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
Team
W
D
L
PPG
GFA
GAA
University of Montana
22
1
8
2.16
1.5
0.7
Rosenborg BK
41
9
15
2.03
2.3
1.2
Emelec
27
11
14
1.77
1.6
1.2
Punjab FC
8
4
6
1.56
1.2
0.9
Freiburg
26
11
23
1.48
1.7
1.5
Grenoble
22
10
22
1.41
1.2
1.2
Minnesota United
13
10
12
1.40
1.2
1.3
Legon Cities
13
10
15
1.29
1.1
1.0
FK Vozdovac
13
11
16
1.25
1.1
1.4
Ross County
14
9
20
1.19
1.3
1.5
Alebrijes
7
14
12
1.06
1.2
1.6
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.
A few weeks ago, while driving into work, I heard a summary of political philosophy that neatly captured what I see in society, soccer, and myself.
Put simply: everyone wants to act in response to problems we see. Progressives want to do something while conservatives want to stop something in progress or undo something that’s been done.
Dear Boys,
I’m not about to pretend which point of view I prefer (particularly in politics–hint it starts with a P and ends with “rogressive”.) But as the pundits pointed out both instincts can lead to unintended consequences.
Je pense le meme Adrien (from the Athletic)
Start with my progressive view. Like a lot of folks I want to see my teams make some changes when they struggle. That’s when I start begging for Alebrijes to switch their system, or for the Loons to sign a big striker, or for Ross County to bring in a new coach.
But those changes that many in fan bases yearn for don’t yield immediate results and fail as often as they succeed. Alebrijes might not have the players to make any system work. Adrien Hunou might not find the goal for a couple months. Your team may hire a racist…etc. etc.
The conservative approach is no less fraught. The glory days are so enticing that it’s natural to want to go back. Bring back Jessy Benet in Grenoble, increase the focus on the men’s team at Rosenborg, or undo the appointment of the manager with a few weeks under his belt (see: Tottenham Hotspur).
These too assume that everything can return to the way they were (despite the fact that context, and surroundings, and everything else has changed around them). Jessy’s got a new club. Rosenborg aren’t the league titans they once were. Tottenham’s squad isn’t the fresh faced world beaters they were a few years ago.
This is not possible
The same is true at a personal level.
The more I try to make things the way that I want them to be, the more I struggle, grapple, and grow frustrated.
Whether it’s control in the classroom, or getting you boys to brush your teeth when I want you to, the more I try to do/undo something, the less likely I am to do anything differently.
But, when I accept that things are the way they are, and my role is to bring my full self to them, the more I add to the space, add to the experience, and change it for the better.
Being present with you is so much more meaningful for all of us (and makes brushing fun). Sending love and concern into my classroom yields much more than exerting control over the situation.
On the pitch too, bringing your full self into a space can create a better, more valuable experience for everyone. Think of Coach Citowicki in Missoula, whose manners and approach have given kids at a smaller school professional opportunities and enabled a transition from one generation to the next (see Claire Howard and Camila Xu).
When you are fully present rather than distracted by what you want to make happen, you find a pleasure in what is. The Griz can see that Big Sky titles are beautiful themselves. Freiburg’s loyalty and appreciation of the understated Christian Streich has built the environment for their best season in years.
We get caught up talking about and fixating on the forces of change: how the world ought to be and what tools to make it so. We want to be a force for change in the world. But hard as it is, I believe we ought to resist that temptation, and insteadof being a force for change, change your force to quiet grace.
Rosenborg had all the flow in this game, dominating from whistle to whistle. Lisa Marie Utland led off, and Julie Blakstad and Sarah Kanutte Forness added a pair a piece. We even got a closer sense of Norway’s : Blakstad, Bragstad and Bronstad.
Grenoble Foot 2 – 0 Nimes Metropole Gard [F]
The ladies of the Alps continued their strong opening weeks of the campaign, surging to a four way tie atop their half of Ligue 2. It was Andrea Compper’s show on Saturday, with a pair of goals to win going away.
VICTOIRE 🔵⚪️ ! En D2F, notre équipe féminine s’impose face à Nîmes (2-0) grâce à un doublé d’Andréa Compper-Banguillot 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ImLNytQUzG
To complete the clean sweep of our women’s European leagues, Freiburg ceded an early goal on a strong attack. And then, they struck back. It was Hasret Kayicki’s hat trick that set the tone of consistently capitalizing on Jena’s defensive lapses and the ladies of Breigsau never looked back.
Minnesota United 1 – 3 Colorado
Despite an early goal from Adrien Hounou and a man advantage in the second half, the Loons couldn’t get a point at home. They might explain it away with a complaint that many top talents were away on international duty. But another explanation is that Minnesota just isn’t that good.
Northern Colorado Bears 1 – 0 Montana Grizzlies
The Griz dropped a game to their mascot match in Big Sky Conference Play. Greely has been a haunting locale for the Griz, going winless there in the last 12 years (back when Camilla Xu was in second grade). For the first time in a while, the Griz defenders were second best, with the Bears pounding the net, and the Griz limited to 3 shots on target.
Alebrijes 2 – 2 Jaibos
Again, the Oaxacans got themseleves got into a tough situation falling behind by two goals in the first half. To be fair, after the utterly befuddled defending, two goals was a gift. But a pair of penalties (one of which led to the ejection of Jaibos’ keeper) gave them enough life to get the late equalizer courtesy of Julio Cesar Cruz.
News & Notes
Around the World in a Couple Hot seconds
Sallai’s Strike
Several players from our favorite sides made appearances in international duty this last weekend: here’s a quick snapshot of how they fared.
