Tag: Baba Diawara

Week 13: We can see Claire-ly Now

Week 13: We can see Claire-ly Now

by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Scores

University of Montana Grizzlies 2 – 1 Portland State Vikings

Friday night lights in Big Sky Country showed the Griz continuing their winning streak. While Claire Howard gave up her first goal of the year, Avery Adams scored the first two of her college career to win it.

Celaya 0 – 0 Alebrijes

Not all scoreless draws are the same. In this one Oaxaca withstood a late onslaught after Esteban Torres was sent off in the 84th minute. Still, running the scoreless streak to 210 minutes isn’t making for thrilling football in Mexico’s second tier.

Churchill Brothers 3 – 2 Punjab FC

Punjab’s truncated season came to an end Saturday in Mumbai. While Golukam Kerala ran up their score, Churchill’s late concessions to Joseba Beitia and Baba Diawara solidified the goal difference edge. Not exactly the role Punjab would prefer to play in deciding a title, but a solid first showing for coach Curtis Fleming.

[Bonus reading: our friends at the Away End had a great summation of the end of the campaign]

Guyaquil City v. Emelec [F]

Silly me. If the past year has taught us nothing else, it’s taught us to expect delays especially to start seasons, especially for women. [sigh]

SC Freiburg 1 – 0 Turbine Potsdam [F]

Hasret Kayikci hasn’t been talked up enough this year. She’s always there in Freiburg’s hour of need. Another late goal blunted Potsdam’s momentum and kept the griffins in the hunt for 4th place.

University of Montana Grizzlies 3 – 0 Portland State Vikings

After two more tense affairs, this one was Grizzlies from snout to tail. Another Alexa Coyle banger, a heckuva shot from Allie Larsen and a record setting 30th shutout for Claire Howard!

Dorados 1 – 1 Alebrijes

Alebrijes is getting used to this point a game thing…maybe a little too used to it. With four draws in a row, they’re starting to run out of points to make up. (Hate to think of where they’d be without Julio Cesar Cruz’s clinical penalty taking.)

News & Notes

International Affairs

While most of our teams were not in action, lots of our favorite players were. Here’s a quick peek at how they fared.

Africa
Ethiopia celebrates…not pictured Mombris and Metanire go: “huh”? (CAF Online)
  • Our favorite Madagascar madmen (Jerome Mombris and Romain Metanire) got gobsmacked when their team was bested 4-0 by Ethiopia. By the time that they had to win and see Ethiopia lose to move on. Ethiopia did falter…but Madagascar couldn’t get a goal, and the darlings of the last tournament ran out of luck.
  • Ghana’s Black Stars will be at the cup of nations (as well). Though Center Back Joseph Adjei didn’t play in their final two qualifiers, he continues to take strides towards hitting the field in Cameroon this summer.
  • Harouna Demba of Grenoble was on the bench as Mauritania drew with Morocco but was on the field for their 1-0 win over CAR that booked them a spot in the finals.
Asia
  • Freiburg’s Woo-yeong Jeong got his first run out for South Korea in a friendly against Japan. Sadly, it was a 3-0 drubbing against arch rivals, but it didn’t impact their quest for cups.
Europe
Robin Lod celebrates
  • Finland saw two Minnesota United stars–Jakku Raitala and Robin Lod–(and one former player, Rasmus Schuller) take the field in a pair of draws
  • One of those draws came against Bosnia/Herzegovina and included Ermedin Demirovic of Freiburg as part of the attack that Raitala had to repel in the game’s dying minutes. Demirovic got the start in Bosnia’s friendly against Costa Rica, but didn’t get any goals. The final match against World Champs France happened after I posted this
  • Justas Lasickas of Vozdovac saw lots of action for Lithuania and did his best to put up with the offensive onslaught from Kosovo, Switzerland, and Italy.
  • Andre Hansen had to come on at half-time when Norway was getting spanked by Turkey. He didn’t see action when the team faced Montenegro, which spared him the awkwardness of facing a teammate.
  • The best represented nation from our teams: Montenegro which features three players (Vozdovac’s Milos Milovic and Nikola Vujnovic and Rosenborg’s Dino Islamovic). Sadly none of them made the pitch, until Dino Islamovic came on against Norway in the second half (he didn’t make much impact)
  • Iceland left Rosenborg’s Holmar Orn Eyjolfsson on the bench as they scuffled back down the table
North America
  • Dayne St. Clair was part of Team Canada, but didn’t get on the pitch.
  • Hasani Dotson and Callum Montgomery were part of the US and Canada youth teams vying for an olympic berth. While both played well, neither will have a chance to march in the opening ceremonies in Tokyo.
Limbu Loves it (wefutbolfans.com)
South America
  • Emelec sent three players to the Ecuadorian national side (Keeper Pedro Ortiz, Defender Romario Caicedo, and Midfielder Dixon Arroyo). However, a qualifier with Venezuela was called off, and the friendly tune up with Bolivia only saw Arroyo on the field (he was solid in distribution, if unremarkable in their win)

Limbu lays it on the line

As the I-League ends, it’s worth rewarding the best in the competition. In particular, Kiran Limbu who led the stingiest defense in the competition. Winning best keeper is nice, and should be a first step on the road to winning it all next time round.

