Ok, I’ve said it plenty of times by now: but I really struggled to keep up daily writing routines when I was teaching full time. Case in point, I’ve sat down to write about teams half a dozen times during this week of back to school business, but with meetings, plannings and trainings, it’s only now, on Friday night, that I’m actually taking time to write.
With the Bundesliga about to kick off tomorrow, it seemed the ideal time to take a beat and check up on our friends in Freiburg
Match Results: 8 W – 9 D – 15 L; GF 46/ GA 59
Herren: 6 W – 6 D – 8 L; GF 34/GA 36
After years of over achieving and being the sweetest little club in Europe, Freiburg ran smack dab into the buzzsaw that is incessant competition of the high achieving behemoth clubs of Europe. Without an oil magnate or soft drink bottler to buy up fringe players, the Boys of Briegsau were run ragged by the demands of another run in the Europa league. Once again, they faced their bogey team of West Ham United, and, after winning 1-0 at home they were pounded 5-0 in London. Exhausted and worn out they still had the chance to make another run for Europe, but they didn’t have the legs to make it happen. Winning only once in the last two months, they slipped to tenth as they said goodbye to their local legend.
Frauen: 2 W – 3 D – 7 L; GF 12 / GA 23
While the men were struggling down the stretch, the women were…struggling down the stretch. From their usual position just outside the top tier, the Babes of Breigsau lost 6 straight matches to plummet down to the bottom half of the table, finishing 9th overall (yes one spot better than the guys, but also only out of 12 teams, while the men were part of 20).
Other Stories:
Am I considering paying $35 for a Streich autographed card…yes…yes I am…
What can you say about Christian Streich that I haven’t already written. He was folksy, kind, and thoughtful. He was loyal, genuine, and pretty funny. He was the cherry on top of choosing Freiburg when this project started.
He retired at the end of the year, and all reports indicate that he’s doing nothing so much as just being with his family and relaxing: no angling for further appointments, no sanitized studio punditry, just keeping on as a normal dude.
Julian Schuster will take over this season, and he seems to be doing his best to become Christian Streich 2.0, going so far as to say “there’s a lot of Christian in me”. I look forward to tearfully wishing Julian a job well done in 2036.
Star Players:
As ever the standbys of Freiburg’s formidable teams were there: Vincenzo Grifo, Janina Minge, and Hasret Kayici remain stalwarts attacking, scoring, leading. This year their co-stars were a little more varied.
On the defensive side of the ball, Samantha Steuerwald is becoming the women’s defensive dynamo but Marie Mueller played so well in the last part of 2023 as to earn a move to legendary American team The Portland Thorns. Meanwhile Matthias Gunther was clearly valuable, especially as the men’s long slide to struggle coincides with his exit to an injury.
But it was also deeply gratifying to see Ritsu Doan (who we also grew to adore when he was playing for Japan at the World Cup) take the next step up with Freiburg as the most frequent target for Vincenzo Grifo. Ultimately, he couldn’t engineer enough offense to single handedly keep the foxes/griffins in Europe, but he did his darndest.
I was in a teacher activity thinking about words that are immutable parts of ourselves. Obviously thinking about you boys, and what I have, and all those good things, I thought of love.
Dear, Boys
But love can go many directions and many ways. You can adore things and hold them up beyond their reach. You can yearn for things and have a lot, a lot of wanting. But I ended up pairing it with another word I use a lot “give”, so the words the related words to love that stood out most were “care”, “cherish” and “benevolence”
Benevolence doesn’t actually have that great of a sound to it. Many people look at “benevolence” a little like a smug and distant force. Your mom works in the arts where “benefactors” are people who give large sums of money and end up with their name on walls or programs. Your grandpa Bruce (the original MacKenzie Boy) is fond of the image of a “Benevolent Dictator” someone who will use total power to do kind and just things. (Your grandpa likes it because it’s about as realistic as having a seven-headed kitten.)
But, I still like “benevolence”. And because I am who I am, I dug into the word. Looking not at what it means to people now, but how the word grew and developed.
