Weeks 30: Back to Reality

August 3, 2023August 4, 2023 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recap

Crusaders 2 – 2 Rosenborg (M–Europa Conference)

The Northern Irish team started out well, getting the first goal, but Carlo Holse and Ole Saeter were able to return fire and put Rosenborg ahead even though they were in hostile territory. While Erland Reitan’s late own goal gave the Crusaders a draw and an even footing for the next match, Rosenborg’s two away goals means they can draw this next week and still survive for the next round.

Minnesota United 2 – 3 Chicago Fire (M- US-Mex Cup)

The Loons looked to be living their best life in their second League Cup match. After dispatching Puebla 4-0 they were holding strong against one of the hottest teams in the US (no pun intended). When Bongokhule Hlongwane found the net to take the lead, things looked great, when he scored again ten minutes later to take the lead back after a Fire penalty, I felt like we were almost unstoppable. When Chicago scored twice within the next ten minutes to take the lead and leave the Loons hoping for results to advance, I remembered that I live in Minnesota, and we can’t have nice things.

Ross County 3 – 3 Kelty Hearts (M-Cup)

Kelty gave the Staggies their most challenging game of the ViaPlay League Cup to this point. Simon Murray continued his absolutely torrid form, but a late penalty for Ross Cunningham gave Kelty a life line and they took full advantage in the penalty kicks that followed (truth to tell, I’d rather lose penalties here than in the premiership playoff that the Staggies had last June.

Vozdovac 0 – 0 Javor

The Red Dragons are back in action in Serbia! Well, action might be a bit strong given the showing against Javor, but we’re always happy to have a reason to cheer and shout for Belgrade’s best Shopping Mall Based team.

Rosenborg 3 – 2 Odd (M)

Odd came out guns blazing in this match, with two goals within the first ten minutes, leaving the normally strong Rosenborg defenders grappling with how things had gone so wrong so quickly. But Andre Hansen stood strong for the rest of the match, and the team came out reset in the second half to notch three goals with Ole Saeter heading in from a corner, and connecting from the spot. When Odd lost a player to red card, Ulrik Yttergard Jenssen was once again ready to capitalize with a chaos goal, giving RBK the win.

Alebrijes 1 – 1 Tapatio

Oaxaca has taken some time this summer to prepare for the new campaign with a new coach, a new mascot and the typically daring new jerseys. The team once again brought on a host of young players to learn the craft and only said farewell to Christian Canozales. The new look team started the campaign with a familiarly tame draw against Tapatio.

Emelec 1 – 2 Defensa y Jusiticia (M-Copa Sudamericana)

Los Bombillos grabbed an early lead against one of the most dangerous teams in Argentina. For a bit it seemed like they might be able to grab a surprising result to take into the second half of the tie…but Defensa y Justicia came storming back, getting two road goals and leaving Emelec with a lot to do during. the away tie in Argentina.

News & Notes

Weekly Kids Highlights

It was Alex’s final week playing for the Highland Groveland Recreational Area’s U-5 Sunday 5 Pm session….breeding ground of champions. Ok, that might be overselling the competition, really, but it was very fun to have both sets of grandparents, both parents and a little brother in attendance. Alex ended up on a team with a young man with an extra six inches on everyone and a real will to dominate the game, so the goals weren’t coming as usual for Big A. But he found a way to have fun, taking the lead in defense, stepping up and knocking away the ball from several opponents, and trying to get a coach to stop eating a sucker while she ran around (it wasn’t safe, said Alex).

Women’s World Cup-Date

Norway left their struggles behind them with a staggering 6 goal outburst against the Phillipines that sees them through to the next round. Unfortunately for our sake, none of the Rosenborg Kvinner factored in the match. I’m holding out hope for Julie Blakstad, super sub miracle worker in the knock-out stages.

Haiti lost both of their final games in the group stage, a heart breaking 1-0 defeat against China, and a 2-0 loss to Denmark that saw Lene Christensen stop Sherly Jeudy’s shots…bestill my heart. Denmark will advance, and Haiti will go home, but don’t take anything away from les Grenadieres, they performed better than most predicted and did their home nation proud.

Other Cup-Dates

A few more Cup related events here in the summer months. Rosenborg and Emelec are in precarious positions going into the next matchday for their continental competitions, but could both advance (or both be eliminated…who knows).

Within domestic contests, both Ross County and Minnesota United have advanced to the knock out stages. Minnesota plays old friend Christian Ramirez in Columbus, while the Staggies join ten other teams in the round of sixteen (where top four finishers Aberdeen, Hearts, Hibs, Celtic and Rangers were already waiting). The Stags will play against Airdrieonians a Lancanshire side that went unbeaten in their group matches.

And finally Punjab FC, who officially joined the Indian Super League this week, will get a taste of the level of competition by taking on Kolkata stalwarts: Mohun Bagan and East Bengal in the group round of the Durand Cup (India’s oldest soccer competition).

Players of the Week

Given the lackluster week for club teams and the enduring strength of her goalkeeping for Denmark let’s give it up for Rosenborg and Denmark’s choice in the goal: Lene Christansen.

Standings

Punjab is back and ready to try to hold on to their spot atop our standings, but there’s plenty of opportunity for the other teams to catch up now that Punjab can, you know, lose. (Due to some delays in posting, standings will be updated next week)

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
Punjab–b	12	2	3	2.24	2.29	0.94
Minnesota	22	6	9	1.95	2.46	1.05
Rosenborg	17	6	13	1.58	1.67	0.94
Legon Cities–b	9	7	8	1.42	1.25	1.29
Grenoble–b	15	6	17	1.34	1.16	1.13
Emelec	7	8	7	1.32	1.23	1.14
Freiburg–b	12	7	19	1.13	1.24	1.66
Alebrijes–b	5	5	8	1.11	1.33	1.39
Ross County–b	6	4	12	1.00	1.23	1.50
Vozdovac–b	4	3	11	0.83	0.67	1.65
Montana–b	0	0	0	—	—	—

Table Updated 7/27/23
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Thursday, August 3rd

Rosenborg v. Crusaders (M–Europa Conference)

Columbus Crew v. Minnesota United (M–League Cup)

UDG v. Alebrijes

Friday, August 4th

Saturday, August 5th

Celtic v. Ross County

Saint-Etienne v. Grenoble

FK IMT Beograd v. Vozdovac

Sunday, August 6th

Fk Haugesund v. Rosenborg (M)

Libertad v. Emelec (M)

Monday, August 7th

Mohun Bagan SG v. Punjab FC (Cup)

Tuesday, August 8th

Emelec v. Defensa y Jusiticia (M-Copa Sudamericana)

Wednesday, August 2nd

Weeks 28 & 29: Uff Da

July 27, 2023 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Summer illnesses are no fun. I was mostly spared on the illness front, but nursing everyone in the house back to health while also doing the jobs that a running a house requires left me with not much bandwith to write. So here’s a double week review (and hopefully my Dear Boys will post as normal)

Recap

Stranrear 1 – 5 Ross County (Cup)

Nothing says Scottish summer like visits to teams even smaller than County and rain on rain on rain. Simon Murray and Jordan White used their height to loom over Stranrear’s defense and capitalize on the clearest openings whenever they appeared to the tune of a hat trick for Mr. Murray. Which gave County a slightly bigger scoreline than they might have otherwise earned.

