Tag: Christian Gunter

MacKenzie Cup: February ’25

MacKenzie Cup: February ’25

by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Let’s get at it again, with a short month (made shorter by my late post last time) there’s less to cover, but more to enjoy

Between Season Squads:

Rosenborg, Montana (and Legon Cities)

Legon Cities was schecduled to face Karela United, but the match was cancelled so there’s nothing new to report for the Royals.

Meanwhile, there was another round of expected rest for the snowier portions of our soccer world. The Loons fled for sunny California to train and then kick off their season. Rosenborg made their way to Portugal and had a fun time training with others in a mini-tournament. Meanwhile the Griz focused on classwork and enjoying their new bubble training dome.

Rosenborg will hit the ground running in the next month, but most matches will happen while we’re on spring break, thus after our next update goes to “print”

LEGON March: HOME v. Nsoatreman, AWAY v. Asante Kotoko, HOME v. Berekum Chelsea, AWAY v. Accra Lions

ROSENBORG March: (W): AWAY v. Brann

Alebrijes de Oaxaca– 1 W – 0 D – 1 L; GF: 3/GA: 2

Oaxaca came into the month struggling heavily, winless in the year. Heck they were winless since September. So it was a bit of a surprise to see that they got their first win in 12 tries against a top of the table side in Atalante (2-0). Perhaps Atalante overlooked Alebrijes, but whatever the reason, Midfielder Fernando Morelos notched a brace. And the squad celebrated (deservedly).

Things looked to be breaking their way again in the next match as the Oaxacans were a man up after just 11 minutes following a Venados red card. But…the squad somehow managed to give up two goals to their opponents and only scored a consolation goal AFTER they also got a red card. (1-2 L)

March: HOME v. Correcaminos, AWAY v. Jaibos, and UDG, HOME v. Tlaxcala

Punjab– 0 W – 0 D – 2 L; GF: 2/GA: 5

After getting used to Punjab De Sher reliably topping our table and challenging everyone, it’s become a little dispiriting to see them face consistent struggles. Another late defeat (2-1), this time in Chennai stung again as it undid another solid outing from Nikhil Prabhu and Ravi Kumar. Moreover, it looked like with a range of injuries the often reliable Luka Macjen and Filip Marzjlak were forced to share time rather than dominate as a duo.

With those limitations firmly in place the ensuing defeat to East Bengal (3-1) was largely predictable. As coach Panagiotis Dilmperis tries to McGyver together an attack from the remnants of what was a potent attack at the start of the year, another second choice defense really didn’t help things.

The only solace is that there is no relegation from the ISL, but it’s hard knowing that the recent dip collapse in form turned a season that started with Punjab competing for the top of the table has left them outside of the playoff spot with 8 points to make up in three matches. That would require three wins and quite a lot of help from 5 teams head of them in the standings. Having just bottled winnable games (given season-long form) in Chennai and Bengal, they can only hope things go better on the road against bottom of the table Hydrabad and Mohammedan.

March: HOME v. FC Goa, AWAY v. Hydrabad and Mohammedan SC

Freiburg–3 W – 0 D – 0 L; GF: 8/GA: 0

F: 1 W – 0 D – 0 L; GF: 2/GA: 0

The match against Carl Zeiss Jena was postponed, so the only match for die Frauen was their against Koln. In addition to Cora Zica continuing to be a strong attacker, 17-year-old center back Maj Schneider celebrated her first ever start with a goal and a clean sheet!

March: AWAY v Turbine Potsdam, HOME v. Eintracht Frankfurt

M: 2 W – 0 D- 0 L; GF: 6/GA: 0

Freiburg needed help from an Own Goal to win against St. Pauli (1-0) after Vincenzo Grifo surprisingly missed a penalty. Kilian Sidilla had the best outing of a great defensive group that stopped their opponents from ever getting their offense clicking, with the law firm back line of Ginter, Gunter and Leinhart holding strong as well.

Eren Dikcii and Ristu Doan on their
way to the polls!

With things moving along nicely, Freiburg absolutely trounced Werder Bremen 5-0 in their biggest offensive outpouring since November of 2023! Vincenzo Grifo (please contain your shock) and Ritsu Doan each knocked in two goals and Noah Atabolu stopped his fourth consecutive penalty to seal the clean sheet in a resounding win.

As an added cherry on top, Freiburg’s efforts to get out the vote in German elections remain a gold standard helping increase the voting to 86% turn out! YAY VOTING! YAY FREIBURG!

March: AWAY v. Augsburg, HOME v. Leipzig, AWAY v. Mainz,

Ross County– 2 W – 0 D – 0 L; GF: 6 /GA: 1

Ronan Hale has quietly become a superb striker ranking 2nd in the Scottish Goal Scorers race this season (in the non-Old Firm division). He was back at it again against Motherwell, notching two goals in the first half to grab all three points on the road (3-0).

Back on home turf in Dingwall, the Staggies picked up another big win (3-1) versus Dundee FC, with Akil Wright continuing to be an absolute terror down the right side and Kacper Lopata anchoring the defense (and even chipping in an assist this match as well)

March: AWAY v. St. Johnstone, HOME v. Kilmarnock, AWAY v. Hearts

Grenoble– 1 W – 2 D – 0 L; GF: 6 /GA: 3

Women 0 W – 1 D – 0 L; GF: 1 /GA: 1

Les femmes only managed to take a point from their home match against Colomiers (1-1), and while that small slip shouldn’t be a huge affair, it feels a little like one. After all, there’s already very little margin for error in the quest to top the table, so this was less than ideal.

March: AWAY v. Chasseau Decines, and Le Puy; HOME v. Montpelier II, AWAY v. Monaco

Men–1 W – 1 D – 0 L; GF: 5 /GA: 2

After Frederic Geugen’s brief tenure as an interim manager, Grenoble brought in Franck Rizzetto. But while Rizetto came in, Pape Meissa Ba (aka Grenoble’s largest attacking piece) completed his move to the Bundesliga. It could have been a fraught moment, but instead Grenoble managed one of their best offensive outings this season notching 4 goals for the first time since September in a win against Amiens (4-1). Help came from all over the pitch including the invigorated defensive midfielder Theo Valls, and outright defenders Loris Mouyokolo and Shaquil Delos. The ensuing home tie against Guingamp was a less inspiring 1-1 draw, but it did include a Jessy Benet goal, so really who needs to complain?

March: AWAY v Pau, HOME v. AC Ajaccio, AWAY v. Clermont Foot

Vozdovac–1 W – 1 D – 2 L; GF: 1/GA: 0

Filipovic intimidating the ball!

The best start for a team kicking off their 2025 undoubtedly went to Vozdovac as the Red Dragons got points in both their matches. Winning 1-0 at home v. Dubocia with a goal from Mihajlo Milosavic was a great start. They may well have wanted more points from their tie against Smederevo (0-0) but you should never look askance at points on the road. And the outing also allowed goalie Nenad Filipovic to post his 5th straight clean sheet giving him 458 minutes without allowing a goal! Well done Nenad!

March: HOME v Macva, AWAY v. Worker, HOME v. Borac, AWAY v Grafica, HOME v. Radniki, AWAY v. Vrsac

Emelec–0 W – 0 D – 2 L; GF: 0 /GA: 6

After what can only be described as a lousy end of their previous season, hopes were high that Los Bombillos would start fresh and return to the traditional powerhouse role that saw them become one of Ecuador’s greatest clubs.

…Or they could lose 4-0 to Universidad and 2-0 to Delfin.

They did the second one.

Worse, the defeats have left Emelec’s men side winless since September, and with Alebrijes winning (finally) they now have the longest losing streak of all our teams. Good luck to new coach Jorge Celico…you clearly need it.

March: HOME v. Macara; AWAY v. Vinotinto; HOME v. LDU

Minnesota– 0 W – 0 D – 1 L; GF: 0 /GA: 1

The Loons kicked off their season in Los Angeles as a dark horse contender for the Western Conference title against the most obvious of bright horses: LAFC. But the squad held their own for most of the match. Good pressure and strong passing showed Bongi and Kelvin Yeboah to be ready to continue on right as they had last season, and Dayne St. Clair was tough as always. But against the well-funded and expertly drilled Angels there’s little room for error and the Loons paid the price with a 1-0 defeat.

March: HOME v. Montreal, AWAY v. San Jose and Kansas City, HOME v. LA Galaxy

STANDINGS

(See the standings page for full updates)

Tune in for our next recap: March 26th right before we hit the sunny streets of Orlando!

