Week 17: Wild Times

May 4, 2022May 5, 2022 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recaps

Cimarrones 1 – 3 Alebrijes

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

Røa 0 – 3 Rosenborg [F]

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

FK Vozdovac 3 – 0 Napredak

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

Emelec 1 – 3 Palmeiras [Continental-M]

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

Punjab FC 2 – 1 Rajasthan United

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

Independents Del Valle 3 – 1 Emelec [F]

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

Alebrijes 0 – 0 Cimarrones

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

Hearts 0 – 0 Ross County

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

Hoffenheim 3 – 4 Freiburg [M]

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

Grenoble 1 – 1 Amiens

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

Rosenborg BK 0 – 1 Lyn Football [F]

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

Legon Cities 2 – 0 Elmina Sharks

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

TSC Backa Topola 1 – 1 Vozdovac

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

LAFC 2 – 0 Minnesota Utd

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

Churchill Brothers 2 – 1 Punjab FC

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

Deportiva Tachira 1 – 4 Emelec [Continental-M]

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

https://youtu.be/CLo49lacoL8

News & Notes

Special Guest Star: GRANDMA!

Grandma teaches Owen gegenpressing with a juicer metaphor

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

Explaining Oaxaca

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

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

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

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

Le Sigh..

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

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

*Other than Dankbar frustiert Auf Wiedersehn?*

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

Player of the Week

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

Standings Update

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

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
Alebrijes de Oaxaca	10	5	3	1.94	1.3	0.7
Freiburg	14	7	5	1.88	2.2	1.5
Legon Cities	8	5	4	1.71	1.4	0.7
Minnesota	5	2	3	1.70	1.3	0.8
Rosenborg	7	3	5	1.60	1.6	0.9
Punjab	7	3	5	1.60	1.9	1.6
FK Vozdovac	5	4	4	1.46	1.4	0.9
Ross County	6	5	5	1.44	1.1	1.3
Emelec	6	6	6	1.33	1.7	1.4
Grenoble	8	3	12	1.17	1.1	1.4
University of Montana–b	—	—	—	—	—	—

Table Updated 5/4/22
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Wednesday, May 4th

Rosenborg v. Stabaek [F]

Thursday, May 5th

Friday, May 6th

Saturday, May 7th

Punjab FC v Sreenidi Deccan

Freiburg v. Union Berlin [M]

Ross County v. Motherwell

Grenoble v AC Ajaccio [M]

Minnesota United v Cincinnati [M]

Emelec v. Macara [F]

Emelec v. Mushuc Runa [M]

Sunday, May 8th

SC Freiburg v. SGS Essen [F]

LSK Kvinner v. Rosenborg BK [F]

Stromsgodset v. Rosenborg [M]

Grenoble v. Le Puy [F]

Monday, May 9th

Accra Lions v. Legon Cities

Cukaricki v. Vozdovac

Tuesday, May 10th

Weeks 16 Coming to a Close

April 27, 2022April 27, 2022 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recaps

Forward Madison 0 – 2 Minnesota United [Cup]

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

FK Vozdovac 2 – 1 Vojvodina

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

Cumbaya 1 – 1 Emelec [M]

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

https://youtu.be/nGClmnSygcM

Le Havre 0 – 1 Grenoble [M]

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

Emelec 0 – 3 Deportivo Espuce [F]

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

Golukam 2 – 0 Punjab FC

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

Freiburg 3 – 3 Borussia Munchengladbach [M]

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

Minnesota United 3 – 0 Chicago Fire

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

Rosenborg BK 4 – 1 Arna-Bjornar [F]

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

Ross County 0 – 2 Celtic

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

Asante Kotoko 1 – 3 Legon Cities

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

SC Freiburg 7 – 1 SC Sand [F]

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

Rosenborg 0 – 0 Molde [M]

That happened.

Emelec 1 – 0 Aucas [M]

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

Rodez 3 – 0 Grenoble [F]

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

Mohammaden SC 2 – 2 Punjab FC

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

News & Notes

To everything there is a season.

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

Switching up on the Sub-Continent

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)

Honoured to be in the team of the year 👨🏾‍🍳🙏🏾❤️ https://t.co/NrNb9UBCbB
— Regan Charles-Cook (@R_charlescook) April 26, 2022

Player of the Week

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

Standings Update

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

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
Alebrijes de Oaxaca	9	4	3	1.94	1.3	0.7
Minnesota	5	2	2	1.89	1.4	0.7
Freiburg	13	7	5	1.84	2.1	1.4
Rosenborg	5	3	5	1.64	1.9	1.2
Legon Cities	7	5	4	1.63	1.4	0.7
Punjab	6	3	4	1.62	1.9	1.6
Ross County	6	4	5	1.47	1.2	1.3
Emelec	5	6	4	1.40	1.6	1.3
FK Vozdovac	4	3	4	1.36	1.3	1.0
Grenoble	8	2	12	1.18	1.1	1.5
University of Montana–b	—	—	—	—	—	—

Table Updated 4/27/22
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Wednesday, April 27th

Røa v Rosenborg [F]

FK Vozdovac v. Napredak

Cimarrones v Alebrijes

Emelec v Palmeiras [Continental-M]

Thursday, April 28th

Friday, April 29th

Independents Del Valle v Emelec [F]

Saturday, April 30th

Punjab FC v Rajasthan United

Hearts v Ross County

Hoffenheim v Freiburg [M]

Grenoble v Amiens [M]

Sunday, May 1st

Rosenborg BK v. Lyn Football [F]

Legon Cities v Elmira Sharks

TSC Backa Topola v. Vozdovac

LAFC v Minnesota United

Monday, May 2nd

Tuesday, May 3rd

Churchill Brothers v. Punjab FC

Deportiva Tachira v Emelec [Continental-M]

Week 7: More than One Goal is Showing Off

February 16, 2022February 16, 2022 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Results

Ross County 1 – 1 Livingston

Stop me if you’ve heard this before. Ross County was saved by a late equalizer. Okay, that may be a new trope for the Staggies but the hero of the hour was different: Loanee Kayne Ramsay hammered home a header on a cross from Blair Spital to keep Dundee at arms length in the relegation battle. (It was particularly valuable as for the first time in memory Regan Charles-Cook and Joseph Hungbo we’re bottled up on the rainy pitch.)