Minnesota United 1 – 1 LAFC (M)

Your mom and I went off to enjoy the match and some of the finest vegetarian vittles available. I regret to report that the samosas are to tiny for you, but was happy to see that the Loons held their own against the defending champions and arguably best team in America right now. The biggest help was Emanuel Reynoso breaking ankles and hearts. The biggest hindrance was that, once again, the previous sentence summarized the entirety of Minnesota’s strategy.

Rosenborg 2 – 1 Tromso (M)

The Trollboys have their first win under coach Svein Maalen, courtesy of some aggressive play by the attacking line of Holse, Nelson, and Saeter. (The nifty give and go of Saeter and Holse got the first goal, and our favorite Canadian attacker continued to stretch the defense). Tromso grew back into the game, and equalized, but their hero quickly was sent off and Rosenborg capitalized on their advantage with Ulrik Ytttergard Jennsen nailing the winner deep in injury time.

Emelec 0 – 0 Sporting Cristal (M-Copa)

This game happened. And while it was certainly disappointing not to score, the result was exactly what Los Bombillos needed. Romario Caicedo, Bryan Carabali and Pedro Ortiz don’t get as much press as the omnipresent Miller Bolanos, but they were vital to Emelec’s result and advancing on to the next round.

Ross County 2 – 1 Greenock Morton (Cup)

In the early stages it looked like Greenock Morton would have the opportunities to capitalize on gaffes in the County defense. But Ross Munro acquitted himself well again, and in the second half, the Staggies made the most of attacking the Jail End fans by scoring twice on Jay Henderson’s excellent volley and another bout of Simon Murray speed.

Stromsgodset 0 – 1 Rosenborg (M)

Sverre Nypan was able to flip the ball over a charging keeper to give Rosenborg another aggressive lead. But the team’s performance there after was textbook defensiveness with Erland Reitan returning to his defensive roots and Andre Hansen holding down the goal

https://youtu.be/asS9cYIF2Tk

Puebla 0 – 4 Minnesota United (US-Mex Cup)

There has been a long standing assumption that Liga MX is better than MLS. And an assumption that even subpar Mexican teams can dominate American peers. This game put that to the test. Puebla is struggling to start their season and while the Loons have looked adequate at best, they smoked Puebla here with Bongokhule Hlongwane charging down every bit of space and Emmanuel Reynoso delivering some gorgeous moments (and a free kick that rivals Leo Messi from earlier in the weekend).

FC Edinburgh 1 – 3 Ross County (Cup)

Simon Murray and Jordan White continued their strong showing, keeping their unbeaten run in the season opening Viaplay Cup going.

News & Notes

Weekly Kids Highlights

As mentioned above, y’all were sick. So the number of actual highlights was pretty slim. Alex did get a chance to go play with both Mom and Grandpa Bruce watching, but they didn’t have the same detailed reviews of Alex’s play…almost like they don’t write a blog about soccer.

Women’s World Cup-Date

It’s been a surprisingly rough start to the cup for Norway. An upset at the hands of New Zealand and a draw against Switzerland has left Norway at the bottom of Group A and needing a big win against the Philippines to advance to the next round. Mathilde Harviken has done her best to hold down the defense, but my hope for a Julie Blakstad’s emergence as a dominant attacker has been tempered. Meanwhile, Rosenborg’s keeper Lene Christensen, pitched a clean sheet for Denmark against China.

Haiti did a great job keeping a tight hold on England turning what people had predicted to be a trouncing into a narrow defeat. Jennyfer Limage had to leave in the first half with an injury, but Sherly Jeudy performed well (as ever) and Florsie Joseph had a brief appearance.

Big Changes

Nicholas Delpine’s turn at the World Cup naturally gives him some opportunities to go beyond coaching a third division French club, so he will be moving on. So to will Maxwell Konadu at Legon Cities. He kept Legon up and surviving despite plenty of struggles, but I’m definitely more bummed that Michael Otouo is also leaving the club.

Players of the Week

Originally I would have had to choose between Emmanuel Reynoso’s great footwork and passes or Simon Murray’s excellent attacking week. But with two weeks to identify great players, we can rightly applaud both.

Standings

With Aurora’s season at an end and the TrollKvinner on their World Cup break, Punjab can breathe easily. They won’t have many threats to their position until they hit the field again after the Monsoon season ends and they take the field in October.

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
Punjab–b	12	2	3	2.24	2.29	0.94
Minnesota	22	6	9	1.95	2.46	1.05
Rosenborg	17	6	13	1.58	1.67	0.94
Legon Cities–b	9	7	8	1.42	1.25	1.29
Grenoble–b	15	6	17	1.34	1.16	1.13
Emelec	7	8	7	1.32	1.23	1.14
Freiburg–b	12	7	19	1.13	1.24	1.66
Alebrijes–b	5	5	8	1.11	1.33	1.39
Ross County–b	6	4	12	1.00	1.23	1.50
Vozdovac–b	4	3	11	0.83	0.67	1.65
Montana–b	0	0	0	—	—	—

Table Updated 7/27/23
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Thursday, July 27th

Crusaders v. Rosenborg (M–Europa Conference)

Minnesota United v. Chicago Fire (M- US-Mex Cup)

Friday, July 28th

Saturday, July 29th

Ross County v. Kelty Hearts (M-Cup)

Sunday, July 30th

Rosenborg v. Odd (M)

Monday, July 31st

Alebrijes v. Tapatio

Tuesday, August 1st

Emelec v. Defensa y Jusiticia (M-Copa Sudamericana)

Wednesday, August 2nd

Week 24: The Quiet Season

June 15, 2023 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recap

Rosenborg BK 4 – 0 Arna-Bjornar (F)

It seems that Rosenborg’s ladies have found their full stride, four goals in the first half put them far ahead, and coach Steinar Lein chose to solidify the lead after half time. Familiar attackers Anna Joesendal and Emilie Nautnes each got a goal, and back-up goalie Lene Christensen returned for the first time this season with a clean sheet.

Montreal 4 – 0 Minnesota (M)

With your mom having a girls night, we celebrated boys night with thirty minutes of soccer watching. Well, I watched and Alex asked questions and Owen bounced around slamming Anna and Elsa into everyone and everything. Sadly, Anna and Elsa had more fun than the Loons who were over run by Montreal including former Loon/Sassy Librarian Mason Toye. Michael Boxall and Miguel Tapias couldn’t do everything and Montreal’s great passes made them too dangerous to stop. But the Loons attack looked better with Emanuel Reynoso involved (though, it may lead to the return of “hero-ball-starring El Rey”…)

Legon Cities 3 – 2 Samartex

The Royals raced out to a quick lead with Ahmed Rahman and Ebenezer Armegah hitting the net before 10 minutes had passed, the Royals repeatedly taking full advantage of some shaky Samartex defending. With the advantage, Legon was able to absorb a lot of Samartex’s attacks, and when Michael Otou got the third with nine minutes to play, the Royals were safe. (It should be noted that Michael received the most Man of the Match honors in the Bet Pawa league this season: cue the slow clap).

