Week 21: The End is Nigh

May 25, 2023May 25, 2023 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recaps

Vfl Wolfsburg 4 – 1 SC Freiburg (F–Cup FINAL)

It was not a great start for the Freiburg frauen, but Janina Minge struck an excellent header before the half time whistle to give Freiburg something to dream about. Then Wolfburg did a lot of Wolfburg things all throughout the second half….but thanks for the 20+ minutes of dreaming Janina

Grenoble 1 – 1 Rodez (M)

While Rodez got the first goal, 22 year-old midfielder Baptiste Isola got the equalizer and the Grenoble defensive juggernaut of Mathys Tourraine and Adrien Monfray contained the action there after.

Freiburg 2 – 0 Wolfsburg (M)

Der Herr von Freiburg got revenge on Wolfsburg the day after the cup final. Roland Sallai delivered both assists, and Nils Peterson scored an emotionally charged goal in the strong showing from Freiburg continuing to put pressure on opponents to seal their spot in Europe.

Motherwell 1 – 0 Ross County

The Staggies were in fine shape throughout the match, holding off a Motherwell side that’s the class of the relegation league. Then a late red card and an ugly penalty gave Motherwell the opening they needed to take all three points and arrest the Ross County momentum.

Bechem United 2 – 0 Legon Cities

Bechem United’s two strikes in the first half were more than William Essu could handle. We’ll see how Legon does with the pressure going forward

Universidad Catolica 3 – 2 Emelec

Los Bomillos have not had their usual swagger this spring, as again is evidenced by the penalty ceded to Universidad early on. From there, chasing the matchdid not work out well, and though Alejandro Cabeza and Jhon Sanchez got consolations later on, it wasn’t particularly close.

Portland Timbers 0 – 1 Minnesota (M)

Add another verse to the legend of Bongokhule Hlongwane! Most of this match featured strong defense (thanks again Michael Boxall) and midfield action limiting quality chances. It took until stoppage time to get a goal on the board, and when it came it came from the man who has been at the center of the action for seemingly months: The one they call Bongi.

SC Freiburg 1 – 3 FC Koln (F)

Die Frauen had a hard go of it against Koln (after having an unpleasant experience in Koln during the final earlier in the week). Falling behind quickly led to a four player swap out at half time. And while that did again reward one of our favorite players in Hasret Kayici (who scored in her appearance), it was an underwhelming outing to say the least.

Rosenborg 6 – 0 Avaldsnes (F)

Sometimes, it seems like Rosenborg is working overtime to keep up with the growing intensity of the Toppseiren. Sometimes, it looks like they’re toying with kids. This was a time to toy with others. The Jo-Jos (which is a nickname that looks like a Trader Joe’s cookie, but would be pronounced like one of your favorite spinning toys), Emilie Joramo and Anna Joesendal each scored, and there was a brace from defender Sara Horte to close out the scoring (which seems a little unfair as Horte is approximately 12 feet taller than everyone else…okay that’s a bad approximation, but I’m serious, she dominated).

Vozdovac 1 – 1 Cukaricki

This was a wild one. The opening goal for Cukaricki wasn’t terribly shocking, but then came the second half. It started two goals awarded, and then drawn back for very narrow offsides calls. A series of aggressive tackles led to a red card for Cukaricki (that even I as a Vozdovac supporter, don’t fully believe). And then came a 90th minute equalizer from Danilo Teodorovic that slipped through the other side’s packed back line. Until the final touch: an empty net opportunity for Vozdovac….that they whiffed on.

The score doesn’t tell the whole story.

Grenoble Foot 3 – 1 Yzeure Allier (F)

Melanie Charber and Florsie Joseph struck again to let les Iserois close out their home schedule with a strong win. That makes it 5 in a row for the ladies of the mountains, and with one match left, they can hold their heads high however it turns out

Houston Dynamo 4 – 0 Minnesota United (M-Cup)

The Loons had an ugly outing in the last sixteen of the US Open Cup. After beating Philadelphia in a thrilling match, going to Houston might have been a let down, but maybe not a Kervin-Arriaga-gets-a-first-half-red-card-and-the-team-is-too-short-handed-to-stop-Houston’s attack, sized let down.

Trygg Lade 0 – 1 Rosenborg (M–Cup)

Agon Sadiku struck early and Rosenborg had everything they needed to beat the little neighbor kids from down the road in Trondhiem. Would have been nice if they’d taught that to the bigger kids (including Uncle Matt) who whooped me in every competition imaginable.

Ross County 3 – 3 St. Johnstone

It sure seemed like Ross County saw how wild Vozdovac’s game got and promptly decided, “hey, hold my dram”. The match started out with a St. Johnstone taking advantage of some miscues and opening up a two goal lead. When suddenly, shockingly, County roared back. A penalty of their own opened the scoring, then Jordan White equalized and then, in the 90th minute, Jack Baldwin got the glorious go-ahead goal for joyous celebrations from the Jail End supporters, and then…after five minutes of stoppage time, St. Johnstone leveled it up again!

Minnesota Aurora 5 – 0 Rochester FC (F)

This was much more comfortable than the wildness of Dingwall earlier in the day. Cat Rapp found the net twice and Maya Hansen continued to show strong form at the top of the attack. Rochester’s new to this, but it was a pretty impressive day none the less.

