Aurora managed to balance their attack again with five different goal scorers (including the usual suspects of Cat Rapp, Mariah Nguyen, Hannah Adler, Maya Hansen, and Tiana Harris). These highlights do an excellent job of showcasing Abby Ostrem and Cat Rapp providing passes so dangerous they come with a surgeon general’s warning.
Lyn Football 2 – 0 Rosenborg (F)
Rosenborg took a third defeat this season, a sign that the Toppserien is much more equal than it has been in the past. Though it was a bit surprising that the loss came to Lynn who is currently just above the relegation zone, a rare occurrence as the TrollKvinner tend to drop points to others competing for the title instead. Perhaps this is a sign that the Toppserien has becomemore competitive, and a more competitive league means more fun for everyone
Deportiva Cuenca 3 – 2 Emelec
Los Bombillos wrapped up their spring season with another defeat. They got two goals back from their early goal by Cuenca, but despite Alejandro Cabeza’s best work, Deportiva came back again and Emelec settled into 13th place.
Arna Bjornar 0 – 5 Rosenborg (F–Cup)
Lyn may just have woken up the sleeping giants in Trondheim. Pouring 5 past the weakened Arna-Bjornar side gave them a much needed boost heading into the quarterfinals. The surprising star of the show: Defender Sara Horte, who notched a defender’s hattrick just a few days after being named to Norway’s World Cup team.
After thumping Racine by ten the last time out, the Aurora might have taken their foot off the gas by falling behind early and only scoring two in the first half. And then came six in a row in the second half. Hannah Adler and Kenzie Langdock each got a brace and the team saw Addison Weichers and Arianna Del Moral get goals off the bench.
News & Notes
Weekly Alex Highlights
It seems that big A has discovered a taste for scoring goals (3 of them). It helps when your team wins the game and you finally get a reason to gloat.
I made a lot of fatherly comments about “if you’re happy with how you played then you can always win,” and “I’m just proud that you played well with your teammates and supported them”. Which led to Alex groaning, “ugggh…fine dad, whatever.” (If only there was professional sassing, you’d be a prodigy.)
International Update
Teams are still warming up for the North American Gold Cup, and while he didn’t get on the field in Nations League finals for Canada, Dayne St. Clair will be at the ready for the second tournament.
Obviously, this comes from IMAGO (but it shows Adamu and Gregoritsch so I’m happy to provide a plug)
Fellow goalkeeper Mark Flekken also stayed on the bench for Holland and so did Mathias Ginter for Germany. Michael Gregoritsch and Phillip Lienhart did well in Austria’s Euro Championship qualifiers, getting a draw against Belgium and a win over with Sweden (they may also have made the final pitch to new Freiburg signee/Gregoritsch’s Austrian strike partner Junior Adamu). Roland Sallai wasn’t able to catch fire against Montenegro but did find the net to seal the win against Lithuana.
Beyond the west, Ritsu Doan got a goal in Japan’s drubbing of El Salvador, and Blongokhule Hlongwane put in a solid 15 minutes in South Africa’s win against Morocco, and Michael Boxall…well…
Standing with Boxy
The worst news that came out of this week of international soccer came from our favorite Minnesotan-Kiwi, Michael Boxall.
In the first half of a match against Qatar (yes, the same Qatar I snarked about all last December), Boxall reported being called a racial slur. When referees did nothing about it, the New Zealand team left the field and abandoned the match.
Qatar officials spent a couple days pretending that nothing happened, then claiming that it was just between two players, then claiming that the player in question (Yusuf Abdurisag) was actually the target of a slur from Boxall. Obviously, I’m not in a place to judge something that happened thousands of miles away, but given that New Zealand walked out when they were winning and that Boxall has never been accused of similar actions in six years within one of the most diverse leagues in the world…I have my doubts.
— Séamas Uinseann Mac Aoḋagáin (@MacAodhagainJ) June 20, 2023
It doesn’t mean much, but we also stand with Boxy.
Player of the Week
As we look to honor often over looked talents, it’s worth saying that Boxy has helped lead the third best defense in MLS’ western conference (which would be even better if it didn’t have the 13th offense in the conference). But setting aside the field, Michael Boxall is imminently worthy of being saluted particularly because, in leading a protest, Michael Boxall did so much more than play a soccer game. He showed the kind of character I hope you boys do too.
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 22nd
Friday, June 23rd
Saturday, June 24th
Rosenborg BK v. Asane (F)
Real Salt Lake v. Minnesota United (M)
Bavarian United v. Minnesota Aurora (F)
Sunday, June 25th
Rosenborg v. Sarpsborg 08 (M)
Monday, June 26th
Tuesday, June 27th
Wednesday, June 28th
Emelec v. Danubio (M-Copa Sudamericana)
Plus tracking results for Gold Cup matches and the impending Women’s World Cup.
Emelec is in an odd spot, floundering in the league but competitive in the confederation cup. Few things show that better than making a trip to Buenos Aires and walking out with points despite an absolutely staggering gaffe to give Huracan an early goal. But they fought back with a great volley from Alejandro Cabeza on Bryan Carabali’s cross and Miller Bolanos’ late goal saved the day. But the last fifteen minutes were extra painful, especially for Cabeza who went from winning the match to being sent off after a pair of VAR checks found him both offside and aggressive with the elbows.
Valenciennes 1 – 0 Grenoble (M)
The Alpiners did a fine job of building up out of the back and connecting their attack, but couldn’t get anything across the goal line.
Frankfurt 2 – 1 Freiburg
Freiburg dropped only their second game to teams outside the top 4. Frankfurt came in motivated for a short at the Europa Conference League if they got a strong result and Leverkusen didn’t but this wasn’t enough.
Valerenga 3 – 1Rosenborg BK (F)
The top of the Toppserien turned into a less competitive match than you might expect with the Oslo side beating our girls from Trondheim, and using a five player midfield to overwhelm Rosenborg. It’s already a nine point gap between the top two teams who won’t meet again until November.
Partizan Belgrade 2 – 1 Vozdovac
The Red Dragons wrapped up their season with a predictable loss to one of the bigger Belgrade clubs. Partizan will have to settle for playoffs into the Europa Conference league, but at least Vozdovac don’t serve as a front for facists….yeah, I said it.
Minnesota 1 – 1 Real Salt Lake (M)
The Loons got some help from Real Salt Lake with an own goal only moments after Salt Lake took the lead. Again, they should feel unlucky as they had enough quality to probably score twice on their own, rather than relying on good fortune just to snatch a draw. Bongokhule Hlongwane was dangerous again, Will Trapp and Hasani Dotson boosted the midfield, and Minnesota rejoiced at the news that Emanuel Reynoso was nearing match fitness again.
Minnesota 4 – 0 Chicago Dutch Lions (F)
The Aurora came out with a fury in Chicago, pestering the goal until Kennedy Faulknor notched a gorgeous goal from a long distance shot. From there Maya Hansen and Cat Rapp continued their impressive double act to add another couple goals and put Minnesota in position to run away with their USL-W division again.
Vfl Wolfsburg 2 – 1 SC Freiburg (F)
Wolfsburg continued to be Freiburg’s bete-noir with another win at the griffin’s expense. Judith Steinert got a consolation goal, and the defense again showed some strong skills to keep things pretty close, as the Frauen of the Black Forest settled in their comfortable 6th place position.
Kilmarnock 3 – 1 Ross County
County needed a victory to ensure they’d stay up, there was pressure and intensity galore. And Kilmarnock scored. Then Alex Iacovitti committed a penalty that Kilmarnock converted. With a thoroughly deflated feeling, County did grab a consolation goal through Yan Dhanda’s penalty, but gave another one up shortly after. So, the loss was settled.
Legon Cities 1 – 0 Hearts of Oak
While Hearts of Oak has long been a dominant force in Ghanaian soccer, the upstarts of Legon have often seemed like the little brothers in the greater Accra landscape. But Legon looked great throughout the game, pushing Hearts of Oak around until Kofi Kordzi’s goal slipped through (it was probably the least likely to go in in). The “Phobians” grew into the match in the second half, but Legon’s defense held firm for their first ever win against one of the local league’s giants. (To be fair, Hearts have dropped five of their last six, so it’s maybe not that shocking, but a win is always welcome).
Le Puy Foot 1 – 1 Grenoble Foot (F)
Les Iseroises had a lot of confidence coming into play Le Puy on an excellent winning streak and facing a team who trailed in the table and had lost by two in their prior meeting. But Le Puy did well, the Grenoble side was frustrated and in the end it was only a point…a very…very painful point (see note below)
Brann 3 – 1 Rosenborg (M)
The Trollguter lost again as Carlo Holse has not been able to find the attacking vim he had in the past and Rosenborg’s anemic offense has them down in the unfamiliar territory of 11th place (the same rank as their goals for). This time, only a penalty saved them from getting blanked.
