Weeks 14-15: Coming Back From Cali

April 13, 2023April 14, 2023 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recaps

Legon Cities 1 – 1 Asante Kotko

Kotoko might be one of Ghana’s true giants, but Legon always seems up to the challenge. Alex Aso got the equalizer to keep Legon looking tough

Arna-Bjornar 0 – 1 Rosenborg (F)

The Trolljenta got another win but it took a late winner from Emilie Nautnes to snatch the points.

Freiburg 1 – 1 Hertha BSC (M)

The boys of Breisgau haven’t lost domestically in almost two months, but that’s come with a lot of disappointing draws, including this one to relegation battlers Hertha after Vincenzo Grifo got the lead

Vozdovac 0 – 1 Javor

The dragons dropped another home match. I’m not sure what would help make home cooking work for them but they have a long way to go to catch up with the top four sides in Serbia.

Grenoble 2 – 1 Armiens (M)

Jessy Bennet slotted home a first half penalty and nearly scored a very cheeky chip shot. Abdoulie Sanyang got the second half winner, but attention should also be paid to 22 year old Mathys Tourraine who has quickly become a vital cog in both defense and attack for Les Alpiners.

Delfin 3 – 2 Emelec (M)

It was a testy match in Ecuador with three spot kicks given (and all of them converted). Miller Bolaños left room for someone else (Alejandro Cabeza) to score, but he also left the match early due to an injury, which isn’t what you’d hope to see for the clear talisman of the team. Defender Fernando Leon drew a second yellow card to leave the team a man short and ultimately leaven enough room room for Delfín to keep threatening and finally snatch a late winner.

St. Louis City 0 – 1 Minnesota (M)

Both teams came into the match undefeated, but only the visitors left that way. St. Louis had control for most of the match, but when the Loons threatened, they made the most of it. Luis Amarilla smashed in the winning penalty after bottling some strong opportunities. The reinvigorated back line, especially the eternally present Michael Boxall stood tall to stop St Louis from equalizing.

Ross County 0 – 2 Celtic

Within regular time County earned a draw. But soccer also includes extra time, and that’s where Celtic scored.

Freiburg 0 – 1 Turbine Potsdam (F)

Potsdam handed the Frauen their fifth straight loss…this one turning on Meret Witje’s own goal. Ugh.

Grenoble Foot 1 – 0 Thonon Evian (F)

Good news for Freiburg the ladies of the Alps broke their own five game skid with a vital win, and one against one of the best teams in France’s second division. Goalkeeper Bolkach had an excellent game defending against Thonon’s potent attack and in a last minute counter attack Claudia Fabre picked out newcomer Florsie Joseph and Grenoble got a tremendous winner. So hey, Freiburg, there’s hope!

Bibiana Gold Stars 3 – 2 Legon Cities FC

A wild first half saw the Gold Stars take the lead, after Ebenezer Armegah and Eric Bonsu briefly gave Legon the edge. and despite their best efforts (and a reversed goal), the Royals lost and dropped firmly into the relegation zone

Bayern Munich 1 – 2 Freiburg (M-Cup)

Few teams are as dominant as Bayern Munich are in Germany, but for the third straight year Freiburg has either matched or outperformed them in the Cup.

Nicholas Hofler connected with as beautiful a goal as you will ever see to balance the books. The defensive line (especially Ginter, Gunter, and Gulde) stymied an insistent Bayern attack until they forced Bayern into more mistakes, this time with a series of fouls that allowed Lucas Holer to win it on a hand ball Penalty Kick in extra time.

To celebrate, Freiburg got to face Munich again on the weekend and will face Liepzig, the team that beat them in last year’s final, in the semi’s

Partizan Belgrade 1 – 0 Vozdovac

Partisan can be a brutal opponent. So much so that in the last 7 matches they won by an average of 3-0. So the red dragons only losing by 1 is a high water mark not seen since March of 2020.

Danubio 2 – 0 Emelec (M-South American Cup)

Danubia hasn’t been great shakes in their local Uruguayan league this year. But they had no trouble containing or attacking Emelec. The best news, Uruguayan native midfielder — had one of his best games yet for Los Bombillos.

Alebrijes 1 – 0 Cancun FC

Armando Gonzalez got an early goal off a rebound from Ernesto Reyes’ blast of a free kick. Even though Oaxaca earned 4 yellow cards in 12 minutes, and were unable to make good on several one-on-one opportunities, they withstood the pressure of Cancun.

Freiburg 0 – 1 Bayern Munich (M)

Munich got their win back in the domestic league, capitalizing on the early departure of Manuel Gulde to bedevil the back line and batter the Freiburg net to the tune of 3.5 expected goals. In that light, even losing by one is a bit of an accomplishment for Freiburg. (Not one they’re going to put in their hall of fame, but something at least)

St. Johnstone 0 – 2 Ross County

The Staggies returned to action and got a win for the first time since February! Jordan White made a major nusiance of himself and set up Simon Murray (who came on for the injured Eamonn Brophy) for the first goal on an absolute banger. Then rarely used midfielder David Cancola made the most of his moment getting one of his own on a scrambled ball into the box.

Kerala Blasters 3 – 1 Punjab FC (Cup)

Punjab’s first effort against a Super League side left a little something to be desired. Kerala was able to control the match despite Punjab rolling out a broader midfield than usual, which did slow down Kerala for the first half, until a penalty gave the Blasters the lead. A half time swap of midfielder Maheson Singh for attacker Krishnananda Khundongbam paid off with Punjab’s goal, but the more expanded midfield was easier for Kerala to get past (leading to two more goals and the win)

Laval 0 – 1 Grenoble (M)

Mathais Phaeton got the early goal thanks to a scintillating through ball from (who else) Jessy Bennet and Brice Mableu was able to shut down Laval for the rest of the match to seal a win.

Chicago Fire 2 – 1 Minnesota United

Kei Kamara took two early goals for Chicago, and by the time your mom and I tuned in after you were tucked in at last, we were at the desperate crosses situation for the Loons. Kervin Arriaga got one, but despite many fine chances and amazing efforts, Bongokhule Hlongwane couldn’t score the vital equalizer.

Aucus 2 – 1 Emelec (M)

Emelec’s struggles continued with another loss, bouyed only by Jose Cevallos’ injury time consolation goal. The team that lives by Miller Bolanos, also dies by Miller Bolanos (at least when Miller Bolanos is out of the match with an injury, but even then we will still write Miller Bolanos’ name so many times that we summon him to Minnesota).

Rosenborg 1 – 0 Viking (M)

Rosenborg started their campaign with a revenge win against the team that knocked them out of the cup (kind of like the reverse Freiburg experience). Ulrik Jennssen was a pest in defense, and Adrian Pereira celebrated his first start since August of last year with the winning goal off of a half volley in the middle of nothing.

https://youtu.be/0OS4hH9ALdw

Vozdovac 1 – 3 TSC Backa Topola

Danilo Teodorovic scored first, but Topola came back with a vengeance. We would be upset, but any team that breaks up the Partizan/Red Star duopoly is okay in our books.

Punjab FC 0 – 2 Bengaluru FC (Cup)

Again Punjab set up in a defensive posture which…again worked for the first half, and then, when they got a little more aggressive in the second half, Bengaluru capitalized and took the lead. Huidrom Singh’s second yellow card didn’t help matters and let Bengaluru seal the win.

News & Notes

Jonah Attuquaye off to Latvia

We’ve made no mistake about it, Jonah Attuquaye is one of our all time favorite players during this project. He almost single handedly lifted up the Royals from their lowest ebbs and kept them consistently fresh when they desperately needed to be. But, all things must come to an end, and a player of Jonah’s caliber deserves a fresh challenge and opportunity. Last month (far below the radar of all the news I was following) he got that opportunity with a move to FK Auda in Latvia (which my former students say is lovely).

I truly hope he excels in Europe and maybe, in a season or so, there’s room for him in Rosenborg or Ross County.

Indian Super Cup Starts…and Ends

It was a pretty brief break for Round Glass Punjab as they spent a month celebrating their championship in the I-League, but the Super Cup provides them with a chance to prove themselves before the Super League starts next fall. They did draw a dangerous group, featuring two ISL playoff teams (Kerala Blasters and Bengaluru FC) and a fierce I-League rival (Sreenidi Deccan…you know…the team they were fighting for the trophy for months). We love a new competition, and we love Punjab, but the results from the first week of action made the next steps moot as the two losses show they are already eliminated…(Chenchyo Geltsyen’s absence was palpable.)

Spring Break! woo.

I love you boys. I love your mom and her family. I love travel.

This was hard.