Most of our action happened in Europe, and it turned out pretty darn well. Vozdovac’s striker Justas Lascikas got a goal in Lithuania’s win over Bulgaria (it was also Lithuania’s first points in seven qualifying matches). The Loon’s Robin Lod factored in Finland’s win over Kazakhstan, but neither he nor club/country teammate Jukka Raitalta could stop the loss to Ukraine (leaving the Finns one point out of qualification position with two to play). Freiburg’s Ermedin Demirovic was a substitute for Bosnia against the same teams to no avail (B&H is two points back with two to play). But the match highlight was probably Roland Sallai who got the opening goal in Wembly stadium against the mighty England national team. That goal set up a draw to end England’s 12 year winning streak in competitive home games. The point also kept Hungary alive (if only mathematically)
Meanwhile in Africa, Romain Metanire was on the field for both legs of the matches Madagascar split with DR Congo, but their hopes of another Cinderella story at Qatar 2022 are effectively over. Grenoble’s David Hennen played the first half in Togo’s draw against Congo (just the Regular Republic variety) in similar academic matches. While Emelec had native son Joao Rojas came on twice for Ecuador’s legendary Enner Valencia in both the win over Bolivia and the loss to Venezuela.
And in friendly matches: Michael Boxall helped the Kiwis to a sweep of their games (against Bahrain and Curacao, but still).
That didn’t last long…
Somehow, after all the praise we heaped on Claire Howard, Camilla Xu took one of her predecessor’s records while still in her freshman season. By keeping Northern Colorado off the board for the first 38 minutes, Xu set a new program record with 703 scoreless minutes. Breaking a seemingly massive streak. Then, of course, Northern Colorado broke the streak 2 minutes later…sigh.
Player of the Week
While Sallai and Lascikas can be proud of their contributions to their countries, this was a ladies week and the woman at the center of a European sweep was Hasret Kayicki. Her hat trick and consistent leadership has buoyed Freiburg during an up and down season..and even if it means that she like Klara Buhl before her, leaves Freiburg for greener pastures/bank accounts, it’s a pleasure to see her strive every week.
Hat Trick Hasret!
Standings Update
I’m running well late, so I’ll leave the standings update for next week, but the duel between the Griz and Trolls continues to pick up steam at the top of the table.
When I was a kid (just what every child longs to hear) we heard a lot about equality. Teaches, pastors, and friends on Sesame Street urged me to “Treat everyone equally”. Your grandpa Bruce often got misty thinking of how we were finally “living up to the ideal that all men are created equal.”
They were fine sentiments, but misinformed. The world isn’t equal, nor does it treat everyone equally. What’s more, equality is more of an ideal outcome than a single act. Put it simply: equality sounds good, but often equitability helps you do good. So, a year after I taught you to say “fuck you white supremacy,” let’s take a moment to understand these distinctions with the help of soccer.
Dear Boys,
First, some definitions. Equality is grounded in the idea of sameness. Both of you boys deserve healthy bones and valuable vitamins, so you both get an equal amount of milk at every meal.
Equitability is grounded in the idea of addressing need. Owen doesn’t have the same level of muscle control or patience as Alex. So, while you get an equal share of milk you get an equitable access to cups. (Plain ones for Big A, sloshy/bottle-esque ones for Baby O)
As a teacher, I aim for equality in assigning tasks and assessing performance. I aim for equitability when I provide levels of guidance based on student’s developmental needs and language levels.
The fundamentals of the kitchen table and middle school lesson plans work in global systems of sports, business and culture too.
Let’s make it “WeBelieve”
Sometimes equality is equitable. Women’s soccer is the same game as men’s. The players must train the same muscles, execute the same plays, and use the same equipment as men.
So those of us who watch, talk, and write about the sport should be equitable and provide the Women’s game equality in coverage. That’s certainly my goal, though I feel that I can still improve. But I hope you boys are as excited by Julie Blakstad, Hasret Kayikci, and Claire Howard as you are by Facundo Barcelo, Vincenzo Grifo, and Dayne St Clair.
The entire league system of promotion and relegation is designed to be equal. If you develop and retain talent, you can beat anyone. Then, match by match, step by step you can go from a tiny hamlet to the dominant club in the league. (Modern money might make that highly implausible, it it is still a remote possibility)
That’s the idea at least, but there are many who despair that this model isn’t applied equally across the globe. But this would be where what’s equal isn’t equitable. Each country has its own unique need for the game. Each competition ought to be for itself.
Relegation works where interest in the game is dominant, and supply is wide spread.
Gagnons Les Sommets
In Germany Freiburg has rallied from the third league to be a reliable presence in the top flight. In Serbia, the very real chance of Vozdovac falling down a level provides energy and purpose to fans in a middling season. In France, the thrill of even possible promotion has rallied a community.
These all reflect places where equality works. But they also reflect an enduring love of the game and commitment of community. (Germany and France each hold multiple world titles, and Serbia’s former home of Yugoslavia came close. All three countries routinely produce players on the globe’s top clubs, and their fans are legion)
But that’s not the case for all countries, or even most. So applying one model equally to all countries wouldn’t be equitable.
Take Scotland, a country where the game has faded in recent years. In response, they made a small switch, splitting the league in half so you play your peers when it matters most. So Ross County’s survival didn’t depend on Kilmarnock taking a thrashing from Celtic, but rather on the Staggies taking points from their peers.
What American advocates imagine
Other countries made a bigger change. Neither India, nor the US have relegation, and Mexico hast postponed theirs for five years. Mexico’s choice comes in response to the financial uncertainty around clubs after the pandemic. That uncertainty is multiplied in India and the states. Neither has a long standing pro league. Both have huge countries to navigate and sparse rivalries or travel opportunities for fans.