Emelec 0 – 0 Guayaquil City (M)
An unremarkable Guayaquil face off for Emelec has left the side down just one point off the absolute bottom of the table…yeesh.
Austin FC 2 – 1 Minnesota United (M)
Down in the heart of Texas, the Loons have had some strong showings and some suspect ones. They held their own against Austin and (again) could feel unlucky not to have more balls bounce their way (their expected goals were 3, their total goals were 1…that’s unfortunate. Mender Garcia did do an excellent job setting up Joseph Rosales equalizer, but for the first time in a while the defense looked taxed and unable to keep up.
Minnesota Aurora 10 – 0 RKC FC (F)
Honestly, I was a little frustrated preparing for this because I could not figure out RKC FC’s alphabet soup of a name. Turns out the team is from Racine (R) in Kenosha County (KC) and it is a football club (FC). They also have yet to win this season, and facing last year’s finalists…they were not in a good position to change that. Maya Hansen got a hat trick with the help of Cat Rapp’s assists and took over as the club’s all-time leading scorer (though that is only a two year record)
News & Notes
So…how did it go?
Last time we talked through all the permutations and possibilities. Now things are settled, and here’s where we stand
Grenoble: The men have one last game left, but are firmly grounded in the mid table. I thought the ladies were firmly placed in the mid-table, but ended up getting relegated due to a change in the French leagues set-up (see next news).
Vozdovac: The dragons were in the unusual position of knowing as soon as they landed in the top half of the table that they weren’t going to be relegated and they had no chance of topping the league. Still, it was more fun than being constantly afraid.
Freiburg: the women were settled in the mid-table, but the men had an outside chance to join the top sides going to the prestigious Champions’ League. But Eintracht Frankfurt’s victory spoiled those plans and the Griffins are going back to the Europa League (where they looked great until running in to Juventus).
Ross County: The good news, the Staggies aren’t relegated! Bad news…yet…After their loss County will have to take a two leg tie against Partick Thistle to keep their spot in the Premiership.
Wait, wait…what happened to the Grenoble ladies?
I’ll be honest, I was stumped when the Grenoble social media accounts were upset at a 1-1 draw to end the season against Le Puy. Because (silly me) I had neglected to read a memo from the French Football Federation a year ago announcing a change to the league. Instead of two divisions in Ligue 2, there will be only one next year. Grenoble was right on the cusp of qualifying for the redesigned Ligue 2…but the draw left them level with Albi Marsac…but ahead on goals…which didn’t matter as much as the fact that back in September and December they lost to Albi by a total of 3-0.
So…having a better goal difference, a similar offense, a better defense, and a run of six unbeaten…Grenoble is going down to Ligue 3 because of two games in the last calendar year.
Sometimes the rules around this game are dumb. But we can make the best of the bad situation and hope that Grenoble comes out to win Ligue 3 and jump up a level next year.
Bet Pawa Update
The impossible to expect Bet Pawa league in Ghana is two matches away from it’s conclusion and things are becoming much clearer.
Only three teams can win the title (down from 12 two weeks ago), Medeama SC is in the lead with Aduana Stars and Bechem United needing things to break their way. The relegation battle is still wild. Everyone from sixth place Berekum Chelsea down to King Faisal could still be knocked out (including the Royals of Legon). Things should be clearer after the coming weekend when King Faisal must win against the Royals to have a chance of survival, but a win for Legon might make them safe (provided one team ranked 14-16 also loses)
Player of the Week
Maya Hansen has had one heck of a run this past week. With five goals in two matches this week, she’s been vital in making Aurora the familiar indomitable selves. The question may not be: can they win, the question may be “who is going to stop them?”
Standing
Oof , that was a rough…rough…ROUGH week. There were 15 matches, and our favorite teams got 3 wins, 3 draws and 9 defeats. That’s 10 points from a possible 45. If not for Maya Hansen’s dominance and a superb showing by Legon this would have been utterly miserable.
Team
W
D
L
PPG
GFA
GAA
Punjab–b
12
2
3
2.24
2.29
0.94
Rosenborg
10
5
5
1.75
1.50
0.70
Minnesota
8
3
6
1.59
1.35
1.29
Grenoble
15
5
15
1.43
1.23
1.11
Legon Cities
7
7
7
1.33
1.19
1.24
Freiburg
12
7
17
1.19
1.22
1.67
Emelec
4
4
6
1.14
1.14
1.21
Alebrijes–b
5
5
8
1.11
1.33
1.39
Ross County
5
4
10
1.00
1.21
1.42
Vozdovac
4
3
10
0.88
0.65
1.65
Montana–b
0
0
0
—
—
—
Table Updated 5/25/22 b–Team is between seasons
What’s Next
Thursday, June 1st
Stojorsdals Blink v. Rosenborg (M)
Partick Thistle v. Ross County (Premiership Playoff)
Friday, June 2nd
Grenoble v. Guingamp (M)
Saturday, June 3rd
Rosenborg BK v. Brann (F)
Barcelona SC v. Emelec (M)
Minnesota v. Toronto FC (M)
Sunday, June 4th
King Faisal v. Legon Cities
Rosenborg v. HamKam (M)
Rochester FC v. Minnesota (F)
Ross County v. Partick Thistle (Premiership Playoff)
It was not a great start for the Freiburg frauen, but Janina Minge struck an excellent header before the half time whistle to give Freiburg something to dream about. Then Wolfburg did a lot of Wolfburg things all throughout the second half….but thanks for the 20+ minutes of dreaming Janina
Grenoble 1 – 1 Rodez (M)
While Rodez got the first goal, 22 year-old midfielder Baptiste Isola got the equalizer and the Grenoble defensive juggernaut of Mathys Tourraine and Adrien Monfray contained the action there after.
Freiburg 2 – 0 Wolfsburg (M)
Der Herr von Freiburg got revenge on Wolfsburg the day after the cup final. Roland Sallai delivered both assists, and Nils Peterson scored an emotionally charged goal in the strong showing from Freiburg continuing to put pressure on opponents to seal their spot in Europe.
Motherwell 1 – 0 Ross County
The Staggies were in fine shape throughout the match, holding off a Motherwell side that’s the class of the relegation league. Then a late red card and an ugly penalty gave Motherwell the opening they needed to take all three points and arrest the Ross County momentum.
Bechem United 2 – 0 Legon Cities
Bechem United’s two strikes in the first half were more than William Essu could handle. We’ll see how Legon does with the pressure going forward
Universidad Catolica 3 – 2 Emelec
Los Bomillos have not had their usual swagger this spring, as again is evidenced by the penalty ceded to Universidad early on. From there, chasing the matchdid not work out well, and though Alejandro Cabeza and Jhon Sanchez got consolations later on, it wasn’t particularly close.
Portland Timbers 0 – 1 Minnesota (M)
Add another verse to the legend of Bongokhule Hlongwane! Most of this match featured strong defense (thanks again Michael Boxall) and midfield action limiting quality chances. It took until stoppage time to get a goal on the board, and when it came it came from the man who has been at the center of the action for seemingly months: The one they call Bongi.
SC Freiburg 1 – 3 FC Koln (F)
Die Frauen had a hard go of it against Koln (after having an unpleasant experience in Koln during the final earlier in the week). Falling behind quickly led to a four player swap out at half time. And while that did again reward one of our favorite players in Hasret Kayici (who scored in her appearance), it was an underwhelming outing to say the least.
Rosenborg 6 – 0 Avaldsnes (F)
Sometimes, it seems like Rosenborg is working overtime to keep up with the growing intensity of the Toppseiren. Sometimes, it looks like they’re toying with kids. This was a time to toy with others. The Jo-Jos (which is a nickname that looks like a Trader Joe’s cookie, but would be pronounced like one of your favorite spinning toys), Emilie Joramo and Anna Joesendal each scored, and there was a brace from defender Sara Horte to close out the scoring (which seems a little unfair as Horte is approximately 12 feet taller than everyone else…okay that’s a bad approximation, but I’m serious, she dominated).
Vozdovac 1 – 1 Cukaricki
This was a wild one. The opening goal for Cukaricki wasn’t terribly shocking, but then came the second half. It started two goals awarded, and then drawn back for very narrow offsides calls. A series of aggressive tackles led to a red card for Cukaricki (that even I as a Vozdovac supporter, don’t fully believe). And then came a 90th minute equalizer from Danilo Teodorovic that slipped through the other side’s packed back line. Until the final touch: an empty net opportunity for Vozdovac….that they whiffed on.
The score doesn’t tell the whole story.