Stabek 2 – 2 Rosenborg (M)

Rosenborg fell behind early (an inverse of Legon’s game) but kept driving forward until Jayden Nelson got the first. The second half showed Rosenborg storming the Stabek goal, but coming up empty handed until Erlend Reitan set up Carlo Holse for a last minute equalizer.

Chicago City SC 1 – 3 Minnesota Aurora (F)

The Aurora gave up another goal, but it didn’t make much difference with Kenzie Langdok, Hannah Adler and Mariah Nguyen finding the net and Tianna Harris continuing to lock down the defense en route to being one of the players of the month in the whole USL-W

Emelec 0 – 0 Gualaceo SC (M)

Yup, I got nothing to say here. I do expect that Emelec won’t be overly disappointed to have the first half of the season end on Sunday. (They’ll have one more group match in the Copa Sudamericana, and a win should get them through to the knock-out stage, but a break would not be a bad thing.)

Minnesota Aurora 5 – 0 Green Bay Glory (F)

Rolling smoke from Canadian wildfires made it unsafe to play outside on Wednesday night, but even under a dome and without the normally raucous fans the Aurora continued to run roughshod over opponents, this time with Cat Rapp notching a brace and the steady defensive line once again pitching a shutout.

News & Notes

Overbearing Parent/Coach Update

Alex had another great week at soccer. He ran up and down the field a lot, and continued to love getting in the way of shots, which was convenient because his four man team was dwarfed by a pair of 5 year olds who looked 7 so there was a lot of running to do. And again he got his team’s only goal….but that’s not as much fun as defending. The best thing though: he found several chances to cheer on his team as they ran including little Jack (from Owen’s Pre-school class)

Let’s get Messi

You may remember that I wrote about the delights of watching a World Cup final with you both and seeing one of the greatest players of this generation reach the greatest pinnacle of this sport. Well, that same legendary player has decided to write the last chapter of his story here in the United States, including in Minnesota (eventually).

Messi turned down hundreds of millions from Saudi Arabia (literally the Saudi Arabian government owns four teams…) just for playing, to instead accept hundreds of millions from American companies who will pay him for existing and thereby selling more streaming services, shoes and tickets.

The Loons won’t see him until 2024 at the earliest…assuming he’s willing to play on an icy/sweltering Minnesota pitch in the first place. I’ll continue my internal debate: go watch him, or sell the tickets for much more than they are worth.

International Update

We’ve reached the time in the year where (most) soccer players finally, mercifully, have a break.

Unless you’re really good, in which case you need to play more…but this time for your country!

We don’t have exact names of which players will be going where so here’s a brief overview of possible places to look.

North American players will be gearing up for the Gold Cup, but we’re surprisingly light on those. Dayne St. Clair will likely be hanging around Team Canada’s bench, while Samuel Rogers of Rosenborg could line up again for the US. Kervin Arriaga and Joseph Rosales will look to team up in Honduras’ midfield.

In Europe, we have more players based, but just as many hanging around. Mark Flekken the (now former) Freiburg keeper will be hoping to play in the Nations League semif-finals after start Justin Biljow was smoked by Croatia’s attack). Phillip Leinheart and Michael Gregositch will be ready to go for Austria, and Rolland Sallai will be on hand for Hungary in their Euro Tournament qualifiers, and Mathias Ginter will be the lone Freiburg representing Germany.

Finally, Asian/African teams will simply be getting their work outs in preparing for games ahead with Woo-Yeong Jeong joining South Korea, and Ritsu Doan suiting up for Japan, and Bongokhule Hlongwane aims to help South Africa.

Bet Pawa’s Final Update

And that, as they say, is that.

Medema SC held on to claim the title they were driving for. Their win over Tamale City also doomed the northerners to relegation, when Great Olympics got a big win over Nsoatreman to save their bacon…or fried plantain if you prefer. And unless I’m much mistaken Legon Cities’ 9th place finish equaled their best ever showing.

Player of the Week

As we enter the stage of the season where we only have a few teams playing each week, we’ll be able to reward some players who do extremely well and a few who had good years but weren’t able to be the best player on a given week. This week, it’s time to give an overdue shout out to Tiana Harris. As Alex continues to admire defenders, Ms. Harris is a heckuva role model.

Our Queen T is Captain of the May 2023 @USLWLeague Team of the Month! 👑

Aurora has only allowed one goal in five matches. Harris has also contributed three goals from the backline.#LightTheNorth | #ForTheW pic.twitter.com/UJAnBjh1CE
— Minnesota Aurora FC (@MNAuroraFC) June 9, 2023

Standing

The quiet season means we’re not real likely to see much movement in the standings, but with Minnesota and Rosenborg the only two sides still clicking along after this week (sorry for my pessimism Emelec), we should still have the race to pressure Punjab in full swing.

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
Punjab–b	12	2	3	2.24	2.29	0.94
Minnesota	14	5	7	1.81	2.08	1.15
Rosenborg	14	6	9	1.66	1.69	0.90
Legon Cities–b	9	7	8	1.42	1.25	1.29
Grenoble–b	15	6	17	1.34	1.16	1.13
Emelec	5	8	6	1.21	1.16	1.11
Freiburg–b	12	7	19	1.13	1.24	1.66
Alebrijes–b	5	5	8	1.11	1.33	1.39
Ross County–b	6	4	12	1.00	1.23	1.50
Vozdovac–b	4	3	11	0.83	0.67	1.65
Montana–b	0	0	0	—	—	—

Table Updated 6/14/22
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Thursday, June 15th

Friday, June 16th

Saturday, June 17th

Minnesota Aurora v. Bavarian United (F)

Sunday, June 18th

Lyn Football v. Rosenborg (F)

Deportiva Cuenca v. Emelec

Monday, June 19th

Tuesday, June 20th

Wednesday, June 21st

Arna Bjornar v. Rosenborg (F)

RKC Soccer Club v. Minnesota (F)

Week 23: A Highland Miracle

June 8, 2023June 8, 2023 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recap

Stjorsdals Blink 2 – 1 Rosenborg (M–Cup)

Rosenborg had never lost to Stjorsdal before…but they sure lost here marking an unexpectedly early exit from the League Cup…again.

Partick Thistle 2 – 0 Ross County (Premiership Playoff)

It’s hard to imagine the first leg of Ross County’s do or die playoff game going any worse than it did. They were behind within ten minutes. Teenage defender Dylan Smith committed a foolish foul and was sent off the field (forcing the Stags to play down a man when they needed to score–and putting Smith on the bench for the return leg). Partick’s second goal was utterly predictable and the Stags left a lot for themselves to do on Sunday. (TO BE CONTINUED)

Grenoble 0 – 2 Guingamp (M)

The men of Grenoble wrapped up their season with a pretty disinterested showing at home. The defensive corps rested, Brice Mableu let in an own goal, and Amine Sbai missed a penalty.