MacKenzie Cup: January ’25

MacKenzie Cup: January ’25

by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Kicking off the sixth year of this project, I’m happy to say that I still enjoy doing this. More over, now that you boys are playing and laughing and having a grand time in your own soccer matches, it truly feels like a family affair. While we feel good about the year to come, let’s see how our favorite teams fared this month. (Note, I was close to hitting my publishing goal this month, but ended up off target a bit…as a result, anything that’s after my prior deadline will simply be given as a score and one relevant name…sorry, but that’s the compromise that makes sense in my head)

Between Season Squads:

Vozdovac, Emelec, Rosenborg, Minnesota, Montana

These squads took some time to recover, and with good reason as Norway, Minnesota and Montana are not hospitable to outdoor sports that are played in shorts rather than heavily insulated parkas at this time of the year. Rosenborg’s men did get some preseason games down in Portugal though. I’m not sure what Vozdovac’s excuse is but I’m sure they have a good one.

Emelec has the biggest changes to face as their regular two-part season gets broken into a complicated jigsaw. Everyone still plays the other teams in the league twice, but instead of once in the spring and once in the fall, it’s all in one heavy rush. After the dust settles following 30 matches a piece, teams slot into one of three second rounds. The top 6 jockey for the title and position in Copas. The second 6 fight for the last spot in South American Tournaments. Bottom 4 fight to avoid relegation. Had this system been in place in 2024, the dreadful fall season would have dropped Emelec into the second sextet.

February:

Vozdovac HOME v. Dubocic; AWAY v. Smendrija; HOME v Macva Sabac

Minnesota (M): AWAY v. LAFC

Emelec (M): TBD

Alebrijes de Oaxaca–0 W – 0 D – 4 L; GF: 2/GA: 7

After a big overhaul Oaxaca might have had hopes that things would change….but it didn’t. They lost 0-1 to Mineros, 1-0 to Cancun, 1-3 to Tapatio and 2-1 to Atletico Moreila. Left side attacker Orlando Ballesteros is the only man to notch a goal, so he’ll be our notable player for the month.

Rest of February: HOME v. Atalante, AWAY v. Venados

Legon Cities–2 W – 0 D- 2 L; GF: 4/ GA: 3

After a great deal of loyalty the Royals parted ways with coach Paa Kwesi Fabian who joined the long list of coaches who never got Legon City over the hump. Yaw Acheampong has become the latest manager and another man recently relieved of duties with one club only to bounce back with Legon.

Unfortunately the outcomes were depressingly similar. In the Accra derby versus Hearts of Oak, Legon bowed 1-0 despite being up a man in the game’s last minutes. But the Royals actually managed to get cooking thereafter with 3-0 Wins at home versus Dreams FC and a 1-0 win against Bibiani Gold Stars that dropped their opponent off the top of the league. Frederik Akatuk seems to be personally committed to upending the old narrative, at least until the Royals lost their first February game (1-0 at Medema SC). Also cool, Legon brought on Elijiah Satekla brother of Afropop star Stonebwoy (Legon loves that celebrity spotlight)

February: AWAY v. Karela United

Ross County–2 W – 1 D-3 L; GF: 7 /GA: 13

Let’s all savor the special start to 2025 that the Staggies enjoyed. First came a 2-1 win in Aberdeen against the often difficult Dons in the even more difficult snow conditions. Akil Wright’s blast was a particularly pretty bit of skill. The team also gritted out a 1-0 win at Kilmarnock with Noah Chilvers working some midfield mastery to create the goal (just as he netted the winner in Aberdeen). And with the physical presence of Kacper Lopata anchoring the defense (he’s been putting in some grizzled shifts this year in keeping with the County backline).

Jordan Amissah

The good vibes were flowing against Celtic as well, with a strong defensive first half from in-form keeper in Jordan Amissah, and a well-placed penalty by Jordan White drawing the Staggies level. Not content to settle for a draw, Don Cowie urged his team on to find a late winner, and the Hoops made them pay with three transition goals to leave a lopsided 4-1 result.

Then the special start to 2025 faded away as the bad news continued with a late added time goal conceded to Livingston to bow out of the cup (2-3), and a predictable shellacking from Rangers (4-0), but they at least managed a draw on my birthday (1-1 v. Hibs)

February: AWAY v. Motherwall, HOME v. Dundee FC

Freiburg–2 W – 0 D – 4 L; GF: 4/GA: 7

M: 2 W – 0 D- 2 L; GF: 7/GA: 12

Freiburg looked dangerous throughout the first half. Pressuring Holstein into an early own goal and celebrating as both Christian Gunter and Vincenzo Grifo found the net to build up an impressive lead. Then Holstein turned Phil Harres loose on Freiburg and the 22 year old wunderkind netted twice in stoppage time to bring about some mild cardial infarctions before walking away 3-2 winners.

Then things got rough, especially in defense losing 4-1 in Frankfurt and 4-0 in Stuttgart. Shockingly the defense’s best match came against the powerful (and Germany leading) Bayern Munich team where the Griffins only lost 2-1.

Then things turned around as a pair of 1-0 wins against Bochum and Heidenheim put the Breigsau boys back in the european league spots as of writing. The defense in general has worn pretty thin, especially in the defensive midfield pairings, but once again, if Vincenzo Grifo is on, Freiburg has a shot.

February: AWAY v. St. Pauli, HOME v. Werder Bremen

F: 0 W – 0 D – 2 L; GF: 1/GA: 5

There wasn’t a lot of positivity to find for die Frauen. A pair of losses (2-1 and 0-3) turned a fairly mediocre season into a very mediocre one (if such a thing is possible)

February: AWAY v Carl Zeiss Jena, HOME v. Koln

Punjab– 1 W – 2 D – 3 L; GF: 6/GA: 10

Mrzljak Must Have

As if determined to outshine Legon Cities, the Shers dropped their first game of the year 1-0 but they did it despite being two players up with even longer to play. Injuries forced the squad to push Nikhil Prabhu up into midfield and to run the offense without the Lion King: Luka Macjen (midfield talisman Filip Mrzljak started to work back into form with a short shift).

Sure enough, when Mrzljak increased his minutes to cover the entire second half of the next match against Northeast United, the result improved as well with Punjab earning a 1-1 draw, though it’s a little curious as to why goal scoring midfielder Khaiminthang Lhungdim felt the need to pick up two yellows within ten minutes of scoring his equalizer.

From there, inconsistency reigned. The Shers grabbed another draw (1-1) v. Mumbai City, a 1-2 defeat versus Jamshedpur, before finally notching their first win of the year (3-2 v. Bengaluru) and giving it right back in a loss to Mohun Bagan (3-0).

February: AWAY v. Odisha FC and Chennayin, East Bengal

Grenoble– 4 W – 2 D – 1 L; GF: 8 /GA: 4

Men–4 W – 1 D – 1 L; GF: 7 /GA: 3

Grenoble continues to churn through coaches at a rate that makes Legon Cities look thoroughly stable. Frederic Gueguen at least got the new manager bounce with the team’s 3-2 win versus Bastia at home. It was comforting to see substitutes Shaq Delios and Eddy Sylvestre collaborate on a goal, but the saving grace was (stop me if you’ve read this for the last 5 years) Jessy Benet! This time on a stoppage time penalty kick.

The defensive hallmarks of a usual Grenoble outing were on display again in Caen as a 5 man back line soaked up the pressure until Mattheo Xantippe found Theo Valls for the decisive goal (1-0). More dramatic was the more physically intense second half which saw three players sent packing including two straight red cards. The Alpiners won’t face Caen again this season…and that might be for the best.

From there it was a little less predictable as the offense sputtered and the defense continued to close down. A late winner from Eddy Sylvestre helped beat Martigues (1-0), a 3-0 defeat to Metz, and then switched it up and got a good win versus Rodez (2-1) and a hard fought 0-0 draw against Red Star Paris (with a classy banner to appreciate rivals rather than enemies). Tip the hat to Allan Tchaptchet and Gaetan Paquiez for emerging as the center back stalwarts.

February: AWAY at Amiens, HOME v. Guingamp

Women 0 W – 1 D – 0 L; GF: 1 /GA: 1

Grenoble’s lady side started off 2024 with a draw against fellow top of the table side Olympique Lyon II. (It reamins unclear if Lyon will be able to be promoted, or if Grenoble can hear the two sweetest words in the English language De-fault!)

