Week 29-31: Take a Breath

August 4, 2021August 4, 2021 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Wait, What Happened?

First, the big thing that happened: your grandparents went on vacation. That meant we got to play, and run, and wrestle, and tell stories, and bowl, and swim, and just about everything else. It also meant, that I did not have time to review such things as soccer highlights, or write about matches. So, here’s a recap of the last three weeks with notes about each team and how they fared starting with the two big stories from the end of July

Did Emelec win it all or get knocked out?

Manta 0 – 4 Emelec [M]

Liga de Marcas 1 – 1 Emelec [F]

Emelec 1 – 4 Deportiva Cuenca [F]

Deportiva Cuenca 0 – 1 Emelec [M]

Barcelona 3 – 0 Emelec [F]

Emelec 2 – 2 Aucus

BOTH! Let me explain

The men’s victory of Manta clinched the first stage title! Facundo Barcelo and Dixon Arroyo led the way as los bombillos celebrated their first taste of glory since 2018.

¡Vamos por la segunda etapa!

🔜#SegundaEtapa #Juntos9traVe2 #VamosEmelec ⚡ pic.twitter.com/IacvHMDFdl
— Club Sport Emelec (@CSEmelec) July 20, 2021

The women’s team did not fare as well, following a draw with the lowly Liga de Marcas with a pair of defeats to regional rivals that stopped them from progressing to the playoff portion of the season. [The commments on their see you next year tweet seem to be encouraging whole sale change]

🔜⚽💪#Juntos9traVe2 #VamosEléctricas #LaOtraMitad ⚡ pic.twitter.com/MlQY0LqEa4
— Club Sport Emelec Femenino (@ElectricasCSE) August 1, 2021

But, as the men start the second half of the season there’s still a good amount of hope that they can hoist the big trophy at year’s end, even if the draw at home to Aucus doesn’t exactly inspire dreams of a dominant campaign.

Were the Royals Relegated?

Legon Cities FC 3 – 2 Eleven Wonders

Miraculously, NO! Despite looking every bit the chaotic and relegation doomed side in the first half (when the Royals very much were looking at a season with a bloated payroll in a lower league), the Royals came back with goals from Hans Kwofie and Matthew Anim Cudjoe to save the win and jump from 16th to 11th place (it’s a little crazy in Ghana). [Though that’s only my read of the events]

Vozdavac’s Victory…and other outcomes…

Cukaricki 2 – 1 FK Vozdovac

Vozdovac 2 – 1 Proleter

Paritzan Beograd 4 – 0 Vozdovac

Serbia’s league kicked off with Vozdovac in much the same place that we lost saw them…struggling in the middle of the table. But now that the league only has 16 teams (as opposed to last year’s 20) the cushion at the bottom might not be as soft for the Red Dragons. In the duopoly of Serbia, your best hope is a tough defense…but the leaky new Vozdovac defense makes that uncertain. The highlight was surely Ivan Milosavljevic’s brace from beautiful runs to beat Proleter.

Troublesome Trolls

Rosenborg BK 0 – 2 Sandviken [F]

Tromso 1 – 3 Rosenborg [M]

FH Hafnarfjodur 0 – 2 Rosenborg [M–Europe]

Melhus 0 – 7 Rosenborg [M-Cup]

Rosenborg 4 – 1 FH Hafnarfjodur [M-Europe]

Orkla 1 -11 Rosenborg [M-Cup]

Yes, against all odds the only flaw in the ointment of Rosenborg’s recent run was the Women’s team who lost for the first time while repping the black and white in the league. Sandviken’s win gave the women something to think about for the last few weeks during the mid-season break, and hopefully they’ll be back to full strength this coming weekend.

Meanwhile the men ran roughshod over some (admittedly) lower wattage opponents, during the Eliteserien’s approximate mid-way point. Against lower level local clubs they ran up a stunning 18-1 goal difference with Dino Islamovic notching 5 between the two matches. Emil Konradsen Ceide also notched a hat trick and they head to the round of 32 without breaking a sweat.

The outlook is similarly bright in the hunt for a berth in Europe’s lowest league. Having decked their Icelandic opponents, Rosenborg is now set for a match with Slovenia’s Domzale and the winner of that is left with a pair of matches against French foes (and former home of the Loons’ Adrien Honou) Rennes. Factor in all these matches (plus the win at Tromso) and Dino Islamovic is up to 8 goals in his last 5 matches. Or enough for a blow out win against all their opponents combined. (Kudos also to Andre Hansen, Even Hovland and Adam Andersson for anchoring the overpowering defense).