We spent 6 days in Los Angeles, where the weather was lovely and I felt completely exhausted regardless. You guys had great fun seeing all the science and sunshine that LA could offer and playing happily with your Auntie, random kids at a scenic playground and a variety of newly adopted stuffies and Dino toys. You also did not understand time differences and insisted on waking me up at 4:30, and only going to bed at 8:30 PM…though the easy access to massive cakes and jelly beans may not have helped things.

Travelling with you is a privilege…it’s also a big responsibility. But you’re so darned cute.

BootRoom Book Review

From Madani’s Best Game by Fran Pintadara
illustrated by Raquel Catalina

To save room in my backpack (and also because I’m forgetful), we didn’t bring bed time books along with us on this trip. So we turned to the thing that all humans turn to for answers these days: a smart phone. Soon enough, the St Paul library gave us access to several nice books including one appropriate for this blog Madani’s Best Game

The story of a star player in an anonymous neighborhood was a fine bit of soccer lore. It had clear pictures of the action, a great sense of the role of a team, and an appropriate level of drama building up to the final match.

But really the story was less about soccer, and more about a kid’s love for his mother. Much as you guys like a soccer story, you love to love your mom.

Players of the Weeks

Jessy Bennet must be acknowledged. The midfielder has managed to pilot les bleus to certainty and security in the second league, which has been in short supply since his departure after 2021.

Also worth noting is Ernesto Reyes, whose leadership and defense has continued to help Oaxaca out of their traditional funks.

Standings

The Super Cup did a real number on Punjab’s position atop the table. It can happen when you get twice as many defeats in one span as you had in the past three months. As a result, Rosenborg, returned to the top spot this year as both the men and women are undefeated in the league so far this young season. (The one loss was in the cup.) Meanwhile, the difficulty in getting decisive results has taken its toll on Freiburg and Vozdovac.

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
Rosenborg	3	0	1	2.25	1.25	0.25
Punjab	11	2	3	2.19	2.38	1.00
Minnesota	3	2	1	1.83	1.17	0.83
Emelec	3	0	3	1.50	1.33	1.33
Grenoble	10	4	11	1.36	0.96	1.16
Alebrijes	4	5	6	1.13	1.47	1.07
Freiburg	7	5	11	1.13	1.17	1.65
Legon Cities	3	7	5	1.07	1.00	1.13
Ross County	3	3	7	0.92	1.08	1.15
Vozdovac	2	2	7	0.73	0.64	1.82
Montana–b	0	0	0	—	—	—

Table Updated 4/12/22
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Thursday, April 13th

Atletico Morelia v. Alebrijes

Friday, April 14th

Ross County v. Aberdeen

Saturday, April 15th

Rosenborg BK v. Roa (F)

Minnesota v. Orlando (M)

Sunday, April 16th

Punjab FC v. Sreenidi Deccan (Cup)

Werder Bremen v. Freiburg (M)

Legon Cities v. Kotoku Royals

Molde v. Rosenborg (M)

Emelec v. El Nacional (M)

Olympique Marseille v. Grenoble Foot (F)

Monday, April 17th

Grenoble v. Saint-Etienne (M)

Tuesday, April 18th

Alebrijes v. Pumas Tabasco

Wednesday, April 19th

Asane v. Rosenborg (F)

Week 13: Highlights-Shmighlights

March 30, 2023 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recaps

Alebrijes de Oaxaca 1 – 2 Atletico La Paz

Fresh off their biggest win in quite a while, Alebrijes looked a little tired. Even though Jair Cortes got them off to a strong start, the defense buckled and Atletico was soon able to take a lead that they kept for the rest of the match, breaking Oaxaca’s unbeaten streak.

Rosenborg 3 – 0 Staebek (F)

RBK has been near the top of the Toppserien ever since they joined the Rosenborg family. But they’ve yet to win one. Clearly, they started out this season looking to break through and grab the big trophy. Cesilie Andreassen, who may be the longest serving RBK alum we know, started the affair to get Rosenborg flying high. Synne Skinnes Hansen and Anna Langas Josendal added their own to kick off the new campaign in style.

Minnesota 1 – 1 Vancouver (M)

There is no other word for it: this was brutal. The Loons got a lead through sheer grit and determination. The Loons held on to that lead with a great showing from back up goal keeper Clint Irwin. I got to watch the debut of a Emmanuel Iwe who seemed to breathe fresh life and excitement into everything he did. They held on to the lead for all of regulation time and stoppage time…and then…the refs gave Vancouver one more chance. The Whitecaps scored. I cursed. Your mom shushed me. And heads hung low. You know a Minnesotan sports event.

Bayer Leverkusen 2 – 0 Freiburg (F)

Leverkusen led the way through the midfield and left die Frauen flabbergasted. Janina Minge was able to give the best showing on a bleak day.

Great Olympics 1 – 1 Legon Cities

I’ve had a hard time tracking down any news from this match. The big equalizer came from my fellow Thursday born: Kwabena Adu Medier.

Toulouse FC 3 – 0 Grenoble Foot (F)

The bad news kept on coming for the ladies of Grenoble. Reports suggested that they did not look cohesive or united. They gave up a goal in the first minute and didn’t seem to threaten after that.

Cimmarones 0 – 0 Alebrijes

This happened. It also began a new unbeaten streak for Alebrijes!! (More importantly it kept them very close to the playoff spots as the season’s second half winds down to a close.)

News & Notes

March Madness Corner

It’s rare that the drama is out of the basketball tournament this early, the title is still up for grabs and this year’s final four features a host of unlikely candidates. But for our purposes it really is all over.

Your mom followed her heart and picked owls and huskies to do well, so she’s the only person with two final four teams left. Give her all the credit in the world and know that I’ll be looking at Owl related teams should any of our other favorites have to disband.

Spring Break! WOO!

On Saturday, we fly out to visit your Auntie Julianna at her new home in Los Angeles. I fully anticipate that we will have some memorable moments and some frustrating ones as well, and as such, I’ll be present watching you be you, rather than watching the scores of distant soccer scores

Player of the Week

As the grand dame of the Kvinner (and the only person to help lead a team to victory this weekend), we have to tip the cap to Cesilie Andreassan (even though part of me wants to pick Emmanuel Iwe just because he was so fun to watch)

Standings

We were in a rush to pick you guys up from preschool so these aren’t up to date.

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
Punjab–b	11	2	1	2.50	2.64	0.79
Emelec	3	0	1	2.25	1.50	0.75
Minnesota	2	2	0	2.00	1.25	0.75
Rosenborg	1	0	1	1.50	1.50	0.50
Freiburg	6	4	9	1.16	1.26	1.79
Legon Cities	3	6	4	1.15	0.92	1.00
Grenoble	7	4	11	1.14	0.91	1.27
Alebrijes	3	5	6	1.00	1.50	1.50
Vozdovac	2	2	4	1.00	0.75	1.88
Ross County	2	3	6	0.82	1.09	1.18
Montana–b	0	0	0	—	—	—

Table Updated 3/30/22
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Thursday, March 30th

Legon Cities v. Asante Kotko

Friday, March 31st

Saturday, April 1st

Arna-Bjornar v. Rosenborg (F)

Freiburg v. Hertha BSC (M)

Vozdovac v. Javor

Grenoble v. Armiens (M)

Delfin v. Emelec (M)

St. Louis City v. Minnesota (M)

Sunday, April 2nd

Ross County v. Celtic

Freiburg v. Turbine Potsdam (F)

Grenoble Foot v. Thonon Evian (F)

Monday, April 3rd

Bibiana Gold Stars v. Legon Cities FC

Tuesday, April 4th

Bayern Munich v. Freiburg (M-Cup)

Wednesday, April 5th

Partizan Belgrade v. Vozdovac

Danubio v. Emelec (M-South American Cup)

Thursday, April 6th

Friday, April 7th

Alebrijes v. Cancun FC

Saturday, April 8th

Freiburg v. Bayern Munich (M)

St. Johnstone v. Ross County

Laval v. Grenoble (M)

Chicago Fire v. Minnesota United

Sunday, April 9th

Vozdovac v. TSC Backa Topola

Aucus v. Emelec (M)

Monday, April 10th

Rosenborg v. Viking (M)

Tuesday, April 11th

Wednesday, April 12th

Week 12: Breakthroughs

March 22, 2023March 22, 2023 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recaps

Freiburg 0 – 2 Juventus (M-European Cup)

There is no joy in Freiburg, a collection of globally elite talents from one of the wealthiest clubs in European history beat them handily. Le sigh. At least we gave them a pretty good showing.

Livingston 2 – 1 Ross County

While County might feel duly frustrated that they had the best chances and came out with the worse result. But their shots were far wilder than Livvie’s and even if you have great chances if you don’t hit them toward goal it doesn’t matter. Keith Watson, Jordan White and Eamonn Brophy could all use some target practice.