Benevolent, like most latin-derived words, starts with the ending: “ent”–doing…I like that because I like active rather than passive love; next “volo”–wishes…I like that because so much is out of our control, you can control your hopes and aspirations and wishes for the world; finally “bene”–good. So put it all together and Benevolent means “doing good wishes”, if you are benevolent you aren’t giving money or ruling the world, you are just wishing well for other people, sending goodness and compassion outward.
I like that root of “benevolence”. But it isn’t easy.
Forgive the facist meme, this is the negative…
It’s hard for you kids. You can do it when we’re cuddled up at the end of the day and I ask you who you want to send gratitude or love to. But in the middle of the day, chores become “why do you make me do everything!”, “I never get to play!” and “I can’t do it, I’m just stupid!”. Play time becomes “gimme that”, ”no, that’s mine,” and “you’re a stupid head, I’m leaving!!”. Honestly, I feel it come up in my own words, “why aren’t you listening to me?”, “boys, I said, No,” and “just do what I asked you, please?”.
It’s hard to offer benevolence up when things feel so antagonistic.
The same thing is true in sports. It’s not an extremely benevolent field. Instead people obsess over results and outcomes. Soccer is often a zero sum affair: a game where there is a winner and a loser and a sense that in order to get something good for yourself, someone else has to suffer.
But it’s also in soccer where you can see great examples of benevolence.
Two of my favorite coaches preach this perspective. Looking for the good in the community and the positives for everyone.
Chris Citowicki’s first standard in recruiting for the University of Montana was to make a pledge to recruits. “I promise that when it’s all over, You will have had the best four years of your life.” He’s not pledging to make them “winners” or to become professionals or win national (or even conference championships), he is focused on the best four years: socially, academically, everything. He wants what’s best for his team…not what results in the most wins on the field.
Christian Streich’s politics are a welcome breath of fresh air, all the more so when he looks for ways to wish well for everyone involved in a hot button issue. At a time when politics is very much a blood sport, he speaks in ways to understand others. In the heat of an immigration crisis, he spoke about the needs of refugees and to the emotions of the heated few: “Right now is the time to open up to people, to receive [refugees], to reduce fears. It is often about the fear of others and the fear of strangers. It’s about getting to know other ways of thinking.”
The goal isn’t to be right while your opponents admit defeat. It’s to welcome people in need, and help those who are afraid to find hope and confidence in knowledge rather than fear.
In thinking about soccer, I certainly grind my teeth over unlucky results or unfair whistles, I definitely glower at lucky punks and grumble about unfair systems, but that good wishing, that kindness mentality, that’s what I aspire to.
More than proving I’m right and you’re wrong. More than making you play nice. I genuinely wish you can find the good: the good in yourselves, the kindness and compassion and love for each other, the strength to do it on your own.
I want to bring back benevolence: for the players I cheer for, for the neighbors I disagree with, for you boys even in the peaks of your anguish.
Start by wishing well for others, and let your actions follow.
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.
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)
I mean, who doesn’t? Superheroes are awesome. Your uncles and I often spent afternoons being Batman, Robin and any number of different bad guys. You boys prefer Spiderman (he is cooler, to be honest) and also have room in your hearts for PJ Masks, Ms Marvel, and your own inventions: Builder Spider [Spiderman with construction powers], and Red Cape.
Superheroes are cool, and superhero stories are great. But there’s something that can get confused in the fun of saving the day.
Powers are fun, and the heroes behind them are often great. But power isn’t part of people.
Super heroes tend to come by their powers in unusual ways (radioactive spider bites, other worldly mists, tragic backstories plus ninja training, magical pajamas…) but all of them are people first, and then empowered people. Heroes hold on to their humanity and don’t confuse themselves with their powers.
With good reason. Power can make someone more than a person. Give them enough power and it can make them feel and seem superior. When that power embeds itself in a person it becomes easier and easier to confuse yourself for the power you enjoy and justify all manner of unfair habits, tactics, and tendencies.
