Well…except for the fact that I started these in August and it’s now mid-September…so I’ll need to do another one to capture all the results for teams I recapped back before the fall started.
I’m going to do it…seriously…I promise you random reader who clearly doesn’t open the link in their email notifications of posts…I’ll be better!!
Match Results: 10 W – 7 D – 6 L ; 22 GF / 19 GA
Men: 8 W – 7 D – 6 L; 21 GF/ 20 GA
While they were in sixth for the first half of the 2024 campaign. It might have been better, but the team suffered a downpour of draws, including three match ups against teams who finished ahead of them in the standings. One goal in each of those matches, and they would have finished tied for first place.
The fall season however, has not been nearly as productive with twice the number of losses as the spring in half the games.
Women: 2 W – 0 D – 0 L; 4 GF/ 1 GA
Electricas just kicked off, which is frankly a relief as Ia dearth of news, posts and updates meant the season had been cancelled, or worse, the women’s team had folded.
Instead, absence simply made the heart grow fonder. While it’s still early going, the women’s side has picked up where they left off, dominating the local league with two wins from two matches, including goals for old friend Kerly Corozo, new friend Angela Suarez, and a pair of goals for Alison Ochoa who seems to have the most effective leaning shot imaginable. (Also, thank you Emelec for posting highlights!)
Did you know that Emelec welcomed back club legend Miller Bolanos last year? It’s true…I know because I posted about him approximately every time I wrote a post.
Well, that’s done now. Bolanos made a move across town to Guyaquil City in February…and then watched helplessly as they dropped to the second tier.
Star Players:
Aside from our usual favorites (Alison Ochoa (obviously), Goalie Pedro Ortiz, and full back Romario Caicedo), Facundo Castelli stepped up as the goal scoring target in the spring. Marcelo Meli served as the fulcrum for the attack (when it was clicking) and I’m also keen on Ronny Borja who, at just 19, is holding down at defensive midfield.
Summer illnesses are no fun. I was mostly spared on the illness front, but nursing everyone in the house back to health while also doing the jobs that a running a house requires left me with not much bandwith to write. So here’s a double week review (and hopefully my Dear Boys will post as normal)
Recap
Stranrear 1 – 5 Ross County (Cup)
Nothing says Scottish summer like visits to teams even smaller than County and rain on rain on rain. Simon Murray and Jordan White used their height to loom over Stranrear’s defense and capitalize on the clearest openings whenever they appeared to the tune of a hat trick for Mr. Murray. Which gave County a slightly bigger scoreline than they might have otherwise earned.
Minnesota United 1 – 1 LAFC (M)
Your mom and I went off to enjoy the match and some of the finest vegetarian vittles available. I regret to report that the samosas are to tiny for you, but was happy to see that the Loons held their own against the defending champions and arguably best team in America right now. The biggest help was Emanuel Reynoso breaking ankles and hearts. The biggest hindrance was that, once again, the previous sentence summarized the entirety of Minnesota’s strategy.
Rosenborg 2 – 1 Tromso (M)
The Trollboys have their first win under coach Svein Maalen, courtesy of some aggressive play by the attacking line of Holse, Nelson, and Saeter. (The nifty give and go of Saeter and Holse got the first goal, and our favorite Canadian attacker continued to stretch the defense). Tromso grew back into the game, and equalized, but their hero quickly was sent off and Rosenborg capitalized on their advantage with Ulrik Ytttergard Jennsen nailing the winner deep in injury time.
Emelec 0 – 0 Sporting Cristal (M-Copa)
This game happened. And while it was certainly disappointing not to score, the result was exactly what Los Bombillos needed. Romario Caicedo, Bryan Carabali and Pedro Ortiz don’t get as much press as the omnipresent Miller Bolanos, but they were vital to Emelec’s result and advancing on to the next round.
Ross County 2 – 1 Greenock Morton (Cup)
In the early stages it looked like Greenock Morton would have the opportunities to capitalize on gaffes in the County defense. But Ross Munro acquitted himself well again, and in the second half, the Staggies made the most of attacking the Jail End fans by scoring twice on Jay Henderson’s excellent volley and another bout of Simon Murray speed.
Stromsgodset 0 – 1 Rosenborg (M)
Sverre Nypan was able to flip the ball over a charging keeper to give Rosenborg another aggressive lead. But the team’s performance there after was textbook defensiveness with Erland Reitan returning to his defensive roots and Andre Hansen holding down the goal
There has been a long standing assumption that Liga MX is better than MLS. And an assumption that even subpar Mexican teams can dominate American peers. This game put that to the test. Puebla is struggling to start their season and while the Loons have looked adequate at best, they smoked Puebla here with Bongokhule Hlongwane charging down every bit of space and Emmanuel Reynoso delivering some gorgeous moments (and a free kick that rivals Leo Messi from earlier in the weekend).
FC Edinburgh 1 – 3 Ross County (Cup)
Simon Murray and Jordan White continued their strong showing, keeping their unbeaten run in the season opening Viaplay Cup going.
News & Notes
Weekly Kids Highlights
As mentioned above, y’all were sick. So the number of actual highlights was pretty slim. Alex did get a chance to go play with both Mom and Grandpa Bruce watching, but they didn’t have the same detailed reviews of Alex’s play…almost like they don’t write a blog about soccer.
Women’s World Cup-Date
It’s been a surprisingly rough start to the cup for Norway. An upset at the hands of New Zealand and a draw against Switzerland has left Norway at the bottom of Group A and needing a big win against the Philippines to advance to the next round. Mathilde Harviken has done her best to hold down the defense, but my hope for a Julie Blakstad’s emergence as a dominant attacker has been tempered. Meanwhile, Rosenborg’s keeper Lene Christensen, pitched a clean sheet for Denmark against China.
Haiti did a great job keeping a tight hold on England turning what people had predicted to be a trouncing into a narrow defeat. Jennyfer Limage had to leave in the first half with an injury, but Sherly Jeudy performed well (as ever) and Florsie Joseph had a brief appearance.
Big Changes
Nicholas Delpine’s turn at the World Cup naturally gives him some opportunities to go beyond coaching a third division French club, so he will be moving on. So to will Maxwell Konadu at Legon Cities. He kept Legon up and surviving despite plenty of struggles, but I’m definitely more bummed that Michael Otouo is also leaving the club.
Players of the Week
Originally I would have had to choose between Emmanuel Reynoso’s great footwork and passes or Simon Murray’s excellent attacking week. But with two weeks to identify great players, we can rightly applaud both.
Standings
With Aurora’s season at an end and the TrollKvinner on their World Cup break, Punjab can breathe easily. They won’t have many threats to their position until they hit the field again after the Monsoon season ends and they take the field in October.
