Weeks 16: Long Road to a Dad Joke

Weeks 16: Long Road to a Dad Joke

Recaps

Atletico Morelia 2 – 1 Alebrijes

Alebrijes’ up and down form continued as, Julio Cruz made an impact within 2 minutes of coming on in the second half, but couldn’t get the win.

Ross County 0 – 1 Aberdeen

It’s been rough going for County this year, but that shouldn’t fall on the defense. Alex Iacovitti, Jack Baldwin and Keith Watson have created the strongest back line outside of Glasgow (and the dominant Old Firm). But their attack has been worse than everyone except Kilmarnock). They are 20 goals off of their total last year (and clearly miss Charles Regan Cook)

RB Leipzig 0 – 1 SC Freiburg (F-Cup)

It’s another Cup final for Freiburg, this one coming thanks to a victory over corporate rival RB Leipzig. It was a tense affair going all the way to the sixth minute of stoppage time, when Hasret Kayici (who else) got on the right end of a great volley to net the winner that sends die Frauen to the finals.

Rosenborg BK 1 – 0 Roa (F)

Emilie Joramo scored early for win. That should complete the defensive midfielder’s allotment for the year, but when it nets three points it was clearly well timed.

Minnesota 1 – 2 Orlando (M)

The Loons couldn’t seem to convert on their opportunities, but had great chances. On a normal day Bongokhule Hlongwane’s wild man unleashed style shoulda woulda given the Loons 2 goals. But news is rarely about what coulda happened, and as Orlando actually did get the goals that’s all that counts.

Punjab FC 1 – 0 Sreenidi Deccan (Cup)

Punjab finally got some points in the cup, came against their fellow I-Leaguers, and unfortunately after they were eliminated. It is some consolation for Punjab to get a win in the Super Cup, even if it leaves them finishing bottom of their group, it came against their old rivals in Delhi. If we learned anything from this tournament, it’s that the Warriors have some work to do before the ISL campaign starts up in the fall. (I’m still not sure if coach Staikos Vergetis’ more defensive plan is the way to go to limit opponents, or if the best defense is a good offense)

Werder Bremen 1 – 2 Freiburg (M)

Bremen looked best during the first half but Lucas Holer and Roland Sallai were a great combo returning the benefits to one another to get the win.

Legon Cities 2 – 0 Kotoku Royals

Michael Otou’s brace against bottom of the table Royals was very valuable. (Teams 13-17 are all tied at 31 point, two of the five will be relegated…hopefully not our Royals)

Molde 1 – 1 Rosenborg (M)

Rosenborg’s best period of pressure led to an own goal and the required work for a draw.

Olympique Marseille 1 – 3 Grenoble Foot (F)

A win. On the road. Against a prestige club like Marseille. Wowza, when the ladies of Grenoble come back, they come all the way back! A double for Jade Decilap was instrumental in the result.

Emelec 1 – 2 El Nacional (M)

It remains the Miller Bolanos show in Emelec, as in, why can’t we do anything without Miller Bolanos? The talismanic midfielder’s absence was palpable again, as Los Bombillos had plenty of possession but couldn’t seem to do much with it after Jose Cevallos scored in the early going.

Grenoble 0 – 2 Saint-Etienne (M)

It was a good but not really outstanding effort for Grenoble in the shirt sponsor Derby. But the pictures of the game looked like a lot of fun

Alebrijes 1 – 0 Pumas Tabasco

Julio Caesar Cruz was the man of the night, scoring his sixth of the campaign on what can best be described as a goal by default and keeping Oaxaca in the thick of the mid table tussle.

Asane 0 – 3 Rosenborg (F)

In their second match of the week, the Troll ladies (which is a nickname I will keep using no matter that I’m the only one using it) continued their perfect start to the season. The veterans Cesilie Andreassen and Synne Hansen both scored

News & Notes

Blakstad’s Back in the Ice and Snow

Blog favorite Julie Blakstad‘s time in Manchester has been generally strong. She seems to score at every opportunity, but there are plenty of talents to employ at one of the world’s biggest clubs. So rather than giving her a richly deserved role, Julie has been loaned out to Swedish side BK Häcken. Obviously, we’d have preferred a return to the black and white of Trondheim, but if Julie’s happy, we’re happy.