Las Electricas are Back

With limited news reporting on South American women’s teams (insert shocked not shocked emoji here). I missed the news that Emelec’s ladies will be back in action. The team will see weekly action through the first weeks of July. If they finish in the top four of the southern league, they’ll advance to the playoffs against one of the top four from the north (likely someone from Quito). The biggest change this means is that we get to appreciate more awesome branding images like this one…

Queen Claire

Player of the Week

You might argue that since she already won a Player of the Week recently, we ought to look elsewhere, but come on…Claire Howard broke a Big Sky conference record and has kept her team perfect through the first five games of the season. (We’ll share a nod with Kiran Limbu for his keeping award as well)

.

Standings Update

Not much changed here…most notably, Punjab FC has entered their offseason and will be locked in at their Points Per Game until the 2021-2022 season kicks off in…many many months. Oh, and Claire Howard continues to carry the Grizzlies to the top of our table.

TeamWDLPPGGFAGAA
University of Montana50032.00.2
Emelec3112.01.81.0
Freiburg8261.61.51.4
Punjab FC–b7461.471.20.9
Grenoble Foot6451.471.11.1
Legon Cities FC4431.451.20.8
Ross County5171.231.21.5
Alebrijes3641.151.51.7
FK Vozdovac2350.90.71.6
Rosenborg BK000–––
Minnesota United000–––
Table Updated 3/31/2021
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Wednesday, March 31st

Thursday, April 1st

Friday, April 2nd

10:00 FK Vozdovac v. Macva Sabac

5:00 Sacramento State Hornets v. University of Montana Grizzlies

Saturday, April 3rd

9:00 Madema SC v. Legon Cities FC

9:00 Ross County v. Inverness CT [Cup]

1:00 Grenoble v. Chateroux

1:30 Borussia Munchengladbach v. Freiburg [M]

CS Emelec v. CD Macara [F]

Sunday, April 4th

2:00 Sacramento State Hornets v. University of Montana Grizzlies

3:00 Olmedo v. Emelec [M]

Monday, April 5th

Tuesday, April 6th

5:15 Emelec v. CSD Macara [M-Cup]

9:00 Alebrijes v Jaibos

55: Complexity

55: Complexity

by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Nobody likes to take the blame for the problems we face. When emotions run high and pain runs deep, being the one who takes the blame hurts.

Sometimes you can shift the blame to someone else, something else, extenuating circumstances or unwieldy fate. Sometimes you can’t. But it’s worth remembering that same feeling when you are blameless and you start looking around for someone to accuse.

It’s easy to pin blame on one person, it’s more valuable to comprehend the context.

Dear Boys,

Hard core sports fans like to say that they live and die with the team’s performance. Of course, they don’t really have a death wish, so rather than jumping off a bridge because of a blow out or a bad beat, they tend to pin the blame on a player turned scapegoat. Consider Punjab FC, who slipped in form after a strong month of showings just when they needed it most.

An all too common sight of late for Punjab (see Saurabh, #3)
via Golukam Kerala Club Site

To most eyes, the disappointing results fall on the shoulders of a few rookie defenders. First Surabh Banwala gifted a penalty to Golukam, then the defense and Souvik Das were caught flatfooted against Mohamedan, and Mohammed Irshad made a gaffe against TRAU, and before you could say “pakora” the title hopes were in tatters.

But making Banwala or Das or Irshad the scapegoat for a poor turn in form at the last minute ignores all the context that goes with it.

Sure the defenders are easy to see slipping, but they don’t operate alone. As teams bottle up Chencho Gyeltshen and Baba Diawara, goals become rarer. And defenders push up to add to the attack. And that leaves the defense more vulnerable to miscues. So, yes the defense slipped but they might not have if the offense had continued firing.

Curtis Fleming watching it all come undone
Via Kehl Now

Even roping in the offense ignores most of the people on the pitch. There’s a whole second team out there, as well as officials. To put Punjab off their game, Golukam, Mohamedan and TRAU had to be on theirs. While their assigned referees whistled for fouls, others might have missed the mark. You can’t control how others play, you can’t control how refs perform. so yes, the defense slipped but would we have noticed if the referees had missed it or if other teams hadn’t capitalized?