Grenoble Foot 3 – 1 Yzeure Allier (F)
Melanie Charber and Florsie Joseph struck again to let les Iserois close out their home schedule with a strong win. That makes it 5 in a row for the ladies of the mountains, and with one match left, they can hold their heads high however it turns out
Houston Dynamo 4 – 0 Minnesota United (M-Cup)
The Loons had an ugly outing in the last sixteen of the US Open Cup. After beating Philadelphia in a thrilling match, going to Houston might have been a let down, but maybe not a Kervin-Arriaga-gets-a-first-half-red-card-and-the-team-is-too-short-handed-to-stop-Houston’s attack, sized let down.
Trygg Lade 0 – 1 Rosenborg (M–Cup)
Agon Sadiku struck early and Rosenborg had everything they needed to beat the little neighbor kids from down the road in Trondhiem. Would have been nice if they’d taught that to the bigger kids (including Uncle Matt) who whooped me in every competition imaginable.
Ross County 3 – 3 St. Johnstone
It sure seemed like Ross County saw how wild Vozdovac’s game got and promptly decided, “hey, hold my dram”. The match started out with a St. Johnstone taking advantage of some miscues and opening up a two goal lead. When suddenly, shockingly, County roared back. A penalty of their own opened the scoring, then Jordan White equalized and then, in the 90th minute, Jack Baldwin got the glorious go-ahead goal for joyous celebrations from the Jail End supporters, and then…after five minutes of stoppage time, St. Johnstone leveled it up again!
Minnesota Aurora 5 – 0 Rochester FC (F)
This was much more comfortable than the wildness of Dingwall earlier in the day. Cat Rapp found the net twice and Maya Hansen continued to show strong form at the top of the attack. Rochester’s new to this, but it was a pretty impressive day none the less.
News & Notes
Our Boy is a Number 10!
After his first soccer practice, Alex came home with a number 10 jersey. I immediately imagined him becoming the American Messi, or better still an American Attaquaye. In reality, he grabbed a shirt from a pile, and he was much happier revealing his shin guards than anything else. So, everybody wins. (He also just graduated from Pre-school, or as he put it “I’m going to Kindergarten and then on and on and on and on”).
Griz Soccer Schedule
Most teams just look at the schedule to see when they play their fiercest rivals, and how the sequence of matches could play out. But college sports are a special (strange) beast. In addition to playing the teams in your league (or conference) you have to fill out your schedule by playing other sides. So a team like Montana, which consistently challenges for the top of the conference can go one of three routes: book a bunch of fairly easy games to have an even better record and show off, book a bunch of hard games against teams to raise your level, or mix the two approaches together.
Coach Chris Citowicki consistently chooses the third option, but has leaned more and more on the harder games. To wit, this year sees the Griz taking on some of the top teams in the Big Ten conference (which actually has like 14 members, but…I digress). This season the Griz will host both Ohio State and the University of Maryland, and go on the road against Oregon State and Oklahoma. There are also matches in the blood feud against North Dakota schools (our dinosaur sites are better than your dinosaur sites!) and the Brawl of the Wild substitute against MSU-Billings near the end of August.
Big news of the day, Part II: You can get your season tickets today!
— Montana Griz Soccer 🐻⚽️ (@MontanaGrizSOC) May 18, 2023
Vielen Dank, Nils!
Nils Peterson is something of a cult hero in Freiburg. He has an uncanny knack for scoring vital goals in the limited time he spends on the pitch. But Peterson’s decided to retire at the end of the season. So, in the final home match of this season, playing in front of the fans who love him, scoring one more time, was a special way to end a career. We only started watching comparatively recently, but we can’t help but agree: thank you Nils!
Down to the wire
As May comes to a close, so too do most of the leagues we follow. This weekend will see the end of the Bundesliga and French Ligue-2s (both for men and women), the Scottish Premiership, and Serbian Premier League. There’s not a lot of drama in these for our sides as both Grenoble teams, and Vozdovac are set for solid but not superb mid-table finishes. Freiburg is guaranteed more European football next year, but doesn’t know yet if they’ll be in the top dog Champion’s League or the Best of the Rest Europa League (given how they performed against the top four in Germany and Juventus, another year in the Europa league feels right). The greatest drama lies in Dingwall, where the Staggies will face Kilmarnock, and after the action on Wednesday, it will mean that a Staggies win will see them safe and Killie into the relegation playoff. A draw or a loss by itself would put County in the relegation playoffs. And a loss coupled with a Dundee United win over Motherwell might (depending on goal totals) push County down to the second tier of Scottish soccer.
The Tightest League no one is talking about
While things are pretty calm in the leagues that end this weekend, that’s not he case in Ghana’s Bet Pawa Premier League. Coming into this weekend’s slate of games, 16 of 18 teams were still at risk of relegation, and 12 teams were still in mathematical contention for the title….which means seven teams could have either won or been knocked out with a month to play. (These numbers will adjust a bit with each week, so we’ll keep an eye on it to see if the drama holds to the very end)
UPDATE: After this weekend’s matches, 9 teams can win the league (not Legon *tear*), and 14 teams can join Kotoku Royals in going down (including the Royals *eep*)…3 matches to go!
Player of the Week
Anna Josensdal was in complete control for Rosenborg this weekend. Though the Kvinner ran out winners with a lot of excellent performances, Josensdal running the show from midfield was a huge factor (and the two goals didn’t hurt either).
Standing
I’m sneaking in this writing after everyone else has gone to bed…tabulating points per game seems a little farther than I’m willing to go…this will be updated in the morning.
Okay, Update time: With another win, the ladies of Grenoble have kept the good times rollingand moved themselves comfortably into fourth place for the moment. The United Minnesota force of the Loons and Aurora nearly caught up with Rosenborg, but then the cup ties happened and the Trolls inched up closer to Punjab.
Emelec had a lead against a dangerous rival in Ecuador’s Serie A early on in the second half, and then it all came undone. Goalscorer Jhon Sanchez drew a red card, and though it took them some time, Independente capitalized…scoring twice in the last 5 minutes of regular time to win the match.
Rosenborg BK 3 – 0 Lyn Football (F)
A week after their first slip of the season, the Trolljenta were back in action. Emilie Joramo opened the scoring (continuing to make defensive midfielders around our leagues look awesome on a great run in combination play), and Emilie Nauntes finally got on the scoresheet but the attack remains unsettled in Trondheim.
Koln 0 – 1 Freiburg (M)
Lucas Holer has been making magic happen with his boots lately, but in this showing he spread the wealth around connecting aon a bit of head to head ping pong with Ritsu Doan to net the winner. The excellent timing kept Freiburg squarely in the conversation for European soccer.
Grenoble 2 – 0 Niort (M)
Les Alpiners have solidified their spot in the middle of the Ligue 2 table (with this win they officially made it impossible to be demoted), but the real focus for this year now needs to be defining who will help lead the team going forward. Mathais Phaeton certainly seems to be Jessy Benet’s new midfield partner in crime and Abdoulie Sanyang threat on the right (complete with goal in this match) makes him a plus too. Keep an eye on the defense which has been stout, and still includes the ever amusing Loic Nestor back heel (setting up the second goal in this match).
Vojvodina 2 – 0 Vozdovac
Back-to-back wins didn’t become a winning streak for the dragons as they fell to Vojvodina (but as this result helped Vojvodina leapfrog the fascists at Partizan Belgrade in the race for European soccer…I’m okay with that.)
Dreams FC 5 – 1 Legon Cities
Welp, there went the Royals’ momentum. The social media team was NOT pleased with the ref, and I can see why: two red cards in the second half was a pretty rock road to hoe. But would it be spring of a Legon season if there wasn’t untoward drama?
And that happened. (Seriously though, Rosenborg’s 3 goals in 4 matches is worryingly poor. Isak Thorvaldsen was pulled after one half and Oscar Aga had more chances but was similarly ineffective. Erlend Reiten and Samuel Rogers have been vital in defense, but they can’t do everything.
Minnesota 0 – 0 Dallas (M)
Speaking of defenders we’re grateful for, in our first match at Allianz field this season we were impressed by Kemar Lawrence. The defender was an absolute bulldozer both with and without the ball, and we know how you boys like bulldozers. Bongokhule Hlongwane and Luis Amarilla tried to be, but found that kicking while falling over doesn’t provide enough power to score.
Avaldsnes 1 – 1 Rosenborg BK
The search for a reliable goal scorer continues. With Celine Nergård netting her first goal of the season, but then leaving with 30 minutes to play. Mixing and matching strikers hasn’t worked yet…but don’t bet against the Trolljenta.