India and the US are not France and Germany, or even Serbia and Scotland. Forcing these younger leagues to adopt an equivalent process would be foolish and might deter development of players, clubs and ultimately the game.
In time we in the US may be ready for relegation, but now, knowing when to be equitable and when to be equal is vital. (Less vital for an amusing sport than for say the future of public education and the federal government, but still…important…ish).
Both equality and equitability are important, but when you understand how to apply each, you’re in a much better place.
It was a critical win for the Red Dragons. Taking all three points from fellow relegation battler Novi Pazar. The full on blitz put them two goals up inside of five minutes, with Aleksandar Bogdanovic and Stefan Purtic dealing the blows and they never looked in danger of fading. With four games left, staying up isn’t a guarantee, another strong road showing in six days would be an even bigger help [TO BE CONTINUED IN THIS POST…]
University of Montana Grizzlies 0 – 1 University of South Carolina Gamecocks [NCAA Tournament]
The Gamecocks had the Grizzlies on the back foot for most of the match. They had 10 shots on target compared to Montana’s 2, but the Griz had Claire Howard. Her new team record of 9 saves served the squad well and kept them close throughout the match. Unfortunately South Carolina got the game’s one break, and the Griz’s best season ever in rankings ended earlier than they would have liked.
Emelec 3 – 0 Red Bull Bragantino [Copa Sudamerica]
Los Bombillos continued their strong showing in the continental competition. This time standing up against Brazil’s representative to the Red Bull Empire. Alejandro Cabeza continued his fine form, netting the final goal while Pedro Ortiz pitched his second straight Copa shutout.
LSV Kvinner v Rosenborg [F]
Another week, another ladies league on hiatus. Rosenborg and the rest of the Toppserien will be back at the end of May.
Dundee United 0 – 2 Ross County
Boy did the Staggies need that. Jordan White and Alex Iacovitti scored in quick succession to give the team an edge on the road. Then Iacovitti and his back line buddies blockaded the goal giving Dundee a scant 3 shots, none of which were particularly close. It got them out of danger for the moment, before a match in two weeks against Hamilton that could doom their opponents and save themselves.
Legon Cities 0 – 1 Asante Kotoko
Don’t get me wrong, I like the Royals, but the hands down coolest name will always be “the porcupine Warriors” of Kotoko. An early goal boosted one of Ghana’s most decorated teams to the top of the league…the Royals, on the other hand, are still scuffling near the bottom of the table.
Minnesota United 0 – 1 Austin FC
Doom and gloom abounds after another home defeat. Erstwhile favorites Brent Kallman and Chase Gasper are close to persona non grata in online fan circles and after falling to the bottom of the whole league some serious questions are ahead for a “dark horse” contender.
Orense 2 – 3 Emelec [M]
After racing out to an early lead (made possible by Pedro Ortiz stopping an early penalty), Los bombillos almost gave it back. Fortunately the team held on to salvage Sebastian Rodriguez’s pair of penalties and a perfect chip from Alexis Zapata.
Grenoble 1 – 2 Clermont Foot [M]
Willy Semedo’s last gasp penalty was too little for the alpiners who officially lost their shot at automatic promotion. Their match at Auxerre on Saturday could clinch a playoff spot or keep us in suspense.
Mladost Lucani 1 – 0 Vozdovac
[CONTINUED FROM ABOVE…] unfortunately, a double in the week was not to be, as Vozdovac ceded the decisive goal right before half time. With three games to go, no one can afford to be complacent or defeated. The crunch match on the weekend with Napredak would go a long way to soothing anxiety before an expected thrashing against Partisan Belgrade in two weeks.
News & Notes
Last Dance
It’s definitely with a tear in our eye that we say goodbye to this iteration of the University of Montana Grizzly Soccer team. Even though we’re only joining the party this year, we’ve really enjoyed cheering for the ladies of Zoo Town throughout this campaign. We want to wish a very happy future to the seniors: Taylor Stoeger, Alison Monroe, Rebekah Burton, Catie Buck, Avery Adams, Rita Lang, Brooke Johnston, Mimi Eiden, and Masters students Alexa Coyle and Claire Howard.
— Montana Griz Soccer 🐻⚽️ (@MontanaGrizSOC) May 1, 2021
Congratulations to the students, their families, and all the supporters who helped them obtain their degree. It’d be cool if you boys play sports, but we’d really love it if you worked as hard in the classroom as these women did.
Au Revoir, Grenobloises
In the rush of news from the last week, we missed that the French Football Federation (FFF) did in fact cancel the remainder of the 2nd Division season for women. So, Grenoble’s ladies will be out of action until the fall when, hopefully, they’ll get to play a full season for the first time since 2018-2019
Player of the Week
In this blog we stan Claire Howard, but we ought to recognize that other people play goal keeper too. Including Pedro Ortiz who has followed his fine showings for country with dominant performances for the club, putting Emelec in contention for both domestic and continental glory this year. He’s like the Claire Howard of Guayaquil.
Thank you Pedro
Standings Update
Emelec’s double over the week boosted them to the top of the table, but with the Griz on hiatus until the fall, any slip will put the garnet and silver back on top.