Alebrijes 1 – 0 Venados

Carlos Gurrero’s second half lightning strike was the difference maker in Oaxaca. Oaxaca’s As they near the half way point in the spring season, Alebrijes’ strong offense and steady defense, sits comfortably in the playoff spots, a far cry from the distant after thought they’ve been of late.

Freiburg 0 – 3 Bayern Munich [F]

Last week’s strong showing couldn’t carry over to Freiburg’s match with German titans Bayern Munich. But it was one less conceded than the four shipped in Munich last fall.

Freiburg 1 – 1 Mainz [M]

Nils Petersen made a superb contribution as a substitute to salvage a point for Freiburg after a discouragingly flat performance from the German’s attack.

Grenoble 1 – 3 Sochaux[M]

Newcomer Jordan Tell got off to a flying start with a goal in the first minute of the match. But with 89 minutes to go, Grenoble peaked a little early. Disappointingly, they couldn’t capitalize on a man advantage during the second half. Even worse after removing Jordy Gaspar and Yoric Ravet they completely lost the thread…and the match

Kolubara 1 – 0 Vozdovac [M]

The Red Dragons of Vozdovac weren’t able to start 2022 as well as they had ended 2021. After ceding an early goal, they never seemed to find a way back into the match and left with the sinking realization that with 8 matches left in the season, they may be 4 points behind 4th place, but they’re also 5 points above relegation. So it’s not remotely over yet.

Grenoble Foot 1 – 0 Thonon Evian [F]

A mere 2 hours by car, Thonon might well be the closest thing Grenoble gets to a derby (at least until they regularly face French female giants: Lyon). It showed in a very back and forth first half as each time pushed for an advantage early on. Grenoble got the first goal, and all the glory that followed thanks to Adama Tamba (you can’t see the strike very well, but you can see the gorgeous mountains…and really…that’s always a win). A defensive second half sealed the win for all three points (and drew Grenoble one point closer to Thonon–with a game in hand)

Legon Cities FC 1 – 0 King Faisal

The internet is a marvelous thing. While preparing lessons and reviewing student work, I was able to keep one eye flickering toward the live updates coming from Accra. So I got to “watch” sort of as Croster Obour and Hans Kwofie terrorized Faisal’s defense. I was in a meeting when Jonah Attaquye scored the winner (again on a great Kwofie cross and Obour feint), but the fact that he did was all I needed.

Grenoble 1 – 0 Niort [M]

The alpiners got their first win of the Vincent Hognon era thanks to strong control from the right wing. Yoric Ravet crossed in the ball from the corner and got it to Loic Nestor who headed home the winner. All this plus a strong showing from Loris Nery (including a goalline clearance to keep the lead) and Souleymane Cissee kept the wings strong and gave Grenoble all they needed.

News & Notes

Catching up with Rosenborg

We saw a few favorites leave Rosenborg last month (pouring out the Akavit for Julie and Emmanuel) but in the rush we missed the even bigger news of a new manager.

Kjetil Rekdal will step into the dugout for the men’s team after several stints around Norway (and one in Germany). Among his early moves is bringing in Seattle raised defender Samual Rogers who he worked with at his last club.

Vitals on Vozdovac

While I’m usually able to keep up on news for most teams (barring the little confusion over RBK’s management situation), Serbian transfer news is not often on my radar. But with the Red Dragons soaring back into action, it seemed only right to cover some of the comings and goings from the Rooftop Stadium.

Quite a few strong veterans have left the club. Uzbekistan gobbled up both winger Aleksandar Stanisjavic, and goalie Miloje Prekovic (Prekovic almost single handedly saved the squad from relegation back in 2020). Meanwhile rising defender Aleksandar Bogdanavic moved up to the more reliably competitive Radniki, and striker Nikolai Vujnovic got a loan to Sporting Kansas City (so we may actually see him in person sooner than we thought)

In their stead comes a raft of young talents. Midfield duo Matin Novakovic and Andrej Blagovic were let loose from the higher profile clubs of Red Star and Partizan, but at only 21 and 20 they may become the fulcrum for a great attack. They also brought in a Spanish trained winger in Aleksandar Cirkovic. (But given how rarely they sell any players ever, I’m not sure this move will translate to long term success.)

Player of the Week

After another week with no real stand out showings, it’s a good time to tip the hat to someone who has been in great form throughout the recent weeks, even if they haven’t had a particularly outstanding match this week. For us this week, that’s Croster Obour of Legon Cities who has been a much valued spark plug for the Royals and even served as a great dummy this week.

Sorry Croster, we don’t have a trophy (or an electric razor), but we still love ya!

Standings Update

I said that Vozdovac could stun the world in their comeback. Instead they lost. But so did Freiburg! And as a result we have not only a new leader, but a new top two! Legon Cities and Alebrijes de Oaxaca are only separated by 4 hundredths of a point. At the same time, with their first two wins of the calendar year, Grenoble can reasonably hope that the worst is behind them.