Stellar Staggies Survive Sickness

Ross County 0 – 3 Dundee FC [Cup]

Bora Rangers 0 – 1 Ross County [Cup]

Ross County 4 – 1 Montrose [Cup]

Ross County 0 – 0 St. Johnstone

Yup, Ross County was not miraculously unscathed by the global pandemic and had to forfeit their second match of the cup thereby eliminating them from the competition before they ever kicked a ball. But, once they were able to run out (against lower level sides) they looked the part of a solid squad. Credit to the players for coming back from illness and getting prepped for kicking off the league with your standard issue goalless Scottish draw. (Thanks Ross Laidlaw and Alex Iacovitti for being the new powers behind County’s class, Blair Spittal for the world class goal, and YouTube User RossCounty 1929 for the highlights and pump up music..)

Loons Land Safely

Minnesota United 1 – 0 Seattle Sounders

Minnesota United 2 – 1 Portland Timbers

Los Angeles FC 2 – 2 Minnesota United

Vancouver Whitecaps 2 – 2 Minnesota United

With the European Cup competitors back in the fold the Loons hoped to sail into a trick series of games with some renewed energy. They succeeded.

Robin Lod has shone since I gave him up as a lousy waste of space last year and notched three goals to help the team along, but the stars are still unquestionably Emmanuel Reynoso who makes miracles happen with the ball at his feet (even while he has struggled to connect with other players on the field) and Hasani Dotson who has grown into the kind of player you just want to see on the pitch wherever possible because he’s always got something going for him. After a dismal start to the year, the Loons have gotten back into the playoff hunt (even if the Delta Variant’s resurgence has made taking either of you to a game an impossibility at present).

Good God, Grenoble!

Grenoble 0 – 4 Paris FC

Auxerre 3 – Grenoble 0

Well…that was a rough way to start off a new campaign.

Grenoble looks utterly wiped out, and the once powerful defense has been absolutely ripped from pillar to post. Brice Mableu, Loic Nestor, Jerome Mombris, and Adrien Monfry have given up 7 goals, supported none, and though it is very VERY early in the campaign, last year’s 4th place team is bottom of the barrel.

Alright Alebrijes!

Pumas Tobasco 0 – Alebrijes 0

Alebrijes 0 – 1 Cimarrones

Meanwhile, frequent strugglers Alebrijes of Oaxaca got a point…against a strong team in Pumas…on the road!! And while that came without a single goal scored, we’ll take what we can get with Alebrijes. (Especially given that they then dropped a match at home…but only by 1 goal!!)

News & Notes

Gosh Dang it Ghana!

I love Ghana. I really do. I love soccer, that should be obvious. But man, Ghanaian soccer makes it hard to love the two together.

Here’s the latest drama: the Ghanaian police and Football Association are investigating match fixing…again. Yup, the same thing that destroyed the previous Ghanaian Premier League, threatens to destroy the new version within just two years! [A new record pace perhaps?] The dead rubber between top tier Ashanti Gold and relegated Inter Allies was always likely to end lopsidedly, but the dimwitted defense and goalkeeping that made it 5-0 were dubious. Then…came Hashmin Musa…who absolutely, no doubt, by his own admission scored own goals on purpose and pissed off his goalie to no end.

Musa claims that he was ruining the prearranged 5-0 score line…but the possibility that someone paid him even more to make it 7-0 is still out there and…because it just wouldn’t be as messed up as possible unless Legon Cities were also involved…the sudden barrage of goals to save the wealthy and high profile Royals from relegation is also coming under question. Suffice to say, there were plenty of ugly defense to help the Royals find the net, but there were also a few moments where it would have been easy to throw the game but players and referees didn’t oblige..so…[shrug emoji] So despite extended questioning and possible further destruction of the domestic game, Legon Cities is safe, for now.

Goodbye sweet prince

The Transfer Market hulaballoo has tempered down as Ross County set their line ups through surgical masks and Vozdovac vets the team their sending out, but there’s still action, including a painful farewell.