February: AWAY v. Le Puy and then HOME v. Colomiers

January STANDINGS

(See the standings page for full updates)

Week 32: Catch-22

Week 32: Catch-22

by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recap

Punjab FC 0 – 0 Bangladesh Army (Cup)

Punjab got a point! But they still are looking a little punchless against some toothier competition. Macjen and Mera remain the teams’ focal points, but vision is getting blurry.

Rosenborg 2 – 1 Hearts (M–Europa Conference)

Sverre Halseth Nypan managed a pair of first half assists against a familiar Scottish foe and a rowdy crew of scots on the road. Nypan pressed forward repeatedly to make the right side supremely strong for the Trolls as they hit their seventh straight match without a loss.

Mineros 1 – 1 Alebrijes

The Oaxacans continued to have their testiness translate into some difficult situations. Coach Carlos Guittierez and Esteban Escobedo were carded right before the end of the first half, which left Oaxaca with just ten men (and a worried coach). Julio Cesar Cruz got the equalizer early in the second half which was fortunate as defender Miguel Arreolo was sent packing later in the half and right after the match, goalie Octavio Paz was given a red card to carry over into the next match. So 8 Alebrijes managed to hold on to a draw against 11 Mineros…YIKES

Nashville 5 – 0 Minnesota United (M-Leagues Cup)

Speaking of Yikes…this game. (DJ Taylor was ejected after 34 minutes, and the rest of the defense was totally torched)

Ross County 2 – 0 St. Johnstone

St. Johnstone had more looks at the goal, but County had the best looks…and they didn’t miss. Despite Yan Dhanda having to leave the game after just a half-hour, his replacement Kyle Turner did a superb job and got his first goal for the Staggies on an excellent long ball. Connor Randall found the net as well to thrill the home supporters, but the defense was in fine form and kept the box in front of Ross Laidlaw neat and tidy.

Vozdovac 1 – 1 FK Radnik Surdulica

Vozdovac was fortunate to equalize on an own goal, and even more fortunate not to concede a late winner after Filip Damjanovic left with a red card in the 81st

Grenoble 2 – 0 Paris FC (M)

Mathys Touraine is rapidly becoming the latest in a long line of super strong Grenoble defenders. Like Loic Nestor and Adrien Monfray, he’s been a tremendous asset both in attack and in defense. This week that included starting a great passing combination that lead to his own volleyed finish. His work this week gave Grenoble the needed push to make them one of only three teams to reach 2-0 in the young season

Emelec 0 – 0 Orense (M)

Emelec is also undefeated in this fall’s Ecuadorian campaign even though they haven’t scored a single goal yet. Unlike the six point gap between top and bottom of the French League, Ecuador’s has every team within one game of becoming league leaders.

SV Oberachen 0 – 2 Freiburg (M-Cup)

Oberachen welcomed Freiburg for the first round in the DfB Pokal, and Freiburg never looked remotely bothered. Rolland Sallai and Christian Gunter got the goals, and the boys from Breigsau geared up to start their season in earnest.

Alebrijes 2 – 1 Celaya

Oaxaca’s run of cards on cards on cards came to an end and also lead to their first win of the campaign. It helped to have Kaleth Hernandez strike within 1 minute of kick off. Despite giving up an equalizer, Julio Cesar Cruz nailed a penalty to take the lead.

East Bengal FC 1 – 0 Punjab FC (Cup)

Roundglass Punjab got one more shot at the Durand Cup and their first big result as part of the top flight of Indian Soccer, it went about like the others. Kiran Limbu has done his best, but there’s just not enough to push them past the strong defenses of the two Bengali clubs.

Emelec 22 – 0 La Familia (F)

That isn’t a typo, Las Electricas legitimately put twenty goals past their fellow Guayaquil team and then put two more through. It was 6 in the first 18 minutes and 12 in the first half.

News & Notes

Women’s World Cup-Date

The Women’s World Cup Final is set with Spain facing England on Sunday.

It’s worth noting that Spain is here, frankly, in spite of a host of problems with their national federation. The players, who fought for a decade to have any support for their team at all, have continued to advocate for what they want and need and frankly deserve. The response of the federation was to say, “stop asking for things or we’ll stop letting you play”. It has lead to the awkward experience of watching players celebrate the greatest moments in national team history without even looking back at the coach (the representative of the dismissive system).

Meanwhile, England has a massive psychological investment in winning a world cup and proving that they can still win trophies in the game they invented. So, quite a lot of drama is afoot.

Other Cup-Dates

Likewise the men are wrapping things up in their cups as well, both Minnesota and Punjab saw this chapter of their seasons crash down around them. While that’s disappointing, there’s still a long way to go for their regular seasons, so wait and see.

Freiburg’s cup run started well, and the women’s side will see the same start soon. Rosenborg has another match up with Hearts to stay alive in Europe (Hearts having one goal on the road will make this match in Edinburgh extra important). Meanwhile, Ross County will look to stay alive in the League Cup this weekend.

Vamos Electricas!

It’s been hard to follow, but there is a competition for the Women’s Side in Emelec. They’ll play this year in the Campeonato Provincial (for Guayaquil), win the league and you’ll have a chance to move up to the top league. (It may be hard to track down player names and statistics, but we’ll do what we can.)

It will be a little easier to follow the results for the Griz soccer team when they kick off this week (and when they do, we’ll have every team on the table)

Player of the Week

Mathys Tourainne might have had the best moment of individual play, and the Electricas had a tremendous outing, but I couldn’t identify any players to award. So instead, I’ll give this week’s honor to the often named but as yet unheralded Jayden Nelson.

Standings

With their twenty two goals Emelec has suddenly gotten an extra half a goal a game which doesn’t make much difference to the points total, but does keep them ahead of Ross County. The one mover is Grenoble that sneaks up to fourth place…while Punjab’s rough Durand Cup has them much closer to the chasing pack.

TeamWDLPPGGFAGAA
Punjab12351.951.950.95
Minnesota239111.812.401.23
Rosenborg176131.771.741.00
Grenoble176171.431.181.08
Legon Cities–b9781.421.251.29
Emelec81191.251.791.00
Ross County105131.251.571.54
Freiburg137191.181.261.62
Alebrijes6791.141.271.45
Vozdovac46110.860.711.57
Montana–b000———
Table Updated 8/17/23
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Thursday, August 17th

Tecnico Universitaro v. Emelec (M)

Hearts v. Rosenborg (M–Europa Conference)

North Dakota v. Montana Grizzlies

Friday, August 18th

Saturday, August 19th

Hoffenheim v. Freiburg (M)

Airdrieonens v. Ross County (Cup)

Zeleznicar Pancevo v. Vozdovac

Grenoble v. Troyes

Sunday, August 20th

HamKam v. Rosenborg (M)

North Dakota State v. Montana Grizzlies

NYCFC v. Minnesota (M)

Monday, August 21st

Tuesday, August 22nd

Wednesday, August 23rd

Cimaronnes v. Alebrijes

Weeks 14-15: Coming Back From Cali

Weeks 14-15: Coming Back From Cali

by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recaps

Legon Cities 1 – 1 Asante Kotko

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.

https://youtu.be/0OS4hH9ALdw

Vozdovac 1 – 3 TSC Backa Topola

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.

TeamWDLPPGGFAGAA
Rosenborg3012.251.250.25
Punjab11232.192.381.00
Minnesota3211.831.170.83
Emelec3031.501.331.33
Grenoble104111.360.961.16
Alebrijes4561.131.471.07
Freiburg75111.131.171.65
Legon Cities3751.071.001.13
Ross County3370.921.081.15
Vozdovac2270.730.641.82
Montana–b000———
Table Updated 4/12/22
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Thursday, April 13th

Atletico Morelia v. Alebrijes

Friday, April 14th

Ross County v. Aberdeen

Saturday, April 15th

Rosenborg BK v. Roa (F)

Minnesota v. Orlando (M)

Sunday, April 16th

Punjab FC v. Sreenidi Deccan (Cup)

Werder Bremen v. Freiburg (M)

Legon Cities v. Kotoku Royals

Molde v. Rosenborg (M)

Emelec v. El Nacional (M)

Olympique Marseille v. Grenoble Foot (F)

Monday, April 17th

Grenoble v. Saint-Etienne (M)

Tuesday, April 18th

Alebrijes v. Pumas Tabasco

Wednesday, April 19th

Asane v. Rosenborg (F)

Week 8: History!