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
Legon Cities	4	2	2	1.75	1.5	0.5
Alebrijes de Oaxaca	3	3	1	1.71	1.1	0.9
Freiburg	3	2	3	1.4	1.5	1.8
Ross County	2	3	2	1.3	1.6	1.4
Grenoble	2	3	4	1.0	1.0	1.3
FK Vozdovac	0	0	1	0.0	0.0	1.0
University of Montana–b	—	—	—	—	—	—
Rosenborg BK–b	—	—	—	—	—	—
Minnesota United–b	—	—	—	—	—	—
Emelec–b	—	—	—	—	—	—
Punjab FC–b	—	—	—	—	—	—

Table Updated 2/16/22
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Wednesday, February 16th (AKA Mom’s Birthday)

Cimarrones v. Alebrijes

Thursday, February 17th

Friday, February 18th

Emelec v. CSD Macara [M]

Saturday, February 19th

Hibernian v. Ross County

Augsburg v. Freiburg [M]

Nimes v. Grenoble [M]

Sunday, February 20th

Vozdovac v. Radniki Nis

Grenoble Foot v. Yzeure Allier [F]

Monday, February 21st

Tuesday, February 22nd

Mineros v. Alebrijes

Week 4: Making Moves

January 26, 2022January 26, 2022 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Results

Hoffenheim 1 – 4 Freiburg [M–Cup]

After the shellacking against Dortmund, Freiburg delivered one of their own to march on into the DFB Pokal quarter finals. (A contest that actually WON’T be won by either Bayern Munich or Dortmund, for a change.)

Vincenzo Grifo showed up in a big way for the Griffins. He struck the first goal, converted a hand ball penalty and held the line firm for Freiburg as Hoffenheim couldn’t convert their in league success into a win in the Cup.

Alebrijes de Oaxaca 1 – 1 UDG

Oaxaca remains unbeaten in 2022 grabbing a draw against the Black Lions. The biggest boon has been a more assertive attack that isn’t confined to blasting away from distance. The Alebrijes have managed to make some incisive runs and support each other on set pieces. Edson Santos’ run into the area is a beautiful thing to behold, as is Ernesto Reye’s blooping pass to set up Jorge Sanchez’s goal. All in all, another strong night for our side in Mexico.

Legon Cities 5 – 0 Real Athletico [Cup]

In the northern city of Tamale, the Royals had no trouble pushing past the doubly Spanish sounding Real Athletico. The team’s showing included two goals from Hans Kwofie, another one from Croster Obour, and two more from Hamza Nassiru. Things are likely to get much more difficult as the tournament goes on.

Freiburg 2 – 0 VfB Stuttgart [M]

Stuttgart was out flanked and out run by Freiburg. Kevin Schade and Vincenzo Grifo created happy hell for the Griffins and got a valuable win to stay in the thick of the hunt for Europe.

Livingston 1 – 0 Ross County [Cup]

The Stags saw cup hopes crash out against Livvie. The stout defense gave up an uncharacteristic penalty and couldn’t find an equalizer.

Grenoble v. Niort [M] Postponed

Sigh…there’s that COVID postponement we almost thought we had dodged. Sadly the positive cases in Grenoble have further slowed the start to the Alpiner’s 2022.

Bibiani Gold Stars 2 – 1 Legon Cities FC

The Royals went up on a first half goal from Osman Amadu. But they couldn’t hold on to the lead away from home.

Grenoble v. Yzeure Allier [F] Postponed

And as if the men’s team wasn’t enough, the sides that train together contract COVID together. Best wishes to all the front line responders in the French Alps. The true MVPs of this whole Pandemic shenanigans.

News & Notes

Comings and Goings

Long standing Ross County defender Tom Grivositi has seen his playing time decline, so it’s not terribly surprising that he packed up and left for a team where he’ll be able to show his skills more openly. Still, he helped get the Stags to the Premiership, and his efforts for the club should not be forgotten.

As one of the teams between seasons, it makes sense that Rosenborg both lost and added players this last week. The loss is a tough one with young attacker Emil Konradssen Ceide heading out of town. We really like Emil, but the chance to play in Italy’s top league (with Sassuolo) is too good to pass up. He’ll be replaced by a athletic young defender, Tobias Borkeeiet, who should be ready to run anywhere and everywhere.

Left Winger Bruno Pitton will bring a wealth of experience from Argentina’s top flight to Emelec. He has struggled of late, but with 120 caps he should be ready to build los Bombillos attack. As an added bonus: We Get to talk about Bruno!

African Cup of Nations/Corrections

Our last/only rep

Lots of Great Women’s News

Though they aren’t officially linked with Minnesota United, if we take that idea of United at value, and we respect the tonnage of our fellow United fans who own shares of the new Minnesota Women’s Soccer team, then we need to be every bit as excited about the newest representative of the women’s game in our league. SO: This Thursday, we’ll have a new local favorite: Aurora, Arctic, Firefox. This is gonna be fun.

The wait is almost OVER. Tune in at noon Thursday for the Big reveal. #nametheteam pic.twitter.com/7zVrnwgdeR
— Minnesota Aurora FC (@MNAuroraFC) January 24, 2022

And in case that wasn’t enough our Minnesota-Montana connection got a little bit stronger with Edina High’s First Team all Minnesota: Bayliss Finn! Here’s to keeping the merry-go-round going: Minnesota–Missoula–Minnesota…Mwah.

I am extremely excited to announce my decision to continue my academic and athletic career by committing to play Division 1 soccer at the University of Montana. Thank you to my family, coaches, teammates, and friends for your support along the way. Go Grizzlies! pic.twitter.com/ec2bX2Ly1P
— Bayliss Flynn (@BaylissFlynn) January 24, 2022

Oh…last thing…

I’m 39 now…so all the sleepiness all the time makes sense.

Player of the Week

No two ways around it: Vincenzo Grifo gave it his all and boosted Freiburg just at a moment when they needed it most. Many many thanks to Vincenzo for leading the way, making himself something close to Mr. Freiburg.

Standings Update

The early stage of the season has once again shifted the leaderboard, Freiburg now takes top honors, though Legon Cities squandered their shot with that last loss.