Cukariki 3 – 1 Vozdovac

Borisav Burmaz’s early penalty gave some hope for a big road win, but Cukariki came back alive to stymie the Dragon’s fire

Sochaux 1 – 0 Grenoble (M)

Vincent Hognon sent out a mostly second choice side and paid the price as the reserve defenders looked overworked, and the reserve attackers couldn’t break through. They nearly held out for a draw but a late Sochaux goal sealed their fate

Emelec 1 – 0 Tecnico Universitario

They had to wait a week but Emelec got another win. And once again the man in the middle of it all was Miller Bolaños, whose penalty made all the difference.

Colorado 1 – 2 Minnesota (M)

Matches against Colorado always involve a surprising degree of drama, but this one was fun. After falling behind early in the second half, Hassani Dotson’s heads up play won a hand ball penalty that got things level. And Miguel Tapias rose up to deliver a terrific deflected header to snatch a late win!

Freiburg 0 – 1 Hoffenheim (F)

Hoffenheim crashed Freiburg’s big party in the Dreamstadion. It was particularly painful to give up the game on a 90th minute goal when the Frauen’s backline had done so much to keep the game even until then. Samantha Steuerwald, Marie Muller and Lisa Karl were excellent, but couldn’t do enough to leave with an overdue victory.

Mainz 1 – 1 Freiburg (M)

Late goals are becoming something of a problem for Freiburg. This time Ritsu Doan’s opener could well have sealed the victory, especially when five minutes of added time in the second half came. But, in a bonus 6th minute Mainz got their equalizer against an admittedly spent backline of Ginter, Gulde and Kubler, and sent Freiburg home unhappy. (A draw on the road is enough to keep them clicking along near the top of the table, but it’s another round of “what could have been).

Legon Cities 2 – 0 Aduana Stars

Be still my beating heart, the Royals won a game! And not just any game: a game against league leading Aduana Stars!! Micheal Otou got the brace, including a penalty kick, and got Legon their first win in 6 tries (and only their third win this year out of 12 tries–including one cup match)

Mineros 3 – 6 Alebrijes

This was absolutely one of the wildest games of this or any year. You know it’s a crazy time when there are two goals scored before the announcers can even look at the starting line-ups. Cristian Canozales racked up four goals (and might have gotten more if it wasn’t for a missed offside call). Announcers went so far as to call him the Colombian Mbappe and honestly…they don’t seem wrong.

News & Notes

March Madness Corner

A purple upset only you boys saw coming (from NY Times)

During this month there’s a special additional competition that’s impossible to ignore. Even if you only have time to watch one sporting event, you can’t escape March Madness and College Basketball.

Given that your grandpa was a college hoopster (in the 70s…at a tiny Minnesota school) it’s his favorite time of year, and we pass that on to you gladly. This year, in the time honored tradition, each boy (and momma) picked teams to win: Alex favored Tigers and Knights, Owen picked anyone with purple, and Kristina listened to you both. As a result, you are all doing better than the rest of the family.

Cookie, player of the month in our hearts

International Break upcoming

There will be fewer games than usual next week as most leagues take a break for international team matches. Mostly these are far flung friendlies that we’ll check in on if we’re so inclined, but there’s one special match. The US Men will play Grenada and their leader, our old friend, Regan Charles Cook. Cookie has been solid as an occasional starter and frequent sub in Belgium, so we’ll be hoping he can turn some more heads against the regional heavyweights (even if those regional heavyweights represent us).

An Overdue Addition

For a long time I’ve said that I don’t see why Major League Soccer looks only to Europe and South America for their big players. There are, I’ve reasoned, plenty of great players in Africa and Asia who could do just as well as the players from more traditional soccer nations. For proof, consider Bongokhule Hlongwane…and now his potential partner in Minnesota United’s attack South Korean Jeong Sang-Bin. (You may see his name written in another order, but as Koreans prefer to start with their family name, I’m going to respect that and repeat it here). At just 20 years old, he’s an exciting young addition to Minnesota and should offer a much needed goal scorer (knock on all the wood)

Player of the Week

This is another hard one, Michael Otou lifted Legon Cities out of the relegation scene. Cristian Canozales poured in the goals in one of the wildest games of the year. But we’re going to give it to someone who probably could have won recently, and just leave Michael and Cristian in the overdue camp for future awards. Miller Bolaños seems determined to stand above the pack in goal scoring. Luka Macjen and Juan Mera certainly haven’t made it easy for him, but if he continues to contribute all of the goals that Emelec gets, it will get a lot closer a lot faster than any of us anticipated.

Standings

We’re noticing some pretty stark separation here. Pubjab, Minnesota, and Emelec continue to dominate, but the middle of the table lags far, far behind them. Why? We have no earthly idea, so feel free to leave irrational conjectures in the comments area below!

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
Punjab–b	11	2	1	2.50	2.64	0.79
Minnesota	2	1	0	2,33	1.33	0.66
Emelec	3	0	1	2.25	1.50	0.75
Freiburg	6	4	8	1.22	1.33	1.78
Grenoble	7	4	10	1.19	0.95	1.19
Legon Cities	3	5	4	1.17	0.92	1.00
Alebrijes	3	4	5	1.08	1.67	1.58
Vozdovac	2	2	4	1.00	0.75	1.88
Ross County	2	3	6	0.82	1.09	1.18
Rosenborg	0	0	1	0.00	0.00	1.00
Montana–b	0	0	0	—	—	—

Table Updated 3/22/22
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Thursday, March 23rd

Friday, March 24th

Alebrijes de Oaxaca v. Atletico La Paz

Saturday, March 25th

Rosenborg v. Staebek (F)

Minnesota v. Vancouver (M)

Sunday, March 26th

Bayer Leverkusen v. Freiburg (F)

Great Olympics v. Legon Cities

Toulouse FC v. Grenoble Foot (F)

Monday, March 27th

Tuesday, March 28th

Cimmarones v. Alebrijes

Wednesday, March 29th

Week 11: Every Team Every Where All At Once

March 16, 2023March 16, 2023 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recaps

Juventus 1 – 0 Freiburg (M-Europa League)

It seemed for a while like Freiburg would get a draw against one of the legendary teams of Europe in that team’s legendary stadium. But Juve did what has made them a legendary team and found a way to win. Not all hope is lost, if Freiburg wins at home (and doesn’t allow Juve to score) they can advance.

Emelec 2 – 1 Deportivo Cuenca (M-Copa Sudamericano)

There was some joy in continental competition, as Emelec snagged another spot destined for an Ecuadorian team in the Southamerican version of the Europa league. Miller Bolanos capitalized on one of the best dummy runs you’ll ever see by Samuel Sosa. Bolanos also netted the winner after Cuenca had equalized from the penalty spot. It’s becoming a habit for him.

https://youtu.be/2k5B0WSAd64

Grenoble 2 – 1 Annecy (M)

After some underwhelming results, Grenoble got a key victory in the battle between the best sides in the French Alps. Mathias Phaeton made the most of his start up top, finding a way to work free and clear when the ball bounced into the box. Jordy Gaspar pegged an assist and a few crucial bits of defending to help Grenoble top their regional rivals.

Minnesota 1 – 1 NY Red Bulls

Bongokuhle Hlongwane got the Loons first goal in the snowy confines of St Paul, and after New York got even after a pressurized attack at the start of the second half, Minnesota had most of the opportunities to win. But as the score line shows…they didn’t.

Radnicki Nis 2 – 3 Vozdovac

The Dragons love clean sheets. They either take one (usually against the best teams in Serbia) or they enforce one (on pretty much anybody else). This marked only the fifth time in 26 matches this season that both teams scored. Given that they’ve won three, drawn one, and lost one, maybe they could play a little more aggressively and trust that the defense will see them through, especially as Milos Krunic was superb in goal throughout the first half. Mihajlo Neskovic continued his strong form with another goal, and Niska Vujanovic notched one that was drilled so hard he got offered a carpentry job.

Punjab FC 2 – 0 TRAU

It was a triumphant homecoming for Punjab as they finished off the I-League campaign lifting the trophy that they so richly deserved. They did take a little time to trounce their opponents before the party got underway, with (who else) Luka Macjen netting twice (including once from an “I dare you” chip shot) to complete a superb 12 match unbeaten run for the Warriors. (Enjoy the highlights and do stay for the award ceremony celebration)

Freiburg 2 – 1 Hoffenheim (M)

The best of the Black Forest looked to be heading for another underwhelming result in a week full of them, when Ristu Doan slashed a volley on a low cross and snatched a late winner. Freiburg continues to linger on the outer edges of the German title picture, so hopefully whatever happens against Juventus, they’ll be playing meaningful football for the next several months.