Kristoffer Zacharaissen is too good for this humble corner of the internet where we gawk at his chiseled jaw bone and make allusions to Schitt’s Creek because we can’t really break down his game effectively. Whatever the case, he has left Rosenborg for greener pastures and greener kits joining Hungary’s Ferencvaros, a side with a shot at the top league in Europe (and a chance to be brutally repressed by Viktor Orban…so, keep your nose clean Kristoffer)

Roster Updates

A few other notes as we missed kickoffs for Grenoble, and Oaxaca and got back just in time for Freiburg.

Oaxaca

As a lower division team in the middle of a global pandemic/recession, Alebrijes did not have a lot of extra cash to throw around, so the lean mostly on loans (both in and out). While forward Ricardo Monreal is probably the biggest name to depart, there are several defenders who also left the fold (Daniel Cisneros, Oscar Torres, Yohan Zetuna, Jair Cortes, Fernando Plascencia).

The only defenders who have come in are Ernesto Reyes of Cimarrones, and youngster Adrian Vazquez on loan. Instead, Oaxaca focused on bringing in some more veteran attacking presences. Most notable: Cristian Panesso a Colombian coming in from Portugal, and Leandro Torres an Argentinian coming down from Liga MX. Local and familiar faces from the league around them, Armando Gonzalez, Lizandro Echeverria, Miguel Vallejo, and Alexis Conrado.

Grenoble

After Phillipe Hirchenberger led the side quite well for 3 years, he left for Amiens and new man Maurizio Jacobacci made a big swap. Yes, Grenoble did something I never expected,and am frankly broken up about: they said farewell to leader and mastermind Jessy Bennet (more shockingly Jessy still hasn’t signed anywhere…and he’s only 26…seriously…Ross County…Legon Cities…Punjab… ANYBODY!! GET JESSY BACK!)

Willy Semedo, Kevin Tapoko, and Haroun Demba also left, but the club did net 1.5 million euros for Moussa Djitte’s move state side. (Sad but less shocking that Jessy (SERIOUSLY! I WILL PAY PART OF IT MYSELF!!). The side got a lot younger in response (without spending much of anything), bringing in Georgian Winger Giorgi Kokhreidze and two 20 something Swiss midfielders from FC Basel: Yannick Marchand and Orges Bunjaku.

Freiburg

Our German reps opted against a spending spree this year…so much so that they haven’t spent a thing.

Gone are Chang-hoon Kwon (back to South Korea), greatly improved goalkeeper Florian Muller and attacker Guus Til, and up to the senior squad come six young players, none older than 21. The most intriguing players coming in are attacker Nishan Burkart (who learned the game at Man United), Noah Weishaupt (who has surged up the depth charts on the left side), and keeper/local boy made good Noah Atubolu

Freiburg and Grenoble’s women’s teams will get another month of prep kicking off August 28th (in Germany) and September 5th (in France)

Player(s) of the Week(s)

We’ll put three players on the pedestal for the past three weeks. Let’s tip the hat to Rosenborg’s attack and defense by admitting that Dino Islamovic’s attack has been ridiculously good, and that Even Hovland has done it all on both sides of the pitch. Our third award winner has to be from the new trophy winners in Ecuador: Emelec, and to keep it all balanced, midfielder and team leader Dixon Arroyo gets our nod.

Islamovic and Horvland celebrating their awards (and probably wins)

Standings Update

We had to break down to three decimal points for the first time ever! Freiburg, Ross County, and Grenoble are splitting hairs, it’s hardest for Grenoble who plummet from 4th to 9th. Meanwhile the Loons leap up to fifth and are getting closer to the top tier of teams.

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
University of Montana–b	9	0	2	2.5	2.1	0.6
Rosenborg BK	18	4	5	2.2	2.5	1.0
Emelec	19	8	10	1.8	1.5	1.2
Punjab FC–b	7	4	6	1.47	1.2	0.9
Minnesota United	6	5	5	1.44	1.2	1.3
Legon Cities–b	11	6	11	1.39	1.2	1.0
Freiburg	12	4	13	1.379	1.7	1.6
Ross County	8	2	10	1.375	1.3	1.3
Grenoble Foot	10	7	10	1.370	1.2	1.3
Alebrijes	4	7	6	1.05	1.4	2.1
FK Vozdovac	5	6	9	1.04	0.9	1.6