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
Freiburg	2	1	1	1.8	2.3	2.0
Alebrijes de Oaxaca	1	2	0	1.7	1.3	0.7
Ross County	1	0	1	1.5	1.5	1.0
Legon Cities	2	1	2	1.4	1.4	0.6
Grenoble	0	1	2	0.3	0.7	1.3
University of Montana–b	—	—	—	—	—	—
Rosenborg BK–b	—	—	—	—	—	—
Minnesota United–b	—	—	—	—	—	—
FK Vozdovac	—	—	—	—	—	—
Emelec–b	—	—	—	—	—	—
Punjab FC–b	—	—	—	—	—	—

Table Updated 1/26/22
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Wednesday, January 26th

Dundee United v. Ross County

Raya2 Expansion v. Alebrijes

Thursday, January 27th

Friday, January 28th

Saturday, January 29th

Ross County v. Rangers

Alebrijes v. Atletico Moreila

Sunday, January 30th

Legon Cities FC v. Eleven Wonders

Le Puy v. Grenoble Foot [F]

Monday, January 31st

Tuesday, February 1st

Ross County v. Aberdeen

CD Tepatitlan de Morelos v. Alebrijes

Week 29-31: Take a Breath

August 4, 2021August 4, 2021 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Wait, What Happened?

First, the big thing that happened: your grandparents went on vacation. That meant we got to play, and run, and wrestle, and tell stories, and bowl, and swim, and just about everything else. It also meant, that I did not have time to review such things as soccer highlights, or write about matches. So, here’s a recap of the last three weeks with notes about each team and how they fared starting with the two big stories from the end of July

Did Emelec win it all or get knocked out?

Manta 0 – 4 Emelec [M]

Liga de Marcas 1 – 1 Emelec [F]

Emelec 1 – 4 Deportiva Cuenca [F]

Deportiva Cuenca 0 – 1 Emelec [M]

Barcelona 3 – 0 Emelec [F]

Emelec 2 – 2 Aucus

BOTH! Let me explain

The men’s victory of Manta clinched the first stage title! Facundo Barcelo and Dixon Arroyo led the way as los bombillos celebrated their first taste of glory since 2018.

¡Vamos por la segunda etapa!

🔜#SegundaEtapa #Juntos9traVe2 #VamosEmelec ⚡ pic.twitter.com/IacvHMDFdl
— Club Sport Emelec (@CSEmelec) July 20, 2021

The women’s team did not fare as well, following a draw with the lowly Liga de Marcas with a pair of defeats to regional rivals that stopped them from progressing to the playoff portion of the season. [The commments on their see you next year tweet seem to be encouraging whole sale change]

🔜⚽💪#Juntos9traVe2 #VamosEléctricas #LaOtraMitad ⚡ pic.twitter.com/MlQY0LqEa4
— Club Sport Emelec Femenino (@ElectricasCSE) August 1, 2021

But, as the men start the second half of the season there’s still a good amount of hope that they can hoist the big trophy at year’s end, even if the draw at home to Aucus doesn’t exactly inspire dreams of a dominant campaign.

Were the Royals Relegated?

Legon Cities FC 3 – 2 Eleven Wonders

Miraculously, NO! Despite looking every bit the chaotic and relegation doomed side in the first half (when the Royals very much were looking at a season with a bloated payroll in a lower league), the Royals came back with goals from Hans Kwofie and Matthew Anim Cudjoe to save the win and jump from 16th to 11th place (it’s a little crazy in Ghana). [Though that’s only my read of the events]

Vozdavac’s Victory…and other outcomes…

Cukaricki 2 – 1 FK Vozdovac

Vozdovac 2 – 1 Proleter

Paritzan Beograd 4 – 0 Vozdovac

Serbia’s league kicked off with Vozdovac in much the same place that we lost saw them…struggling in the middle of the table. But now that the league only has 16 teams (as opposed to last year’s 20) the cushion at the bottom might not be as soft for the Red Dragons. In the duopoly of Serbia, your best hope is a tough defense…but the leaky new Vozdovac defense makes that uncertain. The highlight was surely Ivan Milosavljevic’s brace from beautiful runs to beat Proleter.

Troublesome Trolls

Rosenborg BK 0 – 2 Sandviken [F]

Tromso 1 – 3 Rosenborg [M]

FH Hafnarfjodur 0 – 2 Rosenborg [M–Europe]

Melhus 0 – 7 Rosenborg [M-Cup]

Rosenborg 4 – 1 FH Hafnarfjodur [M-Europe]

Orkla 1 -11 Rosenborg [M-Cup]

Yes, against all odds the only flaw in the ointment of Rosenborg’s recent run was the Women’s team who lost for the first time while repping the black and white in the league. Sandviken’s win gave the women something to think about for the last few weeks during the mid-season break, and hopefully they’ll be back to full strength this coming weekend.

Meanwhile the men ran roughshod over some (admittedly) lower wattage opponents, during the Eliteserien’s approximate mid-way point. Against lower level local clubs they ran up a stunning 18-1 goal difference with Dino Islamovic notching 5 between the two matches. Emil Konradsen Ceide also notched a hat trick and they head to the round of 32 without breaking a sweat.

The outlook is similarly bright in the hunt for a berth in Europe’s lowest league. Having decked their Icelandic opponents, Rosenborg is now set for a match with Slovenia’s Domzale and the winner of that is left with a pair of matches against French foes (and former home of the Loons’ Adrien Honou) Rennes. Factor in all these matches (plus the win at Tromso) and Dino Islamovic is up to 8 goals in his last 5 matches. Or enough for a blow out win against all their opponents combined. (Kudos also to Andre Hansen, Even Hovland and Adam Andersson for anchoring the overpowering defense).