Rosenborg BK 2 – 0 Brann (F)

It took a while for Rosenborg to find their footing in the game. But once they did they jumped in head first (sorry, that’s my overly complicated metaphor for the week). Within one minute Emilie Joramo and Synne Hansen both scored to turn the tide decisively toward Trondheim’s favorite daughters.

Barcelona SC 1 – 3 Emelec (M)

As maddeningly flat as Emelec has been this year, they do have a habit of turning up when the moment requires it. Rarely has that been more true than last weekend in the passionate feud with fellow Guayquil side Barcelona, where Emelec ran the show for most of the first sixty minutes, including a stellar penalty stop by Pedro Ortiz. But when Barcelona got a goal, Emelec came right back. Miller Bolanos converted two penalties (albeit one on a rebound) and Samuel Sosa’s stoppage time dagger to steal a win.

Minnesota United 1 – 1 Toronto FC (M)

The Loons also left it late to make their comeback against Toronto FC. With the team relying on substitute Kervin Arriaga’s blast in the 89th minute to get a point from their match, there have to be sincere hopes that the first game time for Emanuel Reynoso this year will start setting up more of an attack for the Loons…goodness knows they need it.

King Faisal 3 – 1 Legon Cities

After arguably their most high profile victory in the club’s history (finally besting Hearts of Oak), the Royals were outmanuevered and totally deflated against an on-life-support King Faisal. Ebenezer Armagah’s consolation goal won’t mean a lot if the team is relegated next weekend.

Rosenborg 4 – 0 HamKam (M)

A lackluster season for Rosenborg looks a lot better now (4-0 victories tend to have that effect). The Trolls looked great with Olaus Jair Skansen getting two goals, Erlend Dahl Reitan looking the best we’ve seen in his new midfield role with two assists, and Canadian youngster Jayden Nelson getting a goal and an assist. Now we just cross our fingers and hope this wasn’t all the offense they can muster for the month of June.

Rochester FC 0 – 1 Minnesota Aurora (F)

Several line-up shifts for Aurora resulted in an unusually low-scoring outing for them as guests as Rochester held them to just one goal. But it came from Iron-Woman Tianna Harris who has two goals, and has played every minute in defense for the still unbeaten (and unscored-on) Aurora.

Ross County 3 – 1 Partick Thistle (Premiership Playoff)

I do not recommend watching the most vital game of a team’s season in the boiling heat and oppressive crowds that flocked our neighborhood party (Grand Ol’ Day). With Thistle in front and an away goal advantage at half-time I was feeling totally doomed. And then we saw the most remarkable thing…

A suitably miraculous depiction
of County’s game (from the Economist)

County came back…all the way back. Back enough to tie the game and send it to penalty kicks (as, apparently the away goal rule was conveniently chucked just in time for County’s moment of need). Yan Dandha got the first, Simon Murray the second and George Harmon’s miracle in stoppage time saved the season. But not my stress levels.

After stoppage time clangers and cringes, it went to Penalty Kicks, and though County had an early advantage, the game went through seven rounds (including goals for Dandha, Murray and Harmon) before Ross Laidlaw stopped his second pk of the shoot out and Josh Sims converted his to win the day.

LSK Kvinner 1 – 2 Rosenborg (F)

Somewhere your great-great-grandma Synne might be wondering why we’re shouting her name with such glee, but when Synne Hansen (no relation to our family…I think) scores twice more to get a win over arguably the greatest rival Rosenborg has in the Toppserien, well, Bra, Synne! Bra!!

Emelec 1 – 1 Guarani (M-Confederation Cup)

It was not ideal to drop points at home, but Emelec still had a fine showing against the Paraguayan side. Diego Garcia made a great slashing shot from outside the box to open the scoring, but the defense was caught out by a cleverly quick free kick. (Pedro Ortiz can’t beat them all)

Minnesota Aurora 6 – 1 Chicago Dutch Lions (F)

The Aurora remain unbeaten, but finally conceded a goal this season. Hannah Adler picked up the team’s second hat trick of the season, and Mariah Nguyen picked up a brace with some great footwork.

News & Notes

“STOPPING GOALS!”

I got to watch Alex playing “competitive” soccer for the first time (note that in this case, “competitive” means wildly chaotic and unconventional mob ball with frequent water breaks.) He got transferred part way through the game when his first team was far ahead (they also had 5 players to the other side’s three), but Alex took it in stride and made it his mission to get between any shot and goal, he seemed to love running down the field to do exactly that. Afterwards, even though he had also given a beautiful run for the losing side’s only goal, he said he really liked stopping goals.

I can relate, as this week saw my return to the competitive pitch for the first time since I was seven. Playing against my students (25 years younger than me) I was grateful to get in the way and stop one student…just don’t ask me to head anything…another chance, another whiff.

Der Umzug

Just as I can set my calendar by the return and departure of Canadian Geese in their beautiful flying V, I can reliably expect that after the season wraps, Freiburg will have to say sincere farewells to talented players who are being picked up by more prestigious (and wealthier) clubs. This year is no different. Already in the week since the team played, goalie Mark Flekken is bound for Brentford in the Premier League where he seems likely to join Kevin Schade (already on the cusp of making his loan permanent

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New Jersey Alert

Ross County seems to have opted for a less is more approach with lots of blue and a little white striping though I appreciate that they did it in Gaelic. Meanwhile, I appreciate the stylish risk that Grenoble has adopted, any thing Mountainy is right up my alley.

Bet Pawa Update

Finally we have some clarity in Ghana’s Bet Pawa league as we head into the final match.

The title will either go to Medeama SC or Bechem United (if Bechem beats third place Aduana and Medeama loses a shocker to Tamale City).

But Tamale has some serious motivation of their own as they are one of seven teams facing relegation. They have the goal difference advantage (for now) but lopsided results could let both Great Olympics and King Faisal pass them up. Meanwhile, Legon faces Smartex knowing that a win will see them safely through. (Especially as they have a better goal difference than the three teams above them in the escape from doom: Accra Lions, Karela United, and Hearts of Oak–all of whom also are deseprate for a win). But a loss and Both Olympics and Tamale could pass them by.

Player of the Week

Unlike last week there are a great many candidates to choose from. Hanna Adler’s hat-trick, Synne Hansen’s offensive jolt, Tianna Harris’ tremendous defense, Erlend Reitan and Jadyn Nelson’s combination play, Pedro Ortiz’s saves. But we’ll go with someone who had a great game and made a crucial contribution to the context of the match: Ross Laidlaw, whose two Penalty saves rescued Ross County when they needed it most.

Standing

Well, our teams came back with aplomb, and we got to see Aurora’s continued strength pushing them closer to that 2.00 Points Per Game mark that should confirm a strong challenge to Punjab’s leadership. Rosenborg isn’t far behind, despite some frequent scuffles a few rounds with the same kind of offense could make this year’s race for the cup quite compelling. Meanwhile Grenoble and County hit the end of their seasons in some solid but not superlative settings.