Team
W
D
L
PPG
GFA
GAA
Emelec
10
2
1
2.46
2.2
1.0
University of Montana–b
9
0
2
2.45
2.1
0.6
Punjab FC–b
7
4
6
1.47
1.2
0.9
Grenoble Foot
8
6
7
1.43
1.3
1.2
Freiburg
9
3
10
1.36
1.5
1.5
Legon Cities FC
5
5
6
1.25
1.2
0.9
Alebrijes
4
7
5
1.19
1.5
1.9
Ross County
6
2
9
1.18
1.3
1.6
FK Vozdovac
4
5
8
1.0
0.8
1.6
Minnesota United
0
0
3
0.0
0.5
3.0
Rosenborg BK-b
0
0
0
–
–
–
Table Updated 4/27/2021 b–Team is between seasons
What’s Next
Wednesday, May 5th
7:30 Tolima v. Emelec [Copa Sudamerica]
Thursday, May 6th
11:30 Hertha BSC v. Freiburg [M]
Friday, May 7th
Saturday, May 8th
1:00 Auxerre v. Grenoble [M]
6:30 Barcelona SC v Emelec [M]
9:00 Colorado v. Minnesota United
Sunday, May 9th
6:30 Koln v. Freiburg [M]
7:00 SC Freiburg v SGS Essen [F]
10:00 Ebusa Dwarfs v. Legon Cities
1:00 Vozdovac v. Napredak
1:00 Valerenga v. Rosenborg [M]
Monday, May 10th
Tuesday, May 11th
7:30 Red Bull Bragantino v. Emelec [Copa Sudamerica]
Doff your caps to Alejandro Cabeza. The young striker raced out to a brace in 10 minutes and got his hat trick in the second half. Just what every Ecuadorian side wanted to see, another in form striker for Los Bombillos.
Leones Negros 1 – 1 Alebrijes
It took just about everything that Alebrijes had to keep up the pressure throughout the match. Johan Alonso took charge of the right flank and peppered a wide array of opportunities that went awry. In the end, the greatest contribution came from Center Back Oscar Torres, who played a critical role at both ends of the field: disrupting a barrage of Leones’ attacks and being in the right place at the right time to net the equalizer.
University of Montana Grizzlies 2 – 1 University of Northern Colorado [Big Sky Semifinal]
After a steady and solid season Taylor Stoeger got a great moment to shine in the conference Semifinal. She was instrumental in the midfield and delivered the golden goal in overtime to get the Grizzlies to the much awaited and much deserved conference final.
Seattle Sounders 4 – 0 Minnesota United
That wasn’t great, but the video we sent to trash talk our Sounders friend Aly was.
Freiburg 4 – 0 Schalke
Boy did Freiburg need this one. Christian Gunter blasted some beautiful goals and Roland Sallai made his presence felt. (Oh also, Schalke is terrible, but every win gets 3 points.)
Dunkerke 1 – 1 Grenoble
Speaking of beating bad teams, it’s something les Grenobloises have failed to do lately. It probably owes something to Jekyll/Hyde games like Maumodou Diallou whose first half assist was mitigated by his second half red card, forcing a team fighting for promotion to simply play not to lose against a team battling to avoid relegation. Their next four all come against teams jockeying for playoff position too so, this time next month things will be great or absolutely not.
University of Montana Grizzlies v. Northern Arizona University Lumberjacks [Big Sky Final]
CANCELLED DUE TO NAU VIOLATIONS OF COVID PROTOCOL–Griz named champions by default
As Homer [Simpson] once said, “the two sweetest words in the English language: De-Fault!!”
TBA Guayaquil City v Emelec [F]
Que soprisa!! Another delay to the women’s league. We’ll see if May 1 proves more lucky than March or April.
Wolfsburg 3 – 2 SC Freiburg [F]
Hasret Kayikci continued her strong showings but Wolfsburg blasted back to confirm their place among Europe’s elite.
Medema 2 – 1 Legon Cities
The Royals made a comeback even without top Center Back Joseph Adjei who got red carded in the first half. Adjei’s absence was felt on Medema’s second and game winning goal 8 minutes from time.
TSC Backa Topola 4 – 1 FK Vozdovac
This thumping put the Red Dragons firmly in the relegation scrap. Napredak’s great form has capitalized on Vozdovac’s lousy showings. One reason for hope: 3 of the last 6 will be against fellow fighters separated by goals and two points. Here’s hoping the turn around is straight ahead.
Emelec 2 – 0 Técnico Universarito [M]
I hope you boys learn to love beauty in life. Hugs from little kids when they are sleepy, your mom’s smile, monsoon mists in Mussoorie. Caciedo and Barcelo dominating Ecuador isn’t quite at that level, but it’s getting close.
Grenoble 2 – 0 Sochaux [M]
It was quite a crunchy match in the offing with Sochaux on the outer edges of the playoff scrap. A win would have made their last months extra tense. But while Sochaux’s energies seemed to unsettle Esteban Salles, they also led to foolish errors that earned two penalties for Grenoble (both of which were duly buried by Jessy Benet). The win gave a little more breathing room for Grenoble (now 7 points clear in the playoff spots) but likely knocked Sochaux out of the running for progression.
Mineros 6 – 0 Alebrijes de Oaxaca
That was…what’s the word? Bad. That was bad.
News & Notes
Big Sky Superlatives
With the Griz getting both the Northern Division trophy AND the Big Sky trophy we have the first hardware won by any team on our Favorite XI. But the fun doesn’t stop there.
Four Griz were named to the All-Big Sky team: Holding Midfielder Avery Adams, Wingback Taylor Hansen, Striker Alexa Coyle and (quelle surprise) goalie Claire Howard were named best in the conference at what they do. Howard also won the Goalkeeper of the Year honors (not a shock with her record breaking form). Centerback Alli Lang was named to the second team and attackers Rita Lang and Taylor Stoeger took home honorable mentions.
The Griz came into the year as favorites to win, and they delivered. Now all that’s left is…
The Big Dance
The NCAA tournament is one of our family’s favorite events. You boys got a taste of that this year when we went to Grandma and Grandpa’s, ate tasty snacks, talked with family, and played and played and played. While we usually watch the basketball tournaments, Soccer has one too. This year’s tournament will be in North Carolina (one of the biggest hotbeds for college competition in the country).
