Disclosure
Once again, attempts to keep up on these tactical components did not go well. As I work on direct, specific, and simple apologies: I’m sorry.
Moving on!
Here are the final standings for this year’s MacKenzie Cup from 11th to 1st
11th) Legon Cities
An Explanation:
Legon faced one of the most chaotic seasons in the 6 years of this project, and I should try to explain why:
I try not to write much about owners. The wealthy and powerful already get more than enough attention, and, having been a Minnesota Twins fan, I know that obsessing over the whims of multi-millionaires is an exercise in futility.
But, the owner of Legon Cities requires a little attention.
Richard Attipoe bought Wa All-Stars after a title winning campaign and moved them to Legon, connecting them with a bunch of Accra celebrities to capture attention, followers, and ticket sales. Not so much to win matches. After battling against relegation for several years, the Royals finally fell to the second division last spring. In response, Mr. Attipoe went out and bought a newly promoted team (Eleven Wonders) and moved THEM to Legon, giving them the same kit and asking to call them the New Legon Cities (despite the old Legon Cities still playing in the second division).
So, which is Legon Cities? The Premier League Legon Cities (aka 11 Wonders in some new laundry), or the Original Legon Cities (wallowing in the second division)? I asked Legon Cities directly and a facebook fan group…but haven’t heard anything yet…so…I’m going to count both of them as best I can.
Results
Premier League: W 1 – D 3 – L 12; GF: 9/GA: 23
Division 1: W 1 – D 2 – L 10; GF: 11/GA: 29
Total: W 2- D 5 – L 22; GF 20/ GA: 52
Great Players:
Midfielder Matthew Amponseh (who has more goals in half as many minutes as the other strikers on the moribund Royals/Wonders side).
Quick Notes:
After opening their Division 1 campaign with all three points, the Division 1 Royals only have two more from the following 12.
Things are a little better for the Eleven Wonders who have won and drawn within their last five games…but they also haven’t done much of anything else and remain the poorest performers (both in goals for and goals against) and sit well adrift of the rest of the league.
10) Alebrijes de Oaxaca
Results
W 3 – D 4 – L 7 GF: 16/GA: 25
Great Players:
Julio Cesar Cruz (Forward), Sergio Meza (Wing), Hector Mascorro (CM), Fernando Morales (CB)
Quick Notes:
New season…same Alebrijes. The goals are in short supply with Julio Cesar Cruz trying to carry the whole load while Fernando Morales tries to anchor a defense that can’t make up for a lower than average attack. The team benefitted from Hector Mascorro taking a more aggressive role in the defense to stop attacks before they start. But there’s a lot more to do before Alebrijes rejoins the top contenders.
9 )Ross County
Results
W 6 – D 8 – L 11; GF: 36 /GA: 40
Great Players:
Akil Wright (WB), Ronan Hale (ST/W), Trevor Carson (GK),
Quick Notes:
A blugenoning of Edinburgh City wasn’t enough to save a League Cup campaign. (They had been successful in recent years, with a few trips to the knockout stages, but a particularly bitter defeat to highland rival Partick Thistle ended that hope). But the Staggies have done quite well in other cup competitions, handling their business in both the League Cup and the Challenge Cup.
However, things have been far less impressive within the league. Four of the Stags six wins came in cups and tournaments, but only two have come in the league. While the other relegated side (St. Johnstone) looks likely to return to the premier league, County is facing another relegation five points away from the automatic trap door (this after they shoved another manager, Tony Docherty, down their own trap door)
8) Emelec
Results
Masculino: W 10 – D 4 – L 8; GF 29/GA: 28
Feminina: W 0 – D 3 – L 1 ; GF 2 /GA: 3
Total: W 10 – D 7 – L 9; GF 31/GA: 31
Great Players
Romario Caicedo (FB), Pedro Ortiz (GK), Facundo Castelli (ST), Jose Cevallos (CM), Jesus Castillo (FB)
Quick Notes:
A good run of form in July helped the men’s team climb up the table, but what kept them going strong was a new running partner for Romario Caicedo. Jesus Castillo’s ability to advance down the field gave the team a boost in attack, even while they continued to struggle in converting goals. The ultimate outcome put Emelec solidly in the middle of the table.
Throughout the summer, Las Femininas seemed to be getting their feet underneath them in the Superliga. After a rocky beginning, the steady run of draws (while not inspiring) was a good sign and demonstrated how consistently the defense has played. Over the season the women ranked 8th in goals allowed, but 10th in offense and 10th place is where they finished. If they had a league average offense their goal difference would have put them around 6th or 7th. The club stayed afloat, and now has a clear objective going into next season…if only there were some team full of excellent amateur attacking players Emelec could contact (cou*AURORA*gh!)
7) Punjab
An Explanation
Punjab FC did not start their season in September, but no one else did either. It appears that India’s top soccer league is on the brink of collapse thanks to everybody’s favorite reason: corporate conflicts.