News & Notes

Our Boy is a Number 10!

After his first soccer practice, Alex came home with a number 10 jersey. I immediately imagined him becoming the American Messi, or better still an American Attaquaye. In reality, he grabbed a shirt from a pile, and he was much happier revealing his shin guards than anything else. So, everybody wins. (He also just graduated from Pre-school, or as he put it “I’m going to Kindergarten and then on and on and on and on”).

Griz Soccer Schedule

Most teams just look at the schedule to see when they play their fiercest rivals, and how the sequence of matches could play out. But college sports are a special (strange) beast. In addition to playing the teams in your league (or conference) you have to fill out your schedule by playing other sides. So a team like Montana, which consistently challenges for the top of the conference can go one of three routes: book a bunch of fairly easy games to have an even better record and show off, book a bunch of hard games against teams to raise your level, or mix the two approaches together.

Coach Chris Citowicki consistently chooses the third option, but has leaned more and more on the harder games. To wit, this year sees the Griz taking on some of the top teams in the Big Ten conference (which actually has like 14 members, but…I digress). This season the Griz will host both Ohio State and the University of Maryland, and go on the road against Oregon State and Oklahoma. There are also matches in the blood feud against North Dakota schools (our dinosaur sites are better than your dinosaur sites!) and the Brawl of the Wild substitute against MSU-Billings near the end of August.

Big news of the day, Part II: You can get your season tickets today!

Purchase here: https://t.co/COOLQ8PstB pic.twitter.com/YDL7STBp56
— Montana Griz Soccer 🐻⚽️ (@MontanaGrizSOC) May 18, 2023

Vielen Dank, Nils!

Nils Peterson is something of a cult hero in Freiburg. He has an uncanny knack for scoring vital goals in the limited time he spends on the pitch. But Peterson’s decided to retire at the end of the season. So, in the final home match of this season, playing in front of the fans who love him, scoring one more time, was a special way to end a career. We only started watching comparatively recently, but we can’t help but agree: thank you Nils!

Down to the wire

As May comes to a close, so too do most of the leagues we follow. This weekend will see the end of the Bundesliga and French Ligue-2s (both for men and women), the Scottish Premiership, and Serbian Premier League. There’s not a lot of drama in these for our sides as both Grenoble teams, and Vozdovac are set for solid but not superb mid-table finishes. Freiburg is guaranteed more European football next year, but doesn’t know yet if they’ll be in the top dog Champion’s League or the Best of the Rest Europa League (given how they performed against the top four in Germany and Juventus, another year in the Europa league feels right). The greatest drama lies in Dingwall, where the Staggies will face Kilmarnock, and after the action on Wednesday, it will mean that a Staggies win will see them safe and Killie into the relegation playoff. A draw or a loss by itself would put County in the relegation playoffs. And a loss coupled with a Dundee United win over Motherwell might (depending on goal totals) push County down to the second tier of Scottish soccer.

The Tightest League no one is talking about

While things are pretty calm in the leagues that end this weekend, that’s not he case in Ghana’s Bet Pawa Premier League. Coming into this weekend’s slate of games, 16 of 18 teams were still at risk of relegation, and 12 teams were still in mathematical contention for the title….which means seven teams could have either won or been knocked out with a month to play. (These numbers will adjust a bit with each week, so we’ll keep an eye on it to see if the drama holds to the very end)

UPDATE: After this weekend’s matches, 9 teams can win the league (not Legon *tear*), and 14 teams can join Kotoku Royals in going down (including the Royals *eep*)…3 matches to go!

Player of the Week

Anna Josensdal was in complete control for Rosenborg this weekend. Though the Kvinner ran out winners with a lot of excellent performances, Josensdal running the show from midfield was a huge factor (and the two goals didn’t hurt either).

Standing

I’m sneaking in this writing after everyone else has gone to bed…tabulating points per game seems a little farther than I’m willing to go…this will be updated in the morning.

Okay, Update time: With another win, the ladies of Grenoble have kept the good times rollingand moved themselves comfortably into fourth place for the moment. The United Minnesota force of the Loons and Aurora nearly caught up with Rosenborg, but then the cup ties happened and the Trolls inched up closer to Punjab.

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
Punjab–b	12	2	3	2.24	2.29	0.94
Rosenborg	10	5	5	1.75	1.50	0.70
Minnesota	8	3	6	1.59	1.35	1.29
Grenoble	15	5	15	1.43	1.23	1.11
Legon Cities	7	7	7	1.33	1.19	1.24
Freiburg	12	7	17	1.19	1.22	1.67
Emelec	4	4	6	1.14	1.14	1.21
Alebrijes–b	5	5	8	1.11	1.33	1.39
Ross County	5	4	10	1.00	1.21	1.42
Vozdovac	4	3	10	0.88	0.65	1.65
Montana–b	0	0	0	—	—	—

Table Updated 5/25/22
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Thursday, May 25th

Huruacan v. Emelec (M–Confederation Cup)

Friday, May 26th

Valenciennes v. Grenoble (M)

Saturday, May 27th

Frankfurt v. Freiburg

Valerenga v. Rosenborg BK (F)

Partizan Belgrade v. Vozdovac

Minnesota v. Real Salt Lake (M)

Sunday, May 28th

Vfl Wolfsburg v. SC Freiburg (F)