Thanks to their regular season dominance (and the Lumberjacks’ illness) the Griz are Charlotte bound to be part of the Fabulous 48, and the chance to play into the thrilling thirty-two.
Up first a game with the South Carolina Gamecocks. If you extrapolate out the regular seedings the Griz would be 12th seeded in the region of 12 (45th of all 48 teams). The Gamecocks were a potent force in a powerful league, which means the Griz will be an underdog for the first time this year…but that’s a fine place to be. Win and the Griz tie a best ever season showing, lose and they still have a couple pretty Big Sky trophies in tow.
Superliga Feminina Forever
As in forever waiting to start.
This delay’s irrational cause for optimism that this time it’ll really happen. A detailed and stylish schedule tweet from the official league account! Surely a graphic designer’s work is always respected and honored.
— Superliga Femenina Ecuabet (@SuperLigaFEF) April 16, 2021
Super League Salvos
The biggest news in soccer this week is the promised beginning of a new European Super League. This will be the 15 biggest clubs in Europe (plus five of their friends) raking in oodles of money, while their former opponents just make gobs of money.
Depending on who you ask, this is either a bad idea or a sign that the world is nearing an implosion of epic proportions. League officials are threatening to banish the big sides. Global leaders in the game claim that they’ll impose harsh fines and punish the players. Fans are mulling boycotts. It’s a fraught subject that brings to mind questions of “nationality”, “tradition”, “fairness,” and “global society.”
None of which matters to you two in the slightest. After all, you are under 4, by the time you bring full attention to any sport this league will either be an established institution or a bygone bit of trivia. Still this is my sporting journal of our times, so…there’s the big news.
Player of the Week
Jessy Benet had a huge impact on Grenoble’s standing for the end of the season, but Alejandro Cabeza had far and away the best performance, the least we can do is acknowledge it again here.
Bienvenido a nuestro casa Alejandro
Standings Update
The Loons debut provides a much appreciated cushion to FK Vozdovac in at least one table as Freiburg and Legon Cities continue to jockey for the advantage in the middle of the table.
A note: I might have gotten behind, but if I hadn’t I wouldn’t have been Owen’s pillow or Alex’s marble run co-designer. I’ll take a delay for that trade
Scores
Olmedo 2 – 3 Emelec [M]
It was a tight affair on Thursday night. Pedro Ortiz was unsettled early on and gave up the lead to the hosts. But los bombillos capitalized on their set pieces. All three goals came off of follow ups to first touches. Anibal Leguizamon, Facundo Barcelo, and Lucas Sosa all capitalized when Olmedo were caught napping.
FK Vozdovac 0 – 0 Macva Sabac
Again…I got nothing.
Sacramento State Hornets 0 – 1 University of Montana Grizzlies
Make it six in the row for the Griz and another crucial clean sheet from Claire Howard. This time it took an overtime header to pull the squad over the line, but, as usual, the Griz got the job done.
Ross County 1 – 3 Inverness CT [Cup]
Buried in the bottom half of the Scottish table, Ross County’s last chance for silverware ended with their defeat to arch rivals Inverness. While Billy McKay fired them in front early on, the collapsing defense sent the Staggies out of the Cup in the third round. The one plus, it will allow them to focus fully on saving their top flight status.
Grenoble 2 – 2 Chateroux [M]
Up two goals and one man within 30 minutes, you would probably expect Grenoble to cruise over bottom of the table Chateroux. You would be disappointed . Our Alpine side struggled, ceding two goals through sloppy man marking (and a tentative/tender Esteban Salles) and watching Adrien Monfry leave the field to end up all square with a side they surely should have dispatched.
Borussia Munchengladbach 2 – 1 Freiburg [M]
Rolland Sallai gave the griffins a great start, but Gladbach got them back quickly (courtesy of Marcus Thurman whose dad Lillian is one of my favorites). Freiburg continued to press for a goal and got one from Keven Schlotterback at the death…only for video review to rule him offsides, and seal the defeat.
CS Emelec v. CD Macara [F]
Postponed…again…sigh…
Berekum Chelsea 2 – 1 Legon Cities FC
Samimento (Photo from GoGriz.com)
Hans Kwofie continued to show up for LCFC, but the second half of the season started much like the last, with the Royals struggling to balance attack and defense
Sacramento State Hornets 0 -3 University of Montana Grizzlies
Sami Seims was awesomely opportunisitic, capitalizing on two opportunities in the box to give her three goals for the weekend and making Sacramaento “Samimento”. Another Claire Howard shutout (it might get dull if it weren’t always awesome), and the Griz locked down their division title and a spot in the Big Sky Semifinals in two weeks
Emelec 2 – 0 CSD Macara [M-Cup]
A convincing 2-0 win over fellow Ecuadorians sees Los Bombillos into the next round of the Copa Sudamerica. When your attack is as linked as Facundo Barcelo and Ramario Caicedo it seems quite easy.
Alebrijes 4 – 1 Jaibos
A pair of insurance goals for Oaxaca made the score line look more flattering than it ought to. Still Alebrijes should wear the win with pride. Especially when they were fluid and effective in Johan Alonso setting up Fernando Vasquez and Carlos Fonseco scored on a sterling run.
In an otherwise solid first campaign in Breigsau, Baptiste Santamira would probably rather forget this one. His second half own goal cost the Griffins dearly, especially against a lower tier opponent, as Freiburg’s lost four of five.
University of Montana Grizzlies 2 – 3 Eastern Washington Eagles
The first loss of the Griz season came against their Spokane rivals. But it also came, stunningly, at home. Avery Adam’s and Taylor Hansen came through late to force an overtime. But they couldn’t grab the golden goal and a hungry Eastern Washington got the win to keep their hopes for the Conference tournament alive.