Player of the Week

With multiple braces we could open an orthodonture clinic (ba-dum CHING!!). But the player who made us smile the most has to be Jade Decilap who has helped Grenoble’s Mesdames get back on track AND boasts far more swag than I do.

Standings

Punjab nearly got back to the top spot on their own skills with their win of Deccan, but if we’ve learned one thing in these last years it’s to NEVER bet against the women of Rosenborg. Meawhile, Emelec’s slide continues, without Miller Bolanos they seeem to be bereft…not unlike my heart

TeamWDLPPGGFAGAA
Rosenborg5112.291.430.29
Punjab12232.242.290.94
Minnesota3221.571.141.00
Grenoble114121.371.001.19
Emelec3041.291.291.43
Freiburg95111.281.121.56
Legon Cities4751.181.061.06
Alebrijes5571.181.411.35
Ross County3380.861.001.14
Vozdovac2270.730.641.82
Montana–b000
Table Updated 4/12/22
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Thursday, April 20th

Emelec v. Huracan (M-South American Cup)

Friday, April 21st

Karela United v. Legon Cities

Saturday, April 22nd

Bayern Munchen v. SC Freiburg (F)

Hearts v. Ross County

Rosenborg BK v. LSK Kvinner (F)

Seattle Sounders v. Minnesota (M)

Sunday, April 23rd

Freiburg v. Schalke 04 (M)

Legon Cities v. Kotoku Royals

Rosenborg v. Sandefjord (M)

Musuc Runa v Emelec (M)

Grenoble Foot v. Clermont Foot (F)

Monday, April 24th

Bordeaux v. Grenoble (M)

Tuesday, April 25t

Detroit City FC v. Minnesota United (M-Cup)

Wednesday, April 26th

Legon Cities v. Accra Lions

Week 0: What was old, is new again

Week 0: What was old, is new again

Recaps

Legon Cities FC 1 – 1 Karela United

It took a second half equalizer from Ahmed Rahman to salvage Legon’s final match of 2022. There was a clear break down for Karela, but part of the challenge is taking advantage when those moments come up.

Grenoble 0 – 1 Metz (M)

Grenoble was unable to pick a path through Metz, and ended up paying the price as they slipped farther away from promotion spots.

Adventure Bay 4 – 3 Foggy Bottom (Paw Patrol Derby)

The soccer match you were most invested in was a random one in a Paw Patrol episode you got to watch over the weekend. I’m not very clear on how well anyone understands the rules of the game…but Rubble the Bulldog managed to score a pair of goals with his Rocket kick, and Foggy Bottom’s strategy of cheating and using robots made the game closer than it looked.

Aberdeen 0 – 0 Ross County

While I usually laughingly leave these recaps at on sentence, I have a few more things to say this time. First, Aberdeen actually gave our old Minnesota United pal Christian Ramirez a start even though he didn’t get anything too dangerous around the goal, and Alex Iacovitti shut down almost everything (crosses, goal line taps…everything.

News & Notes

Bring in the reinforcements

When January starts so does the time for clubs to restock their rosters. There hasn’t been too much movement for the teams that are in the middle of their seasons, but Minnesota United has done quite a bit to fortify their side (even if it doesn’t seem like anybody they added was a true game changer) with winger Cameron Dunbar, center back Doneil Henry and right back Zarek Valentin most likely to fill in gaps.

Emelec’s Homecoming Duo

Rosenborg to look overseas to build up their case for an overdue title in Trondheim. Ulrik Yttergard Jennsenn has been in Denmark (and started in the lofty heights of Lyon), and Morten Bjorlo knows the league after joining from HamKam. But the big name is the young and gifted Finnish midfielder Santeri Vaananen, who has been lighting up his local league and is only 21.

