Flying Kiwis – July 2
Nando Pijnaker – Sligo Rovers (League of Ireland Premier Division)
Three months and a few broken ribs later, Nando Pijnaker has returned to the pitch for Sligo Rovers and not a moment too soon. He’d gotten hurt in the second half of a 3-0 loss against St Patrick’s Athletic (the third goal was scored after he was substituted) and had to miss 13 matches while he recovered. During that time the bro Max Mata’s loan spell at Sligo ended... and the team’s suddenly looked a whole lot worse than the side that had conceded a mere five times in their first seven matches with Pijnaker involved.
Sligo Rovers won just three of those 13 games without him. They were sitting second on the ladder after eight matches, dropping to fourth with the St Pat’s defeat, and when he returned they were entrenched in seventh and looking nervously over their shoulders – although they did beat top-placed Shelbourne 2-1 back in May so that was helpful.
But then with Pijnaker back they instantly reverted to the outfit that began the season (minus Max Mata). In a game of many opportunities at both ends, albeit mostly low-percentage opportunities, Sligo Rovers emerged with a 2-0 win against Shamrock Rovers courtesy of a double from substitute Simon Power (74’ & 83’). A clean sheet and a victory on Nando’s return. His best contribution was a sliding block against former Sligo striker Johnny Kenny. Picking up where he left off, in other words.
Sligo Rovers with Nando:
9 G | 4 W | 3 D | 2 L | 13 GF | 7 GA | +6 GD | 5 CS | 15 PTS
Sligo Rovers without Nando:
13 GM | 3 W | 4 D | 6 L | 10 GF | 20 GA | -10 GD | 3 CS | 13 PTS
Got himself a spot in the LOI Team of the Week too...
Up Next: Friday at 6.45am vs Derry City (NZT)
Joe Bell – Viking FK (Norwegian Eliteserien)
The transfer stuff has been incredible lately - and this is your weekly reminder to make sure you’re also subscribed to our Substack newsletter for plenty more kiwi football transfer yarns where these came from - but we have been short of actual footballing stuff so it’s a relief to say that the Eliteserien in Norway has resumed after it’s summer break. Viking’s last competitive game was a 2-2 draw away to Molde on 3 June. Now they’re back in the sway after a 4-2 win against Rosenborg.
Four goals is enough to hope for some Joe Bell contributions but he didn’t need to be that far forward in this one. He simply hung deep and completed 77/89 passes with a couple interceptions for good measure. He did have a snapshot deflected wide after 15 minutes but that never showed up on the stat sheet because the VAR spotted an earlier stomp on Nick D’Agostino’s foot and next thing Zlatko Tripic was scoring from the penalty spot.
Rosenborg then gave it a good nudge. There was a magnificent defensive clearance off the line from VFK’s right back to preserve that lead into half-time... but they started slow after the resumption and were deservedly punished by a cut-back finish on 48’ to make it 1-1. Not to worry. The last half hour belonged to Viking with Sondre Bjoershol (same bloke who made the goalline clearance) scoring a deflected effort on 68’ and Tripic adding his second of the day five minutes later. Peter Christiansen would make it four on 84’ with only a very late penalty kick taking a small amount of sheen off the victory. Bell was involved in a sweet one-two in the move for the third goal.
The win brings Viking level with Frederikstad in fourth place, albeit behind them on goal difference. They may have started the season slowly but they’ve steadily grown into it since. With no team having managed to break away at the top the Vikes are actually only eight points behind leaders Bodø/Glimt with a game in hand. They bottled their title challenge in horrific fashion last year but maybe they’ll be able to keep up the good work and muster another in 2024.
Up Next: Monday at 3am away to KFUM (NZT)
Abby Erceg & Milly Clegg – Racing Louisville (American National Women’s Soccer League)
Milly Clegg returned to the matchday squad for the game against Bay FC after missing last week’s game. A couple of injuries in the squad cleared up a spot and there ya go. But, the old familiar tune, she didn’t play. This makes it six matches as an unused sub without making a debut. This is fine, she’s battling away, she’s training at a high level, no dramas... though they could arguably have used a finisher like Clegg in this one.