Superpowers are easy enough to see as imaginary. But there’s a real problem with power in the real world too. In our world lot’s of people have power, and even more want it. That power might be physical, it might be political, it might be social, it might be economic. Once people have it they start to obsess over holding on to it. And when people confuse themselves with the power they hold, they can be downright dangerous.
Christian Streich knows power lies within (bayernstrikes.com)
Consider, the ways that soccer coaches struggle to acknowledge that they’ve made a mistake. You might find the occasional coach (Citowicki or Streich) who owns their mistakes, but many others find a way to turn it around and blame it on the players they work with (cou*Heath*gh!). It can save your job, it can keep your power. But to what end?
You can see it among players too. Players who earn a bevy of awards and heaps of praise have a tendency to see themselves as bigger than the game. It’s why many players end up in trouble: their power creates a sense that they are more than others, and then they forget what other people need (witness tax evasion, blackmail, mafia connections, and assault).
The man behind the “muscle” (The Economist)
At it’s worst, this obsession with power can drive a whole country off the rails. I certainly see it in domestic politics as people ignore what’s good for the country as a whole when there’s a political point to be scored. Even worse is the poop butt in Russia whose need for consistent power has led him to attack innocent neighbors and endanger his own soldiers for no reason other than increasing his empire and his need for validation.
There’s so many examples of power corrupting, twisting minds and actions to their worst ends that it’s easy to come away with a cynical view. But I have hope.
I believe that human nature is good. I believe that our shared humanity will lead us to do the right thing, even though our individual desires beckon us to do the wrong thing. Above all else I see you boys planning all kinds of ways to “save the day” and I think, “power doesn’t have to corrupt, you just have to know that it’s something you use, not something you keep.”
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.
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)
For the first time in a while Emelec didn’t seem to have much of anything going for them. Worse, this loss gave loathed rivals Barcelona sole claim to the top spot in the league
Rosenborg BK 1 – 0 Mjondalen [M]
Rosenborg snapped their skid, but it wasn’t exactly convincing. Åge Hareide’s team couldn’t find a way through throughout regular time despite dominating the run of play. But Ol Piercing Blue Eyes himself Kistoffer Zachariasen saved the day with a last minute winner.
Asante Kotoko 1 – 0 Legon Cities
Against the most legendary club in Ghanaian soccer the Royals looked majestic again in name only. The defense should be commended for their resilience but now would be the time for the attack to flourish as well. (h/t Fatua Duda for winning commendations despite losing)
Freiburg 2 – 0 Arminia Bielefeld [M]
Christian Streich switched to a three man back line a month ago. In the four matches with that formation they’ve drawn twice and won once. It’s not a tremendous turnabout but it’s a big improvement from the side that drifted down the table in October. Phillip Leinhart and Vincenzo Grifo’s surge in form sure helps too.
Aberdeen 2 – 0 Ross County
Speaking of drifting down the table, the Staggies have sunk to the bottom of the premiership. They haven’t gotten a point from the league since early November, and haven’t won since two months before that. They may still have a shot at cup trophies, but their time in the top league may be done after this year.
FK Vozdovac 0 – 2 Partizan Belgrade
I’d be lying if I said I expected anything else, but kudos to the dragons for holding the league leaders scoreless for more than one half!
Grenoble Foot 4 – 0 Dunkerque [M]
Grenoble’s performance in the shadow of the Alps was nothing short of dominant. Again led by Jessy Benet and rampaging full backs Jordy Gaspar and Jerome Mombris they looked every bit the first place (yes, first place) team they have become.
CS Emelec 3 – 0 El Nacional [M]
Estadio George Capwell would have been rocking had people been allowed in. A win over bottom of the table Nacional isn’t exactly surprising, and never seemed to be in doubt., but Jose Cevallos’ brace and another clean sheet sure feels good.
Meppen 0 – 1 SC Freiburg [W]
Meppen has struggled this year, and as Freiburg grows into form they looked strong throughout. Lina Bürger’s late winner was well deserved.