This is to say nothing of the complexity beyond the field. The defense can’t control coaching tactics, or training field injuries, or the intense two match a week schedule. One player making one mistake is a comforting target for blame, but it ignores how complex human life is.

All of this is borne out by the current pop culture obsession of our quarantined community: Wandavision.

Wanda Vision Promo

After a year without daring deeds and heroic exploits, super hero stories came back with a bang. And while you’re still too young for more than five minutes of cartoon adventures, the broader public has gone deep on the story of one superhero, Wanda Maximoff, who commandeers a small town and all the people in it to allay her grief at another devastating loss.

Wanda as hero/villain Scarlet Witch
(via Sportskeeda)

To be sure, forcing people to do what you say without giving them a choice is cruel and immoral. Wanda’s actions here aren’t remotely heroic. At series end she is judged harshly and has been thoroughly criticized by viewers of all stripes.

But demanding that Wanda be punished ignores so much more complexity that surrounds her.

For starters, Wanda isn’t divine goodness personified. She also human, and demanding more of her than we do other fallible humans seems unfair. As your mom said, “she’s not a super hero; she’s a person with super powers”.

Add to that the fraught relationship the rest of the world seems to have with superheroes. At once seeing them as saviors, pleading with them for help at every turn, and limiting them to obedient servitude (particularly with regulations requiring them to check their free will).

Wanda in context (Via CBR.com)

In that context, Wanda using her powers to their full potential is less cruel and more a side effect of the position the society around her put her in. Wanda could inaccurately think she’s helping the bedraggled and woebegone residents of a dilapidated New Jersey town to have amusing, idyllic lives. She’s using her powers, and she’s using them for herself and others. Society put her in a position to have these phenomenal powers, when she uses them, we can’t exactly be astonished.

These aren’t excuses or dismissals they are complications. You don’t have to forgive (and certainly on field gaffes isn’t the same as perpetual manipulation), but given the choice between chastising and complicating first thoughts, I hope you take the time to consider the complicated context.

Week 10: Cross Your Heart

Week 10: Cross Your Heart

by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Scores

SC Frieburg 2 – 1 SC Sand [F]

Several weeks after winter weather delayed their return the ladies of Freiburg got to take the field and they celebrated with a thrilling win against SC Sand. After ceding a late equalizer, Sandra Starke struck back with a great winner.

Vozdovac 2 – 1 Backa Backa Palanka

The goal drought reached 435 minutes before the Red Dragons finally got one back. Recent arrival Lazar Asric’s pulled the squad back from a dangerous position against the bottom team in the SuperLiga. After ceding a first half goal on sloppy defending, Asric came alive in the second half. He blasted home a penalty won on a hand ball and followed up with the winning volley 4 minutes later. The new gun sparked hopes throughout the Dragon’s nest of Belgrade.

Cimarrones 2 – 0 Alebrijes

Already down two goals, Oaxaca went down a man when Fernando Plasencia was sent off. The youngster’s temper cost the team a solid midfielder against a solid, but limited Mineros.

Punjab FC 0 – 1 Golukam FC

The Warriors were held scoreless for the first time in 5 matches and lost their first match in 7. An ill timed tackle by Surabh Banwala gave Golukam the only chance they needed. Despite the formidable duo of Chencho and Diawara Punjab couldn’t respond in kind.

Freiburg 0 – 3 RB Leipzig [M]

Once upon a time, Freiburg and Leipzig were rivals in the second division of Germany. Freiburg built gradually, carefully, methodically and now they’re consistently in the thick of the league. Leipzig spent a lot of money and now they’re consistently contending for titles…these are the moments I’m tempted to raise you as Marxists.

Ross County 3 – 2 Kilmarnock

Despite falling behind early to their fellow cellar dwellers (on a questionable non-handball-call), County came back. Billy McKay was every where you would want him to be, scoring a wicked volley, delivering a goal in traffic and drawing attention of the defense to free up defender Leo Hjelde for the third goal. It all combined to help the Staggies to a big win in their quest to stay in the top league.

Emelec 1 – 0 Delfin [M]

It’s a good time to be Emelec in Ecuador. A perfect 3 for 3 to start the campaign has them top of the table alongside rivals Barcelona. Plus Facundo Barcelo remains ridiculously in form and the clever movement from Esteban Rodriguez suggests that Facundo will have all the opportunities he needs.

SC Freiburg 1 – 5 Bayern Munich [F]

Former Freiburg starlet Klara Buhl kicked off the scoring for the league leaders who never looked back in Breigsau.