Team
W
D
L
PPG
GFA
GAA
Punjab–b
12
2
3
2.24
2.29
0.94
Minnesota
22
6
9
1.95
2.46
1.05
Rosenborg
17
6
13
1.58
1.67
0.94
Legon Cities–b
9
7
8
1.42
1.25
1.29
Grenoble–b
15
6
17
1.34
1.16
1.13
Emelec
7
8
7
1.32
1.23
1.14
Freiburg–b
12
7
19
1.13
1.24
1.66
Alebrijes–b
5
5
8
1.11
1.33
1.39
Ross County–b
6
4
12
1.00
1.23
1.50
Vozdovac–b
4
3
11
0.83
0.67
1.65
Montana–b
0
0
0
—
—
—
Table Updated 7/27/23 b–Team is between seasons
What’s Next
Thursday, July 27th
Crusaders v. Rosenborg (M–Europa Conference)
Minnesota United v. Chicago Fire (M- US-Mex Cup)
Friday, July 28th
Saturday, July 29th
Ross County v. Kelty Hearts (M-Cup)
Sunday, July 30th
Rosenborg v. Odd (M)
Monday, July 31st
Alebrijes v. Tapatio
Tuesday, August 1st
Emelec v. Defensa y Jusiticia (M-Copa Sudamericana)
Rosenborg combined for two goals in the first half as the center of the attack was able to connect more effectively. The team held on for the rest of the match.
Real Salt Lake 2 – 2 Minnesota United (M)
The Loons combined for two goals in the first half with Emanuel Reynoso having an immediate impact in his return to the starting line up (and strong showings by both Hasani Dotson and Jeong Sang-Bin). But team was not able to hold on for the rest of the match, giving up two goals in the last 11 minutes (plus stoppage time) to turn an excellent road win into an acceptable road draw.
Bavarian United 0 – 2 Minnesota Aurora (F)
Aurora completed their biggest road trip of the year with another win, another pair of goals for Maya Hansen and another Heartland Division title (their second in as many years)
Rosenborg 0 – 3 Sarpsborg 08 (M)
The other team from Trondheim did not seem to have much of anything in this match as they defended as best they could, and saw Sarpsborg stride forward with purpose and intensity and Rosenborg was…there.
Emelec 2 – 1 Danubio (M-Copa Sudamericana)
Los Bombillos continue to save their best showings for the continental competition (though if they keep doing so, they may not qualify for next year’s competitions). They applied tremendous pressure throughout the match and it was a particularly great game for fullbacks as Bryan Carabali got a goal and Romario Caicedo notched an assist. They will move on to the knockout stages.
News & Notes
Weekly Kids Highlights
We were on a family staycation at your grandparents this week, so Alex was out of action for his regular Sunday practice. However both boys have taken to wrestling and punching…so…
Gold Cup-Date
Several Loons players are still on international duty (heh-heh, duty sounds like doody) at the Gold Cup, North America’s big international tournament. Dayne St. Clair didn’t start for Canada, but after Milan Borjan gave up two more goals to Guadaloupe, maybe it’s time for a change between the posts.
Joseph Rosales was on the struggling side of a 4-0 drubbing by Mexico. Kemar Lawrence came on for the second half for Jamaica against the United States, but the Reggae Boyz gave up a late equalizer to fall short of an epic upset.
Transfer Time
Every team is looking to upgrade in the summer season and ours have been impressively active.
Start with the Loons, whose offense I have bemoaned a fair few times. They responded by getting Robin Lod’s teammate and Norwich’s favorite Fin Teemu Puuki. So hopefully he and Bebelo are able to get together quickly to pull the Loons back into contention.
Freiburg has continued their routine of selling high and buying low, as long as the premier league continues to offer big sums, the Griffins will keep taking them and reinvesting in the next generation. As in addition to the Austrian Adamu they grabbed a replacement goalie in old pal Florian Muller.
Vozdovac and Ross County have trended to younger academy players, but the Dragons did bring in former Red Star defender Aleksandar Lukic, and the Stags grabbed recent thistle in their sides, Kyle Turner (because he played for Partick Thistle in the playoffs just a few weeks ago…get it?) and left back Josh Reid who just missed a trip to the Premier League with Coventry City. Unfortunately the Stags also said goodbye to stalwart defender Alex Iacovitti, so there will be some shoes to fill.
RBK’s Finances
I don’t much like writing about the business side of soccer, because (1) I don’t understand it and (2) I have no idea how to work it into life lessons for you boys. But it seems relevant at this point because, apparently Rosenborg’s women’s side has suffered financially in the last year, and the Norwegian Federation is worried about their ability to stay afloat. (I’m not quite sure why they’re struggling, they’ve been consistently one of the best teams in the country, the stands at Koateng arena are usually full, but like I said…I don’t understand a lot of the business stuff.) As a result they have been docked a point in the league dropping them further behind Valerenga…but I don’t have to do that, and I won’t.
Player of the Week
Her hat trick could have been rewarded last week, but there was a bigger point to make by standing with her fellow defender. But after another clean sheet boosting the best defense in our table, Sara Horte you are our player of the week.
Standing
Emelec will get a much needed break after their Copa Sudamericana tie this week and then it’ll be a summer of Minnesota and Rosenborg! (And a summer where Punjab keeps looking over their shoulders)
Team
W
D
L
PPG
GFA
GAA
Punjab–b
12
2
3
2.24
2.29
0.94
Minnesota
16
5
7
1.89
2.39
1.14
Rosenborg
15
6
10
1.65
1.74
0.90
Legon Cities–b
9
7
8
1.42
1.25
1.29
Grenoble–b
15
6
17
1.34
1.16
1.13
Emelec
5
8
7
1.15
1.20
1.20
Freiburg–b
12
7
19
1.13
1.24
1.66
Alebrijes–b
5
5
8
1.11
1.33
1.39
Ross County–b
6
4
12
1.00
1.23
1.50
Vozdovac–b
4
3
11
0.83
0.67
1.65
Montana–b
0
0
0
—
—
—
Table Updated 6/22/23 b–Team is between seasons
What’s Next
Thursday, June 29th
Green Bay Glory v. Minnesota Aurora (F)
Friday, June 30th
Saturday, July 1st
Roa v. Rosenborg BK (F)
Minnesota United v. Portland Timbers (M)
Minnesota Aurora v. Chicago City SC (F)
Sunday, July 2nd
Aalesund v. Rosenborg (M)
Monday, July 3rd
Tuesday, July 4th
Wednesday, July 5th
Plus tracking results for Gold Cup matches and the impending Women’s World Cup.