Abby Erceg, in contrast, has played every single minute this season and that didn’t change against Bay FC... although she did have a new CB partner in Ellie Jean while Arin Wright served her suspension for last week’s red card. Erceg made an excellent challenge ten minutes in to stop Asisat Oshoala from storming into the penalty area, shutting down the one decent opportunity that BFC created in the first half. But they didn’t do enough to take advantage and Bay FC brought it around in the second spell. With about twenty minutes left, Racing Lou conceded a soft penalty (brought about by not clearing their lines when they had the chance) which Oshoala buried emphatically and that was it. A 1-0 defeat.
Racing Louisville just did not have the creativity they needed to win a close game like this. Milly Clegg might have helped but she’s got to wait her turn. Racing drop out of the top eight with this defeat and have now only taken one point from their past four games. An untimely form slump.
Up Next: North Carolina Courage vs Racing Louisville at 8.30am on Monday (NZT)
Macey Fraser - Utah Royals (American National Women’s Soccer League)
Meanwhile Macey Fraser sat out Utah Royals’ 0-0 draw vs Portland Thorns with an ankle injury. She was subbed off last game under attention from the physio and it seems the knock was rough enough to keep her out for at least a week.
Then, despite getting a decent point against good team... they went and sacked coach Amy Rodriguez the next day. Or, as they put it, announced a “reorganization” – on account of the goalkeeping coach and the team president also losing their roles. Rodriguez is a first-time head coach which perhaps was not the ideal situation for an expansion team, though the team had seemed to be improving lately and it’s not as though they have relegation to worry about. Jimmy Coenraets will take over as the interim coach, having only joined the team as an assistant a week earlier (in what now looks like a very ominous hiring).
The strangest part was the timing of this move considering there’s only one game remaining before the league takes a summer break. That break is designed to coincide with the Olympics – there are some NWSL vs LigaMX games during the hiatus, meaning they’ll get at least three games, but Fraser will likely be away with the Football Ferns for all of that. Which means that if she doesn’t recover in time for the Seattle game next week then we may not see her in a Royals jersey again until late-August.
Up Next: Seattle Reign vs Utah Royals at 10am on Monday (NZT)
Ali Riley - Angel City FC (American National Women’s Soccer League)
We also had yet another week without an Ali Riley appearance for Angel City. She has not played since getting injured during the last Football Ferns tour... and to be honest only played sparingly before that – the Football Ferns captain has only logged 262 NWSL minutes this season and none since April. Officially it’s an upper-leg injury and she was listed as questionable for the latest match. However it sounds like she is on track to be available for the Olympics squad that’s due to be named imminently.
Angel City lost 3-0 against Riley’s previous club Orlando Pride. They sit 11th on the table right now.
Up Next: Angel City vs Gotham at 2pm on Sunday (NZT)
Ryan Thomas – PEC Zwolle (Dutch Eredivisie)
When it was announced that Ryan Thomas would need to have yet another knee surgery back in January, you’d have been forgiven for wondering if that might have been it for ol’ Thommo. Whether an early retirement might possibly be on the cards – it was something that he’s hinted at in the past. Having been so good in helping PEC Zwolle get promoted back to the Eredivisie, he was only able to play seven games in the Dutch top flight last season. This was the third time in the past six seasons that knee surgery has ended his campaign early. Five of those seasons he’s spent in the Eredivisie... playing in only 40 of a possible 162 matches (not all because of injuries, but most because of injuries).
Depressing stuff when you look at it from that perspective. So here’s some good news...
Yeah mate, his contract may have just expired but Ryan Thomas has resumed training with PEC Zwolle and there’s hope that they’ll sort out a new deal to keep him around. Probably just has to prove his fitness first (which, admittedly, is no given). His manager definitely wants him to stick around, especially for the experience that he offers to a relatively young squad after club legend and captain Bram van Polen left after 17 years of service.
Johnny Jansen: “Ryan still has to sort it out with the club. Gerry [Hamstra, the new technical director] will talk to him, so I hope that will come around. It will be very good to have people in his age group there.”
He wasn’t deemed fit enough to partake in their first preseason friendly, a 3-0 win vs Nieuwleusen, a game that several other first teamers also sat out. Five dudes were listed as injured, another missed the game for a wedding, and one more sat out because of transfer speculation. Even still, they used 22 different players. Definitely not a game to rush a bloke in for... hence they didn’t. The important thing is that we now know that Ryan Thomas intends to keep at it with this football thing so prayers up for an injury-free season... or if that’s too much to ask then at least a surgery-free season.
Up Next: Steady friendly fixtures all through July leading to the Eredivisie opener on 12 August (NZT)
Ben Old - AS Saint-Étienne (French Ligue 1)
Just in case you’ve been hanging out under a rock for a few days...