Rosenborg 3 – 1 Molde [M]
A week after a red card got him an early shower, it was a day of good Dino Islamovic. It couldn’t have come at a better time. His brace against fellow top 4 side Molde went a long way to seal a shot at European soccer.
News & Notes
See You Loons
As has been the habit each year, Minnesota United celebrated the end of the season by declining a big pile of contracts.
It’s not too surprising that Kei Kamara and third string keeper Greg Ranjitsingh were let loose. Frequent role players Jose Aja, Aaron Shoenfeld, and Raheem Edwards were a little more surprising, but, without ticket sales, costs must be cut.
HAO! Rosenborg!
O’Rielly trading Stars and Stripes for just stripes?
On the BBC’s world football podcast American soccer legend Heather O’Reilly admitted that she felt tempted to come back from retirement for a shot at the European Champions League.
A year into her retirement, O’Reilly might need some time to gear up again. So she’s likely have to target the 21-22 campaign. She’s also working as a coach of younger players. So that would be a good thing to continue abroad. And if she seeks to just play in the champions league, a Scandinavian side makes sense….chances are you see where I’m going with this.
Another score from the election. This certainly looks decisive. With no time left on the clock, there’s no real chance for a comeback. But President Trump continues to insist that he’s winning and refusing to leave the field. So…not unlike games I used to play against your uncles in the backyard.
Player of the Week
Since they came back from COVID Cancellations, Jordy Gaspar has played 518 of Grenoble’s 540 minutes. In that time, they’ve allowed only two goals and scored ten. He’s been excellent on both sides of the ball, and this week his assist gives us an excuse to finally reward him.
The Loons left their come back pretty late (which happens when Emanuel Reynoso spends most of the match on the bench). The absence of Michael Boxall, Ike Opara and Ozzie Alonso continues to be exploited, and coach Adrian’s Heath’s choices are….interesting (that’s Minnesotan for infuriating)
Emelec 1 – 2 Union [M-South American Cup]
Despite coming in with a hefty advantage Los Bombillos bombed out of the competition. Facundo Barcelo’s second half equalizer was diminished as Union peppered keeper Pedro Ortiz with twice Emelec’s shot total.
Ross County 1 – 1 Livingston
Ollie Shaw seems to have found his shooting boots (or skull rather), scoring for the second time in two weeks. Meanwhile Ross Doohan has continued to find himself at the mercy of opponents. Doohan’s let in 7 over 4 games, but with Ross Laidlaw ceding 16 in the first 10, the Staggies might just be sunk between the goalposts (particularly with as thin the defense has been stretched by low cross after low cross).
Rosenborg BK 1 – 1 Sandviken [F]
Rosenborg remained undefeated but the only action came from an own goal off each side, so it wasn’t exactly a thriller or even particularly edifying. The team will now have one last match to try and swipe the title out from the hands of Valerenga, whose loss to Lyn has finally left the two teams equal. Any result better than the Oslo side will do it, Otherwise they’d need to win by 5 more goals than their rivals…
Grenoble 2 – 1 Le Havre [M]
In their first match back from quarantine Grenoble hit their marks with aplomb (it was probably the hot pink tops). Kevin Tapoko built a goal out of absolutely nothing with an interception, secondary assist and goal in about 10 seconds, while Willy Semedo’s winner showed a strength in attack that GF38 sorely needed.
Final Result: Joe Biden [D] 306 – 229 Donald Trump [R]
The Sunday Paper with Elections, sports and murder…
This is probably the most relieved I’ve felt in a looooooong time. And with a 5 Million vote edge translating into just a 77 electoral vote margin that felt more comfortable than it ever seemed on the day. Just for fun, here’s how Grenoble covered both the election and the victory.
RB Leipzig 3 – 0 Freiburg [M]
From one angle, Freiburg started well, only losing one of their first five matches. From the other angle Freiburg are in terrible form taking only 3 points from 6 matches. The truth may lie somewhere in between but we hope Christian Streich finds it and fast.