Last year I thrilled at how I was able to have a normal-ish routine through this writing….then I absolutely lost all sense of routine. Still and all, I’m glad to look back on the year that was and the fates of our favorite 11 sides on the planet.
Final Standings
Team
W
D
L
PPG
GFA
GAA
Rosenborg BK–b
36
11
17
1.86
2.23
1.2
Minnesota–b
28
8
15
1.80
1.84
1.27
Freiburg–b
26
14
14
1.70
2.41
1.54
Punjab
12
6
7
1.68
1.52
1.36
Alebrijes–b
14
14
8
1.56
1.28
0.83
Vozdovac–b
14
9
12
1.46
1.03
1.14
Montana–b
7
7
6
1.40
1.25
0.85
Legon Cities
12
14
10
1.39
1.06
0.61
Grenoble Foot
21
10
22
1.35
1.25
1.19
Emelec–b
17
13
18
1.33
1.50
1.27
Ross County
13
9
21
1.12
1.12
1.46
Table Updated 12/31/22 b–Team is between seasons
None of our favorite teams won any hardware this year, but while no one hit the heights of last year, there was some impressive consistency up and down the table.
Rosenborg takes home this year’s sippy cup, built on a consistent run from both the men and the women. Minnesota came close to matching them, but the Loons couldn’t maintain their mid-summer surge leaving Aurora carrying the load for our local sides.
Freiburg and Punjab put together great runs as well, and the Griffins came away with the most heart breaking outcome of the year losing the German Cup on penalties to more of a money bag team. Punjab’s rotating managers and star players makes it a little hard to build consistency, but clearly they have a strategy that has worked well for them.
Alebrijes de Oaxaca had the greatest improvement from the last year, jumping half a point per game, while Montana had a disappointing turn dropping from dominant to merely good. Still with the Griz seeing tremendous showings from a lot of underclassmen, the future is bright again.
At the bottom of the table, Emelec had a great showing in the Copa Liertadores, but couldn’t keep the same form in Ecuador, meanwhile the ladies became the first team we follow to be relegated out of their division after a dismal campaign, Even so, they still out showed Ross County whose strong finish to the 2023 season has been washed away in an underwhelming fall.
Players of the Year
Coming back with another year of favorite players was again difficult, but we’re noticing that there are some players who are pretty much always on the team sheet. Hats off to Romario Caicedo, Hasret Kayici, and Jonah Attaquye for being in the starting line-up two years running, and welcome back Vincenzo Grifo.
Grifo’s former defensive teammate, Nico Schlotterback, also made the starters. Even though he moved to Dortmund during the summer, his showing with Freiburg left no doubt that he was deserving. The only other team to get multiple players in the starting XI, was Minnesota Aurora off their undefeated regular season with Mackenzie Langdock, and Sarah Fuller.
Antonio Portales’ captaincy and leadership of the vastly improved Alebrijes made him their first starter, and Sarah Kanutte Forness took the Julie Blakstad endowed chair in the midfield (I’m going to bring up Julie Blakstad once a year, so help me goodness).
And at the front of the attack, we put Casper Tengstedt, who led Rosenborg, despite only playing for them for half the year, and the golden boot winner in Scotland: Regan Charles Cook.
We also expanded our bench (if 9 subs is good enough for the World Cup, it’s good enough for us!). This helped us to find spots for every team in our list including Laliz Tenorio for las Electricas, and our favorite Haitian international: Sherly Jeudy. Allie Larsen reps the Grizzlies, while Milos Pantovic, and Kurtiss Guthrie get the nods for Vozdovac and Punjab. Minnesota United also contributed two members to the bench as Robin Lod and Dayne St. Clair had great years, but not quite great enough to take starting jobs from the others.
What’s Next
I can and will be more consistent in writing, and after the fun of having you boys contribute ideas and messages to the videos after matches, I want to plan on taking you to more games (Minnesota Aurora for sure, maybe we can find a plac eon our family vacation in Mexico.
Last year I also tried to set a standard of talking to reps from each team, but only got two done before the move consumed my life. We’ll try again this year.
Not in a world shaking, business shuttering, economy crashing, global pandemic way.
But it was a hefty change in the way we lived and the work that was needed.
We bought a house.
My waking hours shifted from leisurely repair projects punctuated by writing inspiration, to an incessant to do list of packing, repacking, scheduling, painting, rescheduling and suddenly recalling undone tasks.
I had hoped that when we moved in, I could return to writing more. I neglected to notice how the minor house issues you put off become a lot more vital once you move in.
I’m under no illusions now. This project sits firmly to the side on my list of hustles (in the non-profitable category). But I remain dedicated to that idea, that if you show the world how you play, it will show the world who you are.
If we look at and cheer for eleven teams around the world, it can show us how to live. This year, we cheered more than we watched. But we can still see how to live.
How did they do, while life forced us to make other plans? What can we learn from it all…here are their results and our thoughts
Rosenborg
Women’s Record: 9 W-2 D-6 L// 30 GF-20 GA
Men’s Record: 16 W-4 D- 5 L//75-GF 38-GA
Story: as has been the routine, Rosenborg has all kinds of attacking strength. They spent most of the summer pouring in goals. Émilie Nautnes and Sara Kanutte Forness led one line while mid season acquisition Casper Tengstedt set the other one on fire (15 goals in 14 matches…yikes!)
But each side also faced some serious challenges. The men couldn’t seem to hold a defensive shape, scoring and ceding goals in droves en route to another distant third place finish. Meanwhile the troll kvinner got knocked down by Real Madrid’s ladies side and seemed to end an otherwise stellar season in a rotten funk losing three of their final four to miss out on another crack at the Champions League next year.
Lesson: balance yourself, neither your strengths nor your struggles define you.
Minnesota
Women’s Record: 13 W-1 D-1 L//39 GF-10 GA
Men’s Record 9 W-4 D-9 L//34 GF – 41 GA
Story: Locally we had some absolutely marvelous moments this summer. I say that not only because I had you boys with me at a few matches, but because the quality of the games was superb.
For a stretch, no one was playing better soccer than Minnesota United. Dayne St. Clair was stopping everything hit his way, Emmanuel Reynoso was connecting with everyone around him. Robin Lod had made me look utterly foolish by becoming someone people around the world were eyeing hopefully.
It all came undone of course. The Loons ended up squeaking into the playoffs and then bowing out quickly, but it was still wonderful while it lasted.
Likewise the first season for Minnesota Aurora was practically perfect. The team went unbeaten throughout the regular season and combined superb defense with a dynamite attack. Sarah Fuller anchored the defense in the goal, and Morgan Turner poured in the goals, and the team became a vital part of the larger community connecting players, fans, coaches, and staff. Even though it ended in defeat at the final hurdle (seems to be a theme for our favorites), it was a marvelous way to spend a summer.