From Dfb.de (Freiburg Falls Down)
Freiburg 1 – 4 RB Leipzig (M-Cup)
Hopes were high for revenge on Red Bull and a return to the dfb Pokal Final. In about twenty minutes hopes were dashed and there was no joy in Freiburg. The two teams play again this weekend…more reason for revenge.
Rosenborg 0 – 2 Brann (M)
Rosenborg’s best work this year has come when the defense is able to be themselves and hold down the fort (thanks again Sam Rogers). So when they drew two yellow cards before the first ten minutes, they were set up to struggle. Sure enough Brann ran straight at them and picked up two goals against the Rosenborg side with 5 yellows before the match was done and dusted.
Guarani 1 -1 Emelec (M-South American Cup)
Alejandro Cabeza consistently appears when Emelec needs him most. Like Batman, only without the dark and brooding backstory. So it was here when he struck late in the second half to salvage a road point in Paraguay.
94 Years ago, American George Capwell started a baseball team with his electrical company. Soon the workers asked to start a football team too, almost a century later, here we are with both men and women playing and exciting people who’ve never even been to Ecuador itself. A testament to what happens when you listen to your workers (this may or may not be thinly veiled suggestion for my employers)
I turn heads of random drivers on Lexington Avenue
A couple of months ago, Alex was sick and throwing up all over the place. On our drive to the Urgent Care, I was stunned to see a Red Chevy with an SC Freiburg Decal. In part because Freiburg isn’t exactly a world renowned side, and also in part because seeing them endorsed on a road firmly within our little corner of St. Paul seemed extremely odd. Eventually Alex felt better, we cleaned the puke out of the car, and I saw the Red Freiburg Chevy a few more times. Finally, this last week, I managed to actually be stopped at a light next to them, urged them to roll down the window and shouted “Freiburg Uber Alles” to a great laugh from the family inside. Love of a favorite team man, it connects people in weird ways and unforeseen places.
Player of the Week
It’s hard to find a lot of comprehensive statistics for defenders. But I generally trust FootMob’s point of view when it comes to overall quality of play. In that regard it’s hard to argue against giving overdue recognition to a new right back (because at some point we come to expect Gaspar, Monfray and Nestor to be awesome). So hat’s off to Mathys Tourraine who certainly fits the mold of Grenoble’s new Dartagnan
Standings
As we come into May we’ve got a lot of teams getting ready for their big final pushes in their domestic seasons. But in the year long MacKenzie Cup we’re not yet half-way through. Grenoble’s improvement for both the men and the women made them the biggest gainers in this week’s standings, while more slips have continued Emelec’s tumble (obligatory reference to Miller Bolanos goes here).
Kotoko might be one of Ghana’s true giants, but Legon always seems up to the challenge. Alex Aso got the equalizer to keep Legon looking tough
Arna-Bjornar 0 – 1 Rosenborg (F)
The Trolljenta got another win but it took a late winner from Emilie Nautnes to snatch the points.
Freiburg 1 – 1 Hertha BSC (M)
The boys of Breisgau haven’t lost domestically in almost two months, but that’s come with a lot of disappointing draws, including this one to relegation battlers Hertha after Vincenzo Grifo got the lead
Vozdovac 0 – 1 Javor
The dragons dropped another home match. I’m not sure what would help make home cooking work for them but they have a long way to go to catch up with the top four sides in Serbia.
Grenoble 2 – 1 Armiens (M)
Jessy Bennet slotted home a first half penalty and nearly scored a very cheeky chip shot. Abdoulie Sanyang got the second half winner, but attention should also be paid to 22 year old Mathys Tourraine who has quickly become a vital cog in both defense and attack for Les Alpiners.
Delfin 3 – 2 Emelec (M)
It was a testy match in Ecuador with three spot kicks given (and all of them converted). Miller Bolaños left room for someone else (Alejandro Cabeza) to score, but he also left the match early due to an injury, which isn’t what you’d hope to see for the clear talisman of the team. Defender Fernando Leon drew a second yellow card to leave the team a man short and ultimately leaven enough room room for Delfín to keep threatening and finally snatch a late winner.
St. Louis City 0 – 1 Minnesota (M)
Both teams came into the match undefeated, but only the visitors left that way. St. Louis had control for most of the match, but when the Loons threatened, they made the most of it. Luis Amarilla smashed in the winning penalty after bottling some strong opportunities. The reinvigorated back line, especially the eternally present Michael Boxall stood tall to stop St Louis from equalizing.
Ross County 0 – 2 Celtic
Within regular time County earned a draw. But soccer also includes extra time, and that’s where Celtic scored.
Freiburg 0 – 1 Turbine Potsdam (F)
Potsdam handed the Frauen their fifth straight loss…this one turning on Meret Witje’s own goal. Ugh.
Grenoble Foot 1 – 0 Thonon Evian (F)
Good news for Freiburg the ladies of the Alps broke their own five game skid with a vital win, and one against one of the best teams in France’s second division. Goalkeeper Bolkach had an excellent game defending against Thonon’s potent attack and in a last minute counter attack Claudia Fabre picked out newcomer Florsie Joseph and Grenoble got a tremendous winner. So hey, Freiburg, there’s hope!
Bibiana Gold Stars 3 – 2 Legon Cities FC
A wild first half saw the Gold Stars take the lead, after Ebenezer Armegah and Eric Bonsu briefly gave Legon the edge. and despite their best efforts (and a reversed goal), the Royals lost and dropped firmly into the relegation zone
Bayern Munich 1 – 2 Freiburg (M-Cup)
Few teams are as dominant as Bayern Munich are in Germany, but for the third straight year Freiburg has either matched or outperformed them in the Cup.
Nicholas Hofler connected with as beautiful a goal as you will ever see to balance the books. The defensive line (especially Ginter, Gunter, and Gulde) stymied an insistent Bayern attack until they forced Bayern into more mistakes, this time with a series of fouls that allowed Lucas Holer to win it on a hand ball Penalty Kick in extra time.
To celebrate, Freiburg got to face Munich again on the weekend and will face Liepzig, the team that beat them in last year’s final, in the semi’s
Partizan Belgrade 1 – 0 Vozdovac
Partisan can be a brutal opponent. So much so that in the last 7 matches they won by an average of 3-0. So the red dragons only losing by 1 is a high water mark not seen since March of 2020.
Danubio 2 – 0 Emelec (M-South American Cup)
Danubia hasn’t been great shakes in their local Uruguayan league this year. But they had no trouble containing or attacking Emelec. The best news, Uruguayan native midfielder — had one of his best games yet for Los Bombillos.
Alebrijes 1 – 0 Cancun FC
Armando Gonzalez got an early goal off a rebound from Ernesto Reyes’ blast of a free kick. Even though Oaxaca earned 4 yellow cards in 12 minutes, and were unable to make good on several one-on-one opportunities, they withstood the pressure of Cancun.
Freiburg 0 – 1 Bayern Munich (M)
Munich got their win back in the domestic league, capitalizing on the early departure of Manuel Gulde to bedevil the back line and batter the Freiburg net to the tune of 3.5 expected goals. In that light, even losing by one is a bit of an accomplishment for Freiburg. (Not one they’re going to put in their hall of fame, but something at least)
St. Johnstone 0 – 2 Ross County
The Staggies returned to action and got a win for the first time since February! Jordan White made a major nusiance of himself and set up Simon Murray (who came on for the injured Eamonn Brophy) for the first goal on an absolute banger. Then rarely used midfielder David Cancola made the most of his moment getting one of his own on a scrambled ball into the box.
Kerala Blasters 3 – 1 Punjab FC (Cup)
Punjab’s first effort against a Super League side left a little something to be desired. Kerala was able to control the match despite Punjab rolling out a broader midfield than usual, which did slow down Kerala for the first half, until a penalty gave the Blasters the lead. A half time swap of midfielder Maheson Singh for attacker Krishnananda Khundongbam paid off with Punjab’s goal, but the more expanded midfield was easier for Kerala to get past (leading to two more goals and the win)
Laval 0 – 1 Grenoble (M)
Mathais Phaeton got the early goal thanks to a scintillating through ball from (who else) Jessy Bennet and Brice Mableu was able to shut down Laval for the rest of the match to seal a win.
Chicago Fire 2 – 1 Minnesota United
Kei Kamara took two early goals for Chicago, and by the time your mom and I tuned in after you were tucked in at last, we were at the desperate crosses situation for the Loons. Kervin Arriaga got one, but despite many fine chances and amazing efforts, Bongokhule Hlongwane couldn’t score the vital equalizer.
Aucus 2 – 1 Emelec (M)
Emelec’s struggles continued with another loss, bouyed only by Jose Cevallos’ injury time consolation goal. The team that lives by Miller Bolanos, also dies by Miller Bolanos (at least when Miller Bolanos is out of the match with an injury, but even then we will still write Miller Bolanos’ name so many times that we summon him to Minnesota).