Kilmarnock 2 – 2 Ross County
The Staggies started the relegation rumble with a sprint to the goal. Within 5 minutes each side had a goal (worth it for Michael Gardyne’s textbook move). But when Kilmarnock took the edge through some sloppy positioning ten minutes later and held it through much of the match, it looked like County was destined for defeat and relegation. As the game got extra chippy, you could tell each team knew how important it was. Some ratty gamesmanship started silly shoving matches. County came through when Ian Vigurs cross met with Alex Iacovitti’s head and the draw was preserved. From there it got more brutal with Vigurs getting a busted nose (that only merited a yellow card) and Iacovitti getting a make up call with no whistle on a fairly blatant penalty. It wasn’t the knock out punch we might have hoped for, but it keeps the highlanders in good position to stay afloat.
Vozdovac 1-1 Proleter
Good news: Vozdovac scored early to put them in control and provide some positive momentum.
Bad News: Aleksandar Bogdanavic’s foolish red card gave Proleter its equalizer and turned a win into a draw. (I mean…goodness sakes, there’s no need to pretend you didn’t commit a foul when you actively drag a guy’s arm…cryin’ out loud Aleks!)
Grenoble 3 – 1 Caen
While Grenoble often pioneered the kind of collapse that Vozdovac is falling into, the Alpiners have been quite steady this year. After a dull first half, Yoric Ravet did quite well to finish a loose through pass from Jordy Gaspar and create several more opportunities.
Emelec 1-1 LDU de Quito [M]
A long-standing Quito v Guayaquil rivalry, remained hard fought, with both sides pressuring and pushing for every positive position. In the end Facundo Barcelo set up an equalizer for Alejandro Cabeza and Emelec kept pace at the top of the table.
Legon Cities 2 – 0 Great Olympics
The Royals locked in their strongest showing yet as they pestered and penned in the Olympics offense. Nicholas Mensah’s header eked over the line and Jonah Attuquaye persisted in the face of high pressure defense to give Legon a solid win.
Photo from GoGriz.com
University of Montana Grizzlies 3 – 1 Eastern Washington Eagles
The Griz got a great rebound win on Senior day and we tip our collective caps to the stellar squad that continues to run roughshod over rocky mountain lady’s soccer. At the same time it’s rather exciting to start expecting the next class to rise up given that Rita Lang and Sami Siems have another year to go, and everyone benefits when you work with stars this talented. Up next a trip to Ogden Utah and a match with old rivals Northern Colorado.
News & Notes
Súper ligaSúper late
Another couple weeks another couple delays to Ecuador’s women’s league: the new goal? April 17th. Fingers crossed.
Dragons Dilemma
Since the calendar flipped Vozdovac has only taken 11 points from a possible 33. With their strong start they can afford a slip, but this is starting to look less like a slip and more like a crashing back to earth.
While Serbia expanded its top tier for this post-pandemic season, they’ll be squeezing down to 14 for next year. The Red Dragons spent most of the fall around the top 7, but they’ve slipped to 13th, (4) points from the drop. To make matters worse, only 2/3 of their last 7 come against teams below them on the table.
Abila looking like….it snowed…in April?!?
Loons Launch
In the last run up to America’s Major League Soccer, Minnesota United did two things. First, train in sunny Orlando. Two, bring north Boca Juniors striker Ramon Abila. Bébelo Reynoso’s old teammate brings with him 39 goals in 89 matches for one of Argentina’s most storied clubs. Whether he provides the Loons with a difference making attack option we will soon see. (But one things for sure, “Boca du Nord” is a fun new nickname.)
Players of the Weeks
With two players to recognize, we have plenty of options to choose from. We’ll consider both one player who was superb in an individual week and one player who has been holding things down for weeks now. Sami Seims deserves all the credit for dominating the Hornets in Sacramento and Romario Caciedo has been superb both on defense and linking up the attack for Emelec as they continue to hover around the top of the standings.
Romario in full flow
Standings Update
Despite their slip, the Griz hold strong at the top of the table, and Freiburg takes a big step back, sliding from third down to sixth in the mid table log-jam.
Team
W
D
L
PPG
GFA
GAA
University of Montana
8
0
1
2.7
2.1
0.6
Emelec
5
2
1
2.1
1.9
1.0
Grenoble Foot
7
5
5
1.5
1.2
1.1
Punjab FC–b
7
4
6
1.47
1.2
0.9
Legon Cities FC
5
4
4
1.46
1.2
0.9
Freiburg
8
2
8
1.44
1.4
1.4
Alebrijes
4
6
4
1.3
1.6
1.6
Ross County
5
2
8
1.1
1.3
1.6
FK Vozdovac
2
3
5
0.9
0.7
1.6
Rosenborg BK
0
0
0
–
–
–
Minnesota United
0
0
0
–
–
–
Table Updated 4/14/2021 b–Team is between seasons
What’s Next
Wednesday, April 14th
3:00 Universidad Catholics v Emelec [M]
5:00 Leones Negros v Alebrijes
Thursday, April 15th
University of Montana Grizzlies v. University of Northern Colorado [Big Sky Semifinal]
University of Montana Grizzlies 2 – 1 Portland State Vikings
Friday night lights in Big Sky Country showed the Griz continuing their winning streak. While Claire Howard gave up her first goal of the year, Avery Adams scored the first two of her college career to win it.
Celaya 0 – 0 Alebrijes
Not all scoreless draws are the same. In this one Oaxaca withstood a late onslaught after Esteban Torres was sent off in the 84th minute. Still, running the scoreless streak to 210 minutes isn’t making for thrilling football in Mexico’s second tier.