FK Metalac 2 – 1 Vozdovac

The Red Dragons firepower faded quickly in under a week and despite a well organized midfield that kept pressure on the hosts for most of the first half they couldn’t keep the pressure up long term. As the offensive pressure wilted, the defense crumbled too. An uncharacteristic foul from keeper Miloje Prekovic set up a penalty, and an unwise challenge from newcomer Rashid Oboubi gave Metalac a man advantage. Only a clever back heel volley from 17 year old Dragan Stoisavljevic kept them in the match.

Eleven Wonders 1 – 0 Legon Cities

After 7 unbeaten the Royals dropped all the points against Eleven Wonders. Hans Kwofie, Baba Mahama, and Jonah Attaquye all came close, but one goal was enough to end the points streak. Trust that the Royals will rule again soon.

Grizzlies 3 – 0 Montana State-Billings Yellow Jackets

For the first time in almost 500 days the Griz took the field. For only the fifth time in coach Chris Citowicki’s three season tenure they scored more than one goal. Alexa Coyle had the honor of breaking the seal on the new season, with a standard long distance blast. The Griz kept up the pressure on lower division side (but the closest thing we get to a soccer brawl of the wild) and pulled away in the second half with lots of pressure from midfield transfer Mimi Eiden, and a great cross from Taylor Hanson.

Alebrijes 4 – 3 Mineros

It was a wild one in Oaxaca. Things started to get tetchy when Fernando Morales committed an ill-timed challenge against a Mineros attacker in the box. A fortunate bounce from Ricardo Monreal equalized things at 1 all. Between banging goals at the start of the second half, legs got higher and pushes and tugs started to tear at jerseys. When Oscar Torres delivered a elbow in the box it looked inevitable that things would escalate. Sure enough, Mineros’ Luis Hernandez rassled a man to the ground in the box, and Alebrijes sealed a penalty of their own. Soon their after some confrontation on the far line netted Hector Mascorro a red card, and with the man advantage Jair Cortes delivered a great through ball to Fernando Vasquez at the back post to net the winner for Alebrijes.

News & Notes

Pabrai’s Mango/League Split

Pabrai’s Fresh and Naturelle
The official unofficial ice cream of this blog

The I-League has reached its championship/relegation split. Our coverage of it will be brought to you by Pabrai’s Fresh and Naturelle Ice Cream. The only Kolkata Ice Creamery operated by a former student of mine. (Hence the unpaid advertisement)

Punjab entered this section of the tournament in second place behind undefeated Churchill Brothers, but the loss to Golukam quickly sent them back to 4th. We’ll track their position with bated breath…and a big bowl of Pabrai’s Fresh and Naturelle!

Rookies and Vets Join the Loons

Our local team has brought in a few more players to continue their preparations for the upcoming season. First among them is veteran Striker Juan Agudelo. Over 10 years Agudelo has scored about once every four outings, made several appearances for the national team, and been a top choice for multiple American clubs. Also re-signed is team captain and Cuban enforcer Osvaldo Alonso who scored the first goal in the history of the Loons’ new stadium and has led it to its first two playoff runs.

Meanwhile the newest young talent to come aboard is a local product: Patrick Weah of Maple Grove. Weah is a former Mr. Minnesota Soccer, a former leader of Minnesota’s academy, and the nephew of former FIFA World Player of the year/current president of Liberia, George Weah. So….no pressure

Vozdovac’s Wholesale Shifts

With all the stuff going on I’m very late to updating this news for the Red Dragons, but holy cow did they change things up.

As of the start of March, only 13 players out of the squad of 31 had been with the club for a year. Every spot in the goalkeeping corps has turned over, and after bringing in 3 new left backs, the defense has similarly evolved. The new life of the dragons has yet to yield much in the way of advancement up the table, but we’ll have to wait and see (at least they’re not in the relegation scrap this year).

Player of the Week

With so many great crosses here it is tempting to choose one of the assist masters, but Billy McKay saved the day in Dingwall and played a part in every big play that brought the Staggies back into and then ahead in their match. He scores when he wants! He’s Billy McKay!

Standings Update

Emelec’s got company in the perfect start club and the Griz join them with a perfect 3 points per game (I kept Emelec first since they have played more games). Meanwhile an idle Grenoble moves past a struggling Freiburg and Ross County only has goals separating them from surpassing the Royals.