Table Updated 8/4/21
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Wednesday, August 4th

Rosenborg v. Domzale [M-Europe]

Thursday, August 5th

Friday, August 6th

Saturday, August 7th

Stabaek v. Rosenborg BK [F]

Grenoble v. Guingamp [M]

Minnesota United v. Houston Dynamo

Sunday, August 8th

Hibernian v. Ross County

Wurzburger Kickers v. Freiburg [M-Cup]

Vojvodina v. Vozdovac

Delfin v. Emelec

Monday, August 9th

Tuesday, August 10th

Donzale v. Rosenborg [M-Europe]

Week 28: Royally Messed Up

July 14, 2021 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Scores

Colorado 2 – 0 Minnesota United

While the Loons attack had been in great form coming in, the absence of an increasingly reliable backline made things shaky and the reshaped midfield struggled too. And, of course, because it was a game in Colorado, one Loon got a red card (this time Ramon Abila did the job, maybe if we get two more we’ll get a free bucket of Rocky Mountain Oysters…)

Forfar Athletic 3 – 0 Ross County [Cup]

County had to forfeit their competitive opener this year after a number of players contracted COVID-19. [See News below]

Lyn Fotball 1 – 2 Rosenborg BK [F]

Despite a late Lyn consolation goal, Rosenborg continues to roll through their opposition. The Emilies (Bragstad and Lein did the job this week), and Rosenborg will head into another top of the table clash (this time with unbeaten Sandiviken) looking to keep the streak alive. (Don’t tell anyone but this might hinge more on Rugile Rulyte continuing her great form in goal)

Rosenborg BK 1 – 0 Kristiansund [M]

Dino Islamovic returned to form with the game winner early on, and for only the third time this campaign, Andre Hansen kept a clean sheet. (Alexander Tetty helped out after moving to center back…and my befuddlement at the lack of Tetty/Zachariassen pairings continues to fuel my Rosenborg FanFic.) It was also great to see Emil Konradssen Ceide run over a number of fools en route to a flurry of chances (even if they didn’t find the net)

CS Emelec 2 – 0 Tecnico Universtario [F]

Don’t look now but las Electricas are on a streak! (Is two a streak…let’s say it is) again Kerlly Corozo found the net and the goalie stood firm (psst, Emelec, necesita cambiar la pagina de la pantilla. No se el nombre de su arquera primera)

Las 📸 de nuestro triunfo por la fecha #11 ¡Vamos #Eléctricas! 💪🏻#Juntos9traVe2 #VamosEléctricas #LaOtraMitad ⚡ pic.twitter.com/tTlZDVROmo
— Club Sport Emelec Femenino (@ElectricasCSE) July 10, 2021

Elmina Sharks 2 – 0 Legon Cities FC

This was…not good. The Royals rolled over for a team at the bottom of the table in Ghana and now they face a difficult end of the campaign with relegation lurking around the corner.

News & Notes

Decision Day South of the Equator

This weekend two leagues wrap up their campaigns with our favorite clubs at different ends of the spectrum.

First the good news: Emelec remains in the driver’s seat of the Liga Pro in Ecuador. With a three point lead and one game to play, Emelec needs only a point against 11th placed Manta to seal their first half championship (and with it a guaranteed shot at the title and a trip into the big daddy of South American sports, the Copa Libertadores). There is a nightmare scenario where a loss and rival Barcelona winning would knock them to second, so it ain’t over yet.

Buckle up, it’s about to get wild (photo from ghanasoccernet.com)

Meanwhile, in Ghana, Legon Cities remains desperate to provoke a heart attack before the end of the campaign. Having dropped a winnable game away against Elmina, they now face accusations from the victorious Sharks of fielding an ineligible player Defender Mohammed Issaka multiple times. If approved by the premier league board, Legon would forfeit a bunch of matches retroactively and plunge into relegation. How did Elmina figure this out? Simple, Issaka earned two yellows as a member of the Sharks in the fall, and then one with Legon. Of course, rather than point this out immediately, Elmina waited until now…because…ya know…reasons…

Meanwhile, someone NOT waiting to make an inappropriate move is the Legon Cities board who has brought on a special assistant coach (Maxwell Konadu) who definitely isn’t about to take over for their existing head coach (Bashir Hackford). I mean, that would be silly…besides lots of teams bring on extra assistants with two matches before the end of the season. And it’s only natural for assistant coaches to not coach with the head coach because it would be “tense”. [Narrator voice: It’s not].