Kilmarnock v. Ross County

Legon Cities v. Hearts of Oak

Vozdovac v. Cukaricki

Le Puy Foot v. Grenoble Foot (F)

Monday, May 29th

Brann v. Rosenborg (M)

Emelec v. Guayaquil City (M)

Tuesday, May 30th

Wednesday, May 24th

Austin FC v. Minnesota (M)

Ross County v. St. Johnstone

Minnesota Aurora v. Rochester FC (F)

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 7: More than One Goal is Showing Off

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

Results

Ross County 1 – 1 Livingston

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

Alebrijes 1 – 0 Venados

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

Freiburg 0 – 3 Bayern Munich [F]

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

Freiburg 1 – 1 Mainz [M]

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

Grenoble 1 – 3 Sochaux[M]

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

Kolubara 1 – 0 Vozdovac [M]

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

Grenoble Foot 1 – 0 Thonon Evian [F]

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

Legon Cities FC 1 – 0 King Faisal

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

Grenoble 1 – 0 Niort [M]

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

News & Notes

Catching up with Rosenborg

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

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

Vitals on Vozdovac

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

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

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

Player of the Week

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

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

Standings Update

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

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

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

What’s Next

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

Cimarrones v. Alebrijes

Thursday, February 17th

Friday, February 18th

Emelec v. CSD Macara [M]

Saturday, February 19th

Hibernian v. Ross County

Augsburg v. Freiburg [M]

Nimes v. Grenoble [M]

Sunday, February 20th

Vozdovac v. Radniki Nis

Grenoble Foot v. Yzeure Allier [F]

Monday, February 21st

Tuesday, February 22nd

Mineros v. Alebrijes

Week 19: Wait and See

May 12, 2021May 14, 2021 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Scores

Tolima 1 – 1 Emelec [Copa Sudamerica]

Los Bombillos had to wait two days to get their match against Colombia’s Tolima (and it happened in Peru just to keep things safe). For the first time in the continental contest Emelec ended up falling behind and then, only managing one point in the contest. The extraordinary circumstances will hpoeful make it a rare occurrence but we’ll have to see.

Guayquil City 1 – 0 Emelec [F]

Las electricas are back in action against one of their local rivals. Unfortunately the return wasn’t quite as thrilling as they might have liked and after grinding out the narrow defeat, they’ll have to reorganize and bounce back quickly.

Hertha BSC 3 – 0 Freiburg [M]

This should be exhibit A in the more maddening pieces of inconsistency in Freiburg’s season. A crushing loss to a relegation side…oof…

Auxerre 1 – 1 Grenoble [M]

While Grenoble jumped out to an early advantage courtesy of an Auxerre own goal it couldn’t stand up for the whole match. Brice Mableu saved a possible winning penalty in his return to the lineup, but the rotating fullbacks (Abdel Abdallah, and Haruna Demba) couldn’t contain Auxerre fully.

Barcelona SC v Emelec [M]

Because Emelec had to push back their match against Tolima and change course to Lima Peru, they weren’t going to be ready for their big battle against rivals Barcelona SC and so, the match was pushed back until further notice.

Colorado 3 – 2 Minnesota United

Seriously. I mean…Seriously. The Loons had a 2-0 lead within a half hour. And then they just crumbled like a cicada shell under a toddler’s foot.

Vozdovac 4 – 2 Napredak

A brilliant and well earned win for the Red Dragons. They didn’t so much get over the line as they did batter the door down until Napredak had to give in. Milos Stojcev’s brace was well earned, but I was particularly heartened to see the distribution and daring accuracy of winger Aleksander Stanislavejic who had a critical part to play in the first three goals. The win vaulted them past Napredak in to 10th. Of course that’s till just two points clear of relegation…so…there’s much to do, especially before facing Partisan this weekend.

Koln 1 – 4 Freiburg [M]

Hmmm…note to self: when Nils Petersen and Vincenzo Grifo play most of the match things seem to go markedly better….I wonder why…

SC Freiburg 3 – 1 SGS Essen [F]

It’s been a while since we’ve seen the ladies of Breigsau have such a dominant performance. (And with Magenta Sport sharing only 4 matches of Freiburg highlights all season…it’s even longer since we’ve actually SEEN IT seen it). Again Hasret Kayicki was critical to the win, but she was joined by Naomi Megroz, and Jana Vojtekova.

Ebusa Dwarfs 0 – 1 Legon Cities

It was a solid opening from the Royals, with some sturdy defending (thanks Joseph Adjei) and absolutely rugged attacking (thanks Victorien Adebayor), but then…well…see notes from News section below

Valerenga 1 – 1 Rosenborg [M]

At the start of the Norwegian campaign, the Rosenborg roller coaster got off to a rocky and rainy start. Sloppy defending ceded a slew of chances and–eventually– Even Hovland scored the first goal of the year into the back of his own net. Fortunately, midfielder and unnaturally handsome man, Kristoffer Zachariassen got the equalizer before the half on a fine cross from Vebjorn Hoff. Zachariassen also helped link the team together including new Swedish target Stefano Vecchia. They’ll get another test in a few days, strangely before other teams play their first match.

Emelec 0 – 0 Macara [F]

Las Electricas didn’t have to wait long for their first point of the season, but we’re still awaiting that elusive first goal.