Saint Etienne 4 – 0 Grenoble (F)

The ladies of Grenoble struggled against an undefeated Saint Etienne side, as you might expect. Franny Arpine helped solidify the win for the top team in the table with an own goal. The loss drops Grenoble to 10th place in their league, but only 4 points separate them from 6th place…so…who knows.

Berekum Chelsea 1 – 0 Legon Cities

The Royals know…that things are really bleak. Another loss for Legon sees them drop into the relegation zone for Ghana’s Premier League. A year of refocusing may not be the worst thing, but we would sorely miss some of the elite talent that would likely look to leave as soon as the final whistle blows. (Of course there are still 13 matches to go, so things can change, it just doesn’t feel very optimistic around the Royals right now.

SGS Essen 2 – 1 SC Freiburg (F)

Adding to the pessimist punch bowl, the Frauen from Freiburg lost their perfect record against lower table teams when Essen broke out at the start of the second half. Worse there was also an early departure for Hasret Kayicki and general disarray for the attack.

Viking 2 – 0 Rosenborg (M-Cup)

Yes our Norwegian friends are back in action! And they’re also immediately out of it! Truthfully, the fact that Rosenborg’s last round of the Cup came back in June 2022, raises the question of how reliable any of this is. After all, they had time to sign a prolific striker, and sell him between the two rounds.

Emelec v. Tecnico Universitario (M): Postponed

The entire Ecuadorian league was put on a pause this weekend. (See the note below for more information and some total fiction)

Alebrijes 2 – 2 UDG

The first half was pretty tame, but when the skies opened up and rain started to fall in the second, the goals poured in as well (which isn’t too surprising given how poor both team’s defenses have been this season) Alebrijes took the lead, twice. They gave it back, twice. Julio Cruz and Ernesto Reyes got the goals and Octavio Paz (not the poet) gave them back. Still a point is a help for Alebrijes.

News & Notes

More interesting reasons Emelec’s game got cancelled

Choose for yourself the reason why Ecuador’s league was cancelled this week:

The League went on a special Turtle watching expidition in the Galapagos Islands (to learn your boys favorite spanish word: Tortuga!)
A truly terrible round of farts went through every locker room and no one could be near eachother.
The tv broadcasters asked for a rescheduling for undisclosed reasons
Queen Elsa of Arandelle froze every field and the league had to call in the super hot laser blasts of Iron Man to thaw it.

One of those reasons is true (hint: it’s the boring business one), the others should amuse my children. I know which I prefer.

Speaking of TV

For the first time in…well…ever…I watched the Loons on our TV downstairs. This was made possible by the Loons league making a new and stunning deal to put all their games on a computer streaming service rather than regular TV (which your mom and I stopped having). This is a new move in sports TV, while you can get some matches for some leagues in other countries on line (as we sometimes do with Freiburg), this is a big local league wide gamble. If it pays off you boys will probably never know another way of doing it. If not…well…this will be an odd bit of trivia.

Punjab Wins all the Awards

Most movie awards this weekend went to a oddball movie that involved hot-dog fingers, body slams, and googly eyes.

Best Ensemble (From Roundglass Punjab on Twitter)

Most Indian Hero League awards went to Roundglass Punjab, who celebrated their status as the top team in the league with awards for Best Goalie (Kiran Limbu), Best Midfielder (Juan Mera), Best Coach (Staikos Vergetis). And with his two goals Luka Macjen won both the Golden Boot (for most goals scored) and the league MVP (since they’re sponsored by Hero motorcycles, they named the MVP the “League Hero” award…because they’re clever)

Dayne St. Clair: Style All-Star

’nuff said

Support Local Soccer❗️@MNAuroraFC https://t.co/U6Y8n6l7R0 pic.twitter.com/yR1zwrayi5
— DSC (@SaintC17) March 14, 2023

Player of the Week

It’s hard to settle on a player of the week. While Punjab can rightly lay claim to another trophy, their win was more matter of fact than inspiring. Vozdovac got a great showing from their goalie to keep them in a tightly contested match, but I’m going to give the edge to Ritsu Doan who’s late goal made a huge impact on the mood around Freiburg (despite his goalless drought, he’s been so fundamental to making space for others–and for inspiring in the World Cup that I think he’s overdue for some recognition)

Standings

Rosenborg broke the streak of starting seasons with wins, and in so doing saved Ross County from dropping to the bottom of the table (just six more months until Montana kicks off!). Meanwhile Punjab again claimed the top spot but they won’t be resting on their laurels as the Indian Super Cup will kick off in April with more drama afoot and a chance to see RoundGlass against their future Super League rivals.

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
Punjab	11	2	1	2.50	2.64	0.79
Emelec	2	0	1	2.00	1.67	1.00
Minnesota	1	1	0	2.00	1.00	0.50
Freiburg	6	3	6	1.40	1.53	1.87
Grenoble	7	4	9	1.25	1.00	1.20
Vozdovac	2	2	3	1.14	0.71	1.71
Legon Cities	2	5	4	1.00	0.82	1.09
Alebrijes	2	4	5	0.91	1.27	1.45
Ross County	2	3	5	0.90	1.10	1.10
Rosenborg	0	0	1	0.00	0.00	1.00
Montana–b	0	0	0	—	—	—

Table Updated 3/15/22
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Thursday, March 16th

Freiburg v. Juventus (M-European Cup–Freiburg trails 1-0)

Friday, March 17th

Saturday, March 18th

Livingston v. Ross County

Cukariki v. Vozdovac

Sochaux v. Grenoble (M)

Delfin v. Emelec

Colorado v. Minnesota (M)

Sunday, March 19th

Freiburg v. Hoffenheim (F)

Legon Cities v. Aduana Stars

Mainz v. Freiburg (M)

Monday, March 20th

Tuesday, March 21st

Mineros v. Alebrijes

Wednesday, March 22nd

Week 10: One Happy Warrior and Ten Solemn Faces

March 9, 2023March 9, 2023 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recaps

Tapatio 1 – 1Alebrijes

Armando Gonzalez gave us reason to hope that Oaxaca could be on to a winning streak, but a penalty in the 66th minute gave it all back. So let’s keep rooting for an unbeaten streak!

Eintracht Frankfurt 4 – 1 SC Freiburg (F)

Fresh off their stirring Cup performance, the ladies of Freiburg struggled to connect against Frankfurt and suffered a disappointing defeat. Hasret Kayici netted an equalizer, but the Griffins continue to struggle against anyone above them in the table: (better than most, not at the same level as the others)

Rajasthan United 0 – 4 Punjab FC

Punjab put it beyond all doubt in their game against Rajasthan (who, for some reason, played their game in Delhi?). An early own goal (originally attributed to Chenchyo Geltsen) gave way to more and more from the attacking trio: Luka Macjen and Juan Mera got their own and there was no doubt that the Warriors would win the match and take the title!

Borussia Munchen Gladbach 0 – 0 Freiburg (M)

Mark Flekken did everything he was asked to do and more, as Freiburg got a point on the road. Gladbach was a little extra physical, and even though they went down to ten men before the end of the game, Freiburg couldn’t capitalize.

Ross County 0 – 2 Motherwell

Eomonn Brophy followed his sterling showing without doing much of anything. And when center back Jack Baldwin saw red with twenty minutes to play, it was not terribly promising. Sure enough Motherwell brought forward more attack and got the goals they needed to deny the hosts any points.

Dijon 1 – 0 Grenoble

Les Alpiners also had a bit of a hangover from their cup trip to Lyon last week, giving up a first half goal to Dijon and being forced to chase the match from there.

Legon Cities 1 – 1 Real Tamale

Any point is a positive point for Legon Cities, but losing the lead that Samuel Armah gave them with just seven minutes to play stings. They now sit above relegation based only on goal difference. Last time things were this close, it took a major penalty to a relegation rival to survive. Fingernails are getting short in Legon.

Yzeure Allier 2 – 0 Grenoble Foot (F)

There was little to enjoy about Grenoble’s match against their neighbor in the standings. Several ugly errors cost them dearly as Yzeure grabbed three valuable points, and the offense seemed unable to do anything against one of Ligue Deux’s worst defenses.

Vozdovac 0 – 0 Vojvodina

This was a soccer match. It happened. And, it kind of didn’t.

Orense 2 – 1 Emelec (M)

Despite going a man up within 5 minutes, Emelec could not find a way through Orense. In fact, they ended up being out maneuvered by their opponents and coughing up all the points to a shorthanded opposition.

Raya2Expansion 1 – 1 Alebrijes

Oaxaca was first off the mark (again). Armando Gonzalez provided the first half goal (again). But the defense faltered (again). hmm…is there a Time Machine about?

Note: this match is not included in the standings posted below

News & Notes

Boys Weekend!