Week 8: History!

by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recaps

Medeama SC 2 – 0 Legon Cities FC

Second only to the despair of losing to a team in mauve, will be the defensive miscues that led them there. The Royals can’t seem to pick their jaws up off the floor after they concede, and it has put them perilously close to relegation.

Kolubara 1 – 0 FK Vozdovac

The dragons responded to the beat down they got from Red Star with 80 minutes of strong defense. And then they lost anyway. They also shipped Nikola Vujnovic down the road from Minneapolis to Kansas City. But at least they have some nice gear in the team store!

Vfl Bochum 0 – 2 Freiburg (M)

Freiburg seemed to get their legs back underneath them after last week’s win. As ever it helps to have Christian Gunter and Vincenzo Grifo delivering the crosses.

St. Mirren 1 – 0 Ross County (M)

In what might have been the most frustrating game of a frustrating year for County fans, the stags ceded an early goal and then were utterly ineffective at making opportunities to equalize the game. The loss dropped them further down the table and set up a big game against fellow cellar dwellers Dundee United.

Caen 2 – 1 Grenoble (M)

A tenth minute goal by Mathais Phaeton gave Grenoble the advantage and set up a series of defensive gambits to try to preserve that lead. However, Caen simply provided too many challenges for an overtired backline and a late header gave the hosts the edge in winning the game.

Neroca FC 0 – 1 Punjab FC

Ajay Chhetri got the go ahead goal, and while we’d love to break it down more, it seems that the I-League’s highlights stream has been deleted from the interwebs. 😦 Apparently Kiran Limbu stood strong during the second half, so we’ll appreciate that.

News & Notes

Haiti (and Grenoble’s) History.

While Freiburg had players in friendly national team action for Austria, Switzerland and Germany, the real story was down in New Zealand where Nicholas Delpine, coach of Grenoble Foot 38 had several of his charges on side for Haiti’s playoff campaign to make the World Cup.

In the first match Maudeline Moreyl had a spot in the back and Jennyfer Limage and Sherly Jeudy started together in the midfield, and while Chelsea Surpris remained on the bench throughout it is hard to be dissatisfied with a 4-0 win over Cameroon.

Wednesday saw them face Chile with a berth in the Cup on the line and again saw Melchie Dumornay make the difference and while Jeudy and Limage were pretty quiet, there is no denying the joy and exhilaration that you can see on their faces as the final whistle blows.

So, all this to say, we have our new adopted team at the Women’s World Cup. Congratulations to Jeudy, Limage, Supris and coach Nicholas Delpine!

https://youtu.be/PuHYoQoS9vc

$17 and 90 minutes on the TGV?

Speaking of Grenoble, we want to plug the excellent deal that’s available for their next cup matches. That’s all it’s going to take for Grenoble fans who want to go to their side’s next matches in the Coupe de France. Both the Men and the Women have drawn Lyon (just a short ride northwest). The club that is a traditional power in French football (for both male and female divisions) will not be short of confidence heading into the matches, which will make an upset all the sweeter…even if it may come at the cost of Melchie Dumornay, who was recently signed to Lyon)

I-League Update

So, I can’t keep track of my own schedules. I’m not sure when I get tripped up on the timing of skating practice how I’ll be able to manage a whole league of balancing, but clearly I couldn’t.

What I said last week about Punjab and Sreenidi Deccan having three more matches was partly correct. They had three matches, and then they had two more that needed to be rescheduled. After each team played one this weekend, they have 4 left. One of those has yet to be rescheduled. So perhaps we should just focus on how the race is going rather than how it will go.

In that regard, not great for the guys in Orange. Their win over Neroca was good, but Deccan’s win gave them an extra goal cushion in the goal difference category. Squeaky bum time forthcoming.

Player of the Week

Tempting as it is to acknowledge Melchie Dumornay and all the historic success for Haiti, if we set the expectations that we will reward one of our 11 teams, it has to go to someone whose deserved it for a couple weeks…and years…and forever: Vincenzo Grifo!

Standings

Freiburg’s consistency has buoyed them up the standings again (Grenoble and Vozdovac’s slip-ups helped a bit) but right now Punjab continues to set a very lofty standard for everyone involved, though it’s yet to be seen if they get some hardware to go with it.

TeamWDLPPGGFAGAA
Punjab7212.302.001.00
Freiburg4131.631.752.38
Grenoble6341.621.311.00
Vozdovac1021.000.332.33
Legon Cities1330.860.711.14
Ross County1340.750.881.13
Alebrijes1150.570.861.71
Rosenborg–b000———
Minnesota–b000———
Montana–b000———
Emelec–b000———
Table Updated 2/22/22
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Thursday, February 23rd

Vozdovac v. Mladost Lucani

Friday, February 24th

Volta Rangers v. Legon Cities FC (CUP)

Alebrijes v. Correcaminos

Saturday, February 25th

Grenoble v. Le Havre (M)

Ross County v. Dundee United

Sunday, February 26th

Punjab FC v. Sudeva FC

Freiburg v. Bayern Leverkusen (M)

Monday, February 27th

Emelec v. Libertad (M)

Tuesday, February 28th

Lyon v. Grenoble (M-Cup)

Wednesday, March 1st

Punjab FC v. Churchill Brothers

Legon Cities v. Tamale United

FK Radnik Surdulica v. FK Vozdovac

What’d we Miss?

What’d we Miss?

by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

It was a regular year, until it wasn’t.

Not in a world shaking, business shuttering, economy crashing, global pandemic way.

But it was a hefty change in the way we lived and the work that was needed.

We bought a house.

My waking hours shifted from leisurely repair projects punctuated by writing inspiration, to an incessant to do list of packing, repacking, scheduling, painting, rescheduling and suddenly recalling undone tasks.

I had hoped that when we moved in, I could return to writing more. I neglected to notice how the minor house issues you put off become a lot more vital once you move in.

I’m under no illusions now. This project sits firmly to the side on my list of hustles (in the non-profitable category). But I remain dedicated to that idea, that if you show the world how you play, it will show the world who you are.

If we look at and cheer for eleven teams around the world, it can show us how to live. This year, we cheered more than we watched. But we can still see how to live.

How did they do, while life forced us to make other plans? What can we learn from it all…here are their results and our thoughts

Rosenborg

Women’s Record: 9 W-2 D-6 L// 30 GF-20 GA

Men’s Record: 16 W-4 D- 5 L//75-GF 38-GA

Story: as has been the routine, Rosenborg has all kinds of attacking strength. They spent most of the summer pouring in goals. Émilie Nautnes and Sara Kanutte Forness led one line while mid season acquisition Casper Tengstedt set the other one on fire (15 goals in 14 matches…yikes!)

But each side also faced some serious challenges. The men couldn’t seem to hold a defensive shape, scoring and ceding goals in droves en route to another distant third place finish. Meanwhile the troll kvinner got knocked down by Real Madrid’s ladies side and seemed to end an otherwise stellar season in a rotten funk losing three of their final four to miss out on another crack at the Champions League next year.

Lesson: balance yourself, neither your strengths nor your struggles define you.

Minnesota

Women’s Record: 13 W-1 D-1 L//39 GF-10 GA

Men’s Record 9 W-4 D-9 L//34 GF – 41 GA

Story: Locally we had some absolutely marvelous moments this summer. I say that not only because I had you boys with me at a few matches, but because the quality of the games was superb.

For a stretch, no one was playing better soccer than Minnesota United. Dayne St. Clair was stopping everything hit his way, Emmanuel Reynoso was connecting with everyone around him. Robin Lod had made me look utterly foolish by becoming someone people around the world were eyeing hopefully.

It all came undone of course. The Loons ended up squeaking into the playoffs and then bowing out quickly, but it was still wonderful while it lasted.

Likewise the first season for Minnesota Aurora was practically perfect. The team went unbeaten throughout the regular season and combined superb defense with a dynamite attack. Sarah Fuller anchored the defense in the goal, and Morgan Turner poured in the goals, and the team became a vital part of the larger community connecting players, fans, coaches, and staff. Even though it ended in defeat at the final hurdle (seems to be a theme for our favorites), it was a marvelous way to spend a summer.

(As an added bonus, the youngest member of Aurora, Bayliss Flynn, signed to join the Montana Grizzlies, so she is the second athlete to play for two of our favorites)

Lesson: There’s no place like home.

