link in their email notifications of posts…I’ll be better!!

Match Results: 10 W – 7 D – 6 L ; 22 GF / 19 GA

Men: 8 W – 7 D – 6 L; 21 GF/ 20 GA

While they were in sixth for the first half of the 2024 campaign. It might have been better, but the team suffered a downpour of draws, including three match ups against teams who finished ahead of them in the standings. One goal in each of those matches, and they would have finished tied for first place.

The fall season however, has not been nearly as productive with twice the number of losses as the spring in half the games.

Women: 2 W – 0 D – 0 L; 4 GF/ 1 GA

Electricas just kicked off, which is frankly a relief as Ia dearth of news, posts and updates meant the season had been cancelled, or worse, the women’s team had folded.

Instead, absence simply made the heart grow fonder. While it’s still early going, the women’s side has picked up where they left off, dominating the local league with two wins from two matches, including goals for old friend Kerly Corozo, new friend Angela Suarez, and a pair of goals for Alison Ochoa who seems to have the most effective leaning shot imaginable. (Also, thank you Emelec for posting highlights!)

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Star Players:

Aside from our usual favorites (Alison Ochoa (obviously), Goalie Pedro Ortiz, and full back Romario Caicedo), Facundo Castelli stepped up as the goal scoring target in the spring. Marcelo Meli served as the fulcrum for the attack (when it was clicking) and I’m also keen on Ronny Borja who, at just 19, is holding down at defensive midfield.

Catching Up with the Kids: Alebrijes

September 15, 2024September 14, 2024 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

In the long run of time between posting match recaps, I had many pings and doots on my phone to announce scores. Most of the time, I checked the screen to look for news, but, if I’m honest, when Alebrijes were in action, each ping felt more likely than not to bring news of another goal given up. But was that really the case, or was I conditioned to expect it after some seriously rough rounds of action for the Oaxacans?

Match Results: 6 W – 5 D – 8 L; GF 21/ GA 33

The results don’t fully support my anxiety…well.. at least it didn’t in the spring. Alebrijes was pretty even in their results and they even managed to make it to the playoffs where they scored a Quarter Final upset against Cimarrones on penalty kicks. They couldn’t keep the good times rolling in the next round, but after a lot of struggles, it was a nice turn of events.

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This summer into fall however, the ratio of phone alerts to bad news for Oaxaca went back to what I’d expected. Over the first five games of the new season, Alebrijes got one point, scored one goal, and conceded 17. (That includes two separate 6-0 pastings.)

Recently things have been looking up as the squad picked up back-to-back wins including a 1-0 win over top 4 side Venados.

Star Players:

Julio Cruz was the focal point of the attack in the Spring, but as is often the case, the quality of the outcome for Oaxaca begins and ends with the defense. Octavio Paz remains the man between the posts, but the defensive corps in the spring showed some tremendous strength with Fernando Morales and Francisco Lopez offering strength as defensive midfielders and Edson Santos stepping up in the role of a corner back. (Lopez showing was so strong he got poached by regular promotion contenders Venados.)

Obviously the recent season hasn’t been the defense’s finest hour, though part of that comes down to Paz being on the bench, and his replacement ceding 11 of the 12 goals from those twin 6-0 losses.

Catching Up with the Kids: Grenoble

September 14, 2024 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Ok, I’ve said it plenty of times by now: but I really struggled to keep up daily writing routines when I was teaching full time. That’s what happens to me when I spend most of the day supporting 70 other people’s writing, and the rest of it trying to be a parent. Now that I’m back to teaching, I’m back to struggling. But I remain determined that I keep up with a practice that I quite enjoy: writing about sports.

So even when it’s hard, and when it takes me a while to do, I’m going to write updates about the teams I love and their struggles and successes. This time, a trip to the French Alps and Grenoble

Match Results: 14 W – 4 D – 13 L; 47 GF / GA 34

Women’s Results: 9 W – 1 D – 2 L; GF 30 / GA 7

The women of Grenoble had high hopes that they could move up into the second tier of club soccer, and they did just about everything in their power to make that happen. Jade Decilap, Claudia Fabre, Romane Pilot and Melanie Chabrier were the top leaders for the scorers, and Julie Tissino was excellent in goal to give them a chance to win every time out.

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Unfortunately, the two defeats came to the two top sides in their League 3 Pool: Toulouse and Clermont. Those defeats were what left them in third place when the season came to a close. But with the season about to kick off again, hopes are high that this year is THE year for Grenoble.

