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. That’s what happens to me when I spend most of the day supporting 70 other people’s writing, and the rest of it trying to be a parent.
So rather than write one post covering six months of eleven teams in action, I’m going to break it up with posts as best as I can, I’ll fill you in on how the games have gone, who has excelled and any other news and stories worth knowing.
Match Results: 9 W – 4 D – 8 L; 36 GF / 41 GA
The last time we saw the Staggies, they were hoping to avoid another late season slog to stay above the relegation zone. There was a tremendous home win against Rangers, but a rough February and March led them to another round in the relegation region of the Scottish Premiership.
With every match increasingly important, the Staggies had to turn it on, but a brutal 4-0 loss to Motherwell left them behind St. Johnstone’s in goal difference and forced them to another relegation playoff, this year against Raith Rovers. Fortunately, this time there was no need to push for penalty kicks as they won both legs and secured another season in Scotland’s top competition.
After a number of offseason departures, the Stags had a perfect group stage in the League Cup looking the part of a top team. That completely came unraveled against Spartans, a League 2 side, who stood their ground and ended up leaving the Stags a little shell shocked, though not totally amazed given that they only have gotten 1 goal in their last 270 minutes of play.
Other Stories:
Derek Adams got a well earned boot out the door in February and the Stags turned to Don Cowie, who (fun fact) was born just 1 day before your mom! Unlike your mom, Don trained and debuted with Ross County and launched a strong career that took him all the way to the vaunted English Premier League before he ended up back at County right at the start of my blog writing days. As a local lad made good and proud to return home he has oodles of good well and also seems to be not a jerk (which is a big step up from the last couple Stags managers)
Star Players:
It’s impossible to talk about the salvation of the Staggies without mentioning the work of midfield maestro Yan Dhanda and the team’s strongest goal scorer, Simon Murray. They gave a difficult job their all and the Staggies wouldn’t still be in the premier league without them. As they move on to other clubs and challenges we wish them the best.
Equally important in County’s survival was captain and fellow central midfield stalwart Connor Randall, along with goalie Ross Laidlaw. But perhaps most influential has been the emergence of two more powerful defenders in Ryan Leak and loanee Will Nightingale (who has served as something of a brick wall for most of the Leagues Cup).
Punjab got a point! But they still are looking a little punchless against some toothier competition. Macjen and Mera remain the teams’ focal points, but vision is getting blurry.
Rosenborg 2 – 1 Hearts (M–Europa Conference)
Sverre Halseth Nypan managed a pair of first half assists against a familiar Scottish foe and a rowdy crew of scots on the road. Nypan pressed forward repeatedly to make the right side supremely strong for the Trolls as they hit their seventh straight match without a loss.
Mineros 1 – 1 Alebrijes
The Oaxacans continued to have their testiness translate into some difficult situations. Coach Carlos Guittierez and Esteban Escobedo were carded right before the end of the first half, which left Oaxaca with just ten men (and a worried coach). Julio Cesar Cruz got the equalizer early in the second half which was fortunate as defender Miguel Arreolo was sent packing later in the half and right after the match, goalie Octavio Paz was given a red card to carry over into the next match. So 8 Alebrijes managed to hold on to a draw against 11 Mineros…YIKES
Nashville 5 – 0 Minnesota United (M-Leagues Cup)
Speaking of Yikes…this game. (DJ Taylor was ejected after 34 minutes, and the rest of the defense was totally torched)
Ross County 2 – 0 St. Johnstone
St. Johnstone had more looks at the goal, but County had the best looks…and they didn’t miss. Despite Yan Dhanda having to leave the game after just a half-hour, his replacement Kyle Turner did a superb job and got his first goal for the Staggies on an excellent long ball. Connor Randall found the net as well to thrill the home supporters, but the defense was in fine form and kept the box in front of Ross Laidlaw neat and tidy.
Vozdovac 1 – 1 FK Radnik Surdulica
Vozdovac was fortunate to equalize on an own goal, and even more fortunate not to concede a late winner after Filip Damjanovic left with a red card in the 81st
Grenoble 2 – 0 Paris FC (M)
Mathys Touraine is rapidly becoming the latest in a long line of super strong Grenoble defenders. Like Loic Nestor and Adrien Monfray, he’s been a tremendous asset both in attack and in defense. This week that included starting a great passing combination that lead to his own volleyed finish. His work this week gave Grenoble the needed push to make them one of only three teams to reach 2-0 in the young season
Emelec 0 – 0 Orense (M)
Emelec is also undefeated in this fall’s Ecuadorian campaign even though they haven’t scored a single goal yet. Unlike the six point gap between top and bottom of the French League, Ecuador’s has every team within one game of becoming league leaders.