Ben Old’s almost certainly going to Saint-Étienne, we’ve just gotta wait for things to unfold in their due course because he’s had a long A-League season and just won the Nations Cup with the All Whites and next there’s the Olympics to get ready for and he’s probably due at least one week off in between.
But there’s never this much speculation over a kiwi footballer without it being a legitimate thing. Get excited because that’s another significant transfer fee that’ll be coming the way of the Wellington Phoenix. Just keep in mind that they may not announce the move until after the Olympic Games – there’s some stuff about the Ligue 1 TV rights that needs to be resolved which will have a significant impact on the finances of all the clubs so potentially they’ll let that run its course first.
Up Next: Parlez-vous francais?
Norman Garbett - Dundalk (League of Ireland Premier Division)
It’s been a minutee since we last heard news of Norman Garbett – who you may recall scored the winning goal against Guatemala at the U20 World Cup last May. He’s the younger bro of Matthew Garbett. Spent some time with Potenza Calcio in the Italian lower divisions but has been out of a club for most of 2024, scouring the continent of Europe for that next opportunity. Well, here it is. NG’s signed with Dundalk in the League of Ireland on a contract that’ll run until the end of this season. Coincidentally, his brother scored the equaliser against Ireland in a 1-1 draw last November.
Dundalk manager Jon Daly: “Norman was willing to come over and train and go on trial with the club, which helps because you get a look at him up close and personal. He’s very raw but he is very explosive and he can get out of the blocks very, very quickly and go either way, left or right. He’s a player that I think will excite people.”
Garbett was unveiled to the Dundalk fans, along with fellow new signing Scott McGill, before a 2-0 home defeat against Waterford. That result keeps them a mere three points clear of last place, six points adrift of the team above them (Bohemians, who have been linked with Alex Greive). Last place goes down automatically, second to last gets to battle for their spot in a playoff with the second-placed team in the second tier. They are the lowest-scoring team in the division. They need the help. Garbett needs the opportunity. The contract may only be a short-term one (there are 14 LOI fixtures left) but there’s obviously scope to extend him if he settles in and if they can avoid relegation. Mr Daly had plenty more to say about him in the press release, offering some enlightening information...
“[Norman]’s got dual nationality and also holds a French passport and, after being in New Zealand, he was looking for an opportunity to play in Europe and went to Italy. Things went on in the background at the club and he found himself in a position where he didn’t get many minutes and unfortunately missed out on the Olympic squad, which is disappointing for him. It’s going to take him a while to get up to speed but it’s one of those where we’ll give the kid an opportunity to come in and try and find himself a home until the end of the season and then we’ll look at it after that. He’s been on different trials in the UK but he doesn’t meet the criteria to go there yet and obviously with him having an EU passport, it opened it up for us to bring him in and have a look and hopefully he can have an impact from an attacking sense between now and the end of the season.”
That “doesn’t meet the criteria” stuff about UK clubs is likely one of those pesky post-Brexit things, where it’s trickier now to get a work permit. He is eligible for a British passport but obviously he went with a French one to help him out in the EU. He does at least have several options moving forward... but before anything else he’s gotta get on the pitch and create some goals for Dundalk.
Up Next: Garbs will be available to debut on Friday at 7am, Shamrock Rovers vs Dundalk (NZT)
Michael Boxall – Minnesota United (American Major League Soccer)
Bloody hell, man. Minnesota United were 2-0 up away against Portland Timbers with twenty minutes to go. They’d ridden their luck with Portland wasting a couple of huge opportunities... then Bongi Hlongwane smacked in the opener on 29’ after the keeper spilled a low cross to give Minnesota the lead instead. Boxy’s back three was soon stuck in defensive mode as Portland continued to attack. Boxall slipped over trying to close out one bloke on the turn but the shot was blasted wide, another let off from the Timbers. Then Hlongwane set up Jeong Sang-bin for a tap-in after 38 minutes and the Loons were really in business.
If not for stoppage times then they’d have won. Alas, we do need those stoppages (and these days there’s always a lot of it), therefore Portland were able to grab a goal back in the eighth minute of first half addings after a needless foul, the fullback dragging a bloke back by the shoulder, allowed Evander to score from the penalty spot. Minnesota did still have time to score another themselves on the break but it was ruled out for offside so 2-1 it was at the break.
