Dear Kids,
Things are hard.
Truthfully they’re always hard.
I started writing these notes to you when Owen was still small enough to fit in the crook of my arm, and Alex’s favorite activity was chasing the vacuum cleaner, and while that seemed simple…handling both of you (and a vacuum cleaner)…navigating a pandemic was not.
Dear Kids,
It has stayed hard.
Through murder, unrest, insurrection, division, deceit, venality, corruption, and now an armed invasion again (and that’s just in our country…never mind the terror, invasion, and war crimes abroad), things are hard, have been hard, and will likely remain hard.
When everything is hard, it is so easy to get discouraged, to get mean, to get angry and cold (especially in Minnesota in January), which is why I take heart from the little things.
Ross County is in a hard place. They are struggling to get points of any kind. They have conceded more goals than any other team in their division this year, and they look likely to be demoted for the second straight year.
So Alex Iacovitti didn’t need to do this. He could have just let the ball go past again…let the team lose 2-0 instead of 1-0. But he did what he could, he threw himself into the situation and managed to help. Iacovitti’s play is sweet…and a very tiny glimmer of the energy and effort that we and our neighbors are throwing at the situation in Minnesota now.
As federally endorsed officials attempt to detain and expel other Minnesota residents, we have seen senseless brutality and violence. But, I also see breathtaking effort, love and care when your mom and so many others stand in the freezing cold to keep kids safe on their way into your school. I see it in your aunt and uncle fundraising and gathering groceries for other families in their day care. I even see it in the two of you making posters to protest and tease the officials who are imposing their interests on our community.
I don’t know if Alex Iacovitti would be with us in lending help and support to the people in need. But I know that I love living and working with a bunch of people who would, no matter how bad things are, rush back to try to clear an attack away.
Results
Freiburg
Herren: W 3- D 1- L 1; GF: 7/GA:6
Frauen: W 0 – D 0 – L 1; GF 0/GA: 1
Grenoble:
Hommes: W 0 – D 1 – L 2; GF: 2/ GA: 6
Femmes: W 2 – D 0 – L 1; GF 4/GA: 3
Legon Cities:
Premier Team: W 1- D 0 – L 3; GF 4/GA: 7
Divison 1 Team: W 2- D 0 – L 2; GF: 6/GA: 10
Ross County
Lads: W 2 – D 0 – L 2; GF 3/GA: 3
Lasses: W 0 – D 0 – L1; GF 1/ GA: 2
Alebrijes
W 0 – D 1 – L 1; GF: 1/GA: 4
Notable Players
Freiburg leads the charge out of the gate in our 2026 season, with Vincenzo Grifo (big shock) being a talisman in attack; Goalie Noah Atubolu stopping both Hamburg and Koln; Matthias Ginter and Christian Gunter offer goal opportunities in the defense (attack and pk to fight back).
Grenoble sits second with a big pair of goals of the bench getting the ladies in to the round of sixteen before the bowed out to Strasbourg. But we’ll also tip a cap to Claudia Fabre who got the winner against Guingamp and Gaetan Paquiez who saved the day in defense before sending in two assists to steal a point against Pau.
Ross County’s Alex Iacovitti has already gotten his flowers, but we’ll also shout out Jay Henderson whose two goals gave the Stags their first win in the league since October. And honorary mentions to the last teams on our list including Rauf Muna with two goals to get the Wonder Royals their first points in six attempts, and Jair Cortes delivering a late equalizer against Cancun.
Looking Ahead
The biggest item on my horizon is finding out if your uncles and I will be attending a World Cup match in Philadelphia this summer. But we’ll also watch as each of these teams builds into fuller form and Minnesota United kicks off their new season with a change in veterans, goalies, and even coaches, while Punjab (maybe) kicks off (maybe) on Valentine’s Day (unless something weird happens…which with Indian soccer…it will)
Standings
| Team | W | D | L | PPG | GFA | GAA |
| Freiburg | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1.86 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Grenoble | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1.67 | 1.00 | 1.50 |
| Ross County | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1.20 | 0.80 | 1.00 |
| Legon Cities | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1.25 | 1.00 | 2.13 |
| Alebrijes | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.50 | 0.50 | 2.00 |
| Emelec–b | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Montana–b | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Rosenborg–b | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Minnesota–b | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Vozdovac–b | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Punjab–b | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
b–Team is between seasons
x–Team is finished playing for 2025
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