Rosenborg 1 – 0 Viking (M)
Rosenborg started their campaign with a revenge win against the team that knocked them out of the cup (kind of like the reverse Freiburg experience). Ulrik Jennssen was a pest in defense, and Adrian Pereira celebrated his first start since August of last year with the winning goal off of a half volley in the middle of nothing.
Danilo Teodorovic scored first, but Topola came back with a vengeance. We would be upset, but any team that breaks up the Partizan/Red Star duopoly is okay in our books.
Punjab FC 0 – 2 Bengaluru FC (Cup)
Again Punjab set up in a defensive posture which…again worked for the first half, and then, when they got a little more aggressive in the second half, Bengaluru capitalized and took the lead. Huidrom Singh’s second yellow card didn’t help matters and let Bengaluru seal the win.
News & Notes
Jonah Attuquaye off to Latvia
We’ve made no mistake about it, Jonah Attuquaye is one of our all time favorite players during this project. He almost single handedly lifted up the Royals from their lowest ebbs and kept them consistently fresh when they desperately needed to be. But, all things must come to an end, and a player of Jonah’s caliber deserves a fresh challenge and opportunity. Last month (far below the radar of all the news I was following) he got that opportunity with a move to FK Auda in Latvia (which my former students say is lovely).
I truly hope he excels in Europe and maybe, in a season or so, there’s room for him in Rosenborg or Ross County.
Indian Super Cup Starts…and Ends
It was a pretty brief break for Round Glass Punjab as they spent a month celebrating their championship in the I-League, but the Super Cup provides them with a chance to prove themselves before the Super League starts next fall. They did draw a dangerous group, featuring two ISL playoff teams (Kerala Blasters and Bengaluru FC) and a fierce I-League rival (Sreenidi Deccan…you know…the team they were fighting for the trophy for months). We love a new competition, and we love Punjab, but the results from the first week of action made the next steps moot as the two losses show they are already eliminated…(Chenchyo Geltsyen’s absence was palpable.)
Spring Break! woo.
I love you boys. I love your mom and her family. I love travel.
This was hard.
We spent 6 days in Los Angeles, where the weather was lovely and I felt completely exhausted regardless. You guys had great fun seeing all the science and sunshine that LA could offer and playing happily with your Auntie, random kids at a scenic playground and a variety of newly adopted stuffies and Dino toys. You also did not understand time differences and insisted on waking me up at 4:30, and only going to bed at 8:30 PM…though the easy access to massive cakes and jelly beans may not have helped things.
Travelling with you is a privilege…it’s also a big responsibility. But you’re so darned cute.
BootRoom Book Review
From Madani’s Best Game by Fran Pintadara illustrated by Raquel Catalina
To save room in my backpack (and also because I’m forgetful), we didn’t bring bed time books along with us on this trip. So we turned to the thing that all humans turn to for answers these days: a smart phone. Soon enough, the St Paul library gave us access to several nice books including one appropriate for this blog Madani’s Best Game
The story of a star player in an anonymous neighborhood was a fine bit of soccer lore. It had clear pictures of the action, a great sense of the role of a team, and an appropriate level of drama building up to the final match.
But really the story was less about soccer, and more about a kid’s love for his mother. Much as you guys like a soccer story, you love to love your mom.
Players of the Weeks
Jessy Bennet must be acknowledged. The midfielder has managed to pilot les bleus to certainty and security in the second league, which has been in short supply since his departure after 2021.
Also worth noting is Ernesto Reyes, whose leadership and defense has continued to help Oaxaca out of their traditional funks.
Standings
The Super Cup did a real number on Punjab’s position atop the table. It can happen when you get twice as many defeats in one span as you had in the past three months. As a result, Rosenborg, returned to the top spot this year as both the men and women are undefeated in the league so far this young season. (The one loss was in the cup.) Meanwhile, the difficulty in getting decisive results has taken its toll on Freiburg and Vozdovac.
The Norwegian squad welcomed the Slovenian side with a barrage of attacks with Dino Islamovic again at the point of the attack with Emil Konradsen Ceide linking beautifully. Left Back Adam Andersson continued to build up his resume on both sides of the ball notching a goal of his own and a solid spell at the back.
Stabaek 2 – 5 Rosenborg BK [F]
That was almost a stunner. Bunched up in the bottom Stabaek had two leads over RBK (1-0 and 2-1) but then they ladies of Rosenborg rose to the occasion and left no doubt, knocking in 4 goals in 15 minutes. Lisa Marie Utland’s hat trick stole the show and set up a vital match at Sandviken next week.
Grenoble 0 – 0 Guingamp [M]
When a nil-nil result is the best outcome of the season so far, you can see why Grenoble has struggled of late.
Minnesota United 2 – 0Houston Dynamo
I was really hoping to go to this, but the cold that tore through our house made it unviable. I missed out on a good one for the Loons as Emanuel Reynoso continues to make magic happen with a pair of great assists and numerous dangerous chances.
Hibernian 3 – 0 Ross County
The Staggies met a clearly better side and came out clearly the worse for it.
Wurzburger Kickers 0 – 1 Freiburg [M-Cup]
Starting off the season against a Wurzburger side that’s struggling in the fourth division didn’t ask much of the makeshift Freiburg side, but the back line showed well and Jonathan Schmid scored the winner.
Vojvodina 2 – 0 Vozdovac
The Red Dragons continue to struggle this season, as the defense continues to rattle and the attack struggles to connect.
Delfin 1 – 2 Emelec [M]
Los Bombillos seem to be finding their stride, showing strong control over Delfín. The balls were consistently flying in from the wings, but when Alejandro Cabeza got it at his feet in the area it was all they needed with a desperate Delfin unable to stop him when he was that close.
Domzale 1 – 2 Rosenborg [M-Europe]
Rosenborg had to came back to win it, but Domzale’s struggles to score in the first half made clear they wouldn’t be able to challenge RBK’s 6-1 edge. Lower wattage stars: Noah Holm and Andres Konradsen looked to have a great connection working in the second half. The continental squad hasn’t been tested yet but that will change against France’s top flight side: Rennes.
News & Notes
Blood Feud in Bergen
This weekend sees the rematch between Rosenborg and the team that ended their unbeaten run in the Toppseiren (and the current first place side) Sandviken. This time Rosenborg is on the road so the battle will be by all the more difficult, but we have hope: blind foolish hope.
El Rey de las Estrellas
While most leagues save their awards for the end of the year, the MLS likes shouting out superb players mid season to represent the league in a friendly against Mexico’s all stars. This year Reynoso was chosen to represent Minnesota (who’ve never had more than one rep despite a strong first four years in the league).
Messi’s Moving
This week the greatest player of this (maybe any) generation had to leave his life long club. Before I could write this he signed with well-financed French giants Paris Saint-Germain. He’ll make 41 Million bucks for two years, play with some superb teammates and have a chance to win the most coveted club trophy in the world. But what if….he got offers from some of our favorites.
What follows are pitches from possible landing spots for Lionel Messi
Admit it, this would be cool…
Minnesota United: come bring the CONCACAF Champions League to the US! You’ll play alongside a miniature version of yourself in Bébelo, and we’ll pay you Joe Mauer Money ($109 mil)
Emelec: the only trophy that compares with the Champions League is Copa Libertadores, which you can win with us while also avoiding partisan club fans in Argentina. We don’t have quite the same players but we’ll pay more ($75 Million)
Legon Cities: Come change the world and lead us to African Champions League Glory! You’ll probably get Asamoah Gyan to target…eventually and we’ll give you 500 Million Cedis (please don’t ask about the exchange rate)
Rosenborg BK: Why change the world when you can change history! We’ve got elite players, and with you on board we can make UEFA Inter gender teams the future of the sport! Blakstad, Utland, Messi!!! Make it happen (we’ll just give you a share of the team)
Player(s) of the Week(s)
Every little thing he does is magic, give it up for Emanuel Reynoso.
Standings Update
The Troll Teams are giving the University Of Montana very little room for error as a three win week keeps them well within reach of their second strait MacKenzie Cup.
It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t pleasant. But it did the job. The 0-0 draw kept the Dragons above the line (thanks in no small part to Rad Beograd falling behind and only managing an equalizer in their match–hence the anxious watching at the video’s end.). Vozdovac survived, and will still stand with the SuperLiga come the fall.