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
Punjab–b	12	2	3	2.24	2.29	0.94
Minnesota	12	5	6	1.78	2.00	1.09
Rosenborg	13	5	9	1.63	1.59	0.89
Legon Cities	8	7	8	1.35	1.17	1.26
Grenoble–b	15	6	17	1.34	1.16	1.13
Emelec	5	7	6	1.22	1.22	1.17
Freiburg–b	12	7	19	1.13	1.24	1.66
Alebrijes–b	5	5	8	1.11	1.33	1.39
Ross County–b	6	4	12	1.00	1.23	1.50
Vozdovac–b	4	3	11	0.83	0.67	1.65
Montana–b	0	0	0	—	—	—

Table Updated 6/8/22
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Thursday, June 8th

Friday, June 9th

Saturday, June 10th

Rosenborg BK v. Arna-Bjornar (F)

Montreal v. Minnesota (M)

Sunday, June 11th

Legon Cities v. Samartex

Stabek v. Rosenborg (M)

Chicago City SC v. Minnesota Aurora (F)

Monday, June 12th

Emelec v. Gualaceo SC (M)

Tuesday, June 13th

Wednesday, June 14th

Minnesota v. Green Bay Glory (F)

Week 18: Cold Comforts

May 11, 2022May 11, 2022 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recaps

Rosenborg 1 – 0 Stabaek [F]

The Trolljenta aren’t looking to break their record for most season losses any time soon. Synne Bronstad was the hero this day getting the winning goal just five minutes after she came on as a substitute. Rosenborg has had to get creative, but the deeper the bench goes the better for everyone.

Punjab FC 0 – 2 Sreenidi Deccan

I’ve had a hard time finding recaps on this, but suffice to say, it didn’t go great for Punjab. They’re fully out of the running for hardware this year, but acquitted themselves well despite the changes in season and in management.

Freiburg 1 – 4 Union Berlin [M]

That one wasn’t even close. Despite having 71% possession and at least 2 expected goals, Freiburg got nearly nothing, while Union Berlin made the most of each of their chances against a clearly tiring Freiburg back line. Freiburg heads to their last league match needing a great showing against one of the best teams in the country.

Ross County 0 – 1 Motherwell

The Staggies also came up short in a vital game at home, but can’t count themselves quite as unlucky as Freiburg. The lost points stem from Alex Iacovitti’s foul in the box and the ensuing penalty. It was unfortunate but, so it goes.

Grenoble 1 – 1 AC Ajaccio [M]

Loris Nery put Grenoble in front early off a lightning strike of a free kick. However, Adrien Monfray’s two yellow cards (within 5 minutes of each other) put them right back in jeopardy. While Ajaccio got a goal back, Brice Mableu kept things tight at the back to snatch a point and with it safety in Ligue 2 for another year.

Minnesota United 0 – 1 Cincinnati [M]

The Loons looked poor and again required Dayne St. Clair to save the day. Romain Metanire’s absence continues to create trouble for our fullbacks, and the struggles of the offense to find a plan beyond: Reynoso does something magical, isn’t helping the offense either.

Emelec 1 – 0 Macara [F]

Las Electricas got a win again! Captain Maria Jose Colonel netted the winner late on in the match to give Emelec a boost on their way in to Mother’s Day.

Emelec 4 – 0 Mushuc Runa [M]

Sebastian Rodiguez could have had a penalty kick hat trick, but mercifully ceded the honors to Jose Cevallos at the end of the game as los bombillos plagued Mushuc every step of the way. (Alexis Zapata must have a protractor to hit the angle of goal he did…oof)

SC Freiburg 3 – 0 SGS Essen [F]

It wasn’t the well known stars who boosted Freiburg to victory, but a well rounded game can be exactly what the doctor called for. Three goals came with three combinations of scorers and play makers. I’m a little partial to Jana Vojtekova’s cross, but that’s me.

LSK Kvinner 0 – 0 Rosenborg BK [F]

Sa, det skjedde (that’s “So that happened” in Norwegian)

Stromsgodset 3 – 0 Rosenborg [M]

That also happened. The only thing to say is that Erland Dahl Reitan’s goal was nice…but into the wrong net. Rosenborg’s normally reliable performance have dropped dramatically and they now sit in 12th place. (one point above relegation area…granted it’s early but still…yikes…)

Grenoble 3 – 1 Le Puy [F]

Les alpines got a much needed dose of home cooking after two lack luster losses in a row. And with Sherly Jeudy and Claudia Fabre were phenomenal in tandem setting up and knocking home all three of the Grenoble goals, including this one just three minutes into the match

Accra Lions 1 – 0 Legon Cities

Legon is awfully close to Accra, but the Royals continue to stumble in the closest things they have to local rivalries. They have won one match against the trio of Lions, Hearts of Oak, and Olympics. Here’s hoping Liberty Professionals come back for a little extra aggression next year.

Cukaricki 0 – 0 Vozdovac

That also happened. (Side note: Milos Milovic’s red card will likely hold him back from the next match against Partizan Belgrade…I’m sure Milos is a serious professional, but I wouldn’t blame him if he wanted a break from the fascist pigs that cheer at Paritzan.)

News & Notes

Mother’s Day Mania!

We celebrated your mom the best way possible on Sunday: sweet treats and Star Wars (those were her requests which again reminds us that she is truly awesome). We also got to see the Women take center stage with all the women’s teams in action and every single one of them picking up a point.

🤩Hoy celebramos un día especial, Hoy celebramos el día de las Madres ¡Feliz Día!#DíaDeLaMadre💙#HoyMásQueSiempre #SiempreJuntos 🤜🏻🤛🏻⚡ pic.twitter.com/o3wOgU338Q
— Club Sport Emelec Femenino (@ElectricasCSE) May 8, 2022

Champions League

I don’t really talk about the major soccer scene that much. There are other, better known websites for chronicling other, better known competitions. But suffice to say, it was fun to see a crowd of students chattering and buzzing during the biggest game of the year (so far). It also reminded me that exactly 0 learning will be done on November 21st, 22nd, 29th, and 30th (as Mexico and Ecuador are in action over those two days…and most of my students have families from there)

C is for Catchy Song

I have no further notes, just enjoy this Ross County version of a Sesame Street Classic.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ross County Football Club (@rcfcofficial)

Player of the Week

It’s not all about Mothers day, but the simple fact is the men went 1-1-6 this week and the women went 3-1-0. We already wanted to recognize the awesomeness of the women but, as always, they made it easy. This week we’ll give it to Claudia Fabre who had a hand (or foot) in everything that got the ladies of Grenoble into the winner’s circle (also, if my research is to be believed she’s also a radiologist…so…wow…and possibly a big Bitcoin enthusiast).