Cukaricki 3 – 2 FK Vozdovac
Credit where it’s due, from falling behind on an early penalty, the Red Dragons fought back to take the lead in the second half. But a fine Cukariki goal and another penalty wiped that away.
Emelec 0 – 0 CS Barcelona [F]
The quarterfinal in this year’s women’s league was an all Guayaquil affair with the local derby determining the next step towards national triumph. Las Electricas held their own earning a goal-less draw with their rivals. But with a second leg still to come, they actually have a great opportunity. A win or a draw should see them through!
📸 Postales de nuestro encuentro de ayer por los cuartos de final (Ida) de la @superligafef. ¡Vamos #Eléctricas! 💪🏻
After falling behind in the first four minutes, Freiburg stormed back to take the lead back before half-time and hold on from there. Sandra Starke became the first player with two goals (that probably has as much to do with the team’s recent scoreless streak as it does the lack of a dominant force like Klara Buhl).
Viking 3 – 0 Rosenborg BK [M]
Rosenborg lost for the first time in the league since the beginning of August and it wasn’t particularly close. Despite dominating the possession, they got absolutely slaughtered by Viking’s counter attack. Here’s hoping that they took the L so the ladies don’t have to.
Minnesota United 3 – 0 Dallas
We’ve raved about Emmanuel Reynoso, whose first goal was an absolute banger. But it’s worth taking some time to shout out Kevin Molino. The first high profile Loons signee, has paid his dues on the bad teams, sat on the bench to heal an injury during the last good season, and now is leading the charge into the playoffs (though having Reynoso along side him sure helped).
Alebrijes de Oaxaca 1 – 2 Atalante
Oaxaca started out on the right foot, taking the lead through Hector Reynoso Lopez. While the team held on well against the top 4 side for a full hour, a pair of late goals sank their hopes and dropped them back to the bottom of the league.
Emelec 2 – 0 Universidad Catholica [M]
Los Bombillos celebrated the Reddy Kilowatt 5 K with a pair of goals to win their second of five. (For comparison they had only won 2 of 8 to wrap up the first half of the season). Dixon Arroyo’s absurdly placed ball to Romario Caicedo who seemed to be gliding through mile 2 was pretty to watch, and Bryan Carabali hammered home a cross like a quart of chocolate milk at the end of the run. (Trust me, these running references are on point)
Elgin City 1 – 4 Ross County [Cup]
As a Premier League club County should expect to beat up on their fourth tier opponents. As a team in terrible form, nothing can be taken as a given. Fortunately Oliver Shaw (yup, him again) broke open the scoring and the Staggies never looked back). (Here’s hoping Ross Laidlaw gets a second chance soon)
News & Notes
Setting Schedules for the Spring
Both The University of Montana and Punjab FC have announced their schedules for the coming season. The only downside, their seasons won’t start until 2021. But let’s take a look.
On January 9th, India’s soccer will kick off again in Kolkata. Punjab FC will again take part, this time under the leadership of Roundglass Sports, and, judging from the Orange-ified logos, a brand new look too.
The season will be a two part process, rather like the current Scottish style. After one half of the season (a single match against each opponent), teams will be split in to two halves. The top half will play eachother for the title, the bottom half will play eachother to avoid relegation. (Sidebar: Minerva Punjab is also in training…which team we stick with…well…we shall see)
Meanwhile, in Missoula, the Grizzlies have set a very localized schedule in their quest to repeat as Big Sky champs 18 months later. While the fall season was mostly to keep in shape, before the next season, in the spring they’ll be playing for keeps.
Is our Big Sky opener still more than four months away? Yes
Global Energy Stadium is…partially filled! (MSN.com)
Ross County has become one of the first sides to officially let in fans (albeit fewer than they’d hope and farther apart than they’d hoped. But still fans were back and reported being quite happy to sit in the stands again.