It was going to take a courageous second half performance to hold on away from home. They almost got there. Portland kept on threatening until Santiago Moreno scored a banger from distance in the 73rd minute, then came another missed sitter from Portland, the worst of the lot this time, before the Timbers threw another goal away when an offside player nodded in a ball that was already heading on target (although it was technically ruled out for a handball in the build-up). But all this pressure did all toll eventually when Jonathan Rodriguez scored a 90+2nd minute winner. The Loons were 2-0 up. They lost 3-2. Barely crossed halfway in the second half. Way too defensive.
Unfortunately this means that Minnesota United have now lost four straight games and only have one win from their past eight fixtures. They were in a good spot before that so they’re still sitting seventh and a couple of good results next week could boost them up to fourth as quick as that... but they’re not looking like a team that can win two games in four days right now.
Up Next: Thursday at 12.30pm, Minnesota vs Vancouver; Monday at 2.30pm, LA Galaxy vs Minnesota (NZT)
Michael Fitzgerald – Albirex Niigata (Japanese J-League)
Enjoy some highlights of Michael Fitzgerald helping Albirex Niigata break a streak of three straight draws to win 1-0 against Consadole Sapporo. Kaito Taniguchi’s brilliant counter-attacking goal after 52 minutes was the difference between the teams. Consadole Sapporo are dead last in the standings so perhaps this shouldn’t have been as close of a game as it was... but a win is still a win and this one moves Niigata eight points clear of the relegation zone after 21 matches. The draws were pesky but they are actually five games undefeated in the league and have also, during that time, advanced in both the J-League Cup and the Emperor’s Cup.
Katie Kitching - Sunderland (English Championship)
Very cool season retrospective from Sunderland there. Got a bit of season performance chat, some Football Ferns debut chat, and, while she doesn’t outright say it, the impression is definitely of someone who will be returning with Sunderland next season. Good to see. She’s in a strong spot there playing regularly and potentially even making a challenge for promotion... although they’ll have their work cut out there with London City Lionesses making transfer noise under their new ownership and the big money local rivals of Newcastle United having been promoted into this division.
Up Next: Believe it or not, it’s almost time for preseason again
Grace Neville & Paige Satchell - London City Lionesses (England Championship)
Not everyone is as settled as Katie Kitching. London City Lionesses revealed their retained list last week and, sorry to say, Paige Satchell was one of those to be released with her contract at an end. There was no mention of Grace Neville though, despite her contract also expiring, which stacks up with the evidence that she’s going nowhere. They’ve used her image in promos for the upcoming preseason after all. Hopefully we can an announcement in the coming days. They had to get some other news out of the way with first, that’s all.
To say that this was a busy week for the Lionesses would be an understatement. This was arguably the biggest week in their entire history. This time a year ago they only had a handful of players under contract and the previous year’s squad, Neville included, had written an open letter to the ownership begging for better support. Since then they’ve been sold to Korean-American mogul Michelle Kang who is also the majority owner of Washington Spirit and Olympique Lyonnais.
Kang’s wasted little time in trying to turn this club, which barely avoided Championship relegation last season, into what she hopes will be the best team in all of England. Putting her money where he mouth is, the Lionesses also this week announced that their new manager will be former PSG boss Jocelyn Prêcheur, that they’re also building a whole new training facility, and, most amazing of all, that they’ve convinced Swedish captain Kosovare Asllani (whose former clubs include Real Madrid and AC Milan) to join the party.
Exciting times. LCL are a stand-alone women’s team without the financial backing of a Premier League club. The friskiness of that was made clear in a recent bit of news from elsewhere in the division as Reading FC were forced to withdraw their women’s team from the Championship (which will only have 11 teams next season – no reprieve for Lewes FC whom Jacqui Hand played for last season, unable to prevent them from getting relegated) because they simply couldn’t afford it. Keep in mind the many ownership dramas that have plagued that club, as mentioned in the Tyler Bindon updates over the past year. Now suddenly LCL are the Wrexham of the women’s scene.
It’s a pity that Satchell won’t get to be a part of the journey. She seems to find herself at a different club every year – her professional career taking her from SC Sand to Canberra United to Sydney FC to Wellington Phoenix to London City... and she’s not managed 20 games for any of them. For London City, she made 15 WSL Championship appearances, 11 of them starts, with 2 goals and an assist. This is what the director of football had to say about the releases...