Standings Update

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

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
Alebrijes de Oaxaca–b	10	5	3	1.94	1.3	0.7
Freiburg	15	7	6	1.86	2.2	1.5
Legon Cities	8	5	5	1.61	1.3	0.7
Rosenborg	8	4	6	1.56	1.4	0.9
Minnesota	5	2	4	1.55	1.2	0.8
Emelec	8	6	6	1.50	1.8	1.3
Punjab	7	3	6	1.50	1.8	1.6
FK Vozdovac	5	5	4	1.43	1.3	0.9
Ross County	6	5	6	1.35	1.1	1.2
Grenoble	9	4	12	1.24	1.2	1.4
University of Montana–b	—	—	—	—	—	—

Table Updated 5/11/22
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Wednesday, May 11th

Rangers v. Ross County

Minnesota v. Colorado [Cup]

Barcelona SC v. Emelec

Thursday, May 12th

Friday, May 13th

Saturday, May 14th

Punjab FC v Neroca FC

Bayern Leverkusen v. Freiburg [M]

Ross County v. Dundee

Vozdovac v. Partizan Belgrade

Paris FC v. Grenoble [M]

Nanas v. Emelec [F]

Sunday, May 15th

FC Koln v. SC Freiburg [F]

Seattle Sounders v. Minnesota United

Orense v. Emelec

Monday, May 9th

Rosenborg v. Sandefjord [M]

Year 2

January 1, 2022 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

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

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

Final Standings

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.

Weeks 45: Celebrate Good Times, Come ON!

November 6, 2021November 10, 2021 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Results & Recaps

Alebrijes 2 – 1 Correcaminos

Great day in the morning Oaxaca won a game without the need for late heroics. Just a very, very, very fortunate bounce on an otherwise irrelevant free kick. [Sorry fortunate bounces, you can’t win player of the week.]

Montana Grizzlies 1 – 0 Sacramento State Hornets

The Griz kicked off conference tournament play with a stout defensive effort. Camila Xu stood tall, the back line shut down the hornets and all it took was one quality ball for Charley Boone to play the hero and get her first goal in “like ten years”. The (admittedly, late) win took the Griz one step closer to a second title of the year (more on that in a bit)

The game-winner, from Larsen's foot to Stoeger's head to Boone's finish. And the Grizzlies are championship-bound! pic.twitter.com/Odgl4Qf0qt
— Montana Griz Soccer 🐻⚽️ (@MontanaGrizSOC) November 5, 2021

Vozdovac 1 – 1 Cukaricki

Cukaricki continues to lead the “Best team not named Partizan/Red Star” competition, so a draw for the dragons feels like a solid showing. All the more because Milos Milosovic scored the equalizer as part of an organized second half comeback following a first half that saw the defense split open like pumpkin on Halloween and amid an utter downpour.

Emelec 2 – 0 Mushuc Runa [M]

Los bombillos came through again to keep up the pressure on Independuente del Valle with Alexis Zapata crushing a gorgeous goal to put them ahead, and Pedro Ortiz standing tall in goal to keep it that way. The top two teams will meet in two weeks with trophies likely on the line.

Bayern Munich 2 – 1 Freiburg [M]

To be honest, we knew that Freiberg’s and beaten the streak would end. We had plenty of reason to suspect it would happen here. And hey we were right.

Freiburg likely won’t be standing atop the league in May, but their effective showings against both Bayern and Dortmund suggests that Europe really is within reach.

Legon Cities 3 – 2 Real Tamale

For the first time in their current incarnation, Legon led the league! (On goal difference…for a couple hours…because most teams had yet to play twice) Still it was great to see Jonah Attuquaye’s penalty seal the deal (and Nathaniel Akwah’s free kick blast just because, well, it’s freaking awesome).

https://youtu.be/lApW6tb4UI8

Brann 2 – 2 Rosenborg [M]

Erland Dahl Reitan set up both the opening goal, an invaluable second half equalizer, and some strong defensive squeezing as Rosenborg had surprising difficulty with relegation bound Brann.

Grenoble 1 – 0 Dunkerke [M]

Loïc Nestor remains an indefatigable Mr Grenoble. While many long term teammates have left, Loïc stays strong. While a dozen other players tried Dunkerke’s defense and blasted away at goal, Loic was the one who made the difference. In addition to shuttling back on the wing to stymie attacks and, in this case, streaking forward to score the match winner in stoppage time.

Kolbotn 1 – 2 Rosenborg [F]

After a few weeks in hiding Julie Blakstad struck back with a vengeance Sunday. She scored both goals in Rosenborg’s last road game this year. At times it seemed like Kolbotn’s defense was more of a help than any sterling offense, but we’ll take every win we can get

Nice 4 – 1 Grenoble Foot [F]

To put it mildly, this wasn’t Grenoble’s day. The match report from my preferred Grenoble soccer blog highlighted an assault on goal by players with first division experience. So the loss was very much sensed. Sherly Jeudy got another late goal (this one, very much a consolation)

Rangers 4 – 2 Ross County

The Stags weren’t terribly likely to get two wins in a row when they had to face reigning Scottish champs Rangers. Still Joseph Hungbo showed his class, Regan Charles Cook reaffirmed his, and Harry Paton got a solid assist as well.

Turbine Potsdam 2 – 1 SC Freiburg

Despite an opening goal from (who else) Hasret Kayicki, Freiburg’s Frauen couldn’t keep up with Potsdam and continued their inconsistent form.

Montana Grizzlies 1 – 0 Weber State Wildcats Big Sky Conference Championship

The Griz were a little fortunate that Weber State knocked out hosts, regular season champs and the only big sky squad to Best them Northern Colorado. But that’s how tournaments go, you get some good luck and some bad.

The best luck for the team came on a couple of loose balls. Just like in the semi-finals Camilla Xu’s long ball worked well to set up an attack, and the quick overlap from Zoe Transtrum to Jaden Griggs did all the work.

Best of all you boys got to watch it together, and celebrate with one voice.

LA Galaxy 3 – 3 Minnesota United

It was a wild one in Southern California on Sunday night as the Loons managed to get a vital point to seal their spot in the MLS playoffs. Adrien Hunou and Robin Lod put the Loons in control early on, but the Galaxy made all the adjustments necessary to come back and take the lead. Luck was on the Loons’ side as an own goal gave them the last boost to keep a spot in the playoffs (and send both LA teams home for the winter)

Cancun FC 1 – 2 Alebrijes de Oaxaca

Alebrijes can head into the offseason with their heads held high, finishing with a pair of their best performances all season. Andre Alcaraz had to withstand a bevy of shots and did so with grace despite the back line giving him precious little cover. The goals had a flavor that had been lacking in the season that was with Miguel Vallejo’s free kick and Lizandro Echeverria’s excellent positioning doing the duty for the team’s goals. Getting 9 points off their last six matches, boosted Oaxaca’s final standings (but they still need a lot of help/losing from other teams) to avoid a wooden spoon award.

News & Notes

Boys 2 – 0 Uncle Simon

At Owen’s birthday party you guys dominated your Uncle Simon, pelting him with leaves every chance you got. Well played to both of you. And still he and Auntie E got you a very noisy, very fun, combination soccer goal and basketball hoop…so you may have beaten him, but be still gets the better of me.