Freiburg faces an unusual challenge, up at 2nd place in the league, trying to solidify their spot, but still sending out strong players for deals they know they need to do. So, Keven Schlotterbeck is off to relegation battling VfL Bochum to get more playing time and Kevin Schade is off to Brentford in the premier league to get more money.

Other teams are busy as well: Vozdovac lost a reliable defender but gained three foreign attackers; Emelec has been frantic, but bringing in older domestic veterans to bring leadership (including Miller Bolanos, and Brayan Anguelo who started with Emelec and now return with a world of experience under their belt)

Alebrijes Anew

From NVI Noticias

Alebrijes had a tremendous Clausura in the spring of 2022 and may be hoping to “spring” a similar surprise and vault themselves into the competition for the Expansion title (even if that’s the only reward that they can get).

The squad did say goodbye to three strong performers from the fall with Hedgardo Marin and attacking machine Alfonso Tamay packing up for Cancun, while second stringer Alonso Hernandez headed off for Leones Negros. Meanwhile they brought back loanee Julio Cruz from a middling return to Costa Rica (he did score two goals in his last match) and added another veteran in Jorge Mora (the 31 year old is certainly in the substitute stage of his career). The younger additions (Left Back, Edson Santos; and Midfielder, Emmanuel Quezada) are more development projects than well-prepped starters. So it seems likely that Oaxaca will require another big showing from forward Armando Gonzalez to provide the goals and Octavio Paz to stop them (and maybe write some great poetry).

Player of the Week

We could make it the last player of 2022, but let’s think about what’s to come and give it to the best player of 2023, even though there’s only one team that qualifies, and given the way it turned out, really only one candidate. But don’t worry Alex Iacovitti, there’s plenty of celebration to bestow on you.

Standings

Our first table of 2023 sees Ross County invert the table to go from worst in the last week of 2022, to best in the first week of 2023. They are also the only team to play so far in 2023…but standings are standings.

TeamWDLPPGGFAGAA
Ross County0101.000.000.00
Punjab000
Grenoble000
Alebrijes000
Legon Cities000
Rosenborg–b000
Minnesota–b000
Freiburg–b000
Vozdovac–b000
Montana–b000
Emelec–b000
Table Updated 1/4/22
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Thursday, January 5th

Atlante v Alebrijes

Friday, January 6th

Grenoble v Nimes (M)

Saturday, January 7th

Accra Lions v Legon Cities

Ross County v Livingston

Sunday, January 8th

Punjab v Neroca

Grenoble v. Thonon Evian (F–Cup)

Monday, January 9th

Tuesday, January 10th

Pau v Grenoble (M)

Wednesday, January 11th

Alebrijes v Celaya

Week 2: Shot in the Arm

Week 2: Shot in the Arm

Scores

Legon Cities FC 1 – 0 WAFA

Hallelujah! The Royals won a game!! And yes, again, the goal came from the penalty spot. And yes, again, there was a silly red card right before the end of the match, but as head coach Bashir Hayford said, “”If today, we won that means, Legon Cities can win matches.” Yer darn tootin’ Bashir! (And I’d wager that if they work on off ball runs and settling scoring chances in the box it’ll be a lot more matches)

Punjab FC 1 – 0 Aizawl

The Northwesterners didn’t waste much time kicking off their campaign. Their young defense was tested repeatedly by Aizawal’s attack and came up resolute. Meanwhile Chenchyo Gyeltshen came up empty on his numerous attempts. In the end the difference was Ningthoujam Pritam creating a goal out of a seemingly nothing clearance. Either way, Punjab starts out rolling.