Emelec 2 – 0 Tolima [M–Copa Sudamerica]
Starting off the final run of Copa Sudamerica games at home, Emelec was full of optimism. When Tolima again stymied the attacking force through the first half there might have been some nerves. But Sebastian Rodriguez and Dixon Arroyo took charge in the midfield in the second half, creating repeated problems for their opponents. An own goal for the Colombians and a later strike from Joao Rojas put los bombillos on the precipice of the next round of South American action.
Rosenborg 3 – 2 Brann [M]
Kristoffer Zachariassen is special. I mean, he looks like Ted from Schitt’s Creek which is pretty special in the first place, and then he notches a hat trick to lead a comeback win at home. Seriously, this man is quite accomplished and, as the attacking corps still looks to find its feet, he’ll be vital to boosting the Trolls’ chances in the league.
Tolouse 3 – 0 Grenoble [M–Playoffs]
After all the build up, it all came undone for Grenoble. Though Brice Mableu saved an early penalty, Toulouse buried the rebound and cruised the rest of the way. Just wait till next year, and the very real hope that the Alpiners will be set to stake their claim on a top spot.
Rosenborg 2 – 0 Staebek [F]
The most dominant side in MacKenzie Cup 2020 is back in action, with Rosenborg hosting, and besting Staebek. After last year’s undefeated season, there’s reason to hope for the same this time around, and Lisa-Marie Utland started things out well with a great first goal of the campaign, and the whole team looked as fluid and integrated as if they were in mid season form.
Frankfurt 3 – 1 Freiburg [M]
A long shot for Europe got a lot longer when Freiburg ceded a penalty in the second half, and longer still, when they could only manage one goal in response. They were truly dead after Frankfurt’s last two goals won it. (Even though it wasn’t enough for them to jump into Champion’s league places). A solid, but unspectacular middle of the table finish for the Griffins. But the continued strength of Vincenzo Grifo and Christian Gunter plus the emergence of Baptiste Santamaria bodes well for the future.
Tecnico Universario 1 – 0 Emelec [F]
Las Electricas continue to search for their first goal and first win. Soon…it’s destiny.
Mushuc Runa 1 – 2 Emelec [M]
In the middle of their continental adventure, los bombillos made time to face off with the resurgent Runa. Throughout the whole time period, the replacement attack force of Sebastian Rodriguez and Alejandro Cabeza have bolstered the attack and kept them in great shape. It certainly helped that Mushuc Runa ended the match with an ugly clothesline in the box, but Emelec still had to convert
Hoffenheim 4 – 2 Freiburg [F]
Sigh…sorry Freiburg Frauen
Legon Cities FC 2 – 0 Aduana Stars
Legon had all the legs they needed for this pell mell race towards goal. Jonah Attaquye was a huge part of it with the first goal and multiple additional opportunities created to boost Legon with another win. (Sidebar, Thank you StarTimes for commentary…it’s much more fun than me trying to slow mo videos to spy player numbers)
Rosenborg 2 – 3 Molde [M]
Again Kristoffer Zachariassen had a beautiful header, but it was not enough to overcome some extra sloppy defending both at the start and the close of the match. Rosenborg continues to click on the attack..one the back foot…not so much (oh for a return of Tore Reginiussen).
Coming in Emelec controlled their destiny. When Talleres took the lead within a quarter of an hour, it started to slip away, and before you knew it the team that had led the group from the first day was on the outside of the knock out round looking in and wondering what went wrong.
News & Notes
You Go Yogi
After saving Ross County from relegation, John Hughes step aside from his position at Ross County. Now the board will look for a new manager to boost the team up the table next year.
Bringing the Frank Pain
The Loons finally finished the transfer for Argentine winger Franco Frangapane (who you might remember from such contests as against Emelec a few weeks ago…but not this week, thankfully). The Loons’ offense has been real bad ineffective, so with him and Frenchman Adrien Hunou there’s hope that the second half of the season is more successful (or at least entertaining) than the first.
Player of the Week
We had hoped there would be some heroics in Belgrade to award, but aside from one critical tackle there just wasn’t much going on. Meanwhile, it’s just to easy to award Kristoffer Zachariassen especially when he Krist-offers so many goals! (Seriously, I’m really enoying watching Schitt’s Creek with your mom and these are almost too easy to write.)
Canadian Hearthrob or Norwegian Attacking Mid…does it matter?
Standings Update
Vozdovac, Grenoble, and the Freiburg men hit the break this week. As we hit the summer there will be several teams taking a break while national team competitions grab the spotlight. We’ll keep updating events as Rosenborg and Emelec try to track down the Grizzlies.
It was a critical win for the Red Dragons. Taking all three points from fellow relegation battler Novi Pazar. The full on blitz put them two goals up inside of five minutes, with Aleksandar Bogdanovic and Stefan Purtic dealing the blows and they never looked in danger of fading. With four games left, staying up isn’t a guarantee, another strong road showing in six days would be an even bigger help [TO BE CONTINUED IN THIS POST…]
University of Montana Grizzlies 0 – 1 University of South Carolina Gamecocks [NCAA Tournament]
The Gamecocks had the Grizzlies on the back foot for most of the match. They had 10 shots on target compared to Montana’s 2, but the Griz had Claire Howard. Her new team record of 9 saves served the squad well and kept them close throughout the match. Unfortunately South Carolina got the game’s one break, and the Griz’s best season ever in rankings ended earlier than they would have liked.
Emelec 3 – 0 Red Bull Bragantino [Copa Sudamerica]
Los Bombillos continued their strong showing in the continental competition. This time standing up against Brazil’s representative to the Red Bull Empire. Alejandro Cabeza continued his fine form, netting the final goal while Pedro Ortiz pitched his second straight Copa shutout.
LSV Kvinner v Rosenborg [F]
Another week, another ladies league on hiatus. Rosenborg and the rest of the Toppserien will be back at the end of May.
Dundee United 0 – 2 Ross County
Boy did the Staggies need that. Jordan White and Alex Iacovitti scored in quick succession to give the team an edge on the road. Then Iacovitti and his back line buddies blockaded the goal giving Dundee a scant 3 shots, none of which were particularly close. It got them out of danger for the moment, before a match in two weeks against Hamilton that could doom their opponents and save themselves.
Legon Cities 0 – 1 Asante Kotoko
Don’t get me wrong, I like the Royals, but the hands down coolest name will always be “the porcupine Warriors” of Kotoko. An early goal boosted one of Ghana’s most decorated teams to the top of the league…the Royals, on the other hand, are still scuffling near the bottom of the table.
Minnesota United 0 – 1 Austin FC
Doom and gloom abounds after another home defeat. Erstwhile favorites Brent Kallman and Chase Gasper are close to persona non grata in online fan circles and after falling to the bottom of the whole league some serious questions are ahead for a “dark horse” contender.
Orense 2 – 3 Emelec [M]
After racing out to an early lead (made possible by Pedro Ortiz stopping an early penalty), Los bombillos almost gave it back. Fortunately the team held on to salvage Sebastian Rodriguez’s pair of penalties and a perfect chip from Alexis Zapata.
Grenoble 1 – 2 Clermont Foot [M]
Willy Semedo’s last gasp penalty was too little for the alpiners who officially lost their shot at automatic promotion. Their match at Auxerre on Saturday could clinch a playoff spot or keep us in suspense.
Mladost Lucani 1 – 0 Vozdovac
[CONTINUED FROM ABOVE…] unfortunately, a double in the week was not to be, as Vozdovac ceded the decisive goal right before half time. With three games to go, no one can afford to be complacent or defeated. The crunch match on the weekend with Napredak would go a long way to soothing anxiety before an expected thrashing against Partisan Belgrade in two weeks.
News & Notes
Last Dance
It’s definitely with a tear in our eye that we say goodbye to this iteration of the University of Montana Grizzly Soccer team. Even though we’re only joining the party this year, we’ve really enjoyed cheering for the ladies of Zoo Town throughout this campaign. We want to wish a very happy future to the seniors: Taylor Stoeger, Alison Monroe, Rebekah Burton, Catie Buck, Avery Adams, Rita Lang, Brooke Johnston, Mimi Eiden, and Masters students Alexa Coyle and Claire Howard.
— Montana Griz Soccer 🐻⚽️ (@MontanaGrizSOC) May 1, 2021
Congratulations to the students, their families, and all the supporters who helped them obtain their degree. It’d be cool if you boys play sports, but we’d really love it if you worked as hard in the classroom as these women did.
Au Revoir, Grenobloises
In the rush of news from the last week, we missed that the French Football Federation (FFF) did in fact cancel the remainder of the 2nd Division season for women. So, Grenoble’s ladies will be out of action until the fall when, hopefully, they’ll get to play a full season for the first time since 2018-2019
Player of the Week
In this blog we stan Claire Howard, but we ought to recognize that other people play goal keeper too. Including Pedro Ortiz who has followed his fine showings for country with dominant performances for the club, putting Emelec in contention for both domestic and continental glory this year. He’s like the Claire Howard of Guayaquil.