Tournament Time Again

The NCAA tournament is one of the most magical times of the year, and to have two in one year is extra fun. This time, the Griz won’t be jetting across the country to face one of the toughest teams in the country, they’ll just head over the Rockies. The Griz get another power conference team in the Washington State Cougars, one that’s in the top 20 in the country. But the Griz have also notched their highest winning total in 20 years, why not repeat that 20 year cycle with a repeat win in the tournament (a win that came, conveniently enough, against Washington State).

Another International Weekend

Teams around the world are inching ever closer to the final rounds of World Cup qualification. This week should see the end of group play in Africa and Europe, with several teams inking their spots in Qatar next year, and several more heading back to the drawing board. We’ll be keeping an extra close eye on players plying their trade for country and perhaps if Nico Schlotterbeck and Christian Gunter can become part of a German team that’s already punched their ticket for the biggest stage of them all.

Player of the Week

Having already heaped the praise on Camilla Xu, lets make a little room for Erland Dahl Reitan. Who not only supported the attack this week but has been a vital component in one of Norway’s best defenses all year. (Sloppy results this last week not withstanding, Reitan deserves a bit of recognition here.

Standings Update

It is officially academic. Even if both Rosenborg sides win all of their games and the Griz crash out in Pullman, Washington, the Griz have enough points to hold on to the top spot in our league. We’ll bestow the trophy officially in a few weeks, but it’s all over now but the crying. Speaking of crying, Alebrijes’ hopes for avoiding the bottom of our league officially rest on a further collapse by Ross County now that their 2021 is wrapped up.

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
University of Montana	22	1	7	2.18	1.6	0.6
Rosenborg BK	36	7	13	2.05	2.3	1.2
Emelec	26	10	12	1.83	1.6	1.2
Grenoble	20	10	17	1.49	1.2	1.2
Punjab FC–b	7	4	6	1.471	1.2	0.9
Freiburg	21	9	19	1.469	1.7	1.6
Minnesota United	13	10	11	1.44	1.2	1.3
Legon Cities	12	7	11	1.43	1.2	1.0
FK Vozdovac	11	10	13	1.26	1.1	1.4
Ross County	11	5	19	1.09	1.3	1.6
Alebrijes–b	7	14	12	1.06	1.2	1.6

Table Updated 11/10/21
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Wednesday, November 10th

Thursday, November 11th

Friday, November 12th

Saturday, November 13th

Rosenborg BK v. Lyn Football [F]

Washington State Cougars v. Montana Grizzlies

FC St. Cyr v. Grenoble Foot [M–Cup]

Sunday, November 14th

SC Freiburg v. Werder Bremen [F]

Monday, November 15th

Tuesday, November 16th

Legon Cities FC v. Great Olympics

Week 38: When it’s good, it’s great

September 22, 2021September 24, 2021 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Results & Recaps

Sporting KC 4 – 0 Minnesota United

There’s ugly and then there’s this. A bare-bottomed spanking (something you boys know nothing about) gave the Loons a lot to think about before their next match against another top opponent.

California State Long Beach 0 – 1 Montana Grizzlies

This is the game plan of Chris Citowicki at work. Knowing your strength in defense, frustrate the opponent for most of the match and hit them quick before it ends. Camilla Xu continues to show up like Claire Howard between the sticks, and her long ball to start the attack gave the Griz just what they needed to knock off another top opponent.

Let's see that from start to finish. How many great touches can you count? pic.twitter.com/4Y3HUbjo3D
— Montana Griz Soccer 🐻⚽️ (@MontanaGrizSOC) September 17, 2021

Toulouse 4 – 1 Grenoble [M]

Remember when Grenoble was close enough to Toulouse that this was a marquee match up? It was 4 months ago. Aka a long long time. This ain’t your spring time Grenoble. So we’ll do what we can.

Mainz 0 – 0 Freiburg [M]

Mainz had the better of the match against Freiburg. To be fair, Freiburg was running a little behind without some of their most in form players (Vincenzo Grifo and Woo-Yeong Jeong), so the draw still feels worth it.

Ross County 2 – 2 Hearts

Who’d have thought that finally playing Regan Charles Cook up in the attack would pay off (for the record: all the Staggies fans for two years…all of them…the whole time). He buoyed Blair Spittal in the midfield, helping him to a first half brace. Also Ashley Maynard-Brewer made his first appearance in goal and despite the late equalizer, acquitted himself well.

Vozdovac 1 – 2 FK Radnicki 1923

While Milos Milovic netted a strong equalizer, it was a short lived draw. Radnicki got the lead back within another minute and thus the Dragons continued to slip.

Minnesota 3 – 0 LA Galaxy

I helped get you two to bed and raced over to catch the second half of the game with 19,000 close friends (and a double layered mask). It did not disappoint. I missed Emanuel Reynoso’s superb first half goals, but I did see a special appearance by Ethan Finlay who made every run more dangerous, scored a solid goal, and stopped another attack dead in its tracks, more on that later.

Sarpsborg 08 1 – 3 Rosenborg [M]

Stefano Holmquist Vecchio continued to be in great form, as Rosenborg continued to battle towards the top. Meanwhile the back line continued to control the area and refused to let Sarpsborg near the goal. So tip the cap and say a “tusen takk” to Even Hovland and Erland Dahl Reitan.

LDU Quito 3- 2 Emelec [M]

The replay of last week’s postponed game was a barnburner, the down side being that the loss dropped Emelec out of fist place. It was an impressive piece of story telling as Andersson Ordonez finished a game winning penalty after giving up an own goal in the first three minutes.

Grenoble 4 – 1 Nancy [M]

Apparently it’s also not Friday’s Grenoble, as they absolutely dominated Nancy throughout the field. (To be fair, Nancy has a scant three points in the year, so…really shoulda won it). While the back line was make shift, Loic Nestor made the most of his player of the week honors with a goal, Yoric Ravet (our first two favorite team player) got a goal, an assist and a man of the match honors.

News & Notes

Conveniently COVID

Naturally, you boys celebrated your first week back at school with that school’s first ever positive COVID test. The school was shuttered on Monday, and your mom and I made sure that you had somebody to be with (ie. us rather than your grandparents.) It’s just a little hard that this thing that has shifted all our expectations for your life and world is still complicating life 18 months after it started.

Lerkendal’s Legend Grows

With Stefano Holmquist Vecchia’s brace Rosenborg hit the Century mark for goals scored this year between both the Menner og Kvinner. So cheers to everyone who made it happen: especially Julie Blackstad, Lisa Marie Utland, and Kristoffer Zacharaissen (yes…I used this as an excuse to bring up my three favorite Norwegians).

Player of the Week

I can admit that I’m biased, but since I saw him, and I was in such a good mood watching his performance that Ethan Finlay made my night. So Ethan gets the shout out.