TeamWDLPPGGFAGAA
Emelec30032.71.0
University of Montana100330
Punjab FC5331.641.10.6
Grenoble foot 386341.621.21.0
Freiburg6251.541.51.6
Legon Cities FC4431.451.20.8
Ross County5151.451.41.6
Alebrijes3241.21.92.2
FK Vozdovac1320.90.71.1
Rosenborg BK000–––
Minnesota United000–––
Table Updated 3/9/2021

What’s Next

Wednesday, March 10th

Punjab FC v. Mohammedan SC

Thursday, March 11th

10:00 Partizan Belgrade v. FK Vozdovac

6:00 CSD Macara v. Emelec

8:00 Idaho Vandals v. Montana Grizzlies

Friday, March 12th

Saturday, March 13th

8:30 Mainz v. Freiburg [M]

9:00 Ross County v. Hibernian

1:00 Grenoble v. Pau [M]

Sunday, March 14th

8:00 MSV Duisburg v. SC Freiburg [F]

3:00 Idaho Vandals v. Montana Grizzlies

Monday, March 15th

5:30 TRAU v. Punjab FC

10:00 FK Vozdovac v. Red Star Belgrade

Tuesday, March 16th

Week 9: Super Showing

Week 9: Super Showing

by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Scores

Legon Cities 2 – 0 Elmina Sharks

While Asamoah Gyan remains a non-factor (just as Alex predicted last fall, the Royals new star striker, Hans Kwofie wasted no time in making his mark. A stellar brace provided all the offense the Royals needed, though to be fair, Jonah Attaquye’s dead ball skills set up at least one of those goals (highlights from the massive Accra Sports Stadium always leave me a little squinty).

Alebrijes 2 – 2 Correcaminos

Oaxaca might well feel hard done by here. They had the better looking attack over all, they spent long stretches of the game looking quite strong, but a cracker free kick from Correcaminos left them with just a point. That Ricardo Monreal’s ripping shot and Fernando Vasquez’s buckeroo header/goal celebration will end up as footnotes is small consolation.

St. Mirren 1 – 0 Ross County

If either of you gets a theatre degree this will be a great joke (from Exunt NYC)

As surely as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. As surely as there will always be a Scotland. When Ross County bags a boffo win one week, they’ll deliver a clunker the next. (John Hughes’ clump of midfielders sure slowed the game down, but it also made getting a winner nigh on impossible. Seriously, it’s been a month since Hary Paton and Jermaine Hylton led the charge…I’m just saying…)

Zlatibor 0 – 0 Vozdovac

It’s now 351 minutes without a goal for the Red Dragons and the mid-table is looking less like a comfortable perch to build for a future and more like an interminable space of surreal torture. Like Waiting for Godot, but less funny.

Grenoble 1 – 1 Niort [M]

Honestly, you have to feel for Adrien Monfry. After giving every ounce of his speed to try to track back and prevent a shot by Niort striker Pape Ba, he was pushed back, fell to his back and allowed his front toe to ever so gently graze Ba’s shin. The result was utter agony for Ba, a penalty for the visitors and a goal lead. [I honestly had to rewatch it three times in slow mode to catch the “foul”]. Monfry’s disbelief as the penalty and then yellow card come his way is something else. But Monfry didn’t have to bear the brunt of frustration as Moussa Kaillou Djitte once again was the right man, in the right place, at the right time to equalize late.

Aucas 2 – 3 Emelec [M]

In a match that was about as pretty as the south end of a north bound horse, Los Bombillos stayed perfect. Keeper Pedro Ortiz was terribly unlucky in giving back Aucus’ second goal, but their opponents’ defense obliged the Guyaquil crew’s attack. Facundo Barcelo again created havoc gaining an equalizer for himself and a late own goal to win it. [Watch the “highlights” if you must]

Leverkusen 1 – 2 Freiburg [M]

In a massive win, Freiburg took three huge points on the road from a rival for European qualification. Wearing a kit so yellow that even Big Bird would call it “a bit much”, Lucas Holer had an outstanding game with a gorgeous assist to Ermedin Demirovic and one of the world’s easiest tap in goals to seal it. If the mustard tops are the price to pay for breaking through in Germany, I’ll pay it.

Neroca FC 0 – 1 Punjab FC

Again, Baba Diawara did the business in front of goal to get the points. While his towering headers would make great Elephant graves, we really need to take a beat to respect the Punjab defense. Bikash Yumnam’s superb recovery to stop an easy counter. Souvik Das’ hustle back to save the day (as a winger no less). It wasn’t always easy, and there were times Kiran Limbu and others looked exasperated, but Curtis Fleming’s side has built a solid corps that can even withstand the forced absence of (suspended) Chenchyo Gyeltshen.

https://youtu.be/rBIc3uipY48

Le Havre 0 – 2 Grenoble Foot 38 [M]

Manager Phillipe Hinschberger opted for an unusual line up for les Grenobloises. A five man midfield included some new opportunities for little used role players cum goal scorers Wily Semedo and Anthony Belmonte (the latter of whom ripped an absolute banger). It also included Jerome Mombris playing way up the field…on purpose. But when Esteban Salles can maintain the form he’s had lately, it’s almost academic.