SV Oberachen 0 – 2 Freiburg (M-Cup)
Oberachen welcomed Freiburg for the first round in the DfB Pokal, and Freiburg never looked remotely bothered. Rolland Sallai and Christian Gunter got the goals, and the boys from Breigsau geared up to start their season in earnest.
Alebrijes 2 – 1 Celaya
Oaxaca’s run of cards on cards on cards came to an end and also lead to their first win of the campaign. It helped to have Kaleth Hernandez strike within 1 minute of kick off. Despite giving up an equalizer, Julio Cesar Cruz nailed a penalty to take the lead.
East Bengal FC 1 – 0 Punjab FC (Cup)
Roundglass Punjab got one more shot at the Durand Cup and their first big result as part of the top flight of Indian Soccer, it went about like the others. Kiran Limbu has done his best, but there’s just not enough to push them past the strong defenses of the two Bengali clubs.
Emelec 22 – 0 La Familia (F)
That isn’t a typo, Las Electricas legitimately put twenty goals past their fellow Guayaquil team and then put two more through. It was 6 in the first 18 minutes and 12 in the first half.
News & Notes
Women’s World Cup-Date
The Women’s World Cup Final is set with Spain facing England on Sunday.
It’s worth noting that Spain is here, frankly, in spite of a host of problems with their national federation. The players, who fought for a decade to have any support for their team at all, have continued to advocate for what they want and need and frankly deserve. The response of the federation was to say, “stop asking for things or we’ll stop letting you play”. It has lead to the awkward experience of watching players celebrate the greatest moments in national team history without even looking back at the coach (the representative of the dismissive system).
Meanwhile, England has a massive psychological investment in winning a world cup and proving that they can still win trophies in the game they invented. So, quite a lot of drama is afoot.
Other Cup-Dates
Likewise the men are wrapping things up in their cups as well, both Minnesota and Punjab saw this chapter of their seasons crash down around them. While that’s disappointing, there’s still a long way to go for their regular seasons, so wait and see.
Freiburg’s cup run started well, and the women’s side will see the same start soon. Rosenborg has another match up with Hearts to stay alive in Europe (Hearts having one goal on the road will make this match in Edinburgh extra important). Meanwhile, Ross County will look to stay alive in the League Cup this weekend.
Vamos Electricas!
It’s been hard to follow, but there is a competition for the Women’s Side in Emelec. They’ll play this year in the Campeonato Provincial (for Guayaquil), win the league and you’ll have a chance to move up to the top league. (It may be hard to track down player names and statistics, but we’ll do what we can.)
It will be a little easier to follow the results for the Griz soccer team when they kick off this week (and when they do, we’ll have every team on the table)
Player of the Week
Mathys Tourainne might have had the best moment of individual play, and the Electricas had a tremendous outing, but I couldn’t identify any players to award. So instead, I’ll give this week’s honor to the often named but as yet unheralded Jayden Nelson.
Standings
With their twenty two goals Emelec has suddenly gotten an extra half a goal a game which doesn’t make much difference to the points total, but does keep them ahead of Ross County. The one mover is Grenoble that sneaks up to fourth place…while Punjab’s rough Durand Cup has them much closer to the chasing pack.
A first half goal for the Glasgow giants was more than enough, as Rangers never looked bothered by Ross County, who needed strong showings from Ross Laidlaw and Alex Iacavotti to keep things close.
Elves 3 – 1 Reindeer (North Pole Classico)
Jingle and Sprinkle played with the inspiration of having seen a diminutive creator win it all in Qatar, they applied the same lotic to the annual North Pole Classico. Their victory was a bit more surprising, but well earned after the long battle of making toys for hundreds of millions of children.
Quevilly 2 – 0 Grenoble (M)
Les Alpines could not find the connecting pass to make more opportunities in front of goal, and while old reliables Loric Nestor and Adrien Monfray played well Quevilly had too much to be pushed aside.