Men’s Results: 4 W – 3 D – 11 L; GF 17/ GA 27

There’s simply no way to sugar coat this…the Men of Grenoble collapsed. They were vying for promotion in the first half of the season. But as soon as the calendar turned to February they simply could not buy a win. Worse, one abysmal month saw them score 1 goal and give up 8 en route to 5 straight defeats. Suddenly promotion was a fantasy and survival was in question. Vincent Hognon was dumped (understandably so) and Laurent Peyane took over…with just enough change in results to keep the team afloat. Over the summer Oswald Tanchot was given the opportunity to turn things around, and so far things have been…fine. Not good, not bad, just…fine.

Star Players:

The difference makers for les Femmes are the most noteworthy stars: Delicap, Fabre, Pilot and Chabrir are tried and true team leaders, just as Mableu, Nestor, and Jessy Benet have been for the men. While Mathys Touraine had a great season, he was less impressive during the downpour of defeats…but that’s true for everyone. The newest featured star is probably Julie Tissino who anchored the impressive defensive run for the women as well.

Catching Up with the Kids: Vozdovac

September 4, 2024September 2, 2024 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I fully and freely admit when I have fallen down on the job…and while I did in general this spring, with Vozdovac I feel extra guilty.

But rather than turn away or ignore the reality, let’s take a moment to dig in to what happened, and what’s next for the shopping mall Dragons

Match Results: 7 W – 7 D – 15 L; GF 32//GA 37

To begin, you have to know the club’s position coming in to 2024. Vozdovac was never the top dogs, despite playing on the roof of the Stadion Mall, but…they had become a reliable fixture in Serbia’s top flight. Over the first half of the season (Fall 2023) they had 28 points, good enough for 7th place out of 16 teams. Not awe-inspiring…but not out of the usual for the Dragons.

Then…just…oof.

The team said goodbye to the deeply valuable Borisav Burmaz who left for Romania and raked in a million pounds for young Nikola Zeceviv. While the transfers make sense as part of Vozdovac’s long term strategy, they did put a big strain on the team coming into the final stretch of the season…a strain doubled by players having to learn a brand new system when the club parted ways with manager Marko Savic right before the season resumed….and the strain showed.

Suddenly, the steady mid-table side became consistently bad. They netted only two points from 10 matches after getting 28 from the first 20. If they had done what they did before, they’d be back up in the race for European spots…but the bad times just got worse as they faced other relegation teams.

The back breaker was a May defeat to Zelznicar Pancevo. The decisive goal may well have been an own goal incurred by Vozdovac’s midfielder Matija Mitrovic: that goal lost the game…that loss left them one point behind Zelznicar at season’s end…that ended Vozdovac’s run in the top flight (but not Mitrovic, who signed with…[checks notes] Zelznicar…who also hired [checks notes] former Vozdovac boss: Marko Savic (sigh)).

Without the hope (however faint) of European football, Vozdovac ended up having to cut back on players and couldn’t rely on other teams sending players on loan to their team. And yet, the squad looks to be in good shape as they start their season in the second division (aka the Prva Liga Srbija). While the tickets haven’t been great yet (200-300 per game so far), they have won 3, drawn 1 and lost 1 putting them in 4th place (scoring 9 and only ceding 1). Keep this up and the Dragons may soar back into the top flight next year.

Star Players:

This is Junior Flemmings…not a Serbian man with many surprising ‘J’s in his last name.

Jamaican international (and French league loanee) Junior Flemmings was easily the brightest spot during the spring slog. But there were solid showings from Mihajlo Neskovic (winger), and Bogdan Jovic (midfielder) as well as Nikola Djurcic and Vurkasin Djurdjavec in defense. But don’t get too excited…none of them are back for this season…about the only returning players for the dragons are newly deputized strike team of Bogdan Petrovic and Milan Koleravic so…fingers crossed for that.

Catching Up with the Kids: Rosenborg

September 2, 2024 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

It was hard to keep up with these posts when I was teaching full time, but I had hopes of figuring out a system as I prepped for a new school year. I did my reviews, I caught up on details, and made a full sheet of notes about our frequently victorious team from Norway: Rosenborg.

Then…I started preparing for the new school year…and…well…three more weeks went by necessitating still MORE catch up.