Standings Update

Despite a split in the week, Grenoble got the points they needed to move one thousandth of a point ahead of Punjab FC into fourth place, while the Grizzlies continue to keep Rosenborg in their sights for the top spot.

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
Rosenborg BK	29	4	10	2.12	2.4	1.1
University of Montana	13	0	6	2.05	1.8	0.8
Emelec	22	9	11	1.8	1.6	1.2
Grenoble Foot	15	8	13	1.472	1.2	1.2
Punjab FC–b	7	4	6	1.471	1.2	0.9
Minnesota United	9	7	8	1.42	1.1	1.2
Legon Cities–b	11	6	11	1.39	1.2	1.0
Freiburg	15	7	16	1.37	1.5	1.6
Ross County	10	5	14	1.21	1.2	1.5
FK Vozdovac	9	6	13	1.18	1.0	1.5
Alebrijes	4	10	8	1.00	1.3	1.9

Table Updated 9/22/21
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Wednesday, September 22nd

Viking v. Rosenborg [M-Cup]

Thursday, September 23rd

Red Star Belgrade v. FK Vozdovac

Atletico Morelia v. Alebrijes

Friday, September 24th

Rodez v. Grenoble [M]

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks v. Montana Grizzlies

Saturday, September 25th

Avaldsnes v. Rosenborg [F]

Motherwell v. Ross County

Minnesota v Houston Dynamo

Sunday, September 26th

Freiburg v. Augsburg

Grenoble v. Olympique Marseille [F]

Rosenborg v. Mondalen[M]

Southern Utah Thunderbirds v. Montana Grizzlies

Emelec v. Universidad Catolica

Monday, September 27th

FK Vozdovac v. Mladost Lucani

Tuesday, September 28th

Week 33: Darker Before the Dawn

August 18, 2021August 18, 2021 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Results & Recaps

Tlaxcala FC 1 – 1 Alebrijes

Julio César Cruz bagged the first goal of this year’s campaign on a simple but effective attack. However, it wasn’t enough to net Oaxaca’s first win.

Arminia Bielefeld 0 – 0 Freiburg

Freiburg was unable to find a way past Beilefeld’s keeper, but can take some comfort from a strong attack that kept their opponents on the back foot.

Also, this happened…

https://twitter.com/silvaculture/status/1427479206359969793

Sandviken 2 – 0 Rosenborg BK [F]

With their second loss to Sandviken, there’s no denying it anymore: the unbeatable Rosenborg is not the best team in the Topp Serien. Hard as it is to admit, it does focus the campaign not on staying unbeaten, but on reaching the Champions league (So far, so good)

Niort 1 – 0 Grenoble [M]

Mon dieu. It’s getting grim in Grenoble, as manager Maurizio Jacobacci has yet to win a match and our Alpiners are rooted to the bottom of the table.

Minnesota United 0 – 1 Los Angeles Galaxy

Another week, another Loon’s home match I had to miss. This time there wasn’t much to see as despite a strong defense and the usual Bébelo magic, the Loons couldn’t finish their chances.

Emelec 3 – 0 CSD Macara

Despite being a man down for much of the match (why cleat someone on your run Sebastian Rodriguez…why?), Los Bombillos dominated. Jose Cevallos had become an invaluable target man (just ask Dixon Arroyo), and Facundo Barcelo offers another bolt of speed to burn the opposition. Don’t look now, but Emelec’s just two points off the lead in the league and gunning for a season sweep of trophies.

Vozdovac 3 – 2 Novi Pazar

With Nikola Vujnovic leading the way the Red Dragons got another win. None of the goals were beautifully developed, but beauty and Serbia don’t exactly go together, I mean, just watch the wrasslin’ move that took down Milos Pantovic in the second half…eeks.

Mjondalen 1 – 2 Rosenborg [M]

While Carlo Holse hasn’t been the big name on recent Rosenborg score sheets he had a great game here supported by goal scorers Anders Konradsen and Erland Dahl Reitan. It still took some doing for Rosenborg to withstand the final onslaught of attacks, but they managed to make it across the finish line.

San Jose Earthquakes 1 – 1 Minnesota United

A late night match that I wasn’t going to stay up for, the Loons started out with an uncharacteristic gaffe from Bakye Dibassy at the back. Even with the Quakes losing a man a few minutes later, Minnesota struggled to get much of anything connected (playing two games in three days can have that effect on you).

News & Notes

Here come the Griz

It’s Taylor time! The Griz will follow the lead of fifth year seniors Taylor Stoeger in the front and Taylor Hansen in the back as they seek to cement their spot at the top of our MacKenzie Cup standings. The big challenge there will be extending their competition beyond the Big Sky. While Conference games made up 9 of their 11 matches in the spring, they start out with 8 non-conference games including three against power sides like Creighton, Gonzaga, and Boise State. Even their conference schedule is less comfortable with 5 road games (including at co-favorites Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado) as opposed to 4 home matches.

Hopes for Afghanistan

After 20 years, the United States armed forces (including a few dozen of your dad’s high school classmates), have left the nation of Afghanistan. The war started shortly after your mother and I met. It continued long enough for me to teach refugees from it and future soldiers in it. And then, we left with the same people in power as when it began and the same threat to women, girls, and contrary thinkers as we had at the beginning. We hope that the people of Afghanistan are safe and secure and remember that soccer is nothing next to that.

Player of the Week

Despite the lasting Kristoffer Zachariassen sized hole in our Rosenborg hearts, Anders Konradsen’s great form has gone a long way to easing the pain.

Standings Update

The Griz get back into action this week with their lead on the line. Kicking off with the Big East’s Creighton (alma mater of a couple Loons players), is going to put them to the test right away. Meanwhile, Alebrijes slides to the bottom of the table.

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
University of Montana	9	0	2	2.5	2.1	0.6
Rosenborg BK	22	4	6	2.2	2.6	1.0
Emelec	21	8	10	1.8	1.5	1.2
Punjab FC–b	7	4	6	1.47	1.2	0.9
Freiburg	13	5	13	1.42	1.6	1.5
Minnesota United	7	6	6	1.42	1.2	1.2
Legon Cities–b	11	6	11	1.39	1.2	1.0
Ross County	8	2	11	1.32	1.2	1.3
Grenoble Foot	10	8	11	1.31	1.1	1.3
FK Vozdovac	7	6	11	1.13	1.0	1.7
Alebrijes	4	9	7	1.05	1.3	1.9

Table Updated 8/18/21
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Wednesday, August 18th

Alebrijes v Tepatilan

Thursday, August 19th

Rennes v Rosenborg [M-Europe]

Creighton Bluejays v. Montana Grizzlies

Friday, August 20th

Metalac v Vozdovac

Saturday, August 21st

Freiburg v Dortmund

Grenoble v Quevilly [M]

Minnesota United v. Sporting KC

Nueve de Octubre v. Emelec

Sunday, August 22nd

Ross County v. Rangers

Rosenborg v Odd [M]

Montana Grizzlies v. Portland Pilots

Monday, August 23rd

Tuesday, August 24th

San Jose Earthquakes v. Minnesota United