Dundee United 3 – 0 Ross County
Whoof. This was a key game for County, who could have gotten a much needed road win against another inconsistent second-tier team. Instead an early own goal against Connor Randall, and a late red card to open up the defense for a decisive third goal gave Dundee a bigger win than other numbers would indicate and dropped the Stags to the bottom of the standings.
News & Notes
‘Tis the Season
The Holidays were a treat as they always are, especially introducing your grandma to Bluey and having cookies and Star Wars marathons. I resisted the temptation to force you into watching Boxing Day Soccer, but Boxing Day sledding was well worth it, and as it turns out, not watching was maybe the best choice I could have made.
Image from Le Dauphine Libere
Player of the Week
It wasn’t a great week for our favorites, so lets go to the tried and true and cheer on Loic Nestor. Safe to assume he’s earned it already, even if this was an award based on timing rather than talent.
Standings
There’s still a little bit to play for in 2022, as Grenoble can move up as high as 7th with a win, and Legon Cities can slip to 8th or 9th without one. But next week will debut the 2023 table, and the search to see if Rosenborg comes out with their third sippy cup in four tries.
The Midwestern Bird Derby was a welcome sight on Wednesday as the Loons sent some talented players down I-94 to play in Wisconsin’s capital. It might have been a bit of a surprise for players like Adrien Hunou and Bongokuhle Hlongwane to go from Champions League to Madison, Wisconsin, but the win moves them along in the US Open Cup. Special mention to Joseph Rosales and his pair of sterling corner kicks to set up both goals.
FK Vozdovac 2 – 1 Vojvodina
The Red Dragons struck again to boost their standing in the SuperLiga Championship Group. Despite a shaky start to the game defensively they responded well after a penalty conceded and made the most of their home turf. (The second goal from Marko Mijailovic was a particularly nice piece of teamwork) A trip to Europe is likely still out of reach for the stars of the Mall Stadium, but fourth place would still be one of their best finishes in years.
Cumbaya 1 – 1 Emelec [M]
Los bombillos endured a pretty dour match until all heck-fire broke out in the last ten minutes. After some shoddy defending gave Cumbaya the lead, Alexis Zapata seemed to be fouled in the box by a three inch tall pink pixie that only the referee could see (even Zapata doesn’t feel anything until after the whistle is blown). So Cumbaya got a red card for allowing pixies on the field, and Jose Cevallos knocked home the penalty to draw a point from the game. (Seriously, watch the foul and have a laugh at the absurdity of that penalty…we cheer for Emelec…but c’mon…)
It’s not over yet but Vincent Hognon’s work boosting Grenoble is close to paying off in spades. As usual Grenoble goes best when it’s defense is on point, and we’re glad to see Loic Nestor and Adrian Monfry back in good form. (Kudos too to oft omitted defender Bart Straalman and to Jordy Gaspar, who has done well in a more advanced position)
Emelec 0 – 3 Deportivo Espuce [F]
Ooof…getting a three goal whooping at home is a tough way to start your weekend. But hey it was more fun than most of the men’s match.
Golukam 2 – 0 Punjab FC
Since starting crazy strong, Punjab’s been stymied consistently. Unsurprisingly, it seems to come down to Kurtis Guthrie. When he doesn’t score, the warriors have one win, one draw and all four of their losses.
Freiburg 3 – 3 Borussia Munchengladbach [M]
‘Gladbach started quite well and things looked dark, but Freiburg came back with a vengeance in the second half. Goals from Vincenzo Grifo, Christian Günter, and Phillip Leinhart gave Freiburg a boost that seemed like it might complete an epic comeback…until a very late header split the points.
Minnesota United 3 – 0 Chicago Fire
The Loons kept the good times rolling against more of our fellow midwesterners in a game that was a lot more physical than you’d expect from the Midwest’s “passive agressive” reputation. Emmanuel Reynoso started to click after a surprisingly poor run of play and South African winger Bongokuhle Hlongwane notched two assists to push past Chicago after leaning on Dayne St. Clair to start the match..
Rosenborg BK 4 – 1 Arna-Bjornar [F]
Rosenborg may have a loss to blemish their record earlier than ever before, but they continue to click along with terrifying consistency. This time Emile Nautnes took charge in midfield and ripped two goals en route to a big win.