In basic summary: the regular league sponsors felt they didn’t get enough return on their ten years of investment, and the football federation didn’t have a backup in place. Without the money, the league couldn’t start and no one could agree on who could foot the bill. A new corporate entity? The Indian Government? The clubs themselves? We’re currently about to enter month four of a freeze on the league, and one club (Odisha FC) has already shuttered their doors for the year. Some have suggested the league can start up again in February playing in a few closely situated stadia…so is that the plan? Will it happen…?
Results
W 3 – D 2 – L 2; GF 9 /GA: 5
Great Players:
Pramveer (D), Ninthoi Meethi (W), Ricky Shambong (MF), Samir Zjelkovic (D)
Quick Notes:
The summer challenge of the Durand Cup was not what the Lions had in mind for their new rebrand (seriously…we’re an orange side…why are we not the Tigers?) A scramble in the late second half helped them scrape a win in extra time over Karbi Anglong Morning Star, and they didn’t score again: tying with the Indo-Tibetan Police team (having lived near that border, I can vouch for it being excellent for altitude training), and then a defeat to Bodoland FC knocked them out. After making the knockouts last year, this was disappointing. But the two goal scorers are each just 18 (including center back Pramveer), so that’s a plus for the youth movement.
Then came the awkward confrontation between tournament organizers, the government, and clubs themselves, and Punjab could only take the field for the Super Cup in November. There they looked much more like the dangerous side they had been in the I-League, with two 3-0 wins in the group stages and a strong defense propelling them through a shootout to the semi-finals.
6) Grenoble
Results
Femmes: W 5 – D 1 – L 6; GF: 14/GA: 16
Hommes: W 5 – D 7 – L 6 GF: 20/GA: 22
Total: W 10 – D 8 – L 12 GF: 34 /GA: 38
Great Players
Hommes: Jessy Benet (MF), Theo Valls (MF), Stone Muzalimoja Mambo (CB), Clement Vidal (CB), Mamadou Diop (GK)
Femmes: Laurine Baga (MF), Candice Charbonnier (MF)
Quick Notes:
The first season in Ligue 2 for the women of Grenoble has seen their steady and reliable performance put them in a reliable position to stay up for another season. No one has been setting the league on fire, but Laurine Baga and Candice Charbonnier have continued their strong leadership.
The men are similarly treading water. Over the past five years, no full-time manager has been able to string together a campaign where they get more than 1.5 points per match (that would be winning a majority of their games). In a quest to shake things up, Franck Rizetto tried talismanic captain Jessy Benet as a center back…but then moved him back to midfield immediately netting 3 chances and an assist…so maybe Jessy isn’t the problem. Since then it has been the traditional defensive showcase for les Alpinerres including possibly my new favorite name in the whole of football: Stone Mambo! (Mr. Muzalimoja if you’re an attacker).
5) Freiburg
Results
Herren: W 12 – D 7- L 5; GF 36 /GA: 30
Frauen: W 8 – D 2 – L 6; GF: 32/GA: 25
Total: W 20 – D -9 – L 11; GF: 68/GA: 55
Great Players
Vincenzo Grifo (MF); Matthias Ginter (D); Noah Atubolu (GK); Johan Manzambi (DM)
Lisa Karl (LB), Luca Emily Birkholz (F), Nia Zenk (RB), Leela Egli 
Quick Notes:
The Herren have been busy with three competitions running at once: the ever challenging Bundesliga has thrown up a number of strong teams and they’ve only been able a mid-table performance thus far (with an equal number of wins, draws, losses, and goals for and against). But they continue to charge through the German cup (or Pokal) and look like a major threat in the Europa league. The long standing defensive stalwarts continue to carry the squad along, but Noah Atubolu continues to come into his own and at just 20, young Johan Manzambi is proving extremely versatile around the field.
Die Frauen have had another strong if unremarkable campaign firmly in the second-tier of the women’s league in Germany. Alongside the usual suspects have been a horde of talented young women 22 and under. Luca Birkholz has been great up top, while the wings have been the domain of Nia Zenk and Leela Egli (both of whom play with and off of Lisa Karl perfectly). With just 5 points between 8th place and the Europa League position, there’s a lot still to decide for the Griffins.
4) FK Vozdovac
Results:
W 14 – D 7 – L 5; GF: 41/GA: 15
Great Players:
Lukasin Braunovic (MF); Adonjia Ouanda (RW); Nenad Lukic (CF)
Quick Notes:
Vozdovac has put together their best finish in our MacKenzie Cup competition ever! They set the tone early on with a dominant 7-0 win against FAP, and have continued their upwards trend, sitting in one of the end-of-season championship playoff positions. While Nenad Lukic is in great form as a veteran goal scorer, it’s the young combination of Braunovic and Ouanda who has given the dragons reason to hope of a return to the top flight again.
3) Minnesota
Results:
Loons: W 13 – D 8 – L 10; GF: 43 /GA: 35
Aurora: W 3 – D 0 – L 1 ; GF 5 /GA: 1
Total: W 16 – D 8 – L 11 ; GF: 48/ GA: 36
Great Players:
Tani Oluwaseyi (F); Dayne St. Clair (GK), Robin Lod (MF), Bongokuhle Hlongwane (FB); Anthony Markakis (FB); Carlos Harvey (CB), Adrian Pereya (MF)
Mariah Nguyen (MF) ; Sage Wimes (F)
Quick Notes:
Once again Aurora celebrated an unbeaten regular season, and once again they stormed into the playoffs with sky high expectations. Unfortunately, once again, the winner-take-all mentality of the single-elimination playoffs sent them home before the title could be claimed.