Add to all that fun background that anything less than a win against Eleven Wonders this Sunday would provide an opening for Liberty Professionals (cross town rivals), Ebusua Dwarves (forced to forfeit to Legon), and Elmina Sharks (remember them from two paragraphs ago?) to leap past the Royals and send them packing for the lower leagues. Woof.

[Disgruntled growl]

I mentioned a few weeks ago that Franco Frangapane was accused of using a racial slur against a dark skinned player from the Portland Timbers, the following investigation concluded that only two people (Frangapane and the aggrieved Timber) know if he did or not, and they disagree…so [Shrug Emoji] what ya gonna do? [Hint: Bench Frangapane yourself Loons, at least for a game or two]

Minnesota United FC apoya inequívocamente los principios de inclusión, igualdad y respeto, tanto en palabras como en acciones, por nuestro deporte, nuestra Liga, nuestra comunidad y nuestra sociedad. No hay lugar para el racismo, la homofobia o la misoginia en ninguna forma. https://t.co/4aniFCEYWi
— Los Loons (@MNUFCes) July 5, 2021

Staggies Saggy with Sickness

You might think that with countries opening and stadiums welcoming all the fans back at once, we’ve turned the corner on the germs. But as Ross County showed this week…NOPE. An undisclosed number of player and coaches turned up positive, and while the club claims they’ll be back in action soon, we’ve not heard an update in a week. So…whee…

Dragons Fly Again

The season is due to start up in Serbia again this week, with Vozdovac taking on Cukariki. It will be a little different look for the team who said goodbye to two long term members this offseason: Marko Gajic, a reliable defender since 2017, and attacking midfielder and frequent team captain Jovan Nisic. Meanwhile they added…well…a bunch of defenders. Nemanja Cvetkovic seems to have some clear talent from his last year in the 2nd division, but it’s yet to be seen if Stefan Jarakovic or Vasilije Mijalovic can stack up to what Gajic provided. Last year’s loanee Pavle Radulovic also returns but he has big shoes to fill if he’s expected to make up what Nisic was to the team.

Vincenzo Grifo appreciation post (even though he didn’t play for Italy this tournament….we miss him)

A Couple of Trophies

A few other news organizations covered this, but Italy won the European Cup, and Argentina won the South American Cup. Congratulations to Giorgio Chialini, Vincenzo Grifo, and Lionel Messi. I can’t think of anything else I could add of service.

Player of the Week

No one really shone this week, but that just allows us to finally tip the cap to Alexander Tetty of Rosenborg who has been a massive boon to the black and white since his arrival.

Standings Update

It is a log jam in the middle of the table with Legon, Freiburg, Ross County, and Minnesota separated by 2 hundreths of a point per game (and in some cases, only by goal difference). The Staggies will kick off again soon while the Royals are about to draw the curtain on this campaign, while we’re officially half way through the year there’s still a lot to play for.

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
University of Montana–b	9	0	2	2.5	2.1	0.6
Rosenborg BK	13	4	4	2.1	1.9	1.0
Emelec	17	6	8	1.8	1.5	1.2
Grenoble Foot-b	10	7	8	1.48	1.2	1.1
Punjab FC–b	7	4	6	1.47	1.2	0.9
Freiburg–b	12	4	13	1.38	1.7	1.6
Legon Cities	10	6	11	1.33	1.1	1.0
Ross County	8	2	10	1.30	1.3	1.5
Minnesota United	4	3	5	1.25	1.0	1.3
Alebrijes-b	4	7	6	1.12	1.4	2.1
FK Vozdovac–b	5	6	9	1.05	0.9	1.6

Table Updated 7/14/21
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Wednesday, July 14th

Thursday, July 15th

Friday, July 16th

Cukaricki v. FK Vozdovac

Saturday, July 17th

Rosenborg BK v. Sandviken [F]

Sunday, July 18th

Ross County v. Dundee FC [Cup]

Legon Cities FC v. Eleven Wonders

Tromso v. Rosenborg [M]

Minnesota United v. Seattle Sounders

Manta v. Emelec [M]

Liga de Marcas v. Emelec [F]

Monday, July 19th

Tuesday, July 20th

Week 27: Reliable are the Ladies!