News & Notes

Here Come the Ladies

At last it’s time to bring a little parity back to these pages as women’s games are gearing up to start again in earnest

First, the French league announced (a little bit ago) that they’ll be back in March. After months in shut down, we’ll see if Grenoble’s lady’s side can break through alongside the men. (Or maybe we will, the official website lists Grenoble’s first match as June…so….).

Meanwhile lousy weather and lousier viruses conspired to keep Freiburg’s ladies away from the pitch for the better part of two months. Now they’re back and they get to face old friend Karla Buhl and Bayern Munich on the weekend. (Such Drama, much wow)

And finally, and arguably most wonderfully, the Big Sky Conference kicks off this week. It will be over a year since the Griz last played, so naturally they’re kicking off with Montana rivals Montana State (Billings).

Baby Blues are Back

Minnesota United will bring back their baby-blue uniforms. It was very cool to see them back in the day and now…they cost a lot more and have a “pattern” that you can barely make out. Still though, nothing wrong with baby blues.

Player of the Week

Another week, another very hard choice to make. Lucas Holer did everything but pass out the popcorn in a critical Freiburg win, Bikash Yumnam, at just 17 years old, may already be past due for recognition. But we can’t ignore the fact that more assists, more goals, and more points have made Jonah Attuquaye instrumental in saving Legon Cities’ Bacon this year. In gratitude for both the great bacon and the good football, he’s our player of the week.

Standings Update

For the first time in forever everything stays where it was before. Emelec keeps the pole after starting out perfectly, Punjab, Freiburg, Grenoble and Legon continue to vie for further credit.

TeamWDLPPGGFAGAA
Emelec20033.51.5
Punjab FC5321.81.20.6
Freiburg5231.71.71.2
Grenoble Foot 386341.621.21.0
Legon Cities FC4421.601.30.8
Ross County4151.31.21.6
Alebrijes2231.11.92.1
FK Vozdovac0320.60.41.0
Rosenborg BK000–––
Minnesota United000–––
University of Montana000–––
Table Updated 3/2/2021

What’s Next

Wednesday, March 3rd

7:00 SC Frieburg v. SC Sand [F]

7:00 Vozdovac v. Backa Backa Palanka

9:00 Cimarrones v. Alebrijes

Thursday, March 4th

Friday, March 5th

Saturday, March 6th

8:30 Freiburg v. RB Leipzig [M]

9:00 Eleven Wonders v. Legon Cities

9:00 Ross County v. Kilmarnock

7:00 Emelec v. Delfin [M]

Sunday, March 7th

7:00 SC Freiburg v. Bayern Munich

8:00 FK Metalac v. Vozdovac

1:00 Grizzlies v. Montana State Billings Yellow Jackets

Monday, March 8th

Tuesday, March 9th

Le Havre v. Grenoble Foot 38 [M]

Week 7: Down the Vortex

Week 7: Down the Vortex

by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Scores

Grenoble 0 – 1 AS Monaco [Cup]

Esteban Salles served up another strong showing, but it’s a little hard for a second string, second division goalie and his crew to keep up with a crew of International calibre players. Still it took a great strike from Stevan Jovetic and a lot of luck against the Grenoblois to stop the cup run.

Punjab FC 2 – 0 Chennai City

Baba Diawara opened the scoring, using his strong frame to create space for himself and easily knocking in a goal. It is becoming abundantly clear that Punjab is crafting one of the strongest attacks in the I-League with one of the leagues top goalies. They should stay in the title race all year.

https://youtu.be/bs7uXQO37hM

FK Vozdovac 1 – 1 Indjija

Marko Gajic was the man behind the Red Dragons’ goal slamming home captain Jovan Nisic’s excellent free kick. The captain played a critical part in two other moments of the match, making a critical in box clearance to deny a scoring chance (despite Indjija’s demand for a penalty) and failing to make another clearance that led to the equalizer.

Werder Bremen 0 – 0 Freiburg [M]

There was nothing much going on in Bremen, but it keeps Freiburg in fine position before their next match with the team right behind them in the table Union Berlin

Ross County v. Hibernian

Grenoble 0 – 0 Amiens [M]

While the offense couldn’t get going against Amiens, Adrien Monfry and Jerome Mombris contained the opponent’s attack

Freiburg v. SC Sand [F]

Legon Cities 1 – 1 King Faisal

At a certain point the Royals’ defensive strategy of “let’s just have our goalie be superb” leaves something to be desired. When the woodwork finally failed to accommodate them, Legon fell behind near bottom of the table King Faisal. Fortunately the offensive strategy of “hey, everybody blast long shots and hope for a goalazo did pay off when Cephas Doku crushed a stellar shot from outside the area.