Thank you Pedro
Standings Update
Emelec’s double over the week boosted them to the top of the table, but with the Griz on hiatus until the fall, any slip will put the garnet and silver back on top.
Team
W
D
L
PPG
GFA
GAA
Emelec
10
2
1
2.46
2.2
1.0
University of Montana–b
9
0
2
2.45
2.1
0.6
Punjab FC–b
7
4
6
1.47
1.2
0.9
Grenoble Foot
8
6
7
1.43
1.3
1.2
Freiburg
9
3
10
1.36
1.5
1.5
Legon Cities FC
5
5
6
1.25
1.2
0.9
Alebrijes
4
7
5
1.19
1.5
1.9
Ross County
6
2
9
1.18
1.3
1.6
FK Vozdovac
4
5
8
1.0
0.8
1.6
Minnesota United
0
0
3
0.0
0.5
3.0
Rosenborg BK-b
0
0
0
–
–
–
Table Updated 4/27/2021 b–Team is between seasons
What’s Next
Wednesday, May 5th
7:30 Tolima v. Emelec [Copa Sudamerica]
Thursday, May 6th
11:30 Hertha BSC v. Freiburg [M]
Friday, May 7th
Saturday, May 8th
1:00 Auxerre v. Grenoble [M]
6:30 Barcelona SC v Emelec [M]
9:00 Colorado v. Minnesota United
Sunday, May 9th
6:30 Koln v. Freiburg [M]
7:00 SC Freiburg v SGS Essen [F]
10:00 Ebusa Dwarfs v. Legon Cities
1:00 Vozdovac v. Napredak
1:00 Valerenga v. Rosenborg [M]
Monday, May 10th
Tuesday, May 11th
7:30 Red Bull Bragantino v. Emelec [Copa Sudamerica]
Doff your caps to Alejandro Cabeza. The young striker raced out to a brace in 10 minutes and got his hat trick in the second half. Just what every Ecuadorian side wanted to see, another in form striker for Los Bombillos.
Leones Negros 1 – 1 Alebrijes
It took just about everything that Alebrijes had to keep up the pressure throughout the match. Johan Alonso took charge of the right flank and peppered a wide array of opportunities that went awry. In the end, the greatest contribution came from Center Back Oscar Torres, who played a critical role at both ends of the field: disrupting a barrage of Leones’ attacks and being in the right place at the right time to net the equalizer.
University of Montana Grizzlies 2 – 1 University of Northern Colorado [Big Sky Semifinal]
After a steady and solid season Taylor Stoeger got a great moment to shine in the conference Semifinal. She was instrumental in the midfield and delivered the golden goal in overtime to get the Grizzlies to the much awaited and much deserved conference final.
Seattle Sounders 4 – 0 Minnesota United
That wasn’t great, but the video we sent to trash talk our Sounders friend Aly was.
Freiburg 4 – 0 Schalke
Boy did Freiburg need this one. Christian Gunter blasted some beautiful goals and Roland Sallai made his presence felt. (Oh also, Schalke is terrible, but every win gets 3 points.)
Dunkerke 1 – 1 Grenoble
Speaking of beating bad teams, it’s something les Grenobloises have failed to do lately. It probably owes something to Jekyll/Hyde games like Maumodou Diallou whose first half assist was mitigated by his second half red card, forcing a team fighting for promotion to simply play not to lose against a team battling to avoid relegation. Their next four all come against teams jockeying for playoff position too so, this time next month things will be great or absolutely not.
University of Montana Grizzlies v. Northern Arizona University Lumberjacks [Big Sky Final]
CANCELLED DUE TO NAU VIOLATIONS OF COVID PROTOCOL–Griz named champions by default
As Homer [Simpson] once said, “the two sweetest words in the English language: De-Fault!!”
TBA Guayaquil City v Emelec [F]
Que soprisa!! Another delay to the women’s league. We’ll see if May 1 proves more lucky than March or April.
Wolfsburg 3 – 2 SC Freiburg [F]
Hasret Kayikci continued her strong showings but Wolfsburg blasted back to confirm their place among Europe’s elite.
Medema 2 – 1 Legon Cities
The Royals made a comeback even without top Center Back Joseph Adjei who got red carded in the first half. Adjei’s absence was felt on Medema’s second and game winning goal 8 minutes from time.
TSC Backa Topola 4 – 1 FK Vozdovac
This thumping put the Red Dragons firmly in the relegation scrap. Napredak’s great form has capitalized on Vozdovac’s lousy showings. One reason for hope: 3 of the last 6 will be against fellow fighters separated by goals and two points. Here’s hoping the turn around is straight ahead.
Emelec 2 – 0 Técnico Universarito [M]
I hope you boys learn to love beauty in life. Hugs from little kids when they are sleepy, your mom’s smile, monsoon mists in Mussoorie. Caciedo and Barcelo dominating Ecuador isn’t quite at that level, but it’s getting close.
Grenoble 2 – 0 Sochaux [M]
It was quite a crunchy match in the offing with Sochaux on the outer edges of the playoff scrap. A win would have made their last months extra tense. But while Sochaux’s energies seemed to unsettle Esteban Salles, they also led to foolish errors that earned two penalties for Grenoble (both of which were duly buried by Jessy Benet). The win gave a little more breathing room for Grenoble (now 7 points clear in the playoff spots) but likely knocked Sochaux out of the running for progression.
Mineros 6 – 0 Alebrijes de Oaxaca
That was…what’s the word? Bad. That was bad.
News & Notes
Big Sky Superlatives
With the Griz getting both the Northern Division trophy AND the Big Sky trophy we have the first hardware won by any team on our Favorite XI. But the fun doesn’t stop there.
Four Griz were named to the All-Big Sky team: Holding Midfielder Avery Adams, Wingback Taylor Hansen, Striker Alexa Coyle and (quelle surprise) goalie Claire Howard were named best in the conference at what they do. Howard also won the Goalkeeper of the Year honors (not a shock with her record breaking form). Centerback Alli Lang was named to the second team and attackers Rita Lang and Taylor Stoeger took home honorable mentions.
The Griz came into the year as favorites to win, and they delivered. Now all that’s left is…
The Big Dance
The NCAA tournament is one of our family’s favorite events. You boys got a taste of that this year when we went to Grandma and Grandpa’s, ate tasty snacks, talked with family, and played and played and played. While we usually watch the basketball tournaments, Soccer has one too. This year’s tournament will be in North Carolina (one of the biggest hotbeds for college competition in the country).
Thanks to their regular season dominance (and the Lumberjacks’ illness) the Griz are Charlotte bound to be part of the Fabulous 48, and the chance to play into the thrilling thirty-two.
Up first a game with the South Carolina Gamecocks. If you extrapolate out the regular seedings the Griz would be 12th seeded in the region of 12 (45th of all 48 teams). The Gamecocks were a potent force in a powerful league, which means the Griz will be an underdog for the first time this year…but that’s a fine place to be. Win and the Griz tie a best ever season showing, lose and they still have a couple pretty Big Sky trophies in tow.
Superliga Feminina Forever
As in forever waiting to start.
This delay’s irrational cause for optimism that this time it’ll really happen. A detailed and stylish schedule tweet from the official league account! Surely a graphic designer’s work is always respected and honored.
— Superliga Femenina Ecuabet (@SuperLigaFEF) April 16, 2021
Super League Salvos
The biggest news in soccer this week is the promised beginning of a new European Super League. This will be the 15 biggest clubs in Europe (plus five of their friends) raking in oodles of money, while their former opponents just make gobs of money.
Depending on who you ask, this is either a bad idea or a sign that the world is nearing an implosion of epic proportions. League officials are threatening to banish the big sides. Global leaders in the game claim that they’ll impose harsh fines and punish the players. Fans are mulling boycotts. It’s a fraught subject that brings to mind questions of “nationality”, “tradition”, “fairness,” and “global society.”
None of which matters to you two in the slightest. After all, you are under 4, by the time you bring full attention to any sport this league will either be an established institution or a bygone bit of trivia. Still this is my sporting journal of our times, so…there’s the big news.
Player of the Week
Jessy Benet had a huge impact on Grenoble’s standing for the end of the season, but Alejandro Cabeza had far and away the best performance, the least we can do is acknowledge it again here.
Bienvenido a nuestro casa Alejandro
Standings Update
The Loons debut provides a much appreciated cushion to FK Vozdovac in at least one table as Freiburg and Legon Cities continue to jockey for the advantage in the middle of the table.