Stellar Staggies Survive Sickness

Ross County 0 – 3 Dundee FC [Cup]

Bora Rangers 0 – 1 Ross County [Cup]

Ross County 4 – 1 Montrose [Cup]

Ross County 0 – 0 St. Johnstone

Yup, Ross County was not miraculously unscathed by the global pandemic and had to forfeit their second match of the cup thereby eliminating them from the competition before they ever kicked a ball. But, once they were able to run out (against lower level sides) they looked the part of a solid squad. Credit to the players for coming back from illness and getting prepped for kicking off the league with your standard issue goalless Scottish draw. (Thanks Ross Laidlaw and Alex Iacovitti for being the new powers behind County’s class, Blair Spittal for the world class goal, and YouTube User RossCounty 1929 for the highlights and pump up music..)

Loons Land Safely

Minnesota United 1 – 0 Seattle Sounders

Minnesota United 2 – 1 Portland Timbers

Los Angeles FC 2 – 2 Minnesota United

Vancouver Whitecaps 2 – 2 Minnesota United

With the European Cup competitors back in the fold the Loons hoped to sail into a trick series of games with some renewed energy. They succeeded.

Robin Lod has shone since I gave him up as a lousy waste of space last year and notched three goals to help the team along, but the stars are still unquestionably Emmanuel Reynoso who makes miracles happen with the ball at his feet (even while he has struggled to connect with other players on the field) and Hasani Dotson who has grown into the kind of player you just want to see on the pitch wherever possible because he’s always got something going for him. After a dismal start to the year, the Loons have gotten back into the playoff hunt (even if the Delta Variant’s resurgence has made taking either of you to a game an impossibility at present).

Good God, Grenoble!

Grenoble 0 – 4 Paris FC

Auxerre 3 – Grenoble 0

Well…that was a rough way to start off a new campaign.

Grenoble looks utterly wiped out, and the once powerful defense has been absolutely ripped from pillar to post. Brice Mableu, Loic Nestor, Jerome Mombris, and Adrien Monfry have given up 7 goals, supported none, and though it is very VERY early in the campaign, last year’s 4th place team is bottom of the barrel.

Alright Alebrijes!

Pumas Tobasco 0 – Alebrijes 0

Alebrijes 0 – 1 Cimarrones

Meanwhile, frequent strugglers Alebrijes of Oaxaca got a point…against a strong team in Pumas…on the road!! And while that came without a single goal scored, we’ll take what we can get with Alebrijes. (Especially given that they then dropped a match at home…but only by 1 goal!!)

News & Notes

Gosh Dang it Ghana!

I love Ghana. I really do. I love soccer, that should be obvious. But man, Ghanaian soccer makes it hard to love the two together.

Here’s the latest drama: the Ghanaian police and Football Association are investigating match fixing…again. Yup, the same thing that destroyed the previous Ghanaian Premier League, threatens to destroy the new version within just two years! [A new record pace perhaps?] The dead rubber between top tier Ashanti Gold and relegated Inter Allies was always likely to end lopsidedly, but the dimwitted defense and goalkeeping that made it 5-0 were dubious. Then…came Hashmin Musa…who absolutely, no doubt, by his own admission scored own goals on purpose and pissed off his goalie to no end.

Musa claims that he was ruining the prearranged 5-0 score line…but the possibility that someone paid him even more to make it 7-0 is still out there and…because it just wouldn’t be as messed up as possible unless Legon Cities were also involved…the sudden barrage of goals to save the wealthy and high profile Royals from relegation is also coming under question. Suffice to say, there were plenty of ugly defense to help the Royals find the net, but there were also a few moments where it would have been easy to throw the game but players and referees didn’t oblige..so…[shrug emoji] So despite extended questioning and possible further destruction of the domestic game, Legon Cities is safe, for now.

Goodbye sweet prince

The Transfer Market hulaballoo has tempered down as Ross County set their line ups through surgical masks and Vozdovac vets the team their sending out, but there’s still action, including a painful farewell.

Kristoffer Zacharaissen is too good for this humble corner of the internet where we gawk at his chiseled jaw bone and make allusions to Schitt’s Creek because we can’t really break down his game effectively. Whatever the case, he has left Rosenborg for greener pastures and greener kits joining Hungary’s Ferencvaros, a side with a shot at the top league in Europe (and a chance to be brutally repressed by Viktor Orban…so, keep your nose clean Kristoffer)

Roster Updates

A few other notes as we missed kickoffs for Grenoble, and Oaxaca and got back just in time for Freiburg.

Oaxaca

As a lower division team in the middle of a global pandemic/recession, Alebrijes did not have a lot of extra cash to throw around, so the lean mostly on loans (both in and out). While forward Ricardo Monreal is probably the biggest name to depart, there are several defenders who also left the fold (Daniel Cisneros, Oscar Torres, Yohan Zetuna, Jair Cortes, Fernando Plascencia).

The only defenders who have come in are Ernesto Reyes of Cimarrones, and youngster Adrian Vazquez on loan. Instead, Oaxaca focused on bringing in some more veteran attacking presences. Most notable: Cristian Panesso a Colombian coming in from Portugal, and Leandro Torres an Argentinian coming down from Liga MX. Local and familiar faces from the league around them, Armando Gonzalez, Lizandro Echeverria, Miguel Vallejo, and Alexis Conrado.

Grenoble

After Phillipe Hirchenberger led the side quite well for 3 years, he left for Amiens and new man Maurizio Jacobacci made a big swap. Yes, Grenoble did something I never expected,and am frankly broken up about: they said farewell to leader and mastermind Jessy Bennet (more shockingly Jessy still hasn’t signed anywhere…and he’s only 26…seriously…Ross County…Legon Cities…Punjab… ANYBODY!! GET JESSY BACK!)