Your mom went out of town to a yoga retreat for the weekend, so it was boys time! We had a nice time watching superhero movies and you were mightily impressive at cleaning up the house and packing your bags for a sleepover with grandma and grandpa. Once we were there, Alex built some daring marble races out of my old train set, and Owen hit grandpa’s soft toss all over the house (which is more than he let me do). Then you finished your Soccer Shots training program and celebrated both having medals! (HUZZAH Medals!)

The Conquering Warriors

There will be much more to say about Punjab FC’s victory in the I-League (trust me I’ve been writing a piece about it to post later this month), but suffice to say it feels pretty darn good. And I just watch the team!

The victory comes with hardware for the trophy case, yes; but it also comes with the promise of more exciting days to come. First in April, Punjab will be guaranteed a spot in the Super Cup (an event kind of like the World Cup, but only for Indian club sides). Then, next fall, they’ll join the top flight of Indian soccer: the Indian Super League (as long as they prove that they can financially manage it).

Not So Luck of the Draw

Freiburg’s cup opponents are…uh…good. First, the men step into the last 16 of the Europa League against a little team named Juventus: a team with 3 Europa Leagues already (as well as 9 Champions League finals). Then, in the German Cup, they go into the quarter final against Bayern Munich (the team that has 9 straight League titles and twenty cup titles). And the ladies, well, they’ll face RB Leipzig’s women side in the Semi-final of their tournament (the same Leipzig organization that beat the men last year in the final).

But Freiburg did win the second division. When has Juventus done that?!? (Never, they play in Italy…but still, I’m looking for hope)

Player of the Week

It wasn’t a great week for almost all our teams, but when it was good it was down right great! So let’s give a nod to a great goalkeeper well worthy of being the first keeper named this year: Kiran Limbu of the Punjabi champions: this one is for you.

Standings

Emelec’s stay at the top was brief, but Minnesota is still blocking Punjab’s path to the top…for now. (There is a match at home, but having seen them play in sub-zero snowy weather before, I’m not eager to repeat that experience.) Next week we’ll see if Rosenborg continues the trend of strong starts as the men have their first match of the year in the Norwegian Cup.

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
Minnesota	1	0	0	3.00	1.00	0.00
Punjab	10	2	1	2.46	2.69	0.85
Emelec	1	0	1	1.50	1.50	1.00
Freiburg	5	3	4	1.50	1.67	2.00
Grenoble	6	4	8	1.22	1.00	1.06
Legon Cities	2	5	3	1.10	0.90	1.10
Ross County	2	3	5	0.90	1.10	1.10
Alebrijes	2	2	5	0.89	1.22	1.44
Vozdovac	1	2	3	0.83	0.33	1.67
Rosenborg–b	0	0	0	—	—	—
Montana–b	0	0	0	—	—	—

Table Updated 3/8/22
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Thursday, March 9th

Juventus v. Freiburg (M-European Cup)

Emelec v. Deportivo Cuenca (M-South American Copa)

Friday, March 10th

Saturday, March 11th

Grenoble v. Annecy (M)

Minnesota v. NY Red Bulls

Sunday, March 12th

Radnicki Nis v. Vozdovac

Punjab FC v. TRAU

Freiburg v. Hoffenheim (M)

Saint Etienne v. Grenoble (F)

Berekum Chelsea v. Legon Cities

SGS Essen v. SC Freiburg (F)

Viking v. Rosenborg (M-Cup)

Emelec v. Tecnico Universitario (M)

Monday, March 13th

Tuesday, March 14th

Wednesday, March 15th

Alebrijes v. UDG

Week 9: Pouring Goals

March 2, 2023March 1, 2023 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recaps

Vozdovac 1 – 1 Mladost Lucani

The Dragons staged an impressive comeback thanks in part to a great goal from youngster Mihajlo Neskovic who netted after a perfectly placed headed pass from Borisav Burmaz.

Alebrijes 4 – 0 Correcaminos

Oaxaca found their scoring shoes at last! A full 40% of their goals this term came from the second 45 minutes of play, their best showing since the first half against Dorados a little under a month ago. The best of the bunch was probably Ernesto Reyes’ volley smash, but that might leave out the sensational play of Cristian Canozales who notched the first goal and two assists on absurd little fakes that seemed to break ankles and hearts in equal measure. (We’ll post Reyes’ goal below, but enjoy Canozales’ celebration as well)

Grenoble 0 – 0 Le Havre (M)

Ordinarily I make a “and that happened” joke, but this was a pretty fraught nil-nil. Le Havre tops Ligue 2 and hadn’t lost since August. But they couldn’t get past Brice Maubleu even on a penalty chance.

Dallas 0 – 1 Minnesota United

Coming into this season there was plenty of talk about how the Loons were so dependent on Emmanuel Reynoso that the Argentine’s absence would be the death knell of any Minnesota opportunities. Enter: Mender Garcia. The Colombian rampaged around Dallas’ area, providing a trap that set up one blast and hitting the rebound even harder. He might have had a second if not for a late tackle that truly looked dangerous to me. Add in Kervin Arriaga’s free kick blasts and the Loons were showing strong shots even without their talisman.

Ross County 4 – 0 Dundee United

Eamonn Brophy hasn’t exactly set Dingwall alight since he arrived on a loan in January, but this might have changed that, as two goals, an assist, and some absolute blasted attempts made the Stags look better than they have in ages over fellow relegation battlers Dundee United.

Punjab FC 8 – 0 Sudeva FC

Not to be out done, Punjab FC utterly smoked lowly Sudeva FC featuring a Juan Mera hat trick and five other goals to boost their point total and their goal difference.

Grenoble Foot 0 -2 Nice (F)

It might have been a bit of a hangover for Nicholas Delpine and his Haitian contingent coming back to a hard grinding league match after clinching World Cup qualification.

Freiburg 1 – 1 Bayern Leverkusen (M)

The Griffins always seem to struggle against Leverkusen, and with Vincenzo Grifo’s early goal to back them, they were quite happy to hunker down and soak up the pressure. Still, Bayern worked their way back into the match and split the points.

Volta Rangers 1 – 2 Legon Cities FC (CUP)

The Royals took the early lead thanks to Adu Medier, but sloppy defending gave Volta a life line in the second half. As is the way when tournament games end in a tie, they turned to Penalty Kicks and Legon got the results they needed to advance on to the next round.

Emelec 2 – 0 Libertad (M)

Miller Bolanos returned to Emelec and swiftly notched his first assist and his first goal for Los Bombillos since February 2016 (he had gotten 42 goals across Brazil, Mexico, and China in the interim.) The cheeky heel flick and the confident goal in stride made it clear, we’re going to like this going forward.

Lyon 2 – 1 Grenoble (M-Cup)

Les Grenobloises had an uphill climb to knock out the Lions of Lyon including a number of world class players. Matthais Phaeton and Jessy Benet didn’t look intimidated, but they also didn’t run the back line, and Lyon capitalized with two first half goals that led to a rare goalkeeping substitution in the second half for Grenoble. A consolation goal for Amine Sbai gave Grenoble a small lifeline, but even biased folks like me have to acknowledge the better team won.

FK Radnik Surdulica 2 – 0 FK Vozdovac

Borisav Burmaz’s second half red card turned the tide and gave Radnik the advantage it needed to push up and get not just one, but two goals to tame the dragons.

Carl Zeiss Jena FC 0 – 4 SC Freiburg (F-Cup)

The Frauen brought their A game to Jena and spread the wealth around ensuring that three different scorers (and one very ugly own goal) notched some credit in the Quarter final victory. The team’s incisive passing and clear communication gave them a big advantage on the unsteady and unsafe hands of Jena’s defense.

Punjab FC 3 – 1 Churchill Brothers

The Warriors rolled through the toughest match remaining on their schedule. Again the dynamic attack of Macjen, Mera, and Gyeltshen was formidable. Each one netted a goal, and the win vaulted Punjab even farther up the standings.

Legon Cities 1 – 1 Tamale United

Kofi Kordzi continues to have the best form of anyone on the Royals roster, but after years with with one of the best defenses in Ghana, Legon’s suspect back line has let them down. There’s nothing wrong with getting a point in a match, but it’s also disappointing after what they wanted to get.

News & Notes

Soccer Shots Shoot-out

For the first time MacKenzie boys took the field for the first time. Okay, the field was a gym and, by Owen’s account, Alex played and he hung out on the sideline dancing around. But still! You had fun, and that alone is celebration!

Immediately after that we got bombarded with snow and over the ensuing 5 day mini-vacation you discovered lots of other ways to play together, in particular fighting mummies (me) and throwing snowballs (at me). I’m awfully proud.

I-League Update

The biggest shift in the I-League didn’t come in a Punjab match. Instead, Deccan’s loss to Mohamadan SC in an absolute wild match, created a vital opening that Punjab promptly capitalized on. The monstrous 8-0 completely erased the goal difference deficit and put them firmly in the driver seat. As if that wasn’t enough, Deccan dropped more points by only getting a draw against 10 man Aizawl FC, and another win puts Punjab up by 5 points with two matches to play.