Such is the nature of the beast: and here now, a chance to catch up with Rosenborg BK

Match Results: 27 W – 4 D – 17 L; GF 85/GA 55

Women: 15 W -1 D – 6 L; GF 42/GA 20

The reigning cup winners came into the season hoping to finally break the hoodoo around a much deserved League title. And while they certainly look every bit as reliably awesome as usual, it seems to be another year of playing the bridesmaid in the Toppserien.

Simply put the Oslo side Valerenga is too potent having run away with the division a full 17 points ahead of Rosenborg at the time of writing. The black & white side is in danger of slipping to third place overall and ending up outside of European qualification spots as Brann refuses to give them any room for error. (There are still good chances that the team will muster a repeat in the Cup competition as a recent win over Viking has put them back into the Semi-finals in September)

Men: 12 W – 3 D – 11 L; GF 43/GA 35

The Menn were off to a great start in April. Storming through two rounds of the Cup competition, and owning a 3 win, 1 Loss rate in the league. Then May hit and the guys hit the skids, shortly followed by a pretty clear set of selling off established players (including Jayden Nelson, and Leo Cronic), stripping the team down to just the essentials, including a spurt of talented teenagers.

After I made those notes of a rough summer, the team had a tremendous resurgence at the end of August, including bringing back old friend Emil Ceide from the Italian side Sassuolo. But he’s been forced into the role of a super sub while the next generation of young stars bomb up and down the field leading the team to a four match winning-streak.

Star Players:

Sara Horte held down the defense superbly for Rosenborg…which means her defection to Valerenga is bittersweet. She’s looking strong for another run to the title, but she might do it against our prefered side.

Meanwhile the youth movement is in full effect at both clubs with Svarre Halseth Nypan (17), Jesper Reitan Sunde (18), and Marius Broholm (19) leading the men while Froya Brennskag-Dorsin (17) has had superlative moments for the women in a way that reminds us of long-time blog hero: “Julie Blakstad” (cue trumpet fanfare)

Both Men and women do have some reliable veterans showing up as well. Cesilie Andreasenn and Emilie Natunes remain fulcrums of the attack while Rugile Rulyte remains a constat in between the pipes. Meanwhile the men continue to trust Edvard Tagseth, and Ole Christian Saeter to be what they always have been: club legends.

Catching Up with the Kids: Punjab

August 26, 2024 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I never wanted to exercise during the long Indian summers, but I’m not a professional football player. So, let’s catch up with men who were paid to be in good shape and play well: Punjab Football Club.

Match Results: 7 W – 3 D – 5 L; GF 29/ GA 21

The fall of 2023 was a clear step up for the Shers (big cats…like Lions…but…I’m gonna keep saying Tigers). Throughout their first four months in the Indian Super League, Punjab did not play like the team of old. Try as Luka Macjen might he could not be everywhere on the field and the team looked like it would be heading for an ignominous end to a splendid opportunity.

Then came the new year, and French born Madih Talal joined the club immediately exploding with assists and inventive play. Almost instantly the squad doubled their prior win total, and before the season ended they came away with 5 wins in 11 matches, after just 1 in their first 14.

Though the team finished outside of the playoff spots, their huge improvement led to a much needed boost in confidence and set them up for another run. Though Talal and old standby Juan Mera left the team, Luka Macjen returned to be the club’s talisman and buoyed the squad to a tremendous showing in the Durand Cup. (Last year as their first taste of top tier soccer, the Shers looked outclassed: this year they won their group handily, before bowing out to bogey team Mohun Bagun in a penalty shoot out.)

Star Players:

It’s no great surprise that Luka Macjen is at the top of this list…he is talismanic to the point of being Punjab’s most bankable (and memeable asset)

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We also want to shout out the obviously impressive Juan Mera, and the supremely influential Madih Talal but we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the defensive stalwart Nikhil Prabhu.

Catching Up with the Kids: Minnesota

August 24, 2024August 23, 2024 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

So rather than write one post covering six months of eleven teams in action, I’m going to break it up with posts as best as I can, I’ll fill you in on how the games have gone, who has excelled and any other news and stories worth knowing.

Match Results: 20 W – 8 D – 12 L ; GF: 103 GA: 49

Minnesota United: 10 W – 6 D – 11 L; GF: 40 GA: 41

The Loons have veered between world beating confidence and inexplicable distress. At the season’s start, there were some excellent showings despite upheaval in the roster and confusion on the coaching search (more on that in a little bit). But the team came together after the introduction of new manager Eric Ramsay and came into May as one of the top three teams in the Western Conference.