Willy Semedo, Kevin Tapoko, and Haroun Demba also left, but the club did net 1.5 million euros for Moussa Djitte’s move state side. (Sad but less shocking that Jessy (SERIOUSLY! I WILL PAY PART OF IT MYSELF!!). The side got a lot younger in response (without spending much of anything), bringing in Georgian Winger Giorgi Kokhreidze and two 20 something Swiss midfielders from FC Basel: Yannick Marchand and Orges Bunjaku.

Freiburg

Our German reps opted against a spending spree this year…so much so that they haven’t spent a thing.

Gone are Chang-hoon Kwon (back to South Korea), greatly improved goalkeeper Florian Muller and attacker Guus Til, and up to the senior squad come six young players, none older than 21. The most intriguing players coming in are attacker Nishan Burkart (who learned the game at Man United), Noah Weishaupt (who has surged up the depth charts on the left side), and keeper/local boy made good Noah Atubolu

Freiburg and Grenoble’s women’s teams will get another month of prep kicking off August 28th (in Germany) and September 5th (in France)

Player(s) of the Week(s)

We’ll put three players on the pedestal for the past three weeks. Let’s tip the hat to Rosenborg’s attack and defense by admitting that Dino Islamovic’s attack has been ridiculously good, and that Even Hovland has done it all on both sides of the pitch. Our third award winner has to be from the new trophy winners in Ecuador: Emelec, and to keep it all balanced, midfielder and team leader Dixon Arroyo gets our nod.

Islamovic and Horvland celebrating their awards (and probably wins)

Standings Update

We had to break down to three decimal points for the first time ever! Freiburg, Ross County, and Grenoble are splitting hairs, it’s hardest for Grenoble who plummet from 4th to 9th. Meanwhile the Loons leap up to fifth and are getting closer to the top tier of teams.

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
University of Montana–b	9	0	2	2.5	2.1	0.6
Rosenborg BK	18	4	5	2.2	2.5	1.0
Emelec	19	8	10	1.8	1.5	1.2
Punjab FC–b	7	4	6	1.47	1.2	0.9
Minnesota United	6	5	5	1.44	1.2	1.3
Legon Cities–b	11	6	11	1.39	1.2	1.0
Freiburg	12	4	13	1.379	1.7	1.6
Ross County	8	2	10	1.375	1.3	1.3
Grenoble Foot	10	7	10	1.370	1.2	1.3
Alebrijes	4	7	6	1.05	1.4	2.1
FK Vozdovac	5	6	9	1.04	0.9	1.6

Table Updated 8/4/21
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Wednesday, August 4th

Rosenborg v. Domzale [M-Europe]

Thursday, August 5th

Friday, August 6th

Saturday, August 7th

Stabaek v. Rosenborg BK [F]

Grenoble v. Guingamp [M]

Minnesota United v. Houston Dynamo

Sunday, August 8th

Hibernian v. Ross County

Wurzburger Kickers v. Freiburg [M-Cup]

Vojvodina v. Vozdovac

Delfin v. Emelec

Monday, August 9th

Tuesday, August 10th

Donzale v. Rosenborg [M-Europe]

Week 17: A Rough Road Ahead

April 27, 2021April 27, 2021 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Scores

Ross County 1 – 3 St Mirren

The Staggies finally fell into the danger zone after their defensive collapse at home against St. Mirren. Coupled with Kilmarnok’s cruising win against Dundee, the pressure is truly on the Staggies to get a result against one of the better teams.

Talleres 1- 2 Emelec [Copa Sudamerica]

Los bombillos opened their quest for continental glory with a fine comeback win in Argentina. Pedro Ortiz was put through his paces against an aggressive and fluid attack, which he (mostly) defended well). Fortunately Emelec stars, Facundo Barcelo and Romario Caicedo, were able to make their connections count beautifully as the game wound down. They combined to set up both a hand ball penalty and a well taken short angle goal to win against the flow of the match. (Side note: Talleres goal scorer and selfie-celebrant Franco Frangapane is heavily rumored to be the latest Argentine attacker bound for Minnesota)

Troyes 3 – 1 Grenoble [M]

A win at the league leaders would have gone a long way to justifying Grenoble’s case for promotion. But despite Anthony Belmont’s opening goal it wasn’t to be, as seven attackers overwhelmed the alpine defenders.

Freiburg 1 – 1 Hoffenheim

While Hoffenheim was in fine form throughout the match and seemed to keep Freiburg permanently on the back foot. Fortunately, Freiburg capitalized when their best chance of the match led to a penalty by one of their best players, Vincenzo Grifo. Grifo’s injuries put him on the sidelines right around the same time Freiburg cemented their spot in the mid-table.

Vozdovac 2 – 1 Cukariki

It was frustrating to see the Red Dragons biggest win of 2021 see them stick on the cusp of relegation. Ivan Milosavljevic buried an absolute screamer to take the lead. Aleksa Jankovic, drew a decisive late penalty. Beating the third place side in Serbia should have been a celebration, instead the dragons stayed stuck near the bottom of the table and were left to wait and hope that the Cukariki comes through against other relegation scrappers.

Minnesota United 1 – 2 Real Salt Lake

The Loons hopes for a playoff run are already looking rough. Constrained by injuries and players out of position, they’ve been burned twice now. We are hoping things are a little less uh…burny…from now on.

SC Freiburg 0 – 3 Eintracht Frankfurt [F]

It’s a been a hard go of it for the ladies from Breigsau. Hoping for smoother sailing ahead.

Legon Cities 1 – 1 Dreams FC

The Royals started with approximately seventy bajillion crosses. However, it paid off when Hans Kwofie broke the early deadlock with a well placed header. But Legon couldn’t hold on to the lead for long enough to take all the points.