Freiburg

Men’s Record 15 W – 5 D – 3 L// 42 GF- 22 GA

Women’s Record 6 W – 1 D – 3 L// 25 GF- 14 GA

Story: Janina Minge has emerged as a leading innovator offensively for die Freiburg Frauen. But, they have continued to lack a decisive element that would vault them up into the Bundesliga’s top tier alongside Wolfsburg, Bayern, or Frankfurt. (Maybe they could use some of Minnesota Aurora’s squad…just saying)

But that’s exactly where the men’s team has found a new stride. Christian Stretch’s steady presence has been a model for players who bring out their best every week, even with an extra competition in the Europa League to challenge them, the Griffins are having another tremendous season, with Mathias Ginter and Christian Günter leading the defense, and newly adopted Ritsu Doan joining Vincenzo Grifo to lead the attack.

Lesson: much as we want the shiniest trophies, being your best, regardless of the result can be the greatest reward

Round Glass Punjab

Record: 4 W- 1D-1L//7 GF-5 GA

Story: While most of the world turned their attention to the World Cup in Qatar, Punjab’s season got started, but with a different look than usual. Gone is last year’s dominant scorer Kurtiss Guthrie (off to play in Scotland against Ross County), in are a host of eastern european veterans. Gone are the run of British coches, in is Greek manager Staikos Vergetis. But best of all, Nepali keeper Kiran Limbu Chempjong (though, he hasn’t been as unbeatable this year as he was in his previous run with the club).

Still the special winter season on the subcontinent has a long way to go before we’re done, so we’ll sit back and enjoy what is rather than wonder about what was.

Lesson: Whatever else you focus on, life carries on.

Alebrijes de Oaxaca

Record: 4 W-9 D-5 L//22 GF-18 GA

Story: Alebrijes closed out the spring season with a sterling showing. They seemed to have everything well handled in attack and defense. But then they were undone in the playoffs, and come the fall campaign seemed to have lost all their mojo. The departure of Juan Portales made the defense less stable, and the crucial finishing touch to turn draws into victories. And then they lost in the playoffs.

Lesson: what seem like your best days and hardest days all end in the same place.

Vozdovac

Record: 9 W-4 D-6 L//17 GF-22 GA

Story: The Red Dragons continue to methodically build their team and their identity the hard way. Match by match, game by game, step by step. After saying goodbye to a raft of their regular talents, the team got significantly younger during the offseason, bringing in a raft of under 21 talent to nurture and grow on their own. Even though the team still hasn’t hit the top of the table (thanks again Partizan and Red Star), they are consistently a team to challenge you, and Milos Pantovic has proven himself (at only 20 years old) to be a dynamic scorer. (I’m still hoping for some more break out showings by Bogdan Jocic, and Borisav Burmaz.)

Lesson: Hope is a thing with dragon wings.

Montana

Record: 7 W-7 D-6 L//25 GF-17 GA

Story: The years we’ve kept track on this blog have been a consistent study in the excellence of the Griz. So much so that it started to seem like a forgone conclusion. The Griz were certainly prepped to bring another conference title home after holding their own against non-conference opponents (including ties against much more prestigious schools including Creighton and close defeats to Pitt and Portland).

But every year is different, and it seemed as though the other teams found a path through the vaunted Griz defense, or at least that there was more pressure than usual on Camilla Xu. Maysa Walters and Delaney Schorr were a solid goal scoring combination, but ultimately there was more depth and diversity in attack from Northern Arizona and Idaho (whose goalies also managed to stop more shots than Xu). The Griz did what they do well, other teams just did it better.

Lesson: Game Recognizes Game.

Grenoble

Women’s Record: 4 W-1 D-5 L//18 GF-13 GA

Men’s Record: 7 W-5 D-3 L//16 GF-12 GA

Story: The records don’t tell the whole story for the Alpiners. Nicolas Delpine’s side continued to showcase the skills and talents of Sherly Jeudy week in and week out, but (as we’ve seen before) the defense has been more suspect, giving up about three goals per game. But, things have turned around well the last couple of weeks and the team heads into the break with two wins in a row (three if they win in the Cup this Sunday)

Meanwhile, the men dusted themselves off after a lackluster previous season and are well positioned to, once again, put themselves in contention for promotion during the season’s second half. The team has been on a seven match unbeaten run with a trio of new attackers leading the charge. Pape Meissa Ba, Jordan Tell, and Abdoulie Sayang are all new to the squad in the year 2022, and they have led the scoring. But the team has been Matthias Phaeton, the Guadeloupe player who has featured in every match as a sub or a starter and has bopped everywhere there’s grass in pursuit of the game. Add this to our beloved backline squad and you have a strong team that may just get stronger in the spring.

Lesson: Never underestimate the element of surprise

Legon Cities

Record 3 W-8 D-5 L//8 GF-8 GA

Story: I love Legon as much as I love Nkatekwan, and as you boys seem to have inherited my zeal for all things peanut buttery, I think you’ll know that’s a lot of love. Legon loves Jonah Attaquye as well. He’s only 22 and he has fast become their talisman. And yet, Jonah can’t do it all on his own. The increasing pressure of carrying the load for the team, distributing the ball to scorers who struggle to connect and running the show. This season, he and defender Suleman Mohammed have missed a total of 5 minutes across all their games.

Lesson: Love is Love, but dependency is dangerous.

Ross County

Record: 7 W-4 D-10 L//25 GF-31 GA

Story: A year ago, the fall campaign was anything but kind to the Staggies. The team looked to be every bit as shaky as it was when it faced relegation, but then the ship was righted and they got their best final table position in about a decade.

But that was with Reagan Charles Cook playing chef du’jour. With his departure for Belgium, County had to try to fill in with a raft of other players to match his same creativity and finishing. While midfielder Yan Dhada brings an impressive resume and strong creativity, we’ve yet to see either Jordy Hiluwa or Jordan White dominate the game the way Regan did. So it’s a lot like last season…but that turned out pretty well so lets be patient.

Lesson: Enjoy the comfort food of home cooking while it lasts.

Emelec

Women’s Record: 1 W-1 D-4 L//4 GF-11 GA

Men’s Record: 7 W-5 D-5 L//23 GF-17 GA

Story: Los Bombillos and Las Electricas had a little less productive campaign than in prior years. The goals seemed to dry up and there was no clear answer in goal. Laliz Tenorio, the woman who is older than your Uncle Simon and twice as powerful, led the attack (as best she could). Unfortunately, things were so ineffective, that Emelec was dropped out of the top Women’s League in Ecuador and will now need to earn promotion again. I’ve been looking for where I can find coverage of the amateur women’s leagues in Ecuador, but I may not be able to find it…hopefully we’ll see Las Electricas again soon.

Likewise, the men who offered such dominance in prior years, could not break through to the upper echelon of the league. In the past they might have been able to pull some surprises against opponents in knock-out stages, but this year it was only the champion of each half of the season. The team did break through into the knock out stages of the big continental battle of the Copa Libertadores, bowing out to former Brazilian boss “Hulk”. Even though his career in Guyaquil looks to be over, Sebastian Rodriguez closed out his three year career with the club as a leader and definitive goal scorer. And as ever, Romario Caiceido continues to be the air raid master in his dangerous balls.

Lesson: Part of the journey is the end, and that’s beautiful too.

Standings

There are two more weeks of relevant matches, but the standings are pretty clearly set. Grenoble and Legon Cities could reach the mid-table and Punjab could climb as high as 3rd. But Rosenborg BK has set themselves up for their second Sippy Cup in three years.

TeamWDLPPGGFAGAA
Rosenborg BK–b3611171.862.231.2
Minnesota–b288151.801.841.27
Freiburg–b2614141.702.411.54
Punjab11571.651.611.48
Alebrijes–b141481.561.280.83
Vozdovac–b149121.461.031.14
Montana–b7761.401.250.85
Grenoble Foot2110211.401.251.19
Legon Cities1113101.351.000.62
Ross County139181.201.131.45
Emelec–b1713180.671.501.27
Table Updated 12/15/22
b–Team is between seasons
Freiburg, Freiburg, Uber Alles

Freiburg, Freiburg, Uber Alles

by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

In our first round of posts, inviting in eleven teams, there were a few cases where the choices were obvious.

Living in Minnesota made the Loons an easy fit.

The family crest atop the Ross County badge was, again, easy.

My own link (albeit minimial) to the legacy of Grenoble’s academy, and players and history was obvious.

But some were trickier.

In particular, while I knew a good deal about your Grandmother Di’s Serbian roots, we had said very little about the other side of her family. It took e-mails with great-great aunties with a passion for geneology and a bit of educated guessing regarding regional links to first an outpost in rural Russia and then Nebraska to figure out that they likely came from the Schwarzwald (the Black Forest).