“I want to thank all of the players for their hard work last season,” said Director of Football Ronald Thompson. “They were key to helping us secure our safety in the league and we wish them all the best for the future. The Club has hugely exciting plans for the season ahead and we’re going to do everything we can to fulfil Michele Kang’s ambition to recruit players who can help us reach the Barclays Women’s Super League, and stay there”
Apparently they decided that Paige Satchell wasn’t good enough for “Michele Kang’s ambition”. Club captain Lois Joel was also among the nine players released so at least it’s not personal. And they’ve replaced her with Kosovare Asllani so that could easily be twisted into a bragging point.
July 1 was the date when old contracts expired so that’s when one season officially becomes the next. Many clubs have publicised their housekeeping with released/retained lists but not all of them, especially not in the Women’s Championship. While we’re highly anticipating Ria Percival to sign with Crystal Palace as a free agent, that has not happened yet. Same as there’s no confirmation of Neville or Kitching staying with their current clubs even though we’re expecting those outcomes too. Paige Satchell has been released. Jacqui Hand’s contract was only until the end of the season with Lewes, who’ve been relegated. Dunno about Olivia Page (who won the U21 Cup with Sheffield United and made a few Conti Cup appearances for the first team)... let alone the big fish in the division above: Anna Leat, who is now off contract with Aston Villa (who just announced Robert de Pauw as their new manager). We’re only a week into the transfer window though – expect things to speed up from here.
Up Next: More of Michelle Kang’s Ambition, probably
Matthew Gould – Yeovil Town (English National League)
Gouldy’s on the move, swapping one English fifth tier club for another. He’s been four years at Altrincham with the last couple seeing him on the books as both a player and also a goalkeeping coach (it runs in the family) and he was expected to return for year five... but then suddenly an opportunity came along to move down south to promoted Yeovil Town. That offer came with the promise of more first team opportunities and it also meant being able to live closer to family. Sounds like he’ll still get to do the coaching side of things. Makes perfect sense.
Yeovil Town were in League Two as recently as 2018–19. They had already announced 21yo Southampton goalie Ollie Wright as having joined on a season-long loan so it’s not necessarily number one duties for MG but he’ll be in and around those matchday squads and should get plenty of games over the long National League campaign.
Altrincham manager Phil Parkinson: “Matt has given fantastic service to myself and the club," said Phil. "A playing opportunity has crossed his path that we didn't see coming. He has proved to be good enough to play at this level, and he is still fiercely competitive and ambitious, so, much as I am sorry to lose him, I couldn't stand in his way. His family reside in that part of the country, and it is a perfect move for him at this point in his career. I wish him nothing but success, and he will always be welcome at Alty. Thanks for all your hard work, Matt, and all the very best.”
Up Next: Season’s a wee while away but there’ll be preseason friendlies straight away
Stefan Marinovic - TSV Grunwald (German Oberliga - Bayern Süd)
Speaking of kiwi goalkeepers...
Well would ya look at that. Don’t get any ideas though, we’re talking fifth tier of German football down in the regional leagues so this isn’t a comeback for a bloke who hasn’t been sighted on a footy pitch since leaving Hapoel Tel Aviv in February 2023. His wife is German and they seem to be living over there (remember Marinovic played a lot in the German lower leagues on his way up) so there’s probably a day job taking priority. But still cool to see him strapping the gloves on competitively again.
Up Next: The new season begins on 21 July at 1am against 1860 München II (NZT)
Oscar Obel-Hall - Esbjerg fB (Danish Division 2)
Esbjerg director Jens Hammer Sørensen: “We say goodbye to a couple of really good guys and talented players, each of whom has contributed to both the training course and the matches, EfB has had a great season. We therefore thank both Luke and Oscar for their efforts, and wish them both all the best in their further careers.”
Lost amongst the celebrations as Esbjerg claimed the third tier championship in Denmark was that Oscar Obel-Hall has been released. They’d only just given him a first team contract at the start of that season (following relegation), a reward for a couple of years in the academy, but they’ve decided against extending him after bouncing straight back up to the second tier – where Elijah Just is currently housed with AC Horsens. Throw another name onto the current free agent watchlist, a list that includes names such as: Anna Leat, Kate Taylor, Alex Greive, Ria Percival, Jacqui Hand, Nik Tzanev, and Niko Kirwan to name but a few.
Up Next: We shall see
Marko Stamenic – Olympiacos (Greek Super League)
It’s a good look.
Up Next: TBD
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