Órense v Emelec [M]

A rise in local Covid cases led to Ecuador postponing the match (at least it hasn’t affected the women’s league…yet)

News & Notes

Dancing Shoes

The University of Montana has landed and is training eagerly for their big match in the NCAA tournament. It’s clear from the write up that the team doesn’t have much expected of it in a match against one of the best non-seeded teams in the tournament. The Griz will be bringing the veteran mindset, the improved offense, and the sterling record of Claire Howard against a perennial contender from South Carolina with talented seniors and star freshmen.

It’s dancing week! #NCAATournament #GrizSoccer pic.twitter.com/2qOO4MmdQi
— Montana Griz Soccer 🐻⚽️ (@MontanaGrizSOC) April 26, 2021

New Contest

The Copa SudAmericana isn’t quite the glamorous affair that several other contests might be, but it is a continental battle and, as such, is worth a mention.

The second tier of South American scuffling sees teams who didn’t triumph face off in a group stage followed by a tournament for each group’s winners (and those eliminated from the more prestigious Copa Libertadores). Los Bombillos have a group with contending sides from Argentina (Talleres), Brazil (Red Bull Bragantino), and Colombia (Tolima). There’s a long way to go, but Emelec’s form in Ecuador should make them very excited to fight at a higher level.

Super League Shut Down

I told you that this didn’t matter. Sure enough, a few hours after I posted last week’s update, the supposed “super league” collapsed in a crashing heap of public relations face saving and crying softly into a slightly smaller pillow stuffed with money.

Few if any people complained about the crossing borders, or the quality of play, but the unfairness and unwillingness to risk demotion smacked of greed and shortsightedness. So, out of fear that it might all come undone, almost all the teams bailed. The question of whether they are really in serious financial peril or not remains to be seen.

Player of the Week

After a rough week, there’s not a lot to choose from, but we’ll give the nod this week to Ivan Milosavljevic whose thunderous shot helped steer Vozdovac back towards success.

Standings Update

Nothing changes in this week’s table as Minnesota sinks lower, while Vozdovac inches closer to Ross County. The Griz stay on top, but a lopsided loss (as has happened regularly against top seeded opponents) might drop them down to well within striking distance of Emelec and others.

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
University of Montana	9	0	1	2.7	2.1	0.6
Emelec	8	2	1	2.4	2.0	1.0
Grenoble Foot	8	6	6	1.50	1.3	1.2
Punjab FC–b	7	4	6	1.47	1.2	0.9
Freiburg	9	3	10	1.36	1.5	1.5
Legon Cities FC	5	4	5	1.33	1.3	0.9
Alebrijes	4	7	5	1.2	1.5	1.9
Ross County	5	2	9	1.1	1.3	1.7
FK Vozdovac	2	5	7	1.0	0.7	1.7
Minnesota United	0	0	2	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, April 28th

11:00 Novi Pazar v Vozdovac

University of Montana Grizzlies v University of South Carolina Gamecocks [NCAA Tournament]

7:30 Emelec v Red Bull Bragantino [Copa Sudamerica]

Thursday, April 29th

Friday, April 30th

[NCAA TOURNAMENT 2ND ROUND V Georgetown Hoyas IF APPLICABLE]

Saturday, May 1st

8:00 LSV Kvinner v Rosenborg [F]

8:00 Dundee United v Ross County

10:00 Legon Cities v Asante Kotoko

7:00 Minnesota United v Austin FC

8:30 Barcelona SC v Emelec [M]

Sunday, May 2nd

7:00 SC Freiburg v Eintracht Frankfurt [F]

Monday, May 3rd

8:00 Grenoble [M] v Clermont Foot

Tuesday, May 4th

Week 14 & 15: Spring Break in Play

April 14, 2021April 16, 2021 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

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

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.

FK Spartak Subotica 3 – 0 FK Vozdovac

The collapse of Vozdovac’s defense is only slightly more surprising than Serbia’s superb COVID Vaccine rollout.

Arminia Bielefeld 1 – 0 Freiburg [M]

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

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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.

May be an image of 24 people, people standing and outdoors — 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 liga Súper 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.

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]

Friday, April 16th

8:30 Seattle Sounders v Minnesota United

Saturday, April 17th

8:30 Freiburg v Schalke

10:00 Medema v Legon Cities

1:00 Dunkerke v Grenoble

1:00 TSC Back Topola v FK Vozdovac

[Big Sky Final, if applicable]

TBA Guayaquil City v Emelec [F]

Sunday, April 18th

7:00 Wolfsburg v Sc Freiburg [F]

3:00 Emelec v Técnico Universarito [M]

Monday, April 19th

Tuesday, April 20th

Week 9: Super Showing

March 3, 2021March 4, 2021 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Scores

Legon Cities 2 – 0 Elmina Sharks

While Asamoah Gyan remains a non-factor (just as Alex predicted last fall, the Royals new star striker, Hans Kwofie wasted no time in making his mark. A stellar brace provided all the offense the Royals needed, though to be fair, Jonah Attaquye’s dead ball skills set up at least one of those goals (highlights from the massive Accra Sports Stadium always leave me a little squinty).

Alebrijes 2 – 2 Correcaminos

Oaxaca might well feel hard done by here. They had the better looking attack over all, they spent long stretches of the game looking quite strong, but a cracker free kick from Correcaminos left them with just a point. That Ricardo Monreal’s ripping shot and Fernando Vasquez’s buckeroo header/goal celebration will end up as footnotes is small consolation.

St. Mirren 1 – 0 Ross County

If either of you gets a theatre degree this will be a great joke (from Exunt NYC)

As surely as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. As surely as there will always be a Scotland. When Ross County bags a boffo win one week, they’ll deliver a clunker the next. (John Hughes’ clump of midfielders sure slowed the game down, but it also made getting a winner nigh on impossible. Seriously, it’s been a month since Hary Paton and Jermaine Hylton led the charge…I’m just saying…)

Zlatibor 0 – 0 Vozdovac

It’s now 351 minutes without a goal for the Red Dragons and the mid-table is looking less like a comfortable perch to build for a future and more like an interminable space of surreal torture. Like Waiting for Godot, but less funny.