Red Bull Bragantino 2 – 0 Emelec [Copa Sudamerica]

Los Bombillos closed out their travels in Copa Sudamerica in Brazil with their first loss. They’ll be home to wrap up the group stage and will have to be on point to hold on to their slim one point edge over the Brazilian corporate entity (Note: Emelec was founded as a corporate entity, so we don’t have much to brag about…but still)

News & Notes

Less Important

We love soccer, but it isn’t as important as democratic principles. So, here’s a cheers to all those protesting the militarized police response to peaceful protests in Colombia.

My Kingdom for Clarity in Liga MX

So…there was a playoff in Mexico, not that it was publicized, or discussed, or reviewed around the world. So a month ago (!!) Oaxaca played their last match of the season, a 6-0 thrashing at Zacatecas. Disappointed as we are to miss the end of the year, we’re more confuzzled by the machinations that lead to bottom of the table teams paying fines that help…bottom of the table teams??

Cruelty in Cape Coast

The Royals match with the Ebusa Dwarves was called off after several fans threatened the referee. It only adds to the drama surrounding the Royals as they are desperately scrapping to avoid relegation and mired in a will-they-won’t-they manager sacking affair (with a league winning coach waiting in the wings). Will they get badly needed points from a forfeit? Will other teams accept that? Never a dull moment in Legon.

Le fin de saison

This weekend sees the end of Grenoble’s regular season campaign in Ligue 2, but may not be the end of their overall campaign. There are three teams fighting for two remaining playoff spots to face Toulouse. Win or draw against Rodez and Grenoble live to fight another day. Lose, and they need either Auxerre (facing recently eliminated Sochaux) or Paris FC (facing relegation battlers Chambly) to lose.

Slainte…

By the next time we check in Ross County’s season will have come to an end after two crucial games this week. First a game against bottom of the table Hamilton Academical a win there and a loss for Kilmarnock will leave the Staggies safe before their final match. Any other result and the match with Motherwell on Sunday will be an absolute must win. While many County fans seem resigned to their fate (and excited about competing against teams at our level), the financial boon of big sides visiting Dingwall can’t be understated.

Player of the Week

In a week without a lot of victories (sorry Emelec), it feels worthwhile to recognize one of the best showings for one of our many teams fighting off malaise and the drop to a lower league. In that Aleksandar Stanislavejic stands apart for enabling and supporting the vital victory for Vozdovac, just two weeks away from the end of their year.

Standings Update

With four matches in the week and zero wins in the bunch Emelec’s reign at the top came to an end, with the Griz now well perched atop the table. Meanwhile, Rosenborg’s debut puts them one step above the turd bucket season that has plagued the Loons so far

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
University of Montana–b	9	0	2	2.45	2.1	0.6
Emelec	10	4	3	2.00	1.7	1.1
Punjab FC–b	7	4	6	1.47	1.2	0.9
Freiburg	11	3	11	1.44	1.6	1.5
Grenoble Foot	8	7	7	1.41	1.3	1.2
Legon Cities FC	5	5	6	1.25	1.3	0.9
Ross County	6	2	9	1.18	1.2	1.6
Alebrijes-b	4	7	6	1.12	1.4	2.1
FK Vozdovac	5	5	8	1.11	1.0	1.6
Rosenborg BK	0	1	0	1.0	1.0	1.0
Minnesota United	0	0	4	0.0	0.8	2.5

Table Updated 5/12/2021
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Wednesday, May 12th

Legon Cities v. Liberty Professionals

Ross County v. Hamilton Academical

Minnesota United v. Vancouver Whitecaps

Thursday, May 13th

Rosenborg v. VIking

Friday, May 14th

Saturday, May 15th

Freiburg v. Bayern Munich [M]

Partizan Belgrade v. FK Vozdovac

WAFA v. Legon Cities FC

Grenoble v. Rodez [M]

Emelec v. Guayquil City [M]

Minnesota United v. FC Dallas

Sunday, May 16th

Motherwell v. Ross County

Bodo/Glimt v. Rosenborg BK [M]

Monday, May 17th

Tuesday, May 18th

Week 3: Staggies Surge

January 19, 2021January 25, 2021 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Scores

Golukam FC 4- 3 Punjab FC

There’s nothing quite like waking up to an alarm and seeing a swath of updates about a match half way around the world. It was a wild one in the second round of India’s Hero League. Chencho Gyeltshen roared out of the gate with a first half brace to give Punjab a confident 2-0 lead (and a front runner for coolest celebration with the see/speak/hear no evil style). Rupert Nogrum added a third off Gyeltshen’s golden run before the whistle to make it 3-1. In the span of 5 minutes it all came undone as Denny Antwi and an own goal knocked in 3 goals in quick succession to unravel Punjab’s hard work. (It was especially hard after Kiran Chjempong stymied so many so many Kerala attacks, and Ashray Bhardwaj got away with a couple late tackles)

Toulouse 2 – 0 Grenoble [M]

The season’s second half continues to be a struggle for the Alpine side. This week, without talisman Jessy Bennet or most of the stalwart defense they let two goals slipped and fell further behind 2nd place Toulouse for automatic promotion.