France Shuts Down Lower Women’s Leagues
With a spike in Coronavirus cases, particularly around Grenoble, and even within the team, a shutdown seems fair. Not fun, but fair. That it now encompasses all of the lower leagues in Women’s soccer well…that’s a bitter pill to swallow…if only there were some good wine to wash it down.
Championnats D2F, U19F, Ligue et District suspendus
As if the struggles in playing well weren’t enough, Alebrijes de Oaxaca also had to deal with a conflict of a much more serious nature on Sunday. Center Back Yohan Zetuna was subjected to racist abuse by Ronaldo Gonzalez of Atlante. The two had been battling for a while (with each one earning a cuation from the ref), and while the incident is still in the “alleged” stage. We stand with Yohan as every player deserves to be welcomed on the field (wherever they’re from and wherever their field is)
With equal output and effect on the match, we have no choice but to split the honors this week. Handing half of the honor to a widely-regarded star calibre talen, and half of it to a little known, just emerging young talent. So Emmanuel Bebelo Reynoso for your plethora of assists, goals, and innovation: take a bow. Oliver Shaw for your star turn at a time the Staggies need it most: take a bow too.
You’re too young for it now, but you will in time become obsessed with Star Wars. So it has been for me, your mother, your uncles, just about everybody at one time or another. While I don’t love it like I used to, I will always remember one key line.
(Magic Quote, from Star Wars IV: A New Hope by George Lucas)
That scene pokes fun at those who doubt and deride others without taking up the mantle of leadership themselves. But it applies to lots of us, every day, in different ways. In these uncertain times, we look to leaders for guidance. But how do we know leaders from fools?
Leadership without accountability is just authority.
I think you can see this illustrated in two of our favorite clubs.
First, there’s SC Freiburg: the Baden-Wuttermburg based workhorses of Germany. With little capital and only a light dusting of history, they have become genuine contenders to represent the best that German football has to offer. And at the center of that is the coach, Christian Streich.
Streich in stride (Daily Mail)
Streich doesn’t cut a striking figure or command attention. He leads through honesty, and introspection. He thinks big thoughts and asks big questions, not just about X’s and O’s but of how he and soccer contribute to modern challenges, and what they can do to address them.
Streich could, like other coaches, fixate on the next game and shut out everything else. But he doesn’t. He invites dialogue, not obedience. He questions his place, and the place of soccer as part of our world: not life/death, not all/nothing, just part of the whole. Being accountable as a coach, and a person breeds the trust that builds a team and begets leadership. He models accountability beyond the sideline, and in life itself.
Then, there’s Eirik Horneland. He who was given the keys to the kingdom at Rosenborg Ballklub and promptly dropped them down the garbage disposal.
Horneland heads home (Dagblad.com)
I mock, but truthfully, Horneland is the other side of accountability. Things have not gone as Rosenborg wants or expects. Horneland could have done many things. He could have deflected. He could have huffed, puffed, and thrown players, management, or officials under the proverbial bus. He could have, but he didn’t.
“er det naturlig at jeg som øverste sportslig ansvarlig i RBK må ta ansvaret for manglende sportslig fremgang,”
It is natural that I , as the top sports director at RBK, must take responsibility for the lack of team progress
Eirick Horneland
That is everything. Horneland was held responsible, and he held himself responsible. He was held accountable, and he accepted it.
If the world was perfect, you boys would always be Streichs. You’d work hard, do well, and, by all accounts, deserve to be rewarded. But that is not the world. Sometimes, you will work hard, struggle, and, by all accounts, deserve to lose what you work for. You will have times when you are Hornelands. You may be full of hope, ideals, and exciting opportunities. But it may all wind up in that garbage disposal.
(Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press)
I say this because, right now, America has a leader without accountability. A leader who sees everything he does as right, and every critique of him as cruel. A leader who insists on dividing our community as we cry out for unity. In short, we have a fool. A man who likes the authority of his office, and eschews the accountability.
So, absent that figure in our public consciousness, I bring up these two coaches, both of whom lead, both are held accountable, and both respect that they don’t just have a position of authority, they have a position of leadership.
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