And then the wings fell off the high flying Loons.

That’s not fully accurate: the wings fell off the Loons and caught on fire and crumbled into ash and then got vacuumed up by a strangely aggressive cleaning crew who took them out and spat on them and called them names.

Just in case you think I’m being hyperbolic, please consider that over the first 14 games of the Loons schedule they won 8, drew 4 and only lost twice. But in June and July the Loons only won and drew 2, which means they quadrupled their loss total by dropping 9!

Minnesota Aurora: 10 W – 2 D – 1 L; GF: 63 GA: 8

To the south of St. Paul, Minnesota Aurora continued to light up their competition. They poured in 21 goals over two matches with Kenosha, and another 26 in the four matches against Chicago Dutch Lions and Bavarian United (a side out of Milwaukee).

Once again Aurora seems to be a proving ground for talented young players en route to the professional ranks as they dominate the games and share the love in racking up goals. But, once again, heartbreak awaited them in the knockout stages. Fortunately, instead of getting to the final match before the suffering began, the Minnesota side was dropped out with a sudden shocking twist of fate against Indy Eleven.

Star Players:

Sophie French and Cat Rapp once again dominated defensive lines all throughout the uppermidwest. This year they were helped by newcomer Sage Wimes, and midfield maestros Katie Duong, Addison Weichers and Mariah Nguyen.

The Loons seemed happy to give up the “hope for Reynoso to do something magical” strategy and found a good balance in their team. Tani Oluwaseyi has emerged as another goal scoring threat (even while the boys’ favorite Bongi struggles with lingering injuries). Oluwaseyi even managed to make the Canadian national team alongside permanent highlight reel goalie: Dayne St. Claire. St. Clair had help from Joseph Rosales’ very good defense in the backline and the all around creation and goal scoring accumen of Robin Lod and Hasani Dotson.

Catching Up with the Kids: Freiburg

August 23, 2024August 23, 2024 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Ok, I’ve said it plenty of times by now: but I really struggled to keep up daily writing routines when I was teaching full time. Case in point, I’ve sat down to write about teams half a dozen times during this week of back to school business, but with meetings, plannings and trainings, it’s only now, on Friday night, that I’m actually taking time to write.

With the Bundesliga about to kick off tomorrow, it seemed the ideal time to take a beat and check up on our friends in Freiburg

Match Results: 8 W – 9 D – 15 L; GF 46/ GA 59

Herren: 6 W – 6 D – 8 L; GF 34/GA 36

After years of over achieving and being the sweetest little club in Europe, Freiburg ran smack dab into the buzzsaw that is incessant competition of the high achieving behemoth clubs of Europe. Without an oil magnate or soft drink bottler to buy up fringe players, the Boys of Briegsau were run ragged by the demands of another run in the Europa league. Once again, they faced their bogey team of West Ham United, and, after winning 1-0 at home they were pounded 5-0 in London. Exhausted and worn out they still had the chance to make another run for Europe, but they didn’t have the legs to make it happen. Winning only once in the last two months, they slipped to tenth as they said goodbye to their local legend.

Frauen: 2 W – 3 D – 7 L; GF 12 / GA 23

While the men were struggling down the stretch, the women were…struggling down the stretch. From their usual position just outside the top tier, the Babes of Breigsau lost 6 straight matches to plummet down to the bottom half of the table, finishing 9th overall (yes one spot better than the guys, but also only out of 12 teams, while the men were part of 20).

Star Players:

As ever the standbys of Freiburg’s formidable teams were there: Vincenzo Grifo, Janina Minge, and Hasret Kayici remain stalwarts attacking, scoring, leading. This year their co-stars were a little more varied.

On the defensive side of the ball, Samantha Steuerwald is becoming the women’s defensive dynamo but Marie Mueller played so well in the last part of 2023 as to earn a move to legendary American team The Portland Thorns. Meanwhile Matthias Gunther was clearly valuable, especially as the men’s long slide to struggle coincides with his exit to an injury.

But it was also deeply gratifying to see Ritsu Doan (who we also grew to adore when he was playing for Japan at the World Cup) take the next step up with Freiburg as the most frequent target for Vincenzo Grifo. Ultimately, he couldn’t engineer enough offense to single handedly keep the foxes/griffins in Europe, but he did his darndest.