(As an added bonus, the youngest member of Aurora, Bayliss Flynn, signed to join the Montana Grizzlies, so she is the second athlete to play for two of our favorites)
Lesson: There’s no place like home.
Freiburg
Men’s Record 15 W – 5 D – 3 L// 42 GF- 22 GA
Women’s Record 6 W – 1 D – 3 L// 25 GF- 14 GA
Story: Janina Minge has emerged as a leading innovator offensively for die Freiburg Frauen. But, they have continued to lack a decisive element that would vault them up into the Bundesliga’s top tier alongside Wolfsburg, Bayern, or Frankfurt. (Maybe they could use some of Minnesota Aurora’s squad…just saying)
But that’s exactly where the men’s team has found a new stride. Christian Stretch’s steady presence has been a model for players who bring out their best every week, even with an extra competition in the Europa League to challenge them, the Griffins are having another tremendous season, with Mathias Ginter and Christian Günter leading the defense, and newly adopted Ritsu Doan joining Vincenzo Grifo to lead the attack.
Lesson: much as we want the shiniest trophies, being your best, regardless of the result can be the greatest reward
Round Glass Punjab
Record: 4 W- 1D-1L//7 GF-5 GA
Story: While most of the world turned their attention to the World Cup in Qatar, Punjab’s season got started, but with a different look than usual. Gone is last year’s dominant scorer Kurtiss Guthrie (off to play in Scotland against Ross County), in are a host of eastern european veterans. Gone are the run of British coches, in is Greek manager Staikos Vergetis. But best of all, Nepali keeper Kiran Limbu Chempjong (though, he hasn’t been as unbeatable this year as he was in his previous run with the club).
Still the special winter season on the subcontinent has a long way to go before we’re done, so we’ll sit back and enjoy what is rather than wonder about what was.
Lesson: Whatever else you focus on, life carries on.
Alebrijes de Oaxaca
Record: 4 W-9 D-5 L//22 GF-18 GA
Story: Alebrijes closed out the spring season with a sterling showing. They seemed to have everything well handled in attack and defense. But then they were undone in the playoffs, and come the fall campaign seemed to have lost all their mojo. The departure of Juan Portales made the defense less stable, and the crucial finishing touch to turn draws into victories. And then they lost in the playoffs.
Lesson: what seem like your best days and hardest days all end in the same place.
Vozdovac
Record: 9 W-4 D-6 L//17 GF-22 GA
Story: The Red Dragons continue to methodically build their team and their identity the hard way. Match by match, game by game, step by step. After saying goodbye to a raft of their regular talents, the team got significantly younger during the offseason, bringing in a raft of under 21 talent to nurture and grow on their own. Even though the team still hasn’t hit the top of the table (thanks again Partizan and Red Star), they are consistently a team to challenge you, and Milos Pantovic has proven himself (at only 20 years old) to be a dynamic scorer. (I’m still hoping for some more break out showings by Bogdan Jocic, and Borisav Burmaz.)
Lesson: Hope is a thing with dragon wings.
Montana
Record: 7 W-7 D-6 L//25 GF-17 GA
Story: The years we’ve kept track on this blog have been a consistent study in the excellence of the Griz. So much so that it started to seem like a forgone conclusion. The Griz were certainly prepped to bring another conference title home after holding their own against non-conference opponents (including ties against much more prestigious schools including Creighton and close defeats to Pitt and Portland).
But every year is different, and it seemed as though the other teams found a path through the vaunted Griz defense, or at least that there was more pressure than usual on Camilla Xu. Maysa Walters and Delaney Schorr were a solid goal scoring combination, but ultimately there was more depth and diversity in attack from Northern Arizona and Idaho (whose goalies also managed to stop more shots than Xu). The Griz did what they do well, other teams just did it better.
Lesson: Game Recognizes Game.
Grenoble
Women’s Record: 4 W-1 D-5 L//18 GF-13 GA
Men’s Record: 7 W-5 D-3 L//16 GF-12 GA
Story: The records don’t tell the whole story for the Alpiners. Nicolas Delpine’s side continued to showcase the skills and talents of Sherly Jeudy week in and week out, but (as we’ve seen before) the defense has been more suspect, giving up about three goals per game. But, things have turned around well the last couple of weeks and the team heads into the break with two wins in a row (three if they win in the Cup this Sunday)
Meanwhile, the men dusted themselves off after a lackluster previous season and are well positioned to, once again, put themselves in contention for promotion during the season’s second half. The team has been on a seven match unbeaten run with a trio of new attackers leading the charge. Pape Meissa Ba, Jordan Tell, and Abdoulie Sayang are all new to the squad in the year 2022, and they have led the scoring. But the team has been Matthias Phaeton, the Guadeloupe player who has featured in every match as a sub or a starter and has bopped everywhere there’s grass in pursuit of the game. Add this to our beloved backline squad and you have a strong team that may just get stronger in the spring.
Lesson: Never underestimate the element of surprise
Legon Cities
Record 3 W-8 D-5 L//8 GF-8 GA
Story: I love Legon as much as I love Nkatekwan, and as you boys seem to have inherited my zeal for all things peanut buttery, I think you’ll know that’s a lot of love. Legon loves Jonah Attaquye as well. He’s only 22 and he has fast become their talisman. And yet, Jonah can’t do it all on his own. The increasing pressure of carrying the load for the team, distributing the ball to scorers who struggle to connect and running the show. This season, he and defender Suleman Mohammed have missed a total of 5 minutes across all their games.
Lesson: Love is Love, but dependency is dangerous.
Ross County
Record: 7 W-4 D-10 L//25 GF-31 GA
Story: A year ago, the fall campaign was anything but kind to the Staggies. The team looked to be every bit as shaky as it was when it faced relegation, but then the ship was righted and they got their best final table position in about a decade.
But that was with Reagan Charles Cook playing chef du’jour. With his departure for Belgium, County had to try to fill in with a raft of other players to match his same creativity and finishing. While midfielder Yan Dhada brings an impressive resume and strong creativity, we’ve yet to see either Jordy Hiluwa or Jordan White dominate the game the way Regan did. So it’s a lot like last season…but that turned out pretty well so lets be patient.
Lesson: Enjoy the comfort food of home cooking while it lasts.