Ross County 4 – 1 Aberdeen

The Staggies came out in a new formation with Jermaine Hylton up top and a more aggressive midfield. Sure enough it paid off with two early goals courtesy of Ollie Shaw and Charlie Lakin and two more late goals from Shaw and Hylton. The defensive line did some stout work and the offense capitalized on every opportunity they saw. A pretty great result against the #3 team in the league.

Bayern Munich 2 – 1 Freiburg [M]

Any trip to the Teutonic titans is likely to end in tears, but Nils Petersen almost got an unlikely result. A second half goal equalized once, and a late crossbar rattler nearly did again. sure it was still a defeat, but against Bayern a near tie is something to build on.

Aduana Stars 2 – 1 Legon Cities

After 767 minutes this season, Legon got a goal from open play. Francis Addo got on the end of a long ball when the keeper was MILES out of position and finished it. It wasn’t exactly a mark of talent, more just capitalizing on a MAJOR OPPONENT ERROR. But at this stage, we’ll take it. Oh, the Royals still lost.

Punjab FC 0 – 1 Churchill Brothers

Punjab reverted to a much more defensive style for this match up (shoring up the defense after seeping four goals will do that for you). While the team did vastly improve their defense, and held the opponents goalless for 85 minutes. Once again, a late winner broke their hearts.

Alebrijes 0 – 1 CD Tepatitlan de Morelos

Alebrijes is back in action at home in Oaxaca, but the results remain depressingly consistent. Once again, Oaxaca saw the home side drop a match and slide down the table

News & Notes

New Impeachment High Score

Until this week the most times any President had been impeached was 1, and the most votes any President received for his removal from his own party was 5. Wednesday Donald Trump doubled those scores! He’s been impeached twice and got 10 people to vote against him!

INCOMING!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rosenborg Ballklub (@rosenborgballklub)

While most teams are fine tuning in the middle of the season, others are gearing up for bigger transformations before the next season begins. Most clearly, Rosenborg who has picked up more Swedish style than a newly married couple at Ikea. First they bolstered the defense with Adam Andersson and Jonathan Augustinsson to battle for the left back spot vacated by Pa Konate. They also brought on 12 goal man Stefano Holmquist Vecchia from Sweden and brought up Ole Christian Saeter who recently racked up a hat-trick to win promotion for Ranheim.

Player of the Week

Jermaine Hylton gave us a like for his last player of the week performance. For that alone, it’s tempting to award him this again. Most of the Staggies could get a nod given their strong showing, but when it’s that much of a team effort it doesn’t feel right to single out one person. So, despite doing it in a losing effort, the sterling individual performance of Chenchyo Gyeltshen gets the nod this week.

Standings Update

Only Alebrijes dour opener lifts Grenoble off the foot of the table (see what I did there?) while Ross County rockets up to second place.

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
SC Freiburg	2	0	1	2.0	3.0	1.0
Ross County	2	1	1	1.75	2.0	1.3
Punjab FC	1	0	2	1.0	1.3	1.3
Legon Cities FC	1	0	2	1.0	0.7	1.0
Grenoble Foot 38	0	1	2	0.3	0.7	2.3
Alebrijes de Oaxaca	0	0	1	0.0	0.0	1.0
Rosenborg BK	0	0	0	–	–	–
Minnesota United	0	0	0	–	–	–
Emelec	0	0	0	–	–	–
Vozdovac FK	0	0	0	–	–	–
University of Montana	0	0	0	–	–	–

Table Updated 1/20/2020

What’s Next

Wednesday, January 20th

Clermont Foot v. Grenoble Foot [M-Cup]

1:30 Freiburg v. Frankfurt

Thursday, January 21st

Friday, January 22nd

Saturday, January 23rd

8:30 Freiburg v. VfB Stuttgart [M]

9:00 Legon Cities FC v. Ashanti Gold

9:00 Rangers v. Ross County

12:00 Grenoble v. Chambly [M]

Sunday, January 24th

7:30 Punjab FC v. Mohammedan SC

Monday, January 25th

Tuesday, January 26th

Week 25: Welcome back Norway, Bye-bye Serbia

June 23, 2020June 23, 2020 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Scores

Rosenborg BK 0 v. Kristiansund 0 (M)

It was a great day at Lerkendal stadium. The sun was shining. The drone footage was captivating. The players were reunited.

Eric Pal Helland not scoring and Samuel Adebengro’s individual runs going to waste were after thoughts. The Eliteserien is back and we are grateful.

Here’s hoping the video from Norway works

SC Freiburg 2 v. Hertha Berlin 1 (M)

Coming off a draw that buoyed their chances for Europe, Freiburg got a vital victory to move in to keep the pressure on Hoffenheim.

After a raft of great opportunities went lacking in the first half, an absolute thunder crack from Vincenzo Grifo put the Griffins ahead (after video review had spared them giving up a thundering shot at the other end). After a foolish stumble gave the lead back, Nils Petersen again scored the kind of goal that older brothers use to domineer their little brothers all the time. Some goals are beautiful, some aren’t. They all count.

https://youtu.be/yXiYO_g02rI

SC Freiburg 0 v. VfL Wolfsburg 2

Watching Wolfsburg play in the Women’s Bundesliga is a little like watching Duke basketball play in the Montana High School League. It’s the same game, and every opponent can have a good stretch, but the outcome is rarely if ever in doubt.