July 7, 2021July 8, 2021 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Scores

Rosenborg BK 0 – 0 FK Haugesund [M]

To be fair, this game might have been a little dull, but it probably didn’t help that the women’s team was kicking off an hour later less than a block away. The guys were probably distracted.

Rosenborg BK 2 – 1 Klepp [F]

A late equalizer from Klepp nearly undid the Rosenborg winning streak and unravelled the home side’s dominance. But, cometh the hour, cometh the Utland, and Lisa-Marie (making a rare substitution appearance) netted the winner just moments later

CS Emelec 3 – 1 Carneras UPS [F]

Kerlly Corozo hit the back of the net twice on both a rebound and a header for an opportunistic brace that also gave Las Electricas a vital come from behind win. More of this please!

⚽ Gol de Kerlly Corozo 💪 pic.twitter.com/ObnI6qRsda
— Club Sport Emelec Femenino (@ElectricasCSE) July 4, 2021

Minnesota United 2 – 2 San Jose Earthquakes

This was it, our first live sports outing since the fall of 2019. Your mom did not like the crowds, and I really only felt comfortable once I was seated and savoring the match. But it truly felt great to be surrounded by other people, screaming, shouting and singing when Brent Kallman scored from his impossible angle. (I also left very impressed with the dynamic Niko Hansen, stalwart Michael Boxall, and endlessly inventive Bebelo. We left before the Loons went ahead (and long before they were thwarted with a draw), but it was all worth it.

Legon Cities FC 1 – 1 Bechem United

Again the Royals attack gave their opposing goalie a chance to shine. Jonah Attaquye’s opener set the tone, but not the standard with a flurry of chances again going lacking. A late kerfuffle resulted in captain Michael Empedu being shown a red card for…uh…being animated? We’ll have to wait to see how his absence affects the end of the campaign.

Odd 2 – 2 Rosenborg BK [M]

In a not remotely shocking turn of events, Kristoffer Zachariassen was named man of the match and notched a goal in his return to the midfield. (It seems as though Alexander Tetty pushes the build up into the middle of the field but the Rosenborg strengths are in finishing wide crosses…so something’s gotta give.) A late equalizer keeps the boys’ winless spiral a spinning with top 4 side Kristiansund and an attempt to get into European competitions next on the docket.

Valerenga 1 – 2 Rosenborg BK [F]

This one was sweet. Having gone unbeaten last year but still losing the title on goal difference to Oslo’s Valerenga, this time the Trolljenta topped another great team and boosted themselves into sole possession of first place with their 7th straight win. It wasn’t easy, in fact it took a pair of late goals and a stunning Rugile Rulyte penalty save to save them from their first defeat since becoming part of the RBK family. But those late goals weren’t just redemptive, they were the last step to dominance.

News & Notes

Happy Times for Hasani

I mean c’mon, this is awesome.

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A post shared by Minnesota United FC (@mnufc)

New Staggie Squadies

With the Scottish Cup set to kick off this week, Ross County has done a little more work in replacing some of the long standing fixtures of the side. So it’s tioriadh to Gardyne, Vigurs, and Draper; Halo to Ross Callachan, Dominic Samuel, Jake Vokins and Alexander Robertson. Callachan and Samuel have multi-year deals so here’s hoping that they provide what the forerunners did. Meanwhile Vokins and Robertson have headed north on loan deals from Premier League clubs Southhampton and Manchester City….yes…League Champion, global legend coach Pep Guardiola…Man City…it’s probably a bit early to be banking on the young men to dominate all of Scotland, but we’re here for it.

A Non-McConaughey reason to cheer for Austin FC

Look, we get it, Academy Award winner/bongo music enthusiast Matthew McConaughey is a bit of an attraction for the more indifferent soccer fans in the weirdest city in Texas. But, just a week after leaving Minnesota for the last time this season, the green and black of Austin announced the signing of Grenoble attacker and one of our local favorites Moussa Kailou Djitte. It has not been established if McConaughey himself spoke to Djitte, but we hope that Moussa greets him with “d’accord…d’accord…d’accord…” (ahh…weird French translations of meme’d McConaughey lines).