News & Notes

Polar Vortex

Freezing cold conditions have kept us cooped up in the house for two weeks now. Worse still it’s delayed games in Norway and Scotland. Plus the ladies from Freiburg must be getting extra eager to get their season restarted.

Science Lesson, courtesy of the Daily Mail

Streich 10!

Streiching Out to the future

Freiburg chose this week to reup the contract of head man and local philosopher king: Christan Streich. The fixture on the local sideline will hit a decade in the job come December 2021 and his new contract should see him safely employed until May of the next year. The consistent top half-finishes for a team of limited resources will make that well earned.

Unsavory Socializing in Punjab

Reports broke this week that Punjab FC had to step up their directions to their fan base after some racially tinged abuse directed at a Warriors’ player after this last weekend. (It sure would seem like Baba Diawara would be the target, but why you’d jeer one of your team’s top scorers I have no earthly idea). Regardless, let’s go back to our favorite phrase: Screw you systemic racism.

Player of the Week

There wasn’t a lot to choose from this week. I’m tempted to tip the hat to Jonah Attaquye whose midfield play has been a real boon to the Royals attack, but this week he was relatively invisible. Jovan Nisic’s assist and goal made him the center of Vozdovac’s draw (but also to blame for it not being a win). While they both deserve some consideration for good play as a tiebreaker going forward, it seems best to recognize the other half of of Punjab’s attacking duo: Babacar Diawara who both played well and dealt with jerks. This isn’t much but hopefully it’s something nice.

Standings Update

In an unfair consequence for going goalless this week, Grenoble dropped from second to fifth while Punjab moves into a tie for first (only trailing on average goals for)

TeamWDLPPGGFAGAA
SC Freiburg4221.751.91.3
Punjab FC4221.751.30.6
Legon Cities FC3321.51.30.9
Alebrijes2121.41.61.4
Grenoble Foot 384241.41.01.2
Ross County3141.31.41.9
FK Vozdovac0201.01.01.0
Rosenborg BK000–––
Minnesota United000–––
Emelec000–––
Vozdovac FK000–––
University of Montana000–––
Table Updated 2/16/2020

What’s Next

Wednesday, February 17th

9:00 Vojvodina v FK Vozdovac

Thursday, February 18th

4:30 Real Kashmir v Punjab FC

Friday, February 19th

Saturday, February 20th

8:30 Freiburg v Union Berlin [M]

9:00 Bechum United v Legon Cities

12:00 Nancy v Grenoble [M]

Sunday, February 21st

1:30 Ross County v. Celtic

5:00 Atletico Morelia v Alebrijes

5:00 Emelec v Deportiva Cuenca

Monday, February 22nd

6:30 FK Vozdovac v. Rad Beograd

Tuesday, February 23rd

Week 6: God Bless the Goalies

Week 6: God Bless the Goalies

by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Scores

Hamilton Academical 1 – 2 Ross County

An early own goal presaged gloom for the Staggies. But newcomer Jordan White’s goal and assist within the last 10 minutes saw the Stags to a big relegation zone 6 point win. (Worth noting that assist was a particularly blistering cross to the exact right spot in the box)

TRAU 0 – 2 Punjab FC

Apparently all it took to get Chencho Gyeltshen to score was a passive aggressive blog mention. His brace reflected how well he can capitalize on opportunities that appear. More impressively Punjab’s young defense has allowed one goal in the last four games and boosted the team to third on the table. (At times they seemed unsettled by TRAU but Kiran Limbu couldn’t be shaken, and sometimes that’s all it takes to keep a goalless streak in tact).

https://youtu.be/87e3vwHLaD4

Legon Cities 0 – 0 Karela United

The offense might have vanished on the Royals again, but a draw against the league’s top team is never a bad result.

Valenciennes 0 – 1 Grenoble Foot [M]

Don’t look now, but Brice Mableu’s spot between the sticks for Grenoble may be in jeopardy. Esteban Salles turned in another man of the match performance. That plus a late own goal (on an unstoppable half volley) kept Grenoble close to promotion.

Vendados 2 – 2 Alebrijes

Oaxaca kept plugging away after they fell behind on a corner kick inside of 9 minutes. While that normally presages a long night for the team, this time they kept calm and notched two much needed goals in the second half: starting with a long chip to capitalize on an adventurous keeper, and a final goal on a blistering header.

FK Radnik Surdulica 1 – 1 FK Vozdovac

Serbia swung back into action and showed exactly they’re tied with Surdulica in the table, by tying them on the field. An uncharacteristic lapse from keeper Miloje Prekovic put the dragons behind . But the teams remained as contentious and aggressive as you’d expect from Serbia (a few particular forearms to the face stood out). The late equalizer came from Luka Cveticanin on a staggering top shelf volley, marking his first strike for the Red Dragons.

