Scores
Werder Bremen 2 – 1 SC Freiburg [F]
Again the Griffins came up short. Despite Stephanie Sanders staking Freiburg to a lead early on, they couldn’t hold on for another 85 minutes.
Atlante 1 – 1 Alebrijes
In the rare mid-week/mid-day match Oaxaca came away with a point. Ricardo Monreal was imperious in midfield picking out great passes only to be thwarted by Atlante’s strong keeper (and Alebrijes’ inefficient attacking). It took a strong run by, and silly foul on Julio Cesar Cruz to crucial penalty to equalize and walk away with the draw.
Berekum Chelsea v. Legon Cities
See update on Ghana below.
St. Johnstone 1 – 0 Ross County
Close can’t keep the Staggies clicking. They head into the split just one point out of danger. [Cue the nail biting]
Paris FC 2 – 0 Grenoble [M]
The trip to the capitol was weighted with importance, but even a full strength back line and going a man up for the final 20 minutes couldn’t keep Paris at bay.
Radnicki Nis 0 – 1 Vozdovac
It always throws me off when the RED Dragons wear blue, but maybe there’s something to it. For only the second time in ten matches, Vozdovac got a win. Miloje Prekovic was on the bench for the second straight game, but most of the defensive strength came from center back Aleksander Bogdanovic. Stefan Purtic’s booming long ball to Aleksandar Stanisavljevic caught Radnicki napping and sealed the victory.
Punjab FC 1 – 0 Real Kashmir
The last Northeast derby of the year came out in the Warriors column. Surabh Banwala refused to let his recent struggles define the campaign and made his presence felt everywhere. He pestered the attack and made a daring run up for a header. But it was Chencho Gyeltshen who notched his seventh of the campaign (albeit on his least inventive opportunity) and pushed Punjab to another valuable win.
Freiburg 2 – 0 Augsburg [M]
Despite far less consistency recently, Freiburg remains a solid, dependable side in German soccer. Even with spot starter Guus Til leading the charge, the attack was focused, and the defense was effective (thanks Florian Muller). In particular, team captain and extended contract signed Christian Gunter whose chance creation was second to none.
Emelec 0 – 1 Nueve de Octubre [M]
Emelec’s unbeaten run has ended, dropping them to second place in Ecuador. Surprisingly it came at the hands of new comers Nueve de Octubre celebrating their first season in the top flight for over 25 years.
Alebrijes 0 – 0 Cancun FC
And that happened.
News & Notes
Norway’s No-Way til May
The Powers that be in Norway’s top leagues have decided to postpone the start of their seasons. Both the Eliteseren (for Males) and Toppserien (for Females) will kick off on the first weekend in May. The Federation’s announcement touched on the risk of increasing case numbers throughout the country, hopefully, some more vaccinations and lots of time help everyone out.
Ghana’s Gone Fishin
To more effectively prepare the national team for upcoming challenges Ghana has delayed the start of the season’s second half until April. (Given that they actually have a better handle on Covid than Norway…that’s understandable). Meanwhile, Legon has started teasing the of the Asamoah Gyan era…again…and celebrating Fatua Duda’s wedding (which, is so much better than all other “celebrity weddings” that I’m going to use it as my go to comparison from now on).
Scotland’s Split
Ross County’s season continues to creep along to the end, but the end will be squeakier than the fresh lemon grass used in Pabrai’s Fresh and Naturelle Lemongrass Ice Cream (available in Kolkata)
The Stags have a point edge on long tenured Premiership side Kilmarnock, and evenly split their first three meetings (1-1-1). The two point edge on finishing last and being guaranteed relegation is better, though they and current cellar dwellars Hamilton Accies have split goals this year 3-3.
Loon’s Wings
Minnesota United has frequently found themselves short of an attacking winger (overloading one side, under filling another). Enter: Niko Hansen, the Danish-American attacker formerly of Houston who will join the Loon’s Finnish contingent in repping Scandanavia.
International Affairs
World Cup qualifying is in full swing this week, so there are only a few games ahead.
Player of the Week
This week saw plenty of good performances that didn’t quite reach a level of remarkable. So we’ll send this award out to someone who both had a good game and set a great example of how to lead their team. Christian Gunter stepped up when Freiburg needed him, just as he has done and will continue to do.
Standings Update
Punjab, Freiburg and Grenoble continue to shuffle around the top tier. Let’s also take a moment to respect that Freiburg has managed to and up with 1.53 points per game, 1.53 Goals For per game, and 1.53 Goals against per game….symmetry people…symmetry
| Team | W | D | L | PPG | GFA | GAA |
| University of Montana | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1.7 | 0 |
| Emelec | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 1.0 |
| Punjab FC | 7 | 4 | 5 | 1.56 | 1.1 | 0.8 |
| Freiburg | 7 | 2 | 6 | 1.53 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Grenoble Foot | 6 | 4 | 5 | 1.47 | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| Legon Cities FC | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1.45 | 1.2 | 0.8 |
| Ross County | 5 | 1 | 7 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.5 |
| Alebrijes | 3 | 4 | 4 | 1.1 | 1.6 | 1.9 |
| FK Vozdovac | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Rosenborg BK | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Minnesota United | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – |
What’s Next
Wednesday, March 24th
Thursday, March 25th
Friday, March 26th
7:00 University of Montana Grizzlies v. Portland State Vikings
8:00 Celaya v. Alebrijes
Saturday, March 27th
6:30 Churchill Brothers v. Punjab FC
Sunday, March 28th
7:00 SC Freiburg v. Turbine Potsdam [F]
12:00 University of Montana Grizzlies v. Portland State Vikings
Monday, March 29th
Tuesday, March 30th
10:00 Dorados v. Alebrijes
MacKenzie's Boot Room 