Grenoble 2 – 2 Auxerre [M]

Les grenobloises flagging form forced Phillip Hinschberger to make some drastic moves. After ceding a penalty at two-nil down, the coach sent in 4 subs including two up top to try and rescue the side from dropping a second straight match to promotion rivals. It worked as substitute Marcelin Anani found the net after a terrifying Jerome Mombris run and assist. Then Loic Nestor nabbed the late equalizer (it helped Auxerre sun Aly Ndom was red carded two minutes after joining the fray).

Freiburg 5 – 0 Koln [M]

The offensive outpouring continues from Freiburg with Ermiden Demirovic leading the line. His two assists and a goal delivered on the promise he showed when Freiburg brought him in over the summer. The complete team play gave the Griffins their 5th straight Bundesliga Win heading into a battle with the behemoths of Bayern Munich.

Livingston 3 – 1 Ross County

Despite a strong defensive showing for much of the match, it all come undone for County in the end. Harry Paton’s blast to set up Charlie Lakin’s finish knotted the score early, but late breaks for Livvi against a bedraggled Staggies line broke highland hearts.

Venados v. Alebrijes

Postponed due to positive COVID tests among Vendados

News & Notes

Dark Days

Apparently every body has to do this now: I STAND AGAINST VIOLENT INSURRECTION AGAINST ELECTED OFFICIALS AND DESTRUCTION OF FEDERAL PROPERTY IN THE NAME OF MORONIC CONSPIRACY THEORIES.

Hopefully you boys can use that in future Social Studies Projects.

Transfer Time

Watch your Mouche (from RCFC)

John Hughes has wasted no time taking action to add players to his Ross County squad. Anthony Andreu had been without a squad this season, and will bring an attacking midfielder to the table. Meanwhile Mohamed Maouche, Andreu’s fellow Frenchman will join him in the midfield during his first sojourn in Scotland.

Meanwhile Freiburg continued to set up their players for return, moving injured LB Gian-Luca Itter off to 2nd Division Greuther Furth.

Welcome back Alebrijes

When last we saw our favorite free wheeling south Mexican side, they had freewheeled straight to the bottom of the league. That disappointment aside, the team is now set to start fresh, and as Emelecs excellent second half form showed, all it takes is one.

Unfortunately that one good half will need to come without top scorer Franco Arizala who returned to top flight Veracruzano at the new year. Replacing him are younger and untested attackers Julio Cruz and Esteban Torres, while promising Leon midfielder Fernando Morales comes in on loan.

After their first match was delayed, Alrbrijes will look to kick off next Tuesday at home.

Get Jordy Gaspar a Haircut

Sure losing 3-0 during the week was hard, but you try finding a barber in Grenoble during quarrantine! Let the man have his hat!!

Player of the Week

Try as we might to find someone other than the obvious man of the match in the biggest win of the weekend, sometimes it just makes sense to honor the obvious candidate. Bravo Ermedin Demirovic! Glad to see you finding your form!

Demiriovic pulling his Supreme stare (from SC Freiburg)

Standings Update

Punjab debuts with a dart at #2, while Legon Cities vaults past Ross County. Meanwhile Brice Mableu may be wondering why 2021 feels so much like 2020 all over again

TeamWDLPPGGFAGAA
SC Freiburg2003.04.00.5
Punjab FC1003.01.00.0
Legon Cities FC1011.50.50.5
Ross County1111.31.31.3
Grenoble Foot 380110.51.02.5
Rosenborg BK000
Minnesota United000
Emelec000
Vozdovac FK000
Alebrijes de Oaxaca000
University of Montana000
Table Updated 1/5/2020

What’s Next

Wednesday, January 13th

Thursday, January 14th

2:30 Golukam FC v. Punjab FC

Friday, January 15th

Saturday, January 16th

8:00 Toulouse v. Grenoble [M]

9:00- Aduana Stars v. Legon Cities

9:00 Ross County v. Aberdeen

Sunday, January 17th

8:30 Bayern Munich v. Freiburg [M]

Monday, January 18th

Tuesday, January 19th

2:30 Punjab FC v. Churchill Brothers

5:00 Alebrijes v. CD Tepatitlan de Morelos