Churchill Brothers 3 – 2 Punjab FC
Punjab’s truncated season came to an end Saturday in Mumbai. While Golukam Kerala ran up their score, Churchill’s late concessions to Joseba Beitia and Baba Diawara solidified the goal difference edge. Not exactly the role Punjab would prefer to play in deciding a title, but a solid first showing for coach Curtis Fleming.
[Bonus reading: our friends at the Away End had a great summation of the end of the campaign]
Guyaquil City v. Emelec [F]
Silly me. If the past year has taught us nothing else, it’s taught us to expect delays especially to start seasons, especially for women. [sigh]
SC Freiburg 1 – 0 Turbine Potsdam [F]
Hasret Kayikci hasn’t been talked up enough this year. She’s always there in Freiburg’s hour of need. Another late goal blunted Potsdam’s momentum and kept the griffins in the hunt for 4th place.
University of Montana Grizzlies 3 – 0 Portland State Vikings
After two more tense affairs, this one was Grizzlies from snout to tail. Another Alexa Coyle banger, a heckuva shot from Allie Larsen and a record setting 30th shutout for Claire Howard!
Dorados 1 – 1 Alebrijes
Alebrijes is getting used to this point a game thing…maybe a little too used to it. With four draws in a row, they’re starting to run out of points to make up. (Hate to think of where they’d be without Julio Cesar Cruz’s clinical penalty taking.)
News & Notes
International Affairs
While most of our teams were not in action, lots of our favorite players were. Here’s a quick peek at how they fared.
Africa
Ethiopia celebrates…not pictured Mombris and Metanire go: “huh”? (CAF Online)
Our favorite Madagascar madmen (Jerome Mombris and Romain Metanire) got gobsmacked when their team was bested 4-0 by Ethiopia. By the time that they had to win and see Ethiopia lose to move on. Ethiopia did falter…but Madagascar couldn’t get a goal, and the darlings of the last tournament ran out of luck.
Ghana’s Black Stars will be at the cup of nations (as well). Though Center Back Joseph Adjei didn’t play in their final two qualifiers, he continues to take strides towards hitting the field in Cameroon this summer.
Harouna Demba of Grenoble was on the bench as Mauritania drew with Morocco but was on the field for their 1-0 win over CAR that booked them a spot in the finals.
Asia
Freiburg’s Woo-yeong Jeong got his first run out for South Korea in a friendly against Japan. Sadly, it was a 3-0 drubbing against arch rivals, but it didn’t impact their quest for cups.
Europe
Robin Lod celebrates
Finland saw two Minnesota United stars–Jakku Raitala and Robin Lod–(and one former player, Rasmus Schuller) take the field in a pair of draws
One of those draws came against Bosnia/Herzegovina and included Ermedin Demirovic of Freiburg as part of the attack that Raitala had to repel in the game’s dying minutes. Demirovic got the start in Bosnia’s friendly against Costa Rica, but didn’t get any goals. The final match against World Champs France happened after I posted this
Justas Lasickas of Vozdovac saw lots of action for Lithuania and did his best to put up with the offensive onslaught from Kosovo, Switzerland, and Italy.
Andre Hansen had to come on at half-time when Norway was getting spanked by Turkey. He didn’t see action when the team faced Montenegro, which spared him the awkwardness of facing a teammate.
The best represented nation from our teams: Montenegro which features three players (Vozdovac’s Milos Milovic and Nikola Vujnovic and Rosenborg’s Dino Islamovic). Sadly none of them made the pitch, until Dino Islamovic came on against Norway in the second half (he didn’t make much impact)
Iceland left Rosenborg’s Holmar Orn Eyjolfsson on the bench as they scuffled back down the table
North America
Dayne St. Clair was part of Team Canada, but didn’t get on the pitch.
Hasani Dotson and Callum Montgomery were part of the US and Canada youth teams vying for an olympic berth. While both played well, neither will have a chance to march in the opening ceremonies in Tokyo.
Limbu Loves it (wefutbolfans.com)
South America
Emelec sent three players to the Ecuadorian national side (Keeper Pedro Ortiz, Defender Romario Caicedo, and Midfielder Dixon Arroyo). However, a qualifier with Venezuela was called off, and the friendly tune up with Bolivia only saw Arroyo on the field (he was solid in distribution, if unremarkable in their win)
Limbu lays it on the line
As the I-League ends, it’s worth rewarding the best in the competition. In particular, Kiran Limbu who led the stingiest defense in the competition. Winning best keeper is nice, and should be a first step on the road to winning it all next time round.
Las Electricas are Back
With limited news reporting on South American women’s teams (insert shocked not shocked emoji here). I missed the news that Emelec’s ladies will be back in action. The team will see weekly action through the first weeks of July. If they finish in the top four of the southern league, they’ll advance to the playoffs against one of the top four from the north (likely someone from Quito). The biggest change this means is that we get to appreciate more awesome branding images like this one…
Queen Claire
Player of the Week
You might argue that since she already won a Player of the Week recently, we ought to look elsewhere, but come on…Claire Howard broke a Big Sky conference record and has kept her team perfect through the first five games of the season. (We’ll share a nod with Kiran Limbu for his keeping award as well)
.
Standings Update
Not much changed here…most notably, Punjab FC has entered their offseason and will be locked in at their Points Per Game until the 2021-2022 season kicks off in…many many months. Oh, and Claire Howard continues to carry the Grizzlies to the top of our table.