A note: I might have gotten behind, but if I hadn’t I wouldn’t have been Owen’s pillow or Alex’s marble run co-designer. I’ll take a delay for that trade
Scores
Olmedo 2 – 3 Emelec [M]
It was a tight affair on Thursday night. Pedro Ortiz was unsettled early on and gave up the lead to the hosts. But los bombillos capitalized on their set pieces. All three goals came off of follow ups to first touches. Anibal Leguizamon, Facundo Barcelo, and Lucas Sosa all capitalized when Olmedo were caught napping.
FK Vozdovac 0 – 0 Macva Sabac
Again…I got nothing.
Sacramento State Hornets 0 – 1 University of Montana Grizzlies
Make it six in the row for the Griz and another crucial clean sheet from Claire Howard. This time it took an overtime header to pull the squad over the line, but, as usual, the Griz got the job done.
Ross County 1 – 3 Inverness CT [Cup]
Buried in the bottom half of the Scottish table, Ross County’s last chance for silverware ended with their defeat to arch rivals Inverness. While Billy McKay fired them in front early on, the collapsing defense sent the Staggies out of the Cup in the third round. The one plus, it will allow them to focus fully on saving their top flight status.
Grenoble 2 – 2 Chateroux [M]
Up two goals and one man within 30 minutes, you would probably expect Grenoble to cruise over bottom of the table Chateroux. You would be disappointed . Our Alpine side struggled, ceding two goals through sloppy man marking (and a tentative/tender Esteban Salles) and watching Adrien Monfry leave the field to end up all square with a side they surely should have dispatched.
Borussia Munchengladbach 2 – 1 Freiburg [M]
Rolland Sallai gave the griffins a great start, but Gladbach got them back quickly (courtesy of Marcus Thurman whose dad Lillian is one of my favorites). Freiburg continued to press for a goal and got one from Keven Schlotterback at the death…only for video review to rule him offsides, and seal the defeat.
CS Emelec v. CD Macara [F]
Postponed…again…sigh…
Berekum Chelsea 2 – 1 Legon Cities FC
Samimento (Photo from GoGriz.com)
Hans Kwofie continued to show up for LCFC, but the second half of the season started much like the last, with the Royals struggling to balance attack and defense
Sacramento State Hornets 0 -3 University of Montana Grizzlies
Sami Seims was awesomely opportunisitic, capitalizing on two opportunities in the box to give her three goals for the weekend and making Sacramaento “Samimento”. Another Claire Howard shutout (it might get dull if it weren’t always awesome), and the Griz locked down their division title and a spot in the Big Sky Semifinals in two weeks
Emelec 2 – 0 CSD Macara [M-Cup]
A convincing 2-0 win over fellow Ecuadorians sees Los Bombillos into the next round of the Copa Sudamerica. When your attack is as linked as Facundo Barcelo and Ramario Caicedo it seems quite easy.
Alebrijes 4 – 1 Jaibos
A pair of insurance goals for Oaxaca made the score line look more flattering than it ought to. Still Alebrijes should wear the win with pride. Especially when they were fluid and effective in Johan Alonso setting up Fernando Vasquez and Carlos Fonseco scored on a sterling run.
In an otherwise solid first campaign in Breigsau, Baptiste Santamira would probably rather forget this one. His second half own goal cost the Griffins dearly, especially against a lower tier opponent, as Freiburg’s lost four of five.
University of Montana Grizzlies 2 – 3 Eastern Washington Eagles
The first loss of the Griz season came against their Spokane rivals. But it also came, stunningly, at home. Avery Adam’s and Taylor Hansen came through late to force an overtime. But they couldn’t grab the golden goal and a hungry Eastern Washington got the win to keep their hopes for the Conference tournament alive.
Kilmarnock 2 – 2 Ross County
The Staggies started the relegation rumble with a sprint to the goal. Within 5 minutes each side had a goal (worth it for Michael Gardyne’s textbook move). But when Kilmarnock took the edge through some sloppy positioning ten minutes later and held it through much of the match, it looked like County was destined for defeat and relegation. As the game got extra chippy, you could tell each team knew how important it was. Some ratty gamesmanship started silly shoving matches. County came through when Ian Vigurs cross met with Alex Iacovitti’s head and the draw was preserved. From there it got more brutal with Vigurs getting a busted nose (that only merited a yellow card) and Iacovitti getting a make up call with no whistle on a fairly blatant penalty. It wasn’t the knock out punch we might have hoped for, but it keeps the highlanders in good position to stay afloat.
Vozdovac 1-1 Proleter
Good news: Vozdovac scored early to put them in control and provide some positive momentum.
Bad News: Aleksandar Bogdanavic’s foolish red card gave Proleter its equalizer and turned a win into a draw. (I mean…goodness sakes, there’s no need to pretend you didn’t commit a foul when you actively drag a guy’s arm…cryin’ out loud Aleks!)
Grenoble 3 – 1 Caen
While Grenoble often pioneered the kind of collapse that Vozdovac is falling into, the Alpiners have been quite steady this year. After a dull first half, Yoric Ravet did quite well to finish a loose through pass from Jordy Gaspar and create several more opportunities.
Emelec 1-1 LDU de Quito [M]
A long-standing Quito v Guayaquil rivalry, remained hard fought, with both sides pressuring and pushing for every positive position. In the end Facundo Barcelo set up an equalizer for Alejandro Cabeza and Emelec kept pace at the top of the table.
Legon Cities 2 – 0 Great Olympics
The Royals locked in their strongest showing yet as they pestered and penned in the Olympics offense. Nicholas Mensah’s header eked over the line and Jonah Attuquaye persisted in the face of high pressure defense to give Legon a solid win.
Photo from GoGriz.com
University of Montana Grizzlies 3 – 1 Eastern Washington Eagles
The Griz got a great rebound win on Senior day and we tip our collective caps to the stellar squad that continues to run roughshod over rocky mountain lady’s soccer. At the same time it’s rather exciting to start expecting the next class to rise up given that Rita Lang and Sami Siems have another year to go, and everyone benefits when you work with stars this talented. Up next a trip to Ogden Utah and a match with old rivals Northern Colorado.
News & Notes
Súper ligaSúper late
Another couple weeks another couple delays to Ecuador’s women’s league: the new goal? April 17th. Fingers crossed.
Dragons Dilemma
Since the calendar flipped Vozdovac has only taken 11 points from a possible 33. With their strong start they can afford a slip, but this is starting to look less like a slip and more like a crashing back to earth.
While Serbia expanded its top tier for this post-pandemic season, they’ll be squeezing down to 14 for next year. The Red Dragons spent most of the fall around the top 7, but they’ve slipped to 13th, (4) points from the drop. To make matters worse, only 2/3 of their last 7 come against teams below them on the table.
Abila looking like….it snowed…in April?!?
Loons Launch
In the last run up to America’s Major League Soccer, Minnesota United did two things. First, train in sunny Orlando. Two, bring north Boca Juniors striker Ramon Abila. Bébelo Reynoso’s old teammate brings with him 39 goals in 89 matches for one of Argentina’s most storied clubs. Whether he provides the Loons with a difference making attack option we will soon see. (But one things for sure, “Boca du Nord” is a fun new nickname.)
Players of the Weeks
With two players to recognize, we have plenty of options to choose from. We’ll consider both one player who was superb in an individual week and one player who has been holding things down for weeks now. Sami Seims deserves all the credit for dominating the Hornets in Sacramento and Romario Caciedo has been superb both on defense and linking up the attack for Emelec as they continue to hover around the top of the standings.
Romario in full flow
Standings Update
Despite their slip, the Griz hold strong at the top of the table, and Freiburg takes a big step back, sliding from third down to sixth in the mid table log-jam.
Team
W
D
L
PPG
GFA
GAA
University of Montana
8
0
1
2.7
2.1
0.6
Emelec
5
2
1
2.1
1.9
1.0
Grenoble Foot
7
5
5
1.5
1.2
1.1
Punjab FC–b
7
4
6
1.47
1.2
0.9
Legon Cities FC
5
4
4
1.46
1.2
0.9
Freiburg
8
2
8
1.44
1.4
1.4
Alebrijes
4
6
4
1.3
1.6
1.6
Ross County
5
2
8
1.1
1.3
1.6
FK Vozdovac
2
3
5
0.9
0.7
1.6
Rosenborg BK
0
0
0
–
–
–
Minnesota United
0
0
0
–
–
–
Table Updated 4/14/2021 b–Team is between seasons
What’s Next
Wednesday, April 14th
3:00 Universidad Catholics v Emelec [M]
5:00 Leones Negros v Alebrijes
Thursday, April 15th
University of Montana Grizzlies v. University of Northern Colorado [Big Sky Semifinal]
MacKenzie's Boot Room 