A win against Rajasthan, and Punjab can be sure of taking home this year’s trophy…set your alarms!

Electric Loons!

Emelec and Minnesota both kicked off this week, giving us 9 of the 11 teams in action. Both teams are in an unusual position to start the year. Emelec, having spent last season outside of the top tier of challengers, they have brought in a host of veterans to bolster their claim to the crown. Meanwhile Minnesota, operating without Emmanuel Reynoso, will need to try to find a way to win without having one man run the show.

Player of the Week

Jiminy Christmas! When it rains it absolutely pours great performances. Cristian Canozales, Kervin Arriaga, Eomon Brophy. But the huge week for Punjab puts them in the pole position for the award, and while I’d like to give it to Kiran Limbu’s dominance in goal, you can’t ignore the fact that Juan Mera scored as many goals ON HIS OWN, as every other team in our competition scored TOGETHER. So, Juan Mera, take a bow, and a plethora of points!

Standings

The early going of the season can often flatter folks. Emelec and Minnesota shouldn’t get too fond of their top of the table position, just ask Vozdovac who went from the top to the bottom in a few short weeks. After all, Punjab is clearly determined to top their own league, and maybe ours too.

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
Emelec	1	0	0	3.00	2.00	0.00
Minnesota	1	0	0	3.00	1.00	0.00
Punjab	9	2	1	2.42	2.58	0.92
Freiburg	5	2	3	1.70	1.90	2.00
Grenoble	6	4	6	1.38	1.13	1.00
Legon Cities	2	4	3	1.11	0.89	1.11
Ross County	2	3	4	1.00	1.22	1.00
Alebrijes	2	1	5	0.88	1.25	1.50
Vozdovac	1	1	3	0.80	0.40	2.00
Rosenborg–b	0	0	0	—	—	—
Montana–b	0	0	0	—	—	—

Table Updated 3/1/22
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Thursday, March 2nd

Tapatio v. Alebrijes

Friday, March 3rd

Eintracht Frankfurt v. SC Freiburg (F)

Saturday, March 4th

Rajastan United v. Punjab FC

Borussia Munchen Gladbach v. Freiburg (M)

Ross County v. Motherwell

Dijon v. Grenoble

Sunday, March 5th

Legon Cities v. Real Tamale

Vozdovac v. Vojvodina

Monday, March 6th

Tuesday, March 7th

Wednesday, March 8th

Raya2Expansion v. Alebrijes

Week 8: History!

February 22, 2023February 22, 2023 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recaps

Medeama SC 2 – 0 Legon Cities FC

Second only to the despair of losing to a team in mauve, will be the defensive miscues that led them there. The Royals can’t seem to pick their jaws up off the floor after they concede, and it has put them perilously close to relegation.

Kolubara 1 – 0 FK Vozdovac

The dragons responded to the beat down they got from Red Star with 80 minutes of strong defense. And then they lost anyway. They also shipped Nikola Vujnovic down the road from Minneapolis to Kansas City. But at least they have some nice gear in the team store!

Vfl Bochum 0 – 2 Freiburg (M)

Freiburg seemed to get their legs back underneath them after last week’s win. As ever it helps to have Christian Gunter and Vincenzo Grifo delivering the crosses.

St. Mirren 1 – 0 Ross County (M)

In what might have been the most frustrating game of a frustrating year for County fans, the stags ceded an early goal and then were utterly ineffective at making opportunities to equalize the game. The loss dropped them further down the table and set up a big game against fellow cellar dwellers Dundee United.

Caen 2 – 1 Grenoble (M)

A tenth minute goal by Mathais Phaeton gave Grenoble the advantage and set up a series of defensive gambits to try to preserve that lead. However, Caen simply provided too many challenges for an overtired backline and a late header gave the hosts the edge in winning the game.

Neroca FC 0 – 1 Punjab FC

Ajay Chhetri got the go ahead goal, and while we’d love to break it down more, it seems that the I-League’s highlights stream has been deleted from the interwebs. 😦 Apparently Kiran Limbu stood strong during the second half, so we’ll appreciate that.

News & Notes

Haiti (and Grenoble’s) History.

While Freiburg had players in friendly national team action for Austria, Switzerland and Germany, the real story was down in New Zealand where Nicholas Delpine, coach of Grenoble Foot 38 had several of his charges on side for Haiti’s playoff campaign to make the World Cup.

In the first match Maudeline Moreyl had a spot in the back and Jennyfer Limage and Sherly Jeudy started together in the midfield, and while Chelsea Surpris remained on the bench throughout it is hard to be dissatisfied with a 4-0 win over Cameroon.

Wednesday saw them face Chile with a berth in the Cup on the line and again saw Melchie Dumornay make the difference and while Jeudy and Limage were pretty quiet, there is no denying the joy and exhilaration that you can see on their faces as the final whistle blows.

So, all this to say, we have our new adopted team at the Women’s World Cup. Congratulations to Jeudy, Limage, Supris and coach Nicholas Delpine!

https://youtu.be/PuHYoQoS9vc

$17 and 90 minutes on the TGV?

Speaking of Grenoble, we want to plug the excellent deal that’s available for their next cup matches. That’s all it’s going to take for Grenoble fans who want to go to their side’s next matches in the Coupe de France. Both the Men and the Women have drawn Lyon (just a short ride northwest). The club that is a traditional power in French football (for both male and female divisions) will not be short of confidence heading into the matches, which will make an upset all the sweeter…even if it may come at the cost of Melchie Dumornay, who was recently signed to Lyon)

I-League Update

So, I can’t keep track of my own schedules. I’m not sure when I get tripped up on the timing of skating practice how I’ll be able to manage a whole league of balancing, but clearly I couldn’t.

What I said last week about Punjab and Sreenidi Deccan having three more matches was partly correct. They had three matches, and then they had two more that needed to be rescheduled. After each team played one this weekend, they have 4 left. One of those has yet to be rescheduled. So perhaps we should just focus on how the race is going rather than how it will go.

In that regard, not great for the guys in Orange. Their win over Neroca was good, but Deccan’s win gave them an extra goal cushion in the goal difference category. Squeaky bum time forthcoming.

Player of the Week

Tempting as it is to acknowledge Melchie Dumornay and all the historic success for Haiti, if we set the expectations that we will reward one of our 11 teams, it has to go to someone whose deserved it for a couple weeks…and years…and forever: Vincenzo Grifo!

Standings

Freiburg’s consistency has buoyed them up the standings again (Grenoble and Vozdovac’s slip-ups helped a bit) but right now Punjab continues to set a very lofty standard for everyone involved, though it’s yet to be seen if they get some hardware to go with it.

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
Punjab	7	2	1	2.30	2.00	1.00
Freiburg	4	1	3	1.63	1.75	2.38
Grenoble	6	3	4	1.62	1.31	1.00
Vozdovac	1	0	2	1.00	0.33	2.33
Legon Cities	1	3	3	0.86	0.71	1.14
Ross County	1	3	4	0.75	0.88	1.13
Alebrijes	1	1	5	0.57	0.86	1.71
Rosenborg–b	0	0	0	—	—	—
Minnesota–b	0	0	0	—	—	—
Montana–b	0	0	0	—	—	—
Emelec–b	0	0	0	—	—	—

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

What’s Next

Thursday, February 23rd

Vozdovac v. Mladost Lucani

Friday, February 24th

Volta Rangers v. Legon Cities FC (CUP)

Alebrijes v. Correcaminos

Saturday, February 25th

Grenoble v. Le Havre (M)

Ross County v. Dundee United

Sunday, February 26th

Punjab FC v. Sudeva FC

Freiburg v. Bayern Leverkusen (M)

Monday, February 27th

Emelec v. Libertad (M)

Tuesday, February 28th

Lyon v. Grenoble (M-Cup)

Wednesday, March 1st

Punjab FC v. Churchill Brothers

Legon Cities v. Tamale United

FK Radnik Surdulica v. FK Vozdovac

Week 7: Starting to Click

February 15, 2023February 15, 2023 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recaps

Gokulam FC 1 – 2 Punjab FC

It took a little help from Gokulam’s defender Pawan Kumar (who likely thought Luka Macjen was offsides), but help isn’t the worst thing in the world. Macjen’s late rebound was all they needed for Punjab to get a win. And more importantly, keep pace with Sreenidi Deccan.

FK Vozdovac 0 – 6 Red Star Belgrade

Early red card to Mateja Djordjevic didn’t make it easy for Vozdovac. It did make it easy for Red Star.