So Freiburg’s loss isn’t remarkable, but the fact that they held the champs to two goals, for the first time since a November draw against Bayern and only the fourth team all year to hold them under 3 (Bayern, FC Twente in the Womn’s Champions League and SC Sand on opening day). But despite a few solid goal scoring chances, it was Wolfsburg’s day dominating in the opposing box.

FK Vozdovac 1 v. FK Radnik Surdulica 1

Clearly feeling themselves in the midst of a fine run of form, the Red Dragons fired at Radnik Surdulica early and often. Seemingly every inch of space invited a shot, and while many had the look of Goalazos the ice breaker turned out to be a solid headed redirection with Lazar Zlicic elevating to nod in the aggressive attacking defender and captain, Nikola Mikic. The first goal seemed only to whet Zlicic’s appetite with his blasts coming faster and faster as the match wore on.

When Vozdovac failed to push in a free kick that seemed to run along the entire length of the goal line, Radnik capitalized. A straightforward cross could have been easily cleared, but Nemanja Pejcinovic’s foot angled toward goal and the gift was given and the points were shared.

Bayern Munich 3 v SC Freiburg 1 (M)

Munich had won another title so they didn’t have much reason to try in this match. But they are Bayern Munich, so, of course, they did. Robert Lewandowski did what he always does: score goals. A great run by Jonathan Schmid and a well placed tap-in from Lucas Holer gave us a little hope, but…it wasn’t to be.

That result, combined with Hoffenhiem’s win over Union Berlin ended any remaining daydreams of Europe for Christian Streich and company. But that’s all the more reason to start dreaming about next year!

https://youtu.be/p78AxREw0xk

Molde 1 v. Rosenborg BK 0 (M)

The reigning champions versus the eternal champions set up a rather tasty early fixture on the Eliteserien schedule. Molde wasn’t about to let the chance to bring fans into the stands go to waste, as for the first time outside Serbia we could hear timely, topical cheering (mercifully without the neo-nazi undertones).

The two sides showed their class in a pacy, back and forth match. Each side had clear cut opportunities, each had some urgent defensive lapses. In the end, the result hinged on two players. First, there was the rampaging class of Molde’s Ohi Omoijufano who seemed as confounding for Rosenborg as Minnesota’s maintenance of Lutefisk is for regular Norwegians. Second the lucky bounces of the ball from off Ola Brynhildsen, off keeper Andre Hansen back off Brynhildsen and finally off the post to deny Molde a second.

SC Freiburg 1 v. SGS Essen 2

The women from Freiburg had hopes of returning to winning ways, but it wasn’t to be against the side from Essen. The ominous omen for the rest of the match had to be Hasret Kayikci’s golden chance in the opening moments. Alone against the keeper Kayikci whiffed on her shot and may have earned some blooper music too.

Essen seemed to control the match the rest of the way, not withstanding a Janina Minge goal that bounced perfectly between the opposing keeper’s legs to remove some of the sting for Freiburg’s faithful.

Another attempted video upload, this time from the German Federation proper

News & Notes

FK Vozdovac wraps up

Ending much later than anyone anticipated, the Serbian league ended as it so often does: with Red Star Belgrade triumphant, Partizan Belgrade right behind them, and FK Vozdovac back in the distance.

While it may not have ended in hard ware, the comeback from an abysmal February to a respectable mid-table finish seems promising for the Red Dragons, and we hope that there’s more good news ahead.

Warriors Lose Starlet to Odisha FC

The awesome writers at the Away End, particularly the great and good Nehal are always our go to spot for info on the Indian game. This week the news was less than good. 17 year-old Thoiba Singh Moirangthem has left the Northwest. Though he wasn’t a permanent starter in Punjab, Moirangthem has the kind of potential you have to dream on. Or, if you’re a lower division club, sell on to try to keep yourself afloat during a pandemic.

Rosenborg add the Golden Boot Winner

Torgeir Borven lit up the Eliteserien for Odd last year, striking 21 times to top all players. That performance earned him a step up in profile and a move to the higher profile RBK to boot. He’ll start in August

Velkommen, Torgeir! #Børven2022 pic.twitter.com/zdHltlEuPD
— Rosenborg Ballklub (@RBKfotball) June 17, 2020

Man of the Matches

While I’m tempted to name a Red Dragon as a parting gift, or a Rosenborger as a welcome back present, we can’t keep ignoring Vincenzo Grifo. With the Griffins, Grifo has done it all to boost them back into Europe. Powerful spot kicks, masterful distributing, without him there was every reason to fear a slide toward relegation. Instead, we got the thrilling final month. (He even took a break in being awesome to say hi to his hometown) Grazi Vincenzo.

What’s Next

Wednesday, June 24

Thursday, June 25

1:30 Rosenborg BK v. Bodo/Glimt (M)

Friday, June 26

Saturday, June 27

8:30 SC Freiburg v Schalke 04 (M)

Sunday, June 28

7:00 Frankfurt v. SC Freiburg

1:30 Brann v Rosenborg BK (M)

Monday, June 29

Tuesday, June 30

Week 23: How ‘Bout that Then?

June 9, 2020June 10, 2020 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Scores

(M) SC Freiburg 1 – Borussia Munchengladbach 0

For the first time in months, I actually had the capacity to sit and watch a match from start to finish. Thank you, Bundesliga for scheduling Friday naptime games .