Meanwhile, the vaunted Loons defense came in for some harder times during the summer swoon. Part of that may have had to do with goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair fighting for Canada in the North American Gold Cup, but continued struggles after it derailed a promising League Cup campaign.
The fall saw the team sputter a bit on its way to the playoffs, while it technically had a shot at the top seed until the last three games, it was practically treading water until the final fury against red hot Seattle Sounders (long the Loons bete noir). But two nervy penalty shoot out wins saw the Loons into the second round agains top seeded San Diego, where everything came undone. There’s plenty of bright spots to savor for the team, but there’s a big transition coming as they try to move forward without striker Tani Oluwaseyi (currently seeing time in the Champions’ League), and goal keeper Dayne St. Clair (bound for a partnership with Lionel Messi in Miami (as well as talismans Hasani Dotson and–possibly–Robin Lod).
2) Montana
Results
W 13 – D 6 – L 6 GF: 38/GA: 18
Great Players:
Chloe Seelhoff (MF), Maddie Ditta, Regan Brisendine (MF), Mia Parkhurst, Ashlyn Dvorak (GK)
Quick Notes:
The most dominant team in the MacKenzie Cup competition, and back-to-back winners of the Big Sky/Big Sippy Cup, had an injury plagued season that led to one of their least dominant showings in recent memory. With a mix-matched team, coach Chris Citowicki relied on role players stepping up in big moments and a frenetic home atmosphere during the final playoff push to book the team on another trip to the big dance. The Griz ran into a motivated Washington Huskies side who controlled the flow and put lots of pressure on Ashlyn Dvorak before the Griz broke. It was the first year I didn’t expect a tournament upset for the Griz, but the incredible performance to win the Big Sky crown in front of Montana’s largest ever soccer crowd was worth it!
1) Rosenborg
Results
Menner: W 10 – D 5 – L 9; GF 42 /GA: 13
Kvinner: W 10 – D 2 – L 4; GF 27 /GA: 15
Total: W 20 – D 7 – L 11; GF: 69/ GA: 28
Great Players
Marius Broholm (W), Adrien Periera (LB), Ole Kristiansen Saetnes (CM) Thomas Nemcick (CB); Rebecka Holum (W), Celine Emile Nergard (ST), Oline Brekke Fulgem (CM), Syne Austen (D)
Quick Notes:
The wait for a trophy (beyond the sippy cup) in Trondheim continues.
Once again the women put up a strong showing in the league and the cup (with ANOTHER appearance in the final), but any mis-step is enough to throw the team’s chances for a loop. With a strong creative corps, the big question is if they can work out an equally forceful defense (without having defenders flee for other squads).
Likewise the Men had some truly great moments, but they were often overshadowed by a continual two steps forward-one step back approach to the game. Without Sverre Halseth Nypan (decamped for Manchester) the offense grew a little better rounded, but more inconsistent.
While it’s clear the team would prefer to win a trophy that isn’t completely imaginary, we are happy to welcome them back to the top of our trifling table for their first Sippy Cup in 3 years, allowing them to equal the Griz for the most Sippy Cups in MacKenzie Family History.
Alongside the final trophy, here are the final standings for all you number lovers out there.
| Team | W | D | L | PPG | GFA | GAA |
| Rosenborg | 35 | 13 | 17 | 1.82 | 2.34 | 0.66 |
| Montana | 13 | 6 | 6 | 1.80 | 1.24 | 0.52 |
| Minnesota | 32 | 15 | 15 | 1.79 | 1.58 | 0.94 |
| Vozdovac | 19 | 6 | 8 | 1.70 | 1.33 | 0.67 |
| Freiburg | 33 | 16 | 20 | 1.67 | 1.70 | 1.29 |
| Grenoble | 27 | 15 | 9 | 1.57 | 1.34 | 1.08 |
| Punjab | 6 | 5 | 9 | 1.15 | 1.35 | 1.25 |
| Emelec | 18 | 14 | 29 | 1.11 | 0.90 | 1.51 |
| Ross County | 11 | 12 | 13 | 0.98 | 1.28 | 1.65 |
| Alebrijes | 4 | 6 | 18 | 0.64 | 1.04 | 1.96 |
| Legon Cities | 6 | 7 | 35 | 0.52 | 0.69 | 1.71 |
And here’s this year’s Best XI featuring many players taking a final bow before they head off to bigger clubs, and the indomitable midfield of Vincenzo Grifo and Jessy Benet
Will a new team take the title in 2026? Can the Loons and Aurora finally break through? Is Vozdovac on the cusp of an epic run? Will something radically alter the fortunes of Ross County, Alebrijes and the purgatory of Punjab? Can Richard Appoie just buy every Ghanaian team until it’s Legon Cities v. Legon Cities for ever?
MacKenzie's Boot Room 