Player of the Week

Much as the softies in us want to give it to Hasani Dotson for proposing, you can’t deny a vital brace from veteran striker Kerlly Corozo to boost Emelec’s chances by beating the second place team in their division.

Standings Update

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
University of Montana–b	9	0	2	2.5	2.1	0.6
Rosenborg BK	11	4	4	2.0	2.0	1.0
Emelec	16	6	8	1.8	1.5	1.2
Grenoble Foot-b	10	7	8	1.48	1.2	1.1
Punjab FC–b	7	4	6	1.47	1.2	0.9
Legon Cities	10	6	8	1.38	1.2	0.9
Freiburg–b	12	4	13	1.38	1.7	1.6
Ross County	8	2	9	1.37	1.3	1.5
Minnesota United	4	3	4	1.36	1.1	1.3
Alebrijes-b	4	7	6	1.12	1.4	2.1
FK Vozdovac–b	5	6	9	1.05	0.9	1.6

Table Updated 7/7/21
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Wednesday, July 7th

Colorado v. Minnesota United

Thursday, July 8th

Friday, July 9th

Saturday, July 10th

Forfar Athletic v. Ross County [Cup]

Lyn Fotball v. Rosenborg BK [F]

Rosenborg BK v. Kristiansund [M]

CS Emelec v. Tecnico Universtario [F]

Sunday, July 11th

Elmina Sharks v. Legon Cities FC

Monday, July 12th

Tuesday, July 13th

Week 26: You Never Go Wrong with Julie Blakstad

June 30, 2021June 30, 2021 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Scores

Minnesota United 2 – 0 Austin FC

The Loons announced their return to full stadia with authority in a strong shutout win lead by the newly terrifying trio of Bébelo, Frangapane and Adrien Honou. We stayed home to take care of a sick baby Owen, but hopefully the convincing win is the best medicine.

Legon Cities FC 1 – 2 Hearts of Oak

Falling behind quickly to local giants Hearts of Oak was predictable. The eventual loss was too. But Victorian Adebayor’s goal, will hopefully be the boon to the teams last four weeks (with far less fearsome opponents)

Lillestrom 2 – 0 Rosenborg BK [M]

In Round 1 of the Lillehammer/Trondheim tilt of the weekend, the gentlemen were wrong footed from the beginning. The attacking line couldn’t find a way through, and Even Hovland and Kristoffer Zachariassen were uncharacteristically poor. I’m not sure why Åge Hareide insists on putting Zachariassen, one of the country’s best midfielders, in attack rather than next to fellow excellent midfielder Alexander Tetty, but…here we are

Lillestrom Kvinner 0 – 3 Rosenborg BK [F]

Lillestrom Kvinner (or LSK) was the only team to beat Rosenborg last year, knocking the otherwise indomitable Trolls out of the cup competition. Lillestrom looked quite capable of challenging Rosenborg again, but the defense held firm and Kristine Nostmo stopped anything within her reach. Better still, Julie Blakstad was quite ready to take it to the rivals. Our favorite winger netted twice to lead a trouncing in Lillehammer to split the club series.

Macara 3 – 0 CS Emelec [F]

Another loss by las eléctricas raised the question of when to shift defensive strategy or staffing completely.

Portland Timbers 0 – 1 Minnesota United

The Loons were quick to strike with that blitzing trio of attackers in Portland, but hopes of a big win were dashed as a defensive showcase broke out with arguably the best game by the back line all year. So tip the hat to Michael Boxall and Bakye Dibassy for shutting down the space in front of goal (and of course Tyler Miller for coming up whenever he needed to).

King Faisal 2 – 0 Legon Cities

After a solid but ineffective showing against Hearts of Oak, the Royals should feel disappointed not to get points against the struggling Insh’allah boys. Their last three matches remain vital to survival.

News & Notes

Disappointing

Franco Frangapane has done quite well since his addition to the Minnesota line up. Unfortunately, that’s tempered by accusations that he used a racial insult towards an opponent (Diego Charra) in Saturday’s win.

The matter will be investigated, but if true we’ll be enduring Frangapane more than cheering. If not, he’s got a way to go to get us cheering again.

International Affairs Update

South American CopaAmerica

Pedro Ortiz was demoted from the starting spot with minimal improvement for Ecuador, a 2-2 draw with Peru and a 1-1 draw with Brazil. Shockingly that was enough for Ecuador to back in to the knockout stage.