Ross County 0 – 2 Celtic
The Stags rarely expect to take points off the Glaswegian duopoly of Celtic and Rangers, so losing by two feels like a moral victory. Ditto Connor Randall for helping bottle up at least one side of the park.
Asante Kotoko 1 – 3 Legon Cities
The porcupines of Kotoko seem to be running away with the league, but for 90 fabulous minutes in Kumasi the Royals held their own. Hans Kwofie and Jonah Attuquaye connected on two strong crosses, to boost Legon past one of Ghana’s legendary sides.
SC Freiburg 7 – 1 SC Sand [F]
Every once in a while Hasret Kayicki reminds you that she’s a force to be reckoned with. Passing, blasting in goals, dominating the passing lanes. Sorry Sand, but this was fun.
Rosenborg 0 – 0 Molde [M]
That happened.
Emelec 1 – 0 Aucas [M]
Thank goodness Bryan Carabali scored so early. After Anibal Leguizmon was sent off shortly after the game’s only goal, Emelec had to hunker down and endure heaps of pressure. They did and kept themselves in the top tier of the league in front of the fullest stadium I’ve seen for our team since the pandemic.
Rodez 3 – 0 Grenoble [F]
It was a less than sterling performance for the ladies of the Alps on Sunday. But Rodez seems to be on a glide path to winning their section of the league, so a loss to them on the road doesn’t sting quite so much.
Mohammaden SC 2 – 2 Punjab FC
Again it came down to Kurtis Guthrie. He had multiple gilt-edged opportunities to start the match, but couldn’t seem to get past the keeper. Mohammaden’s Markus Joseph plagued the Punjabi defense, but finally Kurtiss nodded down a header to equalize (even if he missed a late breakaway tap in to win it).
News & Notes
To everything there is a season.
When calendars turn to May, leagues start to wrap up shop for the year. Trophies have already been claimed in a few major leagues, including Germany and France. But by this time next month seven leagues will wrap up. Among the story lines to watch: whether or not Ross County and Freiburg might snatch spots in European league qualification; if Freiburg can take home the national Cup competition; if Vozdovac can be the best non-top 3 team in Serbia; if both Grenobles can hold on to their spots in Ligue 2; can Punjab pull off a miracle and pip Gokulam Kerala for a spot in the Asian Cup (probably not but still); and how much space can Freiburg make for themselves in the of the Frauen Bundesliga (9 points behind 5th, 6 points ahead of 7th…truly in a league of their own).
Switching up on the Sub-Continent
Ed Engelkes
Punjab has had a solid start to their campaign, but a month ago (at the start of my surreally busy schedule) they made a change in leadership with manager Ashley Westwood leaving by mutual agreement (which I always assumes means “disagreed about spice level in the curry”). In his place comes Dutch coach Ed Engelkes who had spent some time helping to organize the club’s youth teams and has a history with the best women’s teams in Holland. Worth wondering though how Engelkes is getting on with team talisman Kurtis Guthrie (who seems to determine whether Punjab is unbeatable, or merely present).
The Straw that Stirs the Scottish Soup!
Regan Charles Cook has garnered plenty of awards, but it was especially nice to see him recognized as one of the best eleven players in all of the Scottish Premier League (all the more impressive when you see that he’s the only one who doesn’t play in Glasgow or Edinburgh to get the honor). Can he be player of the year against keeper Craig Gordon and a pair of Celtic playmakers? (I mean, we vote yes, but we’re a weird guy in Minnesota and his two kids)
Again, it’s hard to choose, Bongokuhle was a major asset in a pair of wins, Hasret Kayici was dominant, and Legon Cities’ attacking tandem was incredible. While it’s tempting to give it to Bongokuhle and grab a bunch of South African retweets, I’m going to tip the cap to the Ghanaian duo in particularly Jonah Attuquaye who has become exactly the leader that Legon needs as they aim to avoid a third straight relegation scrap.
Standings Update
That middle of the table gets more and more crowded, as Punjab and the Staggies slip, Legon and Rosenborg make up the slack. Meanwhile, Emelec and Grenoble ought to get their women’s teams in order to climb the ranks. Maybe Hasret Kayrici fancies a double or triple life?
Seriously, did they think it would take them four days to beat COVID? Who do they think they are? A bunch of obese 70 something reality stars turned politicians with access to obscenely expensive health care?