The Griffins didn’t disappoint, once again bringing their best against a top tier team. Gladbach’s attack put the defense on the wrong foot and again Alexander Schwolow was called upon to cover more space than your average cell phone network. The attack had several fine chances, but couldn’t seem to make the final connection between Vincent Grifo and Gian-Luca Waldschmit.

So it fell to Nils Petersen to again play super sub and again he obliged with another blistering header past the goalkeeper to provide the only goal that Freiburg needed (particularly as some silly behavior from Alassane Plea earned him two red cards and limited Gladbach’s resources.

It was an excellent win made even sweeter by being able to watch it myself.

https://youtu.be/wUpDfO5Q4Fo

FK Vozdovac 1 – Napredak 0

Two in a row! FK Vozdovac has vaulted up the Boot Room Table to 8th place and it was never particularly close.

With a surplus of opportunities against an uncertain Napredak, the Red Dragons (who are again wearing blue…which I still don’t understand) seemed to only need enough time to make it count. And count it did in the 74th minute when a seeming corner kick clearance lulled Napredak into a sense of comfort, only for a second ball to return to Jovan Nisic whose long cross was volleyed home by former Partisan striker Aleksa Jankovic.

Jankovic’s shot was the kind of rattling blast that came from nowhere and left the opponents flat footed. A little like an unexpected goal from the back line on your foosball table. As an added perk, fans were let in to the stadium to provide a special touch of dynamic ambiance to the affair.

SC Freiburg 6 – USV Jena 0

Okay, to be fair, USV Jena is at the bottom of the Women’s Bundesliga. They’ve only managed two draws all year. They’ve let in 6 goals in three of their last four matches.

To be unfair: WHOOOOO HOOOOOO! 6 Goals! A brace from young Janina Minge!! We’ve got backups to Klara Buhl!!!

Freiburg’s onslaught has certainly boosted their profile, taking a jumbled mid table and making all the more dramatic with 4th through 7th separated by only 5 points. This might be the start of a big spurt, but with one week to go tot he big battle with top of the table Wolfsburg (who likely won’t end up with the same bickering backline as USV Jena), there’s no time to let up.

https://youtu.be/InPbE9CSKJs

News & Notes

Rosenborg Win’s Alex’s Affections

One benefit of being a little bit behind in publishing this is that Alex got a chance to see my phone chime with news of another friendly goal for Rosenborg BK. A few taps later he was watching delightedly as the camera panned around Lerkendal Stadion, and he said (honest to god) “I wish you could take me there”.

So congrats Rosenborg, the kid’s on board.

Loons prepare to fly south

While I usually have about as much sympathy for the billion/million-aire club owners as a treetop has for a hungry brontosaurus, I have to admit this is a tricky time to run a team, let alone a league.

You can only make money if you have games, you can only have games if you have players, but putting players together in a space risks illness and worse. But, if you don’t have games, the players don’t get paid. And, with all of this, you have fans who both want you to come back for their entertainment and need you to stay away to avoid taking away resources.

Unclear where this giant rodent will play

So Major League Soccer here in the states lit on a plan to take all 26 teams down to Orlando Florida for a mini-tournament, that both gives them the chance to make some money while only inconveniencing the Walt Disney Corporation (which…hey..that’s okay too). Exact terms of the contest are due to come out in the coming days, but it’s nice to know plans are in place. (It will be awkward that the NBA will also be at Disney World…but maybe we can get a great set of inter-league pranks going.)

Woman of the Matches

Torn again between all the strong Freiburgian showings I have to tip the cap to Alexander Schwolow again. At a time when his defense has been shaky, he’s showed up ready to defend the goal to the last drop of his strength.

What’s Next

Wednesday, June 10

Thursday, June 11

Friday, June 12

1:00 PM Rad Beograd v. FK Vozdovac

Saturday, June 13

8:30 AM Wolfsburg v. Freiburg (M)

Sunday, June 14

7:00 AM SC Freiburg v. FC Koln

Monday, June 15

Tuesday, June 16

1:30 SC Freiburg v. Hertha Berlin (M)

Week 22: Back but Brutal

June 1, 2020June 1, 2020 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Scores

(M) Eintracht Frankfurt 3- SC Freiburg 3

More games against the bottom sides in the Bundesliga = more trouble for Freiburg.

Everything seemed handled. Vincent Grifo’s lucky first goal benefited from a deflection. Nils Petersen knocked in a ripping header after some chippy Frankfurt play and a Lucas Holer breakaway seemed to put it beyond all doubt. (Sure there was a botched clearance that gifted an ugly goal to Frankfurt, but c’mon those happen.)

Then, in about 5 minutes, it all went wrong. Daichi Kamada capitalized on Robin Koch’s ill advised dribble back towards goal. Then American Timmy Chandler capitalized on a solid cross to level the score again.

https://youtu.be/j4P9EWP0tFo

(M) SC Freiburg 0 – Bayer Leverkusen 1

Again Freiburg managed to play well against a strong team, but came away from the game with nothing.

Lucas Holer had a golden chance on another break away, only to break hearts instead when he missed wide. It proved costly as Leverkusen took over the opportunities and capitalized when Lukas Kubler and Nicholas Hofler turned off their defensive brains and Dominique Heintz couldn’t save the day.