There are a few lower level teams in that area, but with few ways to know precisely whence and where your ancestors were from, it made sense to look at the biggest local team as well: hence Freiburg.

The more I read, the more sense they made: a crest with a mythical mascot, a team without a lot of cash but a lot of loyalty, a group of great strong women who made their own way, a community built more on sustainability than showing off, a manager who saw himself more as a teacher than a professional tactician. Freiburg felt right, and so, I adopted them on your behalf.

Dear Boys,

I had no idea what was coming our way.

Freiburg has not been indomitable. But they have been quite good. Their march towards through the German Cup this year set them up to play in the most high profile match of any team on our roster of favorites.

In a rare turn of events, our family was able to clear our schedule and sit down together to watch the fun. I was on the edge of my seat, Alex was curling up next to me, even your mom was gung-ho to see what the small time squad could do.

Across the pitch from them was RB Leipzig, a squad who also lacked a major tournament pedigree or their own gold-encrusted history, but who had some things Freiburg did not: financial resources and lofty expectations.

Freiburg took the lead when little discussed Maximilian Eggestein sliced a shot through the box and into the net. Leipzig roared back to take control of the match, dictating the pace and threatening the goal repeatedly. There were more than a few tense moments until a much more high profile star (Charles Nkuku) equalized, and even more tense moments as the game wound on through regulation, and an hour of over time, and into the excruciating pain of penalty kicks.

There have been many statements about how foolish it is to end a game with the delicacy and duration of soccer with the visceral finality of penalty kicks. It’s like ending baseball games with home run derbies, or gridiron games with field goal challenges. It’s like letting the serious questions of what you do and how you live be decided by the flip of a coin.

I feel that way a lot. Because it seems like teams we love lose on penalty kicks a lot.

And thats what happened to Freiburg.

By that time Owen was dozing, and Alex was distracted, and your mom was running an errand, and I was sick to my stomach. Sick because a team I chose almost by default meant so much to me in that moment. A team that represents a part of the world I’ve never visited had me utterly enthralled, and I felt for them as I felt for your Uncle Simon losing on Penalties in Montana league soccer, or for you boys when you lose a close game.

But at the same time, Freiburg also offers a different point of view. Yes, I felt sick to my stomach, and that must be nothing next to the players and staff and fans who have invested over a century of their life in the club (rather than my minimal concern). But I’ve never gotten the sense that Freiburg was furious about the result. I’ve never felt unwelcome as a new fan. And I’ve often felt that there’s an appreciation not for what we wish happened, but for what did happen. Freiburg fans appreciate that this was a magical run and a glorious moment, and even without a nice shiny trophy: it was special.

That’s why Freiburg has come to mean so much in so short a time. They are philosophical, considerate, and enthusiastic all at once. They feel the big emotions and see the big meanings, but don’t fail to appreciate the little bits either.

I haven’t always been a Freiburg fan, but I am so glad to be one now.

I am not German, or from the Schwarzwald, or personally invested, but I know that part of that region contributed to our family, to your mother, and to you. I’m so grateful to see that and to learn from it every day.

(For another, better edited and locally voiced reflection on Freiburg and the club’s meaning, watch this excellent documentary from Copa 90 on that same match)

Week 17: Wild Times

Week 17: Wild Times

by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recaps

Cimarrones 1 – 3 Alebrijes

Oaxaca started out their quest for the Liga Expansion cup with a thundering win away from home. They got all the offense they needed on a pair of first half throw-ins This is a far cry from the team that started out so sloppily in the fall. There’s real hope that some silverware awaits. [Narrator’s voice: it didn’t…]

Røa 0 – 3 Rosenborg [F]

The black and white attack of Rosenborg picked up right where it left off over the weekend. A pair of thundering strikes showed that the Trolljenta still know what they’re doing in their attack. This time some of the more familiar names spearheaded the charge with Sara Kanutte Fornes now spearheading the attack and Emilie Marie Joramo picking up the slack in the midfield.

FK Vozdovac 3 – 0 Napredak

It was a heckuva 9 minute stretch for the Red Dragons against Napredak. From the 21st to the 28th minute, Vozdovac notched up 3 goals, and mercifully held themselves back from adding a further whooping to Napredak.

Emelec 1 – 3 Palmeiras [Continental-M]

You’d be right to assume that Palmeiras, one of the rising powers of Brazilian club soccer would be the beast to beat in Emelec’s Copa Libertedores group. So the loss here isn’t terribly damning. After this result, a lot depended on the game at Venezuela’s Deportivo Tachira…see below.

Punjab FC 2 – 1 Rajasthan United

Punjab won…Kurtis Guthrie scored…this is not a coincidence. Guthrie even managed to do it entirely with his feet rather than relying on his supreme height advantage to get another headed goal. Despite the strong showing, Punjab remains six points back of Gokulam FC, despite Gokulam playing two fewer matches….still…Kurtis Guthrie gives hopes to all us gangly guys.

Independents Del Valle 3 – 1 Emelec [F]

Las Electricas are struggling to find some form. With just four points in five matches, they’re looking for something that can boost them back up towards their regular post-season competition, and soon!

Alebrijes 0 – 0 Cimarrones

And with that Alebrijes won the tie and moved on to…uh…wait a second…they didn’t? Wait…What?

Hearts 0 – 0 Ross County

As ever with goalless draws, I don’t have much to say. Given County’s recent form, it’s not surprising that they hung back to stop Hearts from scoring rather than venturing out for a goal of their own. It may be effective enough to get the Stags into European competition, but fun it is not.

Hoffenheim 3 – 4 Freiburg [M]

Meanwhile, decidedly farther along the “fun” spectrum, was Freiburg’s game against Hoffenheim, which ended in a rollicking 7 goal match. The Griffin’s attack was formidable with Rolland Sallai and Woo-Yeong Jeon scoring and Christian Gunter and Lucas Holer getting a goal and an assist a pop. There were still a few too many nervy moments for keeper Mark Flekken and a very tired back line. With two weeks to go and two big matches against fellow European contenders (Union Berlin and Beyern Leverkusen) on the docket, here’s hoping to defenders getting a rest.

Grenoble 1 – 1 Amiens

I’m glad to say that Jessy Bennet was man of the match. I’m less glad to stay that he still isn’t playing for Grenoble. But the shared points will leave most of Grenoble satisfied (see the note below). Despite having two starters come off within the first half hour, they remained resilient and got the goal they needed

Rosenborg BK 0 – 1 Lyn Football [F]

Strange but true, Rosenborg now has as many losses in this season as they had in the last two seasons combined. There are some big Blakstad boots to fill and some unfortunate injuries to limit Sarah Kanutte Fornes. But we have faith that the Trolljenta will take these setbacks and grow.

Legon Cities 2 – 0 Elmina Sharks

Following Legon Cities has been an exercise in expectations unmet. But Hans Kwofie’s surge of form notching another goal in this one has been heartening to see. As Jonah Attuquaye and Kwofie connect more and more easily, Legon looks to be laying the groundwork for a strong end of the campaign and start to the next.

TSC Backa Topola 1 – 1 Vozdovac

Again the Red Dragons needed a boost from a Milos to get the job done. This week it was Milos Pantovic who saved a point with a late goal against Backa Topola.

LAFC 2 – 0 Minnesota Utd

It was late, it was long, it was offensively frustrating to see many opportunities and now results. It was a typical trip to LA for Minnesota.

Churchill Brothers 2 – 1 Punjab FC

For the first time in a long time, Kurtis Guthrie scored but Punjab came away without any points. This is a disturbing trend that must be stopped as soon as possible. (Good thing the season ends soon anyway)

Deportiva Tachira 1 – 4 Emelec [Continental-M]

Los Bombillos delivered a tremendous result on the road in Venezuela. The win vaulted them into second place in their Copa Libertadores group, and may prove invaluable as Tachira is their closest rival for that second spot. Sebastian Rodriguez played the hero with a hat trick to seal the victory.

https://youtu.be/CLo49lacoL8

News & Notes

Special Guest Star: GRANDMA!

Grandma teaches Owen gegenpressing with a juicer metaphor

Your mom took a much deserved break this weekend with a trip down to San Diego to see her sister. Meanwhile you boys stuck it out in a cold and drizzly Minnesota with me and Grandma Bekka, who has invaluable insights of her own to offer each and every day: including why Tron is both an allegory for our dependence on technology, and just plain old cool. She also deeply appreciated your boys’ taste in movies as we treated her to granola snacks, Big Hero 6, and Into the Spiderverse. It was pretty great.