Emelec
Women’s Record: 1 W-1 D-4 L//4 GF-11 GA
Men’s Record: 7 W-5 D-5 L//23 GF-17 GA
Story: Los Bombillos and Las Electricas had a little less productive campaign than in prior years. The goals seemed to dry up and there was no clear answer in goal. Laliz Tenorio, the woman who is older than your Uncle Simon and twice as powerful, led the attack (as best she could). Unfortunately, things were so ineffective, that Emelec was dropped out of the top Women’s League in Ecuador and will now need to earn promotion again. I’ve been looking for where I can find coverage of the amateur women’s leagues in Ecuador, but I may not be able to find it…hopefully we’ll see Las Electricas again soon.
Likewise, the men who offered such dominance in prior years, could not break through to the upper echelon of the league. In the past they might have been able to pull some surprises against opponents in knock-out stages, but this year it was only the champion of each half of the season. The team did break through into the knock out stages of the big continental battle of the Copa Libertadores, bowing out to former Brazilian boss “Hulk”. Even though his career in Guyaquil looks to be over, Sebastian Rodriguez closed out his three year career with the club as a leader and definitive goal scorer. And as ever, Romario Caiceido continues to be the air raid master in his dangerous balls.
Lesson: Part of the journey is the end, and that’s beautiful too.
Standings
There are two more weeks of relevant matches, but the standings are pretty clearly set. Grenoble and Legon Cities could reach the mid-table and Punjab could climb as high as 3rd. But Rosenborg BK has set themselves up for their second Sippy Cup in three years.
There are skirmishes in the shadows of nuclear reactors, an infectious disease that appears to be biding its time in preparation for a fresh onslaught, and a trio of billionaires racing to space while people on the ground go hungry.
In times of great uncertainty I have been struggling to hold on to the little joys and victories of the day. I often feel so overwhelmed that it’s hard to appreciate what we do have.
In the past four weeks I’ve had minimal to no time to watch, write, or think about soccer. I have been pulled this way and that by an incessant barrage of obligations, necessities, and anxieties.
It would be easy at this moment to close up shop, acknowledge that life is best spent in living moment by moment rather than plopping 121 footballers’ 90 minutes of gameplay under a microscope in a search for meaning.
But the truth is that these are the little joys and victories that can inspire more than putting your head down and trudging on with the work. These games probably don’t matter that much. This blog about the games certainly matters less. But by god, if we can find a moment of joy, let’s do it.
News & Notes
Gaspar & Lawrence
Minnesota United brought in a new defender, albeit under some different circumstances.
Regular Left Back Chase Gaspar left the team to deal with substance abuse. Addiction is a plague, and there is no simple cure. The person Chase Gaspar is far more important than the soccer player. And we’re so grateful that he sought and received help.
In the meantime, Kemar Lawrence of Jamaica arrived to play the game in Gaspar’s stead. And when Gaspar returned this last week, he was welcomed back warmly.
That's Loons left back Chase Gasper back training with #MNUFC mates today after he entered himself into MLS Substance Abuse & Behavioral Health program pic.twitter.com/JSNux0CrY0
The single greatest celebration of the beautiful game happens every four years. Last time, Alex you were 9 months old and being strolled to various viewing parties in a car seat during a few glorious summer months. You sipped on a milk bottle as I drank beer and shouted at the French national team.
This time, there will be two of you, it will be in November and December and the tournament will be in Qatar. There’s plenty of awkward details around that particular decision (ones I wrote about years ago on a different blog). As I’ll be working and you’ll be in school, there will be far less revelry this time…with a few exceptions.
On Thanksgiving Day, Ghana will play Portugal, and I will be fighting your Grandpa Mark for the controller. On the next day, the USA (who missed the last world cup) will face England in a good ol’ fashioned super-power battle (the English hate when they don’t beat us…it’s great). Alex’s birthday will see great stars of France and Argentina in action (though not against eachother). And it will all come to an end on December 18th a week before Christmas…whew…
Staggies Assure Survival
Scotland has a different style than most other leagues. Rather than have every team face each other from the beginning to the end of the year, Scotland splits the league in two so that the best teams face the best teams for the title, while the worst teams face the worst teams for the chance to survive. For the first time in three years, the Stags will be among the best teams in Scotland, and be certain to play in the top division again next season. (They still won’t win because they aren’t the unstoppable duo of Rangers and Celtic…but this counts as a win on Scotland’s sliding scale)
The fine folks at Minnesota Aurora dropped their new jersey and it looks as beautiful as you would expect. Or maybe you wouldn’t. You boys mostly like the bird on the Loons’ jersey, so…we’ll take what we can get.
Freiburg Flies On
One quick celebration among the mostly non-specific results: Freiburg did win their semi-final cup tie against Hamburg which means that in Mid-May they will be playing for a big fancy trophy for the first time in their most recent Bundesliga run.
Player of the Week
We’ll take a beat to acknowledge some strong play throughout the last month, so here’s a chance to tip our cap to Dayne St. Clair’s keeping, Romario Caicedo’s defense, Vincenzo Grifo’s playmaking, and Harry Paton’s finishing. That’s a strong quartet And yes, that’s double the dose of Canadians!
Dayne dreaming of Qatar
Standings Update
So many updates! Let’s start at the top where Alebrijes has rocketed to the top of the table after spending so much of the past few years mired in the bottom. Freiburg and Punjab aren’t far behind, and there’s a similar horde trailing behind. Minnesota is above Ross County due solely to goal difference. Emelec’s strong start has faded and so has their standing, but they can still make a comeback. After all, look at Grenoble who is a strong 9th and ready to capitalize on any missteps
It sure looked like Punjab was going to take their first loss of the campaign, even with two goals pulled back for offside Aizawl had shown the better style throughout the match. But then came a late red card to Aizwal’s right back and suddenly the onslaught was back on. Within 60 seconds Kurtis Guthrie (yup, him again) and defender Bikash Yumnam pulled the team from the edge of defeat to the hallowed halls of victory with a little poke from a dangerous corner kick to do the lasting damage.
Freiburg 3 – 2 Wolfsburg [M]
Vincenzo Grifo led the charge out of the gate blasting two beauties in the first half. When Wolfsburg stormed back to equalize late on, Silver Fox Nico Schlotterbeck made the difference to keep Freiburg very much in the mix for non Munich/Dortmund honors with only eight matches left to play.
Grenoble 0 – 0 Rodez [M]
The good news, Grenoble has stopped shipping goals like they were square-jawed sci-fi dudes with good chemistry (…no…no takers on the slash fiction joke…? okay moving on). The bad news the offense has also dried up. They’ve scored four times in nine matches under Vincent Hognon. (That this is a marked improvement shows just how low they had fallen prior to Hognon’s arrival…but it may not be enough improvement to save them from the drop).