Freiburg 2 – 1 Dortumund [M]

Even in a down year, a match against the bright young stars of Dortmund is intimidating (all the more so because they hadn’t been Dortmund in 10 years). But Freiburg was capable of keeping pace throughout, and Vincenzo Grifo again showcased his skills to further his case for joining the Italian national team in World and European Cups in the coming months. Add to that Woo-Yeong Jeong continuing to come into his own and you have a very promising start to the end of the season.

Ross County 0 – 2 Dundee United

After Billy McKay and a Jordan White won the match on Wednesday, they got a chance to start against Dundee. Unfortunately, neither found the same rhythm and the day ended with disappointment.

Hearts of Oak 1 – 1 Legon Cities

An early goal for Jonah Attaquye, capitalizing on a flustered defense, gave the Capital City upstarts a promising start. One they held on to for most of the match despite Hearts of Oak’s near relentless pressure. Again and again Winfried Honu stood up to the onslaught, with several outstretched saves. A late equalizer (also against a flustered defense) stymied a solid effort.

Werder Bremen v. Freiburg [F]

A blustery day in Bremen ended with a postponed match.

Indian Arrows 1 – 2 Punjab FC

Punjab’s second straight win comes from the feet of Baba Diawara. The Senagalese striker provided the attacking muster to give Chencho Gyeltshen a day off. Though the defense finally ceded their second goal in 5 games. Kiran Limbu continued to look quite formidable throughout.

https://youtu.be/6FeUVk5Oobs

Alebrijes de Oaxaca 3 – 1 Pumas Tabasco

Alebrijes continues a strong turn around during the spring campaign. Most of the switch has revolved around a greater effectiveness in the box and nobody was more effective in this match than Julio Cesar Cruz who was opportunistic, effective on set pieces and just great one-on-one.

News & Notes

Griz get a go in the big house

The University of Montana has had to make do with some lousy circumstances this year. But training as a team in the U’s biggest stadium isn’t one of them. Here’s hoping for a Big Sky battle in Washington-Grizzly some time soon.

Vozdovac is Bac

Soon to be Rocking Rooftops again

The red Dragons kick off felt much less nerve racking than last year as the team nosedived towards relegation. A mid table finish is quite likely this year so hopes for further improvement rest on newcomers seeking to establish themselves.

Over the winter the team let go two strong first half performers in defensive midfielder Marko Putincanin (off to Navbahor) and winger Milos Pantovic (back to Red Star’s youth team). The two accounted for 25% of the teams fall season goals, so replacing them is key.

Their boots will be filled by two returning loanees midfielder Stefan Purtic (22) and forward Lazar Popovic (19 and my new favorite Serbian name). The team also brought in A pair of left backs (Red Star sub Stefan Hajdin, and Macva talent Nikola Ducic) and a returning hero Aleksandar Stanisavljevic (who trotted out for the Kazakh league Europa contenders).

Minnesota Black, and Blue, and Open for Business

There will be soccer in the US this summer. There are fancy shmancy business reasons, I don’t really understand them. My big take away is: hopefully we can go back to games this summer.

Player of the Week

There’s a lot of great performances to choose from and both Esteban Salles and Winifried Honsu have stepped up massively, but the decisive factor has to be that Kiran Limbu helped lead Punjab to two wins and a massive boost up the table. For that, he gets the nod as this week’s player of the week.

Khelnow.com

Standings Update

Freiburg takes their lead right back with the streak snapping victory while Punjab’s great week and Grenoble’s consistency shrink the top four. Ross County stays off the bottom thanks to Vozdovac’s debut.

TeamWDLPPGGFAGAA
SC Freiburg4121.92.11.4
Grenoble Foot 384131.61.31.4
Legon Cities FC3221.571.30.9
Punjab FC3221.571.10.7
Alebrijes2121.41.61.4
Ross County3141.31.41.9
FK Vozdovac0101.01.01.0
Rosenborg BK000–––
Minnesota United000–––
Emelec000–––
Vozdovac FK000–––
University of Montana000–––
Table Updated 2/10/2020

What’s Next

Wednesday, February 10th

7:45 Grenoble V. AS Monaco [Cup]

Thursday, February 11th

Friday, February 12th

Saturday, February 13th

4:35 Punjab FC v. Chennai City

6:30 FK Vozdovac v. Indjija

8:30 Werder Bremen v. Freiburg [M]

9:00 Legon Cities v. King Faisal

9:00 Ross County v. Hibernian

12:00 Grenoble v. Amiens [M]

Sunday, February 14th

7:00 Freiburg v. SC Sand [F]

Monday, February 15th

Tuesday, February 16th