Freiburg 2 – 1 Vfb Stuttgart (M)

We got a chance to watch this game on tape delay on Sunday. Owen was supremely uninterested, and Alex was so invested that he begged to know the result so that he could feel better after Stuttgart got the lead. Two penalties against Dan-Axel Zangadou (who deserves first place in the name game) gave them a valuable lifeline, but Vincenzo Grifo was the one who grabbed it with both hands and carried them to a valuable derby win.

Grenoble 1 – 1 Pau (M)

Abdoulie Sanyang had to leave early and Pau capitalized before Grenoble could reorganize. But Jessy Bennet continued to thread the vital passes to challenge and also connected on the equalizer to salvage a draw

Albi Marsacc 1 – 0 Grenoble Foot (F)

Social media gave us more insight than usual before the match kicked off but it was still terribly short of highlights (as the score shows).

SC Frieburg 3 – 1 Meppen (F)

Janina Minge got die Frauen off to a fast start inside of two minutes. After a sloppy corner kick defense let Meppen tie the game up again, Meppen got a questionable call against Samantha Steuerwald, but Lena Nuding turned it aside to prove that the ball don’t lie. Freiburg finished it off with some great connections through the air including a lashed cross from striker Giovanna Hoffman, and a well spotted corner from Janina Minge.

Samartex 2 – 1 Legon Cities FC

The Royals weren’t able to get anything going offensively against a team that I 100% will call Smart-X well past the point of it being an honest mistake. Kofi Kordzi netted a late consolation goal, but the defeat dropped Legon to just one point above relegation. After building some consistency in recent years, trouble is brewing again on the Gold Coast.

Aizawal 0 – 1 Punjab FC

It took a while and Aizawal finally coming out of their shell but Chencho Gyeltsen made the difference, just as we had always hoped he would. The win on a typical Chencho impossible angle helped the Warriors keep pace with the Delhi side, but the title increasingly looks like it will depend on goal difference. (But after Kiran Limbu’s performance, there may still be a chance)

Alacranes 1 – 1 Alebrijes

After back to back losses, Alebrijes got a result, their first road point of the season. Armando Gonzalez got the vital goal to equalize and salvage the points

News & Notes

Looking ahead

Punjab and Sreenidi Deccan both have 3 matches left. In theory, both teams have winnable games against lower level teams and one final match against a top five opponent (Churchill Brothers for Punjab and Aizawal for Deccan).

At present Sreenidi Deccan has the lead on goal difference. That difference is four goals…which is the same number the Delhi-wallahs won by when they hosted Punjab earlier on in 2023. There’s plenty of pressure on Punjab who will need a big result to catch up and earn promotion to the top of India’s league system.

Losing a Loon

Emanuel Reynoso has been instrumental in the Loons trips to the playoffs…he has led the team on the field and occasionally been the only functioning part of the midfield. He has a nice new contract, but he still hasn’t shown up to train for the next season despite the fact that Minnesota has been in both Florida and California to prepare (not exactly dealing with the sleet). Some are suggesting that this has to do with some nasty business a few years ago when Reynoso was accused of assaulting a teenager. Whatever the case, the team and the league aren’t having it and Reynoso (and that nice new salary) have been suspended.

On the plus side, Minnesota did add a veteran attacker from Liga MX in Miguel Tapias!

Player of the Week

It was a very good week for Freiburg, with the Cup win right before we published last week, the comeback win for the men and the dominant showing for the women. It makes sense to reward a Freiburg player, and we feel like Janina Minge is the most worthy. Wunderbar Janina!

From dfb.de (The German Federation Website)

Standings

Both Grenoble and Vozdovac settled down a bit this week allowing the consistently strong Punjab to build their lead at the top of this table.

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
Punjab	6	2	1	2.22	2.11	1.11
Grenoble	6	3	3	1.75	1.33	0.92
Vozdovac	1	0	1	1.50	0.50	3.00
Freiburg	3	1	3	1.43	1.17	2.83
Legon Cities	1	3	2	1.00	0.83	1.00
Ross County	1	3	3	0.86	0.86	1.00
Alebrijes	1	1	5	0.57	0.86	1.71
Rosenborg–b	0	0	0	—	—	—
Minnesota–b	0	0	0	—	—	—
Montana–b	0	0	0	—	—	—
Emelec–b	0	0	0	—	—	—

Table Updated 2/15/22
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Thursday, February 16th

Friday, February 17th

Medeama SC v. Legon Cities FC

Saturday, February 18th

Vfl Bochum v. Freiburg (M)

St. Mirren v. Ross County (M)

Kolubara v. FK Vozdovac

Caen v. Grenoble (M)

Sunday, February 19th

Monday, February 20th

Neroca FC v. Punjab FC

Tuesday, February 21st

Wednesday, February 22nd

Week 5: Clicking or Sputtering

February 8, 2023February 9, 2023 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recaps

Nimes 0 – 2 Grenoble (M)

All hail the conquering hero of Jessy Benet whose return to the Alps has bolstered Matthais Phaeton in the midfield led to a more organized Grenoble side. With new confidence in their approach, the Alpiners are 3 points off of promotion to the top flight of French football again.

FK Radnicki 1923 0 – 1 FK Vozdovac

Our boys in Belgrade made their return to the field this weekend, and despite a shift in their defensive corps, they remained solid at the back in pushing back an insistent and aggressive Radnicki. The dragons didn’t have many chances, but Milos Pantovic converted the penalty after a foolish foul and that was all they needed.

SC Freiburg 0 – 4 VfL Wolfsburg (F)

Ouch…well hopefully the men did…

Dortmund 5 – 1 Freiburg (M)

Ooof….never mind. There are still only 6 points between Freiburg and the top of the table, but they’ll need to get some things sorted out (particularly in the defense) if they’re going to challenge instead of fade away.

Rangers 2 – 1 Ross County

Jordan White gave the Staggies a glimmer of hope against the mighty ‘Gers in Glasgow, but it was snuffed out in the end. The Stags have a promising spine in White, Dhanda and Kenneh, but where the rest of the midfield goes remains a question (especially after Eamonn Brophy was dropped after a miserable first half).

Sudeva FC 1 – 1 Punjab FC

It was a heart breaker, with Luka Macjen putting the warriors ahead courtesy of Chenchyo Geltsyen’s incisive pass it took a last second goal from Sudeva to drop the points. Worse, the tense and chippy atmosphere led to a post whistle red card for defender Huidrom Singh. With 5 matches left, Punjab is in a dead heat with Sreenidi Deccan, and promotion will be on the line.

Legon Cities FC 3 – 1 King Faisal

We have to say, there are few things as fun as Legon Cities in fine form, and that’s what we finally got to see against King Faisal this last weekend. Jonah Attaquye got the first from a solid free kick opportunity just outside the box. The Royals kept the pressure high through the next half until the frenetic final 10 minutes including a Felix Hammond chip and a mammoth free kick from Nasiru Moro. It was a wild but joyous pile on for the Royals, and while it might be expected against a relegation area side in King Faisal, they’re all valuable.

Grenoble Foot 3 – 3 Montauban (F)

The ladies of Grenoble got back in business as well. The were strong right out of the gate with a goal from Jade Decilap straight away after kick off. They held firm and added two more to have a 3-1 lead with 15 minutes to play. Then a poor challenge from defender Elsa Domenjoud gifted Montauban a penalty and reduced the ladies to 10 players. It still took a desperation shot at the end of the match for Montauban to get the draw and spoil the return. Still, hope is high for further progress among the Grenobloises

Sandhausen 0 – 2 Freiburg (M-Cup)

Sandhausen opted to bunker down and absorb everything that Freiburg could throw their way, and it almost paid off with a big cup win. Notice, I said “almost”.

Despite the long defensive slog thrown up by the second division side, Freiburg finally broke through with Phillip Leinhart’s goal that bounced off a Sandhausen defender. After a great block by Lucas Holer, they got another from super sub Nils Peterson to put it beyond doubt, and so, for the second time in two years: Freiburg is headed to the quarterfinals of the Cup.

https://youtu.be/bBJgCs4dG1k

Vierzon FC 0 – 1 Grenoble (M-Cup)

More surprising, the same can be said about the Alpiners! Grenoble has reached the final 8 of the Coupe de France (albeit by beating the underdog darlings of Vierzon FC…not to be confused with Verizon FC…which has marginally less coverage than the third division French side). Loic Nestor delivered the winner after Grenoble besieged their opponent’s goal, and the triumph will put them into a conflict with slightly more prestigious sides.

Alebrijes 0 – 3 CD Tepatitlan de Morelos

An early red card was enough to put Oaxaca at a disadvantage, but two more in stoppage time is true commitment to recklessness.