Explaining Oaxaca

I was sure it was a mistake. I knew the first leg score. I was watching the second leg tracker as I rocked Owen to sleep. Then I saw the final whistle and checked social media for a celebratory post: only to find the phrase “Termina el partido y nuestra participación en el #Clausura2022” or “The Game ends and so does our participation in [the league]”. I couldn’t figure it out. So…How does a team that won the spring season, and the first leg, and the two legs combined get eliminated from the Championship playoffs?

Well, by bringing along one more player than they were supposed to.

We can’t believe it either guys
(Photo From D1SoftballNews.com)

By bringing one extra player senior player than they were allowed for the first leg against Cimarrones, Alebrijes saw their 3-1 win wiped out and turned into a 1-0 loss. With that result, the goalless draw gave Cimarrones all they needed to advance. Credit where it’s due, Alebrijes owned the mistake and took their consequence professionally. It’s certainly not how any of us would like their season to end but…it is what it is. And now, it’s on to proving the strength in the 2022-2023 Season.

Le Sigh..

Grenoble’s draw against Amiens wasn’t the stuff of legend, but it was almost enough. Vincent Hognon’s team provided enough defense resilience to stop Amiens from getting the win and the point was enough to put all the pressure on Rodez to win against top of the table Toulouse….but the dogs did it. So Grenoble will have their status as a Ligue 2 team depend entirely on their next two matches. A point from either the home game against Ajaccio or the road game in Paris will save them, but Quevilly and Rodez still have some fight in them.

Is there a word in German for Grateful yet Frustrated Goodbye?

*Other than Dankbar frustiert Auf Wiedersehn?*

Because that’s what we have to say to Nico Schlotterbeck, who was confirmed as signing with much bigger side Borussia Dortmund. It makes sense, and might help Nico make it to Qatar in December, but…sigh…we sure liked him in Freiburg (we better get another platinum blond defender to continue the Robin Koch, Nico Schlotterbeck trend)…hmmm…PlatinblondTschuss?

Player of the Week

This would be a lot easier if only one person would have a good game at a time. Do you tip the cap to Sebastian Rodriguez for the hattrick? Milos Pantovic for playing a vital role in two wins? Both would be deserving, but we’re going to give a final tip of the cap to the team leading our league at this point: Alebrijes de Oaxaca, specifically one of the team leaders, a sterling defender and a man who chipped in three goals throughout the season: Ernesto Reyes.

Standings Update

It’s a great time to be a fan, as all but one team has a winning record this year, and even they (Grenoble) are in fine form lately. I can’t remember the last time Vozdovac was this high on the standings…they must be carrying the mythical flying creature flag…sorry Oaxaca.

TeamWDLPPGGFAGAA
Alebrijes de Oaxaca10531.941.30.7
Freiburg14751.882.21.5
Legon Cities8541.711.40.7
Minnesota5231.701.30.8
Rosenborg7351.601.60.9
Punjab7351.601.91.6
FK Vozdovac5441.461.40.9
Ross County6551.441.11.3
Emelec6661.331.71.4
Grenoble83121.171.11.4
University of Montana–b——————
Table Updated 5/4/22
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Wednesday, May 4th

Rosenborg v. Stabaek [F]

Thursday, May 5th

Friday, May 6th

Saturday, May 7th

Punjab FC v Sreenidi Deccan

Freiburg v. Union Berlin [M]

Ross County v. Motherwell

Grenoble v AC Ajaccio [M]

Minnesota United v Cincinnati [M]

Emelec v. Macara [F]

Emelec v. Mushuc Runa [M]

Sunday, May 8th

SC Freiburg v. SGS Essen [F]

LSK Kvinner v. Rosenborg BK [F]

Stromsgodset v. Rosenborg [M]

Grenoble v. Le Puy [F]

Monday, May 9th

Accra Lions v. Legon Cities

Cukaricki v. Vozdovac

Tuesday, May 10th

Weeks 16 Coming to a Close

Weeks 16 Coming to a Close

by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recaps

Forward Madison 0 – 2 Minnesota United [Cup]

The Midwestern Bird Derby was a welcome sight on Wednesday as the Loons sent some talented players down I-94 to play in Wisconsin’s capital. It might have been a bit of a surprise for players like Adrien Hunou and Bongokuhle Hlongwane to go from Champions League to Madison, Wisconsin, but the win moves them along in the US Open Cup. Special mention to Joseph Rosales and his pair of sterling corner kicks to set up both goals.

FK Vozdovac 2 – 1 Vojvodina

The Red Dragons struck again to boost their standing in the SuperLiga Championship Group. Despite a shaky start to the game defensively they responded well after a penalty conceded and made the most of their home turf. (The second goal from Marko Mijailovic was a particularly nice piece of teamwork) A trip to Europe is likely still out of reach for the stars of the Mall Stadium, but fourth place would still be one of their best finishes in years.

Cumbaya 1 – 1 Emelec [M]

Los bombillos endured a pretty dour match until all heck-fire broke out in the last ten minutes. After some shoddy defending gave Cumbaya the lead, Alexis Zapata seemed to be fouled in the box by a three inch tall pink pixie that only the referee could see (even Zapata doesn’t feel anything until after the whistle is blown). So Cumbaya got a red card for allowing pixies on the field, and Jose Cevallos knocked home the penalty to draw a point from the game. (Seriously, watch the foul and have a laugh at the absurdity of that penalty…we cheer for Emelec…but c’mon…)

https://youtu.be/nGClmnSygcM

Le Havre 0 – 1 Grenoble [M]

It’s not over yet but Vincent Hognon’s work boosting Grenoble is close to paying off in spades. As usual Grenoble goes best when it’s defense is on point, and we’re glad to see Loic Nestor and Adrian Monfry back in good form. (Kudos too to oft omitted defender Bart Straalman and to Jordy Gaspar, who has done well in a more advanced position)

Emelec 0 – 3 Deportivo Espuce [F]

Ooof…getting a three goal whooping at home is a tough way to start your weekend. But hey it was more fun than most of the men’s match.

Golukam 2 – 0 Punjab FC

Since starting crazy strong, Punjab’s been stymied consistently. Unsurprisingly, it seems to come down to Kurtis Guthrie. When he doesn’t score, the warriors have one win, one draw and all four of their losses.

Freiburg 3 – 3 Borussia Munchengladbach [M]

‘Gladbach started quite well and things looked dark, but Freiburg came back with a vengeance in the second half. Goals from Vincenzo Grifo, Christian Günter, and Phillip Leinhart gave Freiburg a boost that seemed like it might complete an epic comeback…until a very late header split the points.

Minnesota United 3 – 0 Chicago Fire

The Loons kept the good times rolling against more of our fellow midwesterners in a game that was a lot more physical than you’d expect from the Midwest’s “passive agressive” reputation. Emmanuel Reynoso started to click after a surprisingly poor run of play and South African winger Bongokuhle Hlongwane notched two assists to push past Chicago after leaning on Dayne St. Clair to start the match..

Rosenborg BK 4 – 1 Arna-Bjornar [F]

Rosenborg may have a loss to blemish their record earlier than ever before, but they continue to click along with terrifying consistency. This time Emile Nautnes took charge in midfield and ripped two goals en route to a big win.

Ross County 0 – 2 Celtic

The Stags rarely expect to take points off the Glaswegian duopoly of Celtic and Rangers, so losing by two feels like a moral victory. Ditto Connor Randall for helping bottle up at least one side of the park.

Asante Kotoko 1 – 3 Legon Cities

The porcupines of Kotoko seem to be running away with the league, but for 90 fabulous minutes in Kumasi the Royals held their own. Hans Kwofie and Jonah Attuquaye connected on two strong crosses, to boost Legon past one of Ghana’s legendary sides.

SC Freiburg 7 – 1 SC Sand [F]

Every once in a while Hasret Kayicki reminds you that she’s a force to be reckoned with. Passing, blasting in goals, dominating the passing lanes. Sorry Sand, but this was fun.

Rosenborg 0 – 0 Molde [M]

That happened.

Emelec 1 – 0 Aucas [M]

Thank goodness Bryan Carabali scored so early. After Anibal Leguizmon was sent off shortly after the game’s only goal, Emelec had to hunker down and endure heaps of pressure. They did and kept themselves in the top tier of the league in front of the fullest stadium I’ve seen for our team since the pandemic.