Great Olympics 1 – 0 Legon Cities
Sigh…just when you hope the Royals are on the cusp of something, they go and lay an egg again…
SC Freiburg 7 – 1 FC Carl Zeiss Jena [F]
Carl Zeiss Jena may be a the foot of the women’s Bundesliga, but they had the lead for a solid half an hour in Freiburg. Then the lady griffins took charge. Seven goals from six players in about forty minutes was a heck of a showing. It may not win any trophies, but I bet it felt darn good.
Vozdovac 1 – 1 FK Spartak Subotica
The Red Dragons split their points on top of the mall in Belgrade. Milos Pantovic struck a solid rebound back into the goal to give them a surprising lead. While the defense did a good job of forcing Spartak into some ugly shots, their befuddlement on a late long ball opened it up for Spartak to waltz it in and take a point.
Grenoble Foot 3 – 3 Montabaun [F]
Perhaps les hommes de Hognon could use a conversation with Grenoble’s women’s side. Three goals marks a high point in the league for the ladies of the alps, though to be fair one of them was one of the slowest rollers I’ve ever seen. Still, points are points, and I’m not one to complain (though I would love if more than one phone could get video of the game)
NY Red Bulls 0 – 1 Minnesota United [M]
It takes a bit of effort to go into New York and come away with one point, let alone all three. But that’s what the Loons managed against the Red Bulls over the weekend. It was in no small part due to Dayne St. Clair’s showing in goal. The keeper made 8 tremendous saves (including a ball don’t lie penalty save), and though statistics suggested he coulda/shoulda given up 4, he kept the score line clear to let the single volley strike from Luis Amarilla send Minnesota home happy.
Gualaceo SC 2 – 1 Emelec
While Romario Caicedo got a late consolation goal, Los bombillos struggled with newly promoted Gualaceo. A little boost to the new comers to best one of the best sides in all Ecuador last year, but hopefully not the beginning of a trend.
Punjab FC 1 – 2 Sreenidi Deccan
Punjab lost their unbeaten run against the Andhar Pradesh side and more specifically Nigerian striker, Louis Ogana. It likely didn’t help that Kurtiss Guthrie finally had an off night for the Northwestern side and the attack was thoroughly neutralized.
Pau 0 – 1 Grenoble [M]
Don’t look now but les Grenobloises have gone three whole matches without a loss! Even though Jordy Gaspar had ten sloppy minutes to get himself banned from the next week of matches, Brice Mableu held on to enough attacks to ensure that Yoric Ravet’s penalty salvaged a crucial three points for Les Alpines who moved above the drop…phew!
News & Notes
(Omitted due to time constraints–hey, I’m writer, editor, publisher…I do what I want!)
Player of the Week
There were some solid showings this week by teams who played more than once, but you can’t ignore the elephant in the room: Freiburg Frauen dominated their match this week. And while lots of people scored goals, I couldn’t keep my eyes off 19 year old Swiss midfielder Riola Xhemaili who managed some absolutely staggering assists and key passes to set up several of the goals (playing in a line with other powerhouses like Janina Minge and Hasret Kayici doesn’t hurt either.
I started this blog two years ago back before “pandemic” and “nasal swab” were words in daily conversation. It’s been wonderful to keep a hold of one normal-ish routine in a supremely surreal time.
Here’s how things shook out in 2021 among our favorite 11 sides on the planet.
Final Standings
Team
W
D
L
PPG
GFA
GAA
University of Montana
22
1
8
2.16
1.5
0.7
Rosenborg BK
41
9
15
2.03
2.3
1.2
Emelec
27
11
14
1.77
1.6
1.2
Punjab FC
8
4
6
1.56
1.2
0.9
Freiburg
26
11
23
1.48
1.7
1.5
Grenoble
22
10
22
1.41
1.2
1.2
Minnesota United
13
10
12
1.40
1.2
1.3
Legon Cities
13
10
15
1.29
1.1
1.0
FK Vozdovac
13
11
16
1.25
1.1
1.4
Ross County
14
9
20
1.19
1.3
1.5
Alebrijes
7
14
12
1.06
1.2
1.6
Table Updated 12/31/21
It’s one thing to have a superlative season after COVID, win your league and make a superb showing in unlikely circumstances. It’s another to do it again a couple months later. But that’s exactly what the University of Montana Griz did this year, and that’s why they ran away with this year’s cup. (U of M soccer jerseys are not available, but rest assured, I will find a way to be as close to full kit dork as possible.)
Emelec came away with the other 2021 trophy we commemorated on that part of the site, but couldn’t pass the dynamic duo of teams in Trondheim…even though neither of them won so much as a silver pudding spoon this year. Still, never bet against Julie Blakstad.
Most teams improved on the last campaign (which is saying something for as woeful as Alebrijes was), only Grenoble, Minnesota United, and FK Vozdovac saw regressions (however the Loons and the Dragons both stayed in good position for the standings…Grenoble, well…the spring was fun.)
Players of the Year
I so deeply enjoyed naming a team of XI favorites, that I took time to track the weekly award winners and sort out who showed up for their team week in and week out.
In goal it was a brutal choice: but We had to opt for the legend: Claire Howard who made the Griz so dominant in the spring and won a pair of player of the week honors.
The back line also had a strong set of selections to draw from. Attention had to be paid to four players who kept up the intensity at both ends of the pitch for four teams who broadly exceeded expectations. Jerome Mombris takes his second straight top XI selections while Romario Caicedo worked wonders in Emelec. Meanwhile Taylor Hansen was absolutely dominant as a Griz captain, and Christian Gunter was one of only three players to get two PoW winners.
The midfield sees two more repeat honorees on the left side with Julie Blakstad and Emanuel Reynoso returning with honors. The other side of the midfield sees two new names who are absolutely invaluable to their respective sides, with Jonah Attaquye masterminding the few attacks that have worked for Legon, and Hasret Kayici, you might say as she goes, so go die Frauen auf Frieburg.
Instead of shouting out the most dominant goal scorers at the spear head of the attack, we opted for decisive ones: Roundglass Punjab’s Chenchyo Geltsen and Vozdovac’s Nicola Vujnovic.
As for the bench, we had to slot the third double PoW winner here (sorry Kiran Limbu…you’re just not Claire Howard). The best defenses of the year (Legon and Rosenborg) came away with the two defensive bench spots: Erland Reitan and Joseph Adjei (the only honoree without a PoW). Joseph Hungbo’s recent run of amazing form and stellar goals gave him the rights to Ross County’s spot on the side, and Kristoffer Zacharissen’s dreamy eyes great leadership for half the year got him dropped onto the bench this year. Finally we kept the top scorers for two under represented sides as our scoring sparks off the bench: Adama Tamba for les femmes de Grenoble, and Kerly Corozco for las Electricas de Emelec.