It was ugly, and uglier still when some late chances were similarly lacking, but sometimes that happens.

https://youtu.be/reagzxwc7ho

SC Freiburg 3 – Turbine Potsdam 2

This was a thriller, which makes sense since even though both Freiburg and Potsdam are far off the pace for the Champions League, they’ve had their last two matches decided in the final 5 minutes of time. So, of course it happened again Sunday.

After an opening goal was disallowed, the lady Griffins let in a pair from Potsdam within a half an hour. Then they came roaring back with three in the second half, including Klara “Killing Em Softly” Buhl’s tenth goal and Naomi Megroz’s opportunistic winner just before the final whistle.

This is what we’ve been missing.

Macva Sabac 0 – FK Vozdovac 1

The Red Dragons won a game! The Red Dragons won a game! Great day in the morning the Red Dragons won a game!!

Granted, they were playing the bottom team on the table in Serbia, but even after Milos Stojcev was shown a red card for a high elbow and the team was reduced to ten men, there was hope. In the 85th minute Ivan Milosavljevic made the magic happen with a blistering half-volley and finally Vozdovac found a ray of hope in 2020.

News & Notes

Rosenborg Back Klub

After months of training, extensive not training, and then retraining, Rosenborg is gearing up for the return of the Eliteserien in 2 weeks. Their first tune up against Bodø/Glimt was a valuable run out, letting teams shake off the rust. New man Kristoffer Zachariassen, who joined from Sarpsborg, netted the only goal early on.

I like Jadon Sancho now…

That’s it, that’s the news.

YUP
I know he’s approximately 9000% more expensive than we can afford, but c’mon MNUFC, make it happen.

Ross County Cut Costs

The Staggies are facing a hard situation.

There are no more matches, which means no more gate receipts, which means little to no more income.

There are players on the payroll they need to keep happy, lest they lose some of the skill they need to survive next season against the Scottish top flight.

But players cost money. Money that county doesn’t have. So…the teams said goodbye to 14 players.

10 Reservists heading out the door meant pretty much an entire back up squad was sliced out of the budget. The bigger names are the four senior players: Richard Foster, Sean Kelly, Lewis Spence, and Declan McManus. It’s hardest to say goodbye to Foster who has played for the team twice, returning from England to help see the team to the top level of Scottish football again.

Lest we think that Ross County are cheap (and confirmation of an old…if true…Scottish stereotype) they could have done what other struggling clubs did and take government money to pay workers in need of a new contract. Instead they said they’d be honest and work it out on their own.

Honesty is a small solace for Foster and others, but such is the lousy nature of the world we live in these days.

Woman of the Matches

Klara Buhl remains the decisive force in Freiburg, lifting the team to excellence when she’s on form. Her late equalizer was crucial to a needed win, and reminded us that, as the person responsible for 1/3 of her team’s goals, she will be much missed when she moves to Bayern Munich this summer.

Wunderbar, Klara! Also…please teach the guys to finish one-v-ones before you go

What’s Next

Wednesday, June 3

Thursday, June 4

Friendly–Stojordals Blink v. Rosenborg BK

Friday, June 5

1:30 PM SC Freiburg v. Borussia Muchen Gladbach (M)

Saturday, June 6

11:00 AM FK Vozdovac v. Napredak

Sunday, June 7

7:00 AM FF USV Jena v. SC Freiburg

Monday, June 8

Week 21: Back in Business

May 25, 2020May 28, 2020 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Scores

SC Freiburg 0 – Werder Bremen 1

The griffins might well wonder if video referees are a little rusty too. One week after having a late dinner called off for being a couple of goosebumps offsides, Freiburg lost a late equalizer against Bremen.

Center back Manuel Gulde has reason to be particularly sore. Having both scampered back from being out of position to miss a block on Leonardo Bittencourt’s goal, he settled down for the rest of the match. He even struck a late rebound back in to tie the game. But he didn’t factor in a Nils Peterson shin bone that poked past the last defender and rendered his goal moot.

While it’s nice that Werder Bremen climbed up the ladder and got closer to safety, we’d have preferred if they did it against someone else.

https://youtu.be/YASy1zeL9XE

News & Notes

Vozdo-BACK

The red dragons of FK Vozdovac had a practice run out on Saturday against second division FK Kolubara. With both teams based in Belgrade there was less risk of traveling transmitters, and much bettter likelihood of a goodnight sleep for all involved.

I try not to recap training matches, but one special note: the 2-0 victory was Vozdovac’s first in 2020. (We only count competitive games in our standings but still: YAY DRAGONS!!)

68'| Sjajno je šutirao sa oko 25 metara Filip Stuparević, ali lopta se odbila od prečku❗#fkvozdovac #zmajevi ⚪🔴⚫ pic.twitter.com/k08TkEYWbM
— FK Voždovac (@FKVozdovac) May 23, 2020

Filip Stuparevic would have made it 3-0 but for a pesky crossbar.

Man of the Matches

There are plenty of people to thank for the chance to watch soccer. But I sometimes have to remember that part of why we and so many others were able to escape relatively lightly is because of Li Wenliang, who first alerted authorities to the disease in December of Last year. He was by all accounts a fried chicken and k-pop loving father of two. Thank you again Dr. Li for speaking up for the rest of us.