Grenoble 1 – 1 Niort [M]

Honestly, you have to feel for Adrien Monfry. After giving every ounce of his speed to try to track back and prevent a shot by Niort striker Pape Ba, he was pushed back, fell to his back and allowed his front toe to ever so gently graze Ba’s shin. The result was utter agony for Ba, a penalty for the visitors and a goal lead. [I honestly had to rewatch it three times in slow mode to catch the “foul”]. Monfry’s disbelief as the penalty and then yellow card come his way is something else. But Monfry didn’t have to bear the brunt of frustration as Moussa Kaillou Djitte once again was the right man, in the right place, at the right time to equalize late.

Aucas 2 – 3 Emelec [M]

In a match that was about as pretty as the south end of a north bound horse, Los Bombillos stayed perfect. Keeper Pedro Ortiz was terribly unlucky in giving back Aucus’ second goal, but their opponents’ defense obliged the Guyaquil crew’s attack. Facundo Barcelo again created havoc gaining an equalizer for himself and a late own goal to win it. [Watch the “highlights” if you must]

Leverkusen 1 – 2 Freiburg [M]

In a massive win, Freiburg took three huge points on the road from a rival for European qualification. Wearing a kit so yellow that even Big Bird would call it “a bit much”, Lucas Holer had an outstanding game with a gorgeous assist to Ermedin Demirovic and one of the world’s easiest tap in goals to seal it. If the mustard tops are the price to pay for breaking through in Germany, I’ll pay it.

Neroca FC 0 – 1 Punjab FC

Again, Baba Diawara did the business in front of goal to get the points. While his towering headers would make great Elephant graves, we really need to take a beat to respect the Punjab defense. Bikash Yumnam’s superb recovery to stop an easy counter. Souvik Das’ hustle back to save the day (as a winger no less). It wasn’t always easy, and there were times Kiran Limbu and others looked exasperated, but Curtis Fleming’s side has built a solid corps that can even withstand the forced absence of (suspended) Chenchyo Gyeltshen.

https://youtu.be/rBIc3uipY48

Le Havre 0 – 2 Grenoble Foot 38 [M]

Manager Phillipe Hinschberger opted for an unusual line up for les Grenobloises. A five man midfield included some new opportunities for little used role players cum goal scorers Wily Semedo and Anthony Belmonte (the latter of whom ripped an absolute banger). It also included Jerome Mombris playing way up the field…on purpose. But when Esteban Salles can maintain the form he’s had lately, it’s almost academic.

News & Notes

Here Come the Ladies

At last it’s time to bring a little parity back to these pages as women’s games are gearing up to start again in earnest

First, the French league announced (a little bit ago) that they’ll be back in March. After months in shut down, we’ll see if Grenoble’s lady’s side can break through alongside the men. (Or maybe we will, the official website lists Grenoble’s first match as June…so….).

Meanwhile lousy weather and lousier viruses conspired to keep Freiburg’s ladies away from the pitch for the better part of two months. Now they’re back and they get to face old friend Karla Buhl and Bayern Munich on the weekend. (Such Drama, much wow)

And finally, and arguably most wonderfully, the Big Sky Conference kicks off this week. It will be over a year since the Griz last played, so naturally they’re kicking off with Montana rivals Montana State (Billings).

Baby Blues are Back

Minnesota United will bring back their baby-blue uniforms. It was very cool to see them back in the day and now…they cost a lot more and have a “pattern” that you can barely make out. Still though, nothing wrong with baby blues.

Shaped…
By…

Clearest Blue pic.twitter.com/NBfngfbPge
— Minnesota United FC (@MNUFC) February 27, 2021

Player of the Week

Another week, another very hard choice to make. Lucas Holer did everything but pass out the popcorn in a critical Freiburg win, Bikash Yumnam, at just 17 years old, may already be past due for recognition. But we can’t ignore the fact that more assists, more goals, and more points have made Jonah Attuquaye instrumental in saving Legon Cities’ Bacon this year. In gratitude for both the great bacon and the good football, he’s our player of the week.

Standings Update

For the first time in forever everything stays where it was before. Emelec keeps the pole after starting out perfectly, Punjab, Freiburg, Grenoble and Legon continue to vie for further credit.

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
Emelec	2	0	0	3	3.5	1.5
Punjab FC	5	3	2	1.8	1.2	0.6
Freiburg	5	2	3	1.7	1.7	1.2
Grenoble Foot 38	6	3	4	1.62	1.2	1.0
Legon Cities FC	4	4	2	1.60	1.3	0.8
Ross County	4	1	5	1.3	1.2	1.6
Alebrijes	2	2	3	1.1	1.9	2.1
FK Vozdovac	0	3	2	0.6	0.4	1.0
Rosenborg BK	0	0	0	–	–	–
Minnesota United	0	0	0	–	–	–
University of Montana	0	0	0	–	–	–

Table Updated 3/2/2021

What’s Next

Wednesday, March 3rd

7:00 SC Frieburg v. SC Sand [F]

7:00 Vozdovac v. Backa Backa Palanka

9:00 Cimarrones v. Alebrijes

Thursday, March 4th

Friday, March 5th

Saturday, March 6th

8:30 Freiburg v. RB Leipzig [M]

9:00 Eleven Wonders v. Legon Cities

9:00 Ross County v. Kilmarnock

7:00 Emelec v. Delfin [M]

Sunday, March 7th

7:00 SC Freiburg v. Bayern Munich

8:00 FK Metalac v. Vozdovac

1:00 Grizzlies v. Montana State Billings Yellow Jackets

Monday, March 8th

Tuesday, March 9th

Le Havre v. Grenoble Foot 38 [M]