This year we couldn’t find a way to work in a representative of Alebrijes: too many strong showings owed to the other side collapsing rather than an excellent performance on their end.
Finally, I just want to point out how tight the competition was for goalkeeper this year with three players who didn’t even get close to the bench: Winifred Honsu came out of nowhere to replace Fatua Duda in Legon, Pedro Ortiz remains indefatigable for both club and country, and Camila Xu thrilled us as just a freshman.
What’s Next
Let’s do it again shall we?
Oh, okay, maybe we’ll be more selective in our video taping (what with Alex starting to refuse and Owen mostly wanting to see himself…hmmm…maybe he’s got a future in punditry).
One thing I’m going to aim for in 2022: let’s see if we can get some conversations with people from the clubs…players…managers…confused communication interns…I’m not picky.
The Staggies finally fell into the danger zone after their defensive collapse at home against St. Mirren. Coupled with Kilmarnok’s cruising win against Dundee, the pressure is truly on the Staggies to get a result against one of the better teams.
Talleres 1- 2 Emelec [Copa Sudamerica]
Los bombillos opened their quest for continental glory with a fine comeback win in Argentina. Pedro Ortiz was put through his paces against an aggressive and fluid attack, which he (mostly) defended well). Fortunately Emelec stars, Facundo Barcelo and Romario Caicedo, were able to make their connections count beautifully as the game wound down. They combined to set up both a hand ball penalty and a well taken short angle goal to win against the flow of the match. (Side note: Talleres goal scorer and selfie-celebrant Franco Frangapane is heavily rumored to be the latest Argentine attacker bound for Minnesota)
Troyes 3 – 1 Grenoble [M]
A win at the league leaders would have gone a long way to justifying Grenoble’s case for promotion. But despite Anthony Belmont’s opening goal it wasn’t to be, as seven attackers overwhelmed the alpine defenders.
Freiburg 1 – 1 Hoffenheim
While Hoffenheim was in fine form throughout the match and seemed to keep Freiburg permanently on the back foot. Fortunately, Freiburg capitalized when their best chance of the match led to a penalty by one of their best players, Vincenzo Grifo. Grifo’s injuries put him on the sidelines right around the same time Freiburg cemented their spot in the mid-table.
Vozdovac 2 – 1 Cukariki
It was frustrating to see the Red Dragons biggest win of 2021 see them stick on the cusp of relegation. Ivan Milosavljevic buried an absolute screamer to take the lead. Aleksa Jankovic, drew a decisive late penalty. Beating the third place side in Serbia should have been a celebration, instead the dragons stayed stuck near the bottom of the table and were left to wait and hope that the Cukariki comes through against other relegation scrappers.
Minnesota United 1 – 2 Real Salt Lake
The Loons hopes for a playoff run are already looking rough. Constrained by injuries and players out of position, they’ve been burned twice now. We are hoping things are a little less uh…burny…from now on.
SC Freiburg 0 – 3 Eintracht Frankfurt [F]
It’s a been a hard go of it for the ladies from Breigsau. Hoping for smoother sailing ahead.
Legon Cities 1 – 1 Dreams FC
The Royals started with approximately seventy bajillion crosses. However, it paid off when Hans Kwofie broke the early deadlock with a well placed header. But Legon couldn’t hold on to the lead for long enough to take all the points.
Órense v Emelec [M]
A rise in local Covid cases led to Ecuador postponing the match (at least it hasn’t affected the women’s league…yet)
News & Notes
Dancing Shoes
The University of Montana has landed and is training eagerly for their big match in the NCAA tournament. It’s clear from the write up that the team doesn’t have much expected of it in a match against one of the best non-seeded teams in the tournament. The Griz will be bringing the veteran mindset, the improved offense, and the sterling record of Claire Howard against a perennial contender from South Carolina with talented seniors and star freshmen.
— Montana Griz Soccer 🐻⚽️ (@MontanaGrizSOC) April 26, 2021
New Contest
The Copa SudAmericana isn’t quite the glamorous affair that several other contests might be, but it is a continental battle and, as such, is worth a mention.
The second tier of South American scuffling sees teams who didn’t triumph face off in a group stage followed by a tournament for each group’s winners (and those eliminated from the more prestigious Copa Libertadores). Los Bombillos have a group with contending sides from Argentina (Talleres), Brazil (Red Bull Bragantino), and Colombia (Tolima). There’s a long way to go, but Emelec’s form in Ecuador should make them very excited to fight at a higher level.
Super League Shut Down
I told you that this didn’t matter. Sure enough, a few hours after I posted last week’s update, the supposed “super league” collapsed in a crashing heap of public relations face saving and crying softly into a slightly smaller pillow stuffed with money.
Few if any people complained about the crossing borders, or the quality of play, but the unfairness and unwillingness to risk demotion smacked of greed and shortsightedness. So, out of fear that it might all come undone, almost all the teams bailed. The question of whether they are really in serious financial peril or not remains to be seen.
Player of the Week
After a rough week, there’s not a lot to choose from, but we’ll give the nod this week to Ivan Milosavljevic whose thunderous shot helped steer Vozdovac back towards success.
Standings Update
Nothing changes in this week’s table as Minnesota sinks lower, while Vozdovac inches closer to Ross County. The Griz stay on top, but a lopsided loss (as has happened regularly against top seeded opponents) might drop them down to well within striking distance of Emelec and others.
Team
W
D
L
PPG
GFA
GAA
University of Montana
9
0
1
2.7
2.1
0.6
Emelec
8
2
1
2.4
2.0
1.0
Grenoble Foot
8
6
6
1.50
1.3
1.2
Punjab FC–b
7
4
6
1.47
1.2
0.9
Freiburg
9
3
10
1.36
1.5
1.5
Legon Cities FC
5
4
5
1.33
1.3
0.9
Alebrijes
4
7
5
1.2
1.5
1.9
Ross County
5
2
9
1.1
1.3
1.7
FK Vozdovac
2
5
7
1.0
0.7
1.7
Minnesota United
0
0
2
0.0
0.5
3.0
Rosenborg BK-b
0
0
0
–
–
–
Table Updated 4/27/2021 b–Team is between seasons
What’s Next
Wednesday, April 28th
11:00 Novi Pazar v Vozdovac
University of Montana Grizzlies v University of South Carolina Gamecocks [NCAA Tournament]
7:30 Emelec v Red Bull Bragantino [Copa Sudamerica]
Thursday, April 29th
Friday, April 30th
[NCAA TOURNAMENT 2ND ROUND V Georgetown Hoyas IF APPLICABLE]
Doff your caps to Alejandro Cabeza. The young striker raced out to a brace in 10 minutes and got his hat trick in the second half. Just what every Ecuadorian side wanted to see, another in form striker for Los Bombillos.