Team
W
D
L
PPG
GFA
GAA
University of Montana
5
0
0
3
2.0
0.2
Emelec
3
1
1
2.0
1.8
1.0
Freiburg
8
2
6
1.6
1.5
1.4
Punjab FC–b
7
4
6
1.47
1.2
0.9
Grenoble Foot
6
4
5
1.47
1.1
1.1
Legon Cities FC
4
4
3
1.45
1.2
0.8
Ross County
5
1
7
1.23
1.2
1.5
Alebrijes
3
6
4
1.15
1.5
1.7
FK Vozdovac
2
3
5
0.9
0.7
1.6
Rosenborg BK
0
0
0
–
–
–
Minnesota United
0
0
0
–
–
–
Table Updated 3/31/2021 b–Team is between seasons
What’s Next
Wednesday, March 31st
Thursday, April 1st
Friday, April 2nd
10:00 FK Vozdovac v. Macva Sabac
5:00 Sacramento State Hornets v. University of Montana Grizzlies
Saturday, April 3rd
9:00 Madema SC v. Legon Cities FC
9:00 Ross County v. Inverness CT [Cup]
1:00 Grenoble v. Chateroux
1:30 Borussia Munchengladbach v. Freiburg [M]
CS Emelec v. CD Macara [F]
Sunday, April 4th
2:00 Sacramento State Hornets v. University of Montana Grizzlies
While Chencho Gyeltshen set up Punjab for a victory (including a good gracious slam to start the second half), ten terrible minutes in the second half allowed Mohammedan to take the lead. (Part of that was Kiran Limpu’s bad luck, part of it was Souvik Das and Hormipum Ruviah’s poor positioning.) Ashish Jah’s late equalizer preserved the draw. Luckily Churchill Brother’s dropped points to keep the Warriors alive in the title hunt.
Partizan Belgrade 4 – 0 FK Vozdovac
Over the past year Vozdovac has greatly improved, but they’re still not in the same league as Serbia’s top two. Their record against Partizan is now 4-1-14.
CSD Macara 1 – 1 Emelec
It took a while for Emelec to break through (thanks again Facundo Barcelo). Unfortunately it didn’t take long at all for Macará to equalize (through a diving header/hander that went uncalled) and end Los Bombillos winning streak.
Idaho Vandals 0 – 1 Montana Grizzlies
Alexa Coyle struck early and goalie Claire Howard notched her 28th clean sheet in a text book coach Citowicki win. Best of all the midfield was again dominant, bossing the park throughout.
Mainz 1 – 0 Freiburg [M]
The Griffins continued to struggle in the season’s later stages. They couldn’t seem to find an edge against lowly Mainz and only Florian Muller saved it from being worse than it was.
Ross County 1 – 2 Hibernian
An early Billy McKay goal set Staggies hearts a singing. However as the midfield was run ragged by Hibs, the good fortune faded and a chance to keep growing the gap against fellow relegation battlers slipped away.
Grenoble 1 – 1 Pau [M]
The first choice defensive line was almost back to full force with Jerome Mombris, Jordy Gaspar and Loic Nestor shutting down Pau for most of the match (Gaspar’s booming cross to net the opening goal was also good to see). Note, I said “most”. An injury time equalizer threaded through all those otherwise stellar defenders denied les bleus a vital 3 points.
MSV Duisburg 1 – 2 SC Freiburg [F]
After the beat down from Bayern Munich, Freiburg needed a strong showing like this to get back on track. Mia Buchele and Cora Zicai led the scoring as Freiburg continued Duisburgs winless streak.
Idaho Vandals 0-1 Montana Grizzlies
It took 9 minutes of overtime before the Griz found a way through on Rita Lang’s free kick. Though the referee initially thought the onrushing attackers had interfered with the goalie, video review showed Lang’s kick was in before hand.
TRAU 1 – 0 Punjab FC
With the attack struggling to break through, Punjab needed the defense to guard against foolish mistakes. Mohammed Irshad’s ill timed tackle was foolish. The ensuing red card and advantage goal sunk the fading title hopes of the Northwesterners.
FK Vozdovac 1 – 4 Red Star Belgrade
Red Star is the other team in Serbia’s duopoly. Against them, the Red Dragons are 2-1-15 and haven’t gotten a point since May 2017. Having the lead for 26 whole minutes in the first half was pretty sweet though.
News & Notes
Grenoble’s Gearing Up
As les Grenoblois near the business end of their season I thought it would be wise to talk about what comes next.
In two months League 2 will end, and the top two teams in the league will move up to face the top teams in France. The next three will battle each other for the chance to face a struggling League 1 side.
Grenoble sits 5 points back from automatic promotion and 7 points safe in the playoff crew. But a lot can still happen. The last 27 points of the campaign depend on les bleus showing against opponents, 5 of whom will have the same promotion goal in mind. 3 others will be battling to stay in League 2.
That means Grenoble needs to persevere through a tough final 9 games to stay in the hunt. If they do, we’ll watch some of the world’s best visit le stade des Alpes.
Adebayor (center in white)
Royals Rumbling
Meanwhile Legon Cities spent the week preparing for their season’s second half, and welcoming in a new striker: Victorien Adebayor. The Niger international had starred in Ghana before a transfer to Europe. Family needs led him to request a move closer to home and the Royals obliged. With Hans Kwofie and Asamoah Gyan, he adds to the attacking stockpile Legon is hording.
Player of the Week
While it was a less than stellar week for most teams, it should be noted that Claire Howard racked up another pair of clean sheets. Withstanding the Vandals barrage in game 2 kept the Griz alive and helped her tie a Big Sky record for most clean sheets in a career.
Standings Update
A perfect week pushed the Griz to the top of the table, while Punjab’s struggles dropped them from 3rd to 5th. The worst news for Vozdovac…Rosenborg and Minnesota United are going to start up soon…and then there will be no one left to cushion them from the bottom.
MacKenzie's Boot Room 