This result is not reflected in the standings

News & Notes

Your Uncle Simon bests me in golf (both real and imaginary)

Your Uncle Simon is about to be a dad in his own right, so he and I had our own brother bonding time, not unlike yourselves…only with less headlocks that lead to someone running into their room and slamming the door.

An accomplished video game player and golfer, he had a clear advantage in Mario Golf. Still, it was good fun just to joke with him in a game. And I even beat him (on one hole…by one stroke…because the game had a glitch)

Jet-Setting

The biggest club competitions in the world are kicking off again. The Club World Cup in Morocco pits the continental champions from each part of the world against one another. And given that Minnesota United lost to Seattle twice last year, I think it’s fair to say that we’ probably have lost in the Semi-finals just like Seattle did.

And Europe’s elite club competitions (The Champions, Europa, and Conference Leagues) will also kick back into gear this month. Freiburg is our only side still in the hunt (as they have been since last fall) so let’s all knock on some wood.

Player of the Week

At the risk of making this space a Grenoble Appreciation segment, the truth is les Grenobloises are in a groove and its hard to ignore their strong work. This week, we’ve got to tip the hat to Matthaias Phaeton for leading the attack both with distribution and delivery.

Standings

Vozdovac is at the top! (Well they only have 1 match under their belts, so there’s a limited sample size) but even though Punjab has faltered, Grenoble has tied them and has to hope that the ladies give them an added boost.

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
Vozdovac	1	0	0	3.00	1.00	0.00
Punjab	4	2	1	2.00	2.29	1.29
Grenoble	6	2	2	2.00	1.50	0.90
Legon Cities	1	3	1	1.20	0.80	0.80
Freiburg	2	1	3	1.17	1.17	2.83
Ross County	1	3	3	0.86	0.86	1.00
Alebrijes	1	0	4	0.50	1.00	1.60
Rosenborg–b	0	0	0	—	—	—
Minnesota–b	0	0	0	—	—	—
Montana–b	0	0	0	—	—	—
Emelec–b	0	0	0	—	—	—

Table Updated 2/8/22
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Thursday, February 9th

Golukam FC v. Punjab FC

Friday, February 10th

Saturday, February 11th

FK Vozdovac v. Red Star Belgrade

Freiburg v. Vfb Stuttgart (M)

Grenoble v. Pau (M)

Sunday, February 12th

SC Frieburg v. Meppen (F)

Samartex v. Legon Cities FC

Albi Marsacc v. Grenoble Foot (F)

Monday, February 13th

Aizawal v. Punjab FC

Tuesday, February 14th

Wednesday, February 15th

Alacranes v. Alebrijes

Week 4: The Big 4 – 0

February 2, 2023February 5, 2023 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recaps

Punjab FC 2 – 0 Real Kashmir

We don’t take enough time to appreciate Brandon Vanlalremdika the little magician who manages to make a whole heap of Punjab’s surging attack possible. He got a goal and continued to thread expert passes throughout Punjab’s latest win, all the more impressive when you see how physically manhandled he was by their north-western rivals.

Legon Cities 1 – 3 Bechem United

Things started out well for the Royals with Alex Aso’s first goal for the club, but the normally formidable back line became too leaky and Bechem capitalized

Freiburg 3 – 1 Augsburg (M)

Freiburg got back on track with a stirring showing at home, and they were led by a strong showing from their Austrian contingent. Michael Gregoritsch scored the opener, and Phillip Leinhart offerd both lock down defense and a strong head to convert the finishing goal in the 85th minute.

Ross County 3 – 0 Kilmarnock

The Staggies found their scoring shoes before this game and suddenly looked like a team transformed. They developed a clearer game plan built on break aways and crosses (boosted by a slightly staggered Killie defense). It also helped that Nohan Kenneh, newly arrived from Hibernian managed to connect the dots for two different goals as Jordan White and Yan Dhanda started to synch up in their attack.

Grenoble 0 – 1 SC Bastia (M)

Grenoble will rue their missed opportunities on the day, as their nine shots produced nothing of note, and a late winner from SC Bastia cost them very winnable points.

Grenoble 1 – 0 Quevilly (M)

Which is why it is so gratifying to see them come back and get all the credit against Quevilly. While the shorthanded squad fielded a lot of reserves, they did send out returning favorite Jessy Benet and (quelle surprise) he scored the winner. As the rest of the attacking force comes out there will be high hopes to keep climbing the table.

Ross County 1 – 1 Hibernian

The Staggies got another positive result against the surging Hibs in Dingwall. Hibs controlled much of the game and at times the County midfield and defense looked over run (particularly when the back line made a particularly poor decision that gifted Hibs their goal). But all it takes is one sterling moment, and that’s exactly what they got when Yan Dhanda lashed a gorgeous corner kick that befuddled everyone and levelled the score.

Kenkre FC 3 – 3 Punjab FC

It wasn’t looking brilliant for the Punjabi Warriors against lowly Kenkre. They gave up two early goals and were suddenly chasing the game. But then, they absolutely ran their opponents down into the dirt with Chenchyo Geltshen and Luka Macjen in fine flow together at the top. An own goal gave them the lead…but then they promptly gave it back and played out the rest of the match in a stale mate.

Hearts of Oak 0 – 0 Legon Cities

The Royals can count this as a moral victory after playing much of the second half down to 10 men. But moral victories aren’t quite as valuable in the table as actual ones (Legon only has 1 in their last 8 matches)

Tlaxcala 3 – 1Alebrijes

Julio Cesar Cruz got the lone goal after Tlaxcala got out to a fast start. It’s shaping up to be another arduous campaign for Oaxaca.

News & Notes

Your Dad is getting Old

I turned 40 last week. And I felt great. Then, while arranging a fight between Captain America (Alex), Moana (Owen), and a dragon (me) I slipped on the stairs and crashed down a whole flight of them. So, I feel lots of pain, and suddenly 40 isn’t quite so great.

USA-USA-USA Update

Samuel Rogers got 18 minutes worth of time with the US Men’s National Team, which is 18 more than almost everyone else in the country. He connected all ten of his passes, but wasn’t able to take the ball away from Colombian opponents. It wasn’t quite announcing his presence with authority, but he can keep working himself into the conversation as time goes on.

Transfer Tips

The transfer window closed for the winter on Tuesday, with only a few more minor moves of note: County added another pair of strikers in Eamon Brophy and Simon Murray (both of whom are quite familiar with the Scottish league) and brought on two less familiar faces in loan deals with Wigan Athletic with attacker Josh Stones and defender Gwion Edwards respectively.

The Loons also brought in a new player in Sweden’s Mikael Marques, a young defender. I’m not sure how much he’ll actually play having made the jump from the second tier of Sweden into the top US League, but we’ll be happy to see him all the same.

Dragons Take Wing Again

This weekend sees the kick off of the Serbian Primere League’s season. There will be three more months of matches and then, hopefully, Vozdovac will be in the championship play off looking towards the next stage of qualification for a European tournament. But to get there they’ll need to grow more as a team and learn to live without iron man defenders Stefan Hajdin, and Milos Milovic. In their wake has come former local starlet Damjan Danicic, back to his roots, and younger attacker Haris Kadric

Player of the Week

We might have been open to some debate before, but the corner kick sealed it beyond any doubt: Yan Dhanda, take a bow!

Standings

Much as we admire Freiburg, this was not the ideal week to kick off their 2023, as they slide in below even the equally unsteady Ross County and Oaxaca. Meanwhile, despite their defeat, Punjab continues to show serious strength at the top of the table (even if they are no loner perfect)

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
Punjab	4	1	1	2.17	2.50	1.33
Grenoble	4	1	2	1.86	1.29	0.86
Freiburg	1	1	1	1.33	1.33	2.67
Ross County	1	3	2	1.00	0.83	0.83
Legon Cities	0	3	1	0.75	0.75	0.75
Alebrijes	1	0	4	0.50	1.00	1.60
Rosenborg–b	0	0	0	—	—	—
Minnesota–b	0	0	0	—	—	—
Vozdovac–b	0	0	0	—	—	—
Montana–b	0	0	0	—	—	—
Emelec–b	0	0	0	—	—	—

Table Updated 1/12/22
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Thursday, February 2nd

Friday, February 3rd

Nimes v. Grenoble (M)

Saturday, February 4th

FK Radnicki 1923 v. FK Vozdovac

SC Freiburg v. VfL Wolfsburg (F)

Dortmund v. Freiburg (M)

Rangers v. Ross County

Sunday, February 5th

Sudeva FC v. Punjab FC

Legon Cities FC v. King Faisal

Grenoble Foot v. Montauban (F)

Monday, February 6th

Tuesday, February 7th

Sandhausen v. Freiburg (M-Cup)

Wednesday, February 8th

Vierzon FC v. Grenoble (M-Cup)

Alebrijes v. CD Tepatitlan de Morelos