Leones Negros 1 – 1 Alebrijes
It took just about everything that Alebrijes had to keep up the pressure throughout the match. Johan Alonso took charge of the right flank and peppered a wide array of opportunities that went awry. In the end, the greatest contribution came from Center Back Oscar Torres, who played a critical role at both ends of the field: disrupting a barrage of Leones’ attacks and being in the right place at the right time to net the equalizer.
University of Montana Grizzlies 2 – 1 University of Northern Colorado [Big Sky Semifinal]
After a steady and solid season Taylor Stoeger got a great moment to shine in the conference Semifinal. She was instrumental in the midfield and delivered the golden goal in overtime to get the Grizzlies to the much awaited and much deserved conference final.
Seattle Sounders 4 – 0 Minnesota United
That wasn’t great, but the video we sent to trash talk our Sounders friend Aly was.
Freiburg 4 – 0 Schalke
Boy did Freiburg need this one. Christian Gunter blasted some beautiful goals and Roland Sallai made his presence felt. (Oh also, Schalke is terrible, but every win gets 3 points.)
Dunkerke 1 – 1 Grenoble
Speaking of beating bad teams, it’s something les Grenobloises have failed to do lately. It probably owes something to Jekyll/Hyde games like Maumodou Diallou whose first half assist was mitigated by his second half red card, forcing a team fighting for promotion to simply play not to lose against a team battling to avoid relegation. Their next four all come against teams jockeying for playoff position too so, this time next month things will be great or absolutely not.
University of Montana Grizzlies v. Northern Arizona University Lumberjacks [Big Sky Final]
CANCELLED DUE TO NAU VIOLATIONS OF COVID PROTOCOL–Griz named champions by default
As Homer [Simpson] once said, “the two sweetest words in the English language: De-Fault!!”
TBA Guayaquil City v Emelec [F]
Que soprisa!! Another delay to the women’s league. We’ll see if May 1 proves more lucky than March or April.
Wolfsburg 3 – 2 SC Freiburg [F]
Hasret Kayikci continued her strong showings but Wolfsburg blasted back to confirm their place among Europe’s elite.
Medema 2 – 1 Legon Cities
The Royals made a comeback even without top Center Back Joseph Adjei who got red carded in the first half. Adjei’s absence was felt on Medema’s second and game winning goal 8 minutes from time.
TSC Backa Topola 4 – 1 FK Vozdovac
This thumping put the Red Dragons firmly in the relegation scrap. Napredak’s great form has capitalized on Vozdovac’s lousy showings. One reason for hope: 3 of the last 6 will be against fellow fighters separated by goals and two points. Here’s hoping the turn around is straight ahead.
Emelec 2 – 0 Técnico Universarito [M]
I hope you boys learn to love beauty in life. Hugs from little kids when they are sleepy, your mom’s smile, monsoon mists in Mussoorie. Caciedo and Barcelo dominating Ecuador isn’t quite at that level, but it’s getting close.
Grenoble 2 – 0 Sochaux [M]
It was quite a crunchy match in the offing with Sochaux on the outer edges of the playoff scrap. A win would have made their last months extra tense. But while Sochaux’s energies seemed to unsettle Esteban Salles, they also led to foolish errors that earned two penalties for Grenoble (both of which were duly buried by Jessy Benet). The win gave a little more breathing room for Grenoble (now 7 points clear in the playoff spots) but likely knocked Sochaux out of the running for progression.
Mineros 6 – 0 Alebrijes de Oaxaca
That was…what’s the word? Bad. That was bad.
News & Notes
Big Sky Superlatives
With the Griz getting both the Northern Division trophy AND the Big Sky trophy we have the first hardware won by any team on our Favorite XI. But the fun doesn’t stop there.
Four Griz were named to the All-Big Sky team: Holding Midfielder Avery Adams, Wingback Taylor Hansen, Striker Alexa Coyle and (quelle surprise) goalie Claire Howard were named best in the conference at what they do. Howard also won the Goalkeeper of the Year honors (not a shock with her record breaking form). Centerback Alli Lang was named to the second team and attackers Rita Lang and Taylor Stoeger took home honorable mentions.
The Griz came into the year as favorites to win, and they delivered. Now all that’s left is…
The Big Dance
The NCAA tournament is one of our family’s favorite events. You boys got a taste of that this year when we went to Grandma and Grandpa’s, ate tasty snacks, talked with family, and played and played and played. While we usually watch the basketball tournaments, Soccer has one too. This year’s tournament will be in North Carolina (one of the biggest hotbeds for college competition in the country).
Thanks to their regular season dominance (and the Lumberjacks’ illness) the Griz are Charlotte bound to be part of the Fabulous 48, and the chance to play into the thrilling thirty-two.
Up first a game with the South Carolina Gamecocks. If you extrapolate out the regular seedings the Griz would be 12th seeded in the region of 12 (45th of all 48 teams). The Gamecocks were a potent force in a powerful league, which means the Griz will be an underdog for the first time this year…but that’s a fine place to be. Win and the Griz tie a best ever season showing, lose and they still have a couple pretty Big Sky trophies in tow.
Superliga Feminina Forever
As in forever waiting to start.
This delay’s irrational cause for optimism that this time it’ll really happen. A detailed and stylish schedule tweet from the official league account! Surely a graphic designer’s work is always respected and honored.
— Superliga Femenina Ecuabet (@SuperLigaFEF) April 16, 2021
Super League Salvos
The biggest news in soccer this week is the promised beginning of a new European Super League. This will be the 15 biggest clubs in Europe (plus five of their friends) raking in oodles of money, while their former opponents just make gobs of money.
Depending on who you ask, this is either a bad idea or a sign that the world is nearing an implosion of epic proportions. League officials are threatening to banish the big sides. Global leaders in the game claim that they’ll impose harsh fines and punish the players. Fans are mulling boycotts. It’s a fraught subject that brings to mind questions of “nationality”, “tradition”, “fairness,” and “global society.”
None of which matters to you two in the slightest. After all, you are under 4, by the time you bring full attention to any sport this league will either be an established institution or a bygone bit of trivia. Still this is my sporting journal of our times, so…there’s the big news.
Player of the Week
Jessy Benet had a huge impact on Grenoble’s standing for the end of the season, but Alejandro Cabeza had far and away the best performance, the least we can do is acknowledge it again here.
Bienvenido a nuestro casa Alejandro
Standings Update
The Loons debut provides a much appreciated cushion to FK Vozdovac in at least one table as Freiburg and Legon Cities continue to jockey for the advantage in the middle of the table.
MacKenzie's Boot Room 