Emelec 1 – 0 Orense [M]
Emelec started their second half in a high grabbing a valuable win to restart their campaign with a good chance to compete. Dixon Arroyo’s 2nd half goal was a fortunate combination of positioning and sloppy defense.
Correcaminos 3 – 2 Alebrijes
A week after final breaking through with a goal, Oaxaca got two more to lead then tie a solid Correcaminos side. Sadly a third goal ceded made it moot, and left us all hopping for moral victories before the last month of the year.
Eintracht Frankfurt 0 – 1 SC Freiburg [W]
Lina Burger opened the match with a solid finish from a well worked team goal and from then on it was just a matter of holding on. The lady griffins did manage a few more strong forays into the Frankfurt area, but even though they came away goalless, they got what they needed.
SC Freiburg 1 -1 Werder Bremen [M]
Christian Streich’s side started out hot with a pair of goals inside 20 minutes from Phillip Leinhart (on a deflection) and Jonathan Schmid. Sadly, Schmid’s was negated by VAR and after a sloppy tackle from Lucas Holer gifted Bremen a penalty, it was all Christian Günter and company could do to salvage the draw.
Ross County 0 – 0 Hibernian
Connor Randall’s second half red card meant there was a very tense last ten minutes, with Staggies left grateful and aggrieved when a late tackle of Ross Stewart didn’t lead to a penalty.
FK Vozdovac 2 – 1 FK Spartak Subotica
The Red Dragons got their first win against a top six side in their ongoing push to be part of the third place race (behind Partizan and Red Star’s Duopoly). Nikolai Vujnovic netted a screaming winner as Keeper Miloje Prekovic was again crucial to the points.
Amiens 1 – 0 Grenoble [M]
On paper, this was a clear opportunity for Grenoble to grab some points away from home. But things were a lot less clear on the field, where Grenoble’s previously potent attack ground to a halt, and one slip was all it took for Amiens to capitalize and win it.
Emelec 0 – 2 Barcelona SC [F]
It was another hard derby for las electricas with Barcelona’s non-international Ecuadorian equivalents painted Guayaquil yellow again
Valerenga 1 – 1 Rosenborg BK [W]
The match of the weekend was as thrilling as advertised. Despite an early goof of a goal from a Valerenga cross, Rosenborg didn’t bend. Most surprising was the last moment equalizer from Sara Kanutte Fornes to keep RBK unbeaten. Ultimately the quest for an Invincible season, might be a distraction. The Trolljenta will be vying for the title in a final four playoff, but an unbeaten year would just feel so sweet.
Kristiansund 0 – 0 Rosenborg BK [M]
Not for the first time we wished the men’s team was playing at the level of the women’s side.
Bravo Merignac
Merignac 0 – 1 Grenoble [F]
Jade Decilap made the difference on the road as the ladies of Grenoble got a valuable win. Side bar: hat tip to Merignac for rocking the chipmunk crest!
Minnesota United 2 – 2 Houston Dynamo
In an act of snatching a stalemate from the jaws of victory, the Loons gave up a pair of second half goals. For a team that’s past it’s injury woes (as seen by a brilliant return by Ethan Finlay) and has said goodbye to young prospects to bring in “proven winners” this collapse (both on field and in standings) is…frustrating.
Guayaquil City 1 – 0 Emelec [M]
The blue side of Guayaquil came out pale after dropping the second derby of the week. After a bright start to the second half of the campaign, some fans may feel hope dimming that los bombillos can shine any morethan they did before. (Did you like that plethora of lightbulb allusions?)
News & Notes
Grenoble Grippe
Macron’s Mask Mandate (Washington Post)
Minnesota United got some company in their infectious disease section of our standings this week as Grenoble Foot’s coach, plus 18 other players and staff members, tested positive for Corona-Virus.
This is part of a bigger local trend. French President, Emmanuel Macron (aka the Economist’s biggest crush), instituted a stricter curfew on nine cities, including Grenoble.
Player of the Week
So many sides needed sterling defensive showings to hold on to their points, it only makes sense to honor the defensive side of the game this week. We’ll acknowledge Miloje Prekovic, who, despite giving up a goal and looking a bit lucky has been so critical to Vozdovac’s surge up the standings that he’s well over due for some recognition.
Prekovic, who frankly looks like he’s interviewing to be your gym teacher
MacKenzie's Boot Room 