Rodez 3 – 0 Grenoble [F]

It was a less than sterling performance for the ladies of the Alps on Sunday. But Rodez seems to be on a glide path to winning their section of the league, so a loss to them on the road doesn’t sting quite so much.

Mohammaden SC 2 – 2 Punjab FC

Again it came down to Kurtis Guthrie. He had multiple gilt-edged opportunities to start the match, but couldn’t seem to get past the keeper. Mohammaden’s Markus Joseph plagued the Punjabi defense, but finally Kurtiss nodded down a header to equalize (even if he missed a late breakaway tap in to win it).

News & Notes

To everything there is a season.

When calendars turn to May, leagues start to wrap up shop for the year. Trophies have already been claimed in a few major leagues, including Germany and France. But by this time next month seven leagues will wrap up. Among the story lines to watch: whether or not Ross County and Freiburg might snatch spots in European league qualification; if Freiburg can take home the national Cup competition; if Vozdovac can be the best non-top 3 team in Serbia; if both Grenobles can hold on to their spots in Ligue 2; can Punjab pull off a miracle and pip Gokulam Kerala for a spot in the Asian Cup (probably not but still); and how much space can Freiburg make for themselves in the of the Frauen Bundesliga (9 points behind 5th, 6 points ahead of 7th…truly in a league of their own).

Switching up on the Sub-Continent

Ed Engelkes

Punjab has had a solid start to their campaign, but a month ago (at the start of my surreally busy schedule) they made a change in leadership with manager Ashley Westwood leaving by mutual agreement (which I always assumes means “disagreed about spice level in the curry”). In his place comes Dutch coach Ed Engelkes who had spent some time helping to organize the club’s youth teams and has a history with the best women’s teams in Holland. Worth wondering though how Engelkes is getting on with team talisman Kurtis Guthrie (who seems to determine whether Punjab is unbeatable, or merely present).

The Straw that Stirs the Scottish Soup!

Regan Charles Cook has garnered plenty of awards, but it was especially nice to see him recognized as one of the best eleven players in all of the Scottish Premier League (all the more impressive when you see that he’s the only one who doesn’t play in Glasgow or Edinburgh to get the honor). Can he be player of the year against keeper Craig Gordon and a pair of Celtic playmakers? (I mean, we vote yes, but we’re a weird guy in Minnesota and his two kids)

Attuquaye

Player of the Week

Again, it’s hard to choose, Bongokuhle was a major asset in a pair of wins, Hasret Kayici was dominant, and Legon Cities’ attacking tandem was incredible. While it’s tempting to give it to Bongokuhle and grab a bunch of South African retweets, I’m going to tip the cap to the Ghanaian duo in particularly Jonah Attuquaye who has become exactly the leader that Legon needs as they aim to avoid a third straight relegation scrap.

Standings Update

That middle of the table gets more and more crowded, as Punjab and the Staggies slip, Legon and Rosenborg make up the slack. Meanwhile, Emelec and Grenoble ought to get their women’s teams in order to climb the ranks. Maybe Hasret Kayrici fancies a double or triple life?

TeamWDLPPGGFAGAA
Alebrijes de Oaxaca9431.941.30.7
Minnesota5221.891.40.7
Freiburg13751.842.11.4
Rosenborg5351.641.91.2
Legon Cities7541.631.40.7
Punjab6341.621.91.6
Ross County6451.471.21.3
Emelec5641.401.61.3
FK Vozdovac4341.361.31.0
Grenoble82121.181.11.5
University of Montana–b——————
Table Updated 4/27/22
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Wednesday, April 27th

Røa v Rosenborg [F]

FK Vozdovac v. Napredak

Cimarrones v Alebrijes

Emelec v Palmeiras [Continental-M]

Thursday, April 28th

Friday, April 29th

Independents Del Valle v Emelec [F]

Saturday, April 30th

Punjab FC v Rajasthan United

Hearts v Ross County

Hoffenheim v Freiburg [M]

Grenoble v Amiens [M]

Sunday, May 1st

Rosenborg BK v. Lyn Football [F]

Legon Cities v Elmira Sharks

TSC Backa Topola v. Vozdovac

LAFC v Minnesota United

Monday, May 2nd

Tuesday, May 3rd

Churchill Brothers v. Punjab FC

Deportiva Tachira v Emelec [Continental-M]

Year 2

Year 2

by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I started this blog two years ago back before “pandemic” and “nasal swab” were words in daily conversation. It’s been wonderful to keep a hold of one normal-ish routine in a supremely surreal time.

Here’s how things shook out in 2021 among our favorite 11 sides on the planet.

Final Standings

TeamWDLPPGGFAGAA
University of Montana22182.161.50.7
Rosenborg BK419152.032.31.2
Emelec2711141.771.61.2
Punjab FC8461.561.20.9
Freiburg2611231.481.71.5
Grenoble2210221.411.21.2
Minnesota United1310121.401.21.3
Legon Cities1310151.291.11.0
FK Vozdovac1311161.251.11.4
Ross County149201.191.31.5
Alebrijes714121.061.21.6
Table Updated 12/31/21

It’s one thing to have a superlative season after COVID, win your league and make a superb showing in unlikely circumstances. It’s another to do it again a couple months later. But that’s exactly what the University of Montana Griz did this year, and that’s why they ran away with this year’s cup. (U of M soccer jerseys are not available, but rest assured, I will find a way to be as close to full kit dork as possible.)

Emelec came away with the other 2021 trophy we commemorated on that part of the site, but couldn’t pass the dynamic duo of teams in Trondheim…even though neither of them won so much as a silver pudding spoon this year. Still, never bet against Julie Blakstad.

Most teams improved on the last campaign (which is saying something for as woeful as Alebrijes was), only Grenoble, Minnesota United, and FK Vozdovac saw regressions (however the Loons and the Dragons both stayed in good position for the standings…Grenoble, well…the spring was fun.)

Players of the Year

I so deeply enjoyed naming a team of XI favorites, that I took time to track the weekly award winners and sort out who showed up for their team week in and week out.

In goal it was a brutal choice: but We had to opt for the legend: Claire Howard who made the Griz so dominant in the spring and won a pair of player of the week honors.

The back line also had a strong set of selections to draw from. Attention had to be paid to four players who kept up the intensity at both ends of the pitch for four teams who broadly exceeded expectations. Jerome Mombris takes his second straight top XI selections while Romario Caicedo worked wonders in Emelec. Meanwhile Taylor Hansen was absolutely dominant as a Griz captain, and Christian Gunter was one of only three players to get two PoW winners.

The midfield sees two more repeat honorees on the left side with Julie Blakstad and Emanuel Reynoso returning with honors. The other side of the midfield sees two new names who are absolutely invaluable to their respective sides, with Jonah Attaquye masterminding the few attacks that have worked for Legon, and Hasret Kayici, you might say as she goes, so go die Frauen auf Frieburg.

Instead of shouting out the most dominant goal scorers at the spear head of the attack, we opted for decisive ones: Roundglass Punjab’s Chenchyo Geltsen and Vozdovac’s Nicola Vujnovic.

As for the bench, we had to slot the third double PoW winner here (sorry Kiran Limbu…you’re just not Claire Howard). The best defenses of the year (Legon and Rosenborg) came away with the two defensive bench spots: Erland Reitan and Joseph Adjei (the only honoree without a PoW). Joseph Hungbo’s recent run of amazing form and stellar goals gave him the rights to Ross County’s spot on the side, and Kristoffer Zacharissen’s dreamy eyes great leadership for half the year got him dropped onto the bench this year. Finally we kept the top scorers for two under represented sides as our scoring sparks off the bench: Adama Tamba for les femmes de Grenoble, and Kerly Corozco for las Electricas de Emelec.

This year we couldn’t find a way to work in a representative of Alebrijes: too many strong showings owed to the other side collapsing rather than an excellent performance on their end.

Finally, I just want to point out how tight the competition was for goalkeeper this year with three players who didn’t even get close to the bench: Winifred Honsu came out of nowhere to replace Fatua Duda in Legon, Pedro Ortiz remains indefatigable for both club and country, and Camila Xu thrilled us as just a freshman.

What’s Next

Let’s do it again shall we?

Oh, okay, maybe we’ll be more selective in our video taping (what with Alex starting to refuse and Owen mostly wanting to see himself…hmmm…maybe he’s got a future in punditry).

One thing I’m going to aim for in 2022: let’s see if we can get some conversations with people from the clubs…players…managers…confused communication interns…I’m not picky.