European Euro Championships

With the end of the group stage came the end of the road for many of our favorite players.

Despite another Roland Sallai assist and a late lead against Germany in Munich, Hungary drew their last match to finish last in their group. Our regret for Sallai is surpassed only by our delight that special snowflake Viktor Orban gets no second act.

Finland leaves with memories [Photo from UEFA]

It’s hard to tell which is tougher, Finland’s elimination as one of the two weakest third place teams (despite strong showings from Lod & Raitalta) or Slovakia finishing as the other weakest team with only token appearances from Jan Gregus. Both are left wondering, what if…

The only two Bootroom XI reps in the Round of 16 were Phillip Leinhart and Christian Gunter. Sadly neither made the field and both saw their teams bounced out of the competition (albeit by a surprisingly slim margin in the case of Leinhart’s Austria)

Player of the Week

Franco Frangapane has played well and behaved badly. That’s never an issue with Julie Blakstad. Let that be the message this week: you can never go wrong with Julie Blakstad

Sara Kanutte summarizes our feelings if we ever meet Julie Blakstad [Photo from RosenborgKvinner Instagram]

Standings Update

A big two win week for Minnesota sees them catapult off the bottom of the table and up into 6th.

Team	W	D	L	PPG	GFA	GAA
University of Montana–b	9	0	2	2.5	2.1	0.6
Rosenborg BK	9	2	4	1.9	2.1	1.1
Emelec	15	6	8	1.8	1.4	1.2
Grenoble Foot-b	10	7	8	1.48	1.2	1.1
Punjab FC–b	7	4	6	1.47	1.2	0.9
Legon Cities	10	5	8	1.40	1.2	0.9
Minnesota United	4	2	4	1.40	1.0	1.2
Freiburg–b	12	4	13	1.38	1.7	1.6
Ross County–b	8	2	9	1.37	1.3	1.5
Alebrijes-b	4	7	6	1.12	1.4	2.1
FK Vozdovac–b	5	6	9	1.05	0.9	1.6

Table Updated 6/29/21
b–Team is between seasons

What’s Next

Wednesday, June 30th

Rosenborg BK v. FK Haugesund [M]

Rosenborg BK v. Klepp [F]

Thursday, July 1st

Friday, July 2nd

Saturday, July 3rd

CS Emelec v. Carneras UPS [F]

Minnesota United v. San Jose Earthquakes

Sunday, July 4th

Legon Cities FC v. Bechem United

Odd v. Rosenborg BK [M]

Valerenga v. Rosenborg BK [F]

Monday, July 5th

Tuesday, July 6th

Week 25: Summertime Snowflakes

June 23, 2021June 22, 2021 by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Scores

CS Emelec 2 – 0 Guayaquil City FC [F]

Las Eléctricas were clicking in their local Derby, with Adriana Valenzuela notching the first and celebrating the result with style. Even better news, we’ve finally got highlights!!

🤩 Sumamos de a 3 🤟🏻

📹 Revive nuestros goles cortesía de @chalacofilms #Juntos9traVe2 #VamosEléctricas #LaOtraMitad ⚡ pic.twitter.com/JFpbA1iMAB
— Club Sport Emelec Femenino (@ElectricasCSE) June 20, 2021

Dallas 1 – 1 Minnesota United

The Loons came out well and faded in the Texas heat. Franco Frangapane got his first in the black and blue off a direct rebound and the team generally looked more organized in the back. The squandered chances and desperate last second saves of the second half were a little underwhelming, but, that’s a little picky. Soon, we’ll have tickets of our own to use.

Rosenborg BK 0 – 1 Sarpsborg 08 [M]

With Kristoffer Zachariassen serving a one game suspension, the trolls lacked an attacking edge. Despite new man, Alexander Tettey, looking strong as a midfield partner, the forwards continue to struggle (sorry Dino Islamovic and Emil Ceide, I love ya but it’s true).

Rosenborg BK 1 – 0 Avaldsnes [F]

The Trolljenta remain unbeaten as Lisa Marie Utland offered all the offense they needed. (Especially as they’ve yet to ship a goal in 2021 the defense was ready to stop everything in the same area code. For Rosenborg one goal might as well be 100). It’s just the result they need before facing fellow unbeaten Lillestrom Kvinner.