Catch up on all the exploits of the overseas-based New Zealand players and coaching professionals with the latest edition of Kiwis Abroad.

Kyle Adams (Rio Grande Valley, USA): While it has been a largely forgettable United Soccer League (USL) season for the Toros, they were able to give their fans something to cheer about in their final home match, signing off with a 2-1 win over Fresno. Three Kiwis were involved with Adams starting for Rio Grande Valley while Myer Bevan and Cory Brown did likewise for Fresno.

Kosta Barbarouses/Jai Ingham/Storm Roux (Melbourne Victory, AUS): Currently at a training camp on the Sunshine Coast as the Victory put the finishing touches on their preparations for the upcoming A-League season. “I’m working towards my personal goals, which are to contribute a lot of goals and assists and help the team as much as I can, with and without the ball,” Barbarouses says. Victory kick off their season with a local derby at home to Melbourne City on October 20.

CJ Bott/Hannah Wilkinson (Vittsjo GIK, SWE): Both were involved in a 2-1 loss to FC Rosengard, Ali Riley’s former club, with Bott being handed a start and Wilkinson coming on at half-time. The defeat extends Vittsjo’s winless run to five games and leaves them in need of some quick points as they are staying out on the relegation zone only on goal difference.

Michael Boxall (Minnesota United, USA): Took full part in front of nearly 50,000 fans as Minnesota earned a 2-1 win at home over New York City. Boxall was his usual reliable self in the heart of defence and was made to work hard in the last quarter of an hour as Minnesota were forced to defend their lead with only ten men.

Katie Bowen (Utah Royals, USA): Will be back next season for the Utah Royals after having an option exercised in her contract. The Royals ended their inaugural National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) season just outside of the play-offs in fifth but proved popular with fans, their average crowd of nearly 10,000 giving them the second-highest level of attendance in the league.

Myer Bevan/Cory Brown (Fresno, USA): Both started against Kyle Adams’ Rio Grande Valley with Brown lining up on the left-hand side of a back three and Bevan playing up front. The latter had a chance to get on the scoresheet mid-way through the first half but put his headed effort wide. He went on to play the whole match but Brown was withdrawn at half-time as Fresno fell to a 2-1 defeat.

Elliot Collier (Indy Eleven, USA): Has now joined Indy Eleven in the USL on loan from Chicago Fire and scored his first goal for his new club in a 2-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rowdies, a loose ball breaking to the big Kiwi near the penalty spot for him to slide home a left-foot finish. He couldn’t add to his tally in the next match though, a 3-0 loss to FC Cincinnati.

Max Crocombe (Salford City, ENG): Was an unused substitute as Salford earned a 3-0 win at Maidenhead United to go top of the National League, the fifth tier of the English game. The Ammies have now gone 11 matches unbeaten and have won six in a row, putting them firmly on course for promotion to the Football League.

Simon Elliott (Sacramento Republic, USA): With Sacramento’s spot in the USL post-season already secure, the focus of coach Elliott and his players has now turned to earning a home play-off berth. They can clinch that with a win over Swope Park Rangers on Wednesday night (local time) in their penultimate home game if other results go their way.

Abby Erceg (North Carolina Courage, USA): Finished the NWSL season on a high by leading North Carolina to the title after a 3-0 win over Portland Thorns. The Courage also became the first team to win both the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship in the same season while Erceg was named the league’s Defender of the Year.

Monique Fischer (Yeovil Town, ENG): After spending time on trial at several clubs, Fischer has finally earned an opportunity in the professional game at Yeovil Town, making her debut off the bench in a 4-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the Continental Cup. She was then given a start in the league against Arsenal but her joy was short-lived as she had to leave the field after 72 minutes with a broken collar bone, which will take at least six weeks to recover from.

Cameron Knowles (Portland Timbers 2, USA): Head coach Knowles has taken the Timbers 2 to the brink of the USL play-offs and a top-four finish is on if victory can be claimed over Reno 1868 on Wednesday evening (local time). Portland could end the night in fourth place with a win, which would set up a big final game of the regular season against Phoenix Rising.

Clayton Lewis (Scunthorpe United, ENG): Came on at half-time of a mid-week friendly against Doncaster Rovers and helped inspire a comeback as the Iron won 4-2, Lewis playing a part in the third goal with a good ball forward. Recently-appointed manager Stuart McCall is keen to see more of Lewis before granting him a first-team berth though. “In training he is very bright but I haven’t seen enough of him to go and start him ahead of people that have been already been starting,” he says. “Hopefully, he will go on to be a good player but at the moment there are people ahead of him in the queue.”

Stefan Marinovic (Vancouver Whitecaps, CAN): Took on one of the biggest names to have ever played the game as the Whitecaps paid a visit to Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s LA Galaxy. The Swedish superstar was joined in the Galaxy starting line-up by former Arsenal and Chelsea fullback Ashley Cole and was at the heart of a 3-0 victory, beating Marinovic on two occasions, including once from the penalty spot in front of over 25,000 fans.

Meikayla Moore/Emma Rolston (MSV Duisburg, GER): Moore was able to claim both a clean sheet and three points as a starter in a 3-0 win over Werder Bremen. It was Duisburg’s first victory of the Bundesliga after opening their campaign with a pair of 4-0 defeats. Centre back Moore has quickly become a mainstay of the team, starting all three matches so far. Rolston did not feature in the latest game but made her league debut off the bench the week before against Bayern Munich.

James Musa (Phoenix Rising, USA): Played the full match in holding midfield as Phoenix booked a home play-off in the USL with a 2-0 win over Saint Louis in front of a sell-out crowd of over 6,000. Musa played an important role in the opening goal, winning possession with a crunching tackle just outside the box before Billy Forbes found the top corner. The legendary Didier Drogba came on for Phoenix in the dying stages.

Erin Nayler (Girondins de Bordeaux, FRA): Helped Bordeaux continue their unbeaten start to the campaign with a 2-1 win over Dijon. Bordeaux are now third in the French top flight behind the famous pair of Olympique Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain. A week earlier, an outstanding one-handed parry earned her first place in the league’s Save of the Week competition.

Steven Old (Morecambe, ENG): Played the full 90 minutes in the centre of defence as Morecambe came from behind to win 2-1 at Grimsby Town. It was a second consecutive win for the Shrimps, who are now 17^th in League Two.

Ria Percival (West Ham United, ENG): Was heavily involved in West Ham’s first Super League win of the season, playing the full match as they edged out Yeovil Town 2-1. The Hammers had suffered heartbreak a week earlier, coming out on the wrong side of a seven-goal thriller at Arsenal with Percival playing 90 minutes in that game as well.

Winston Reid (West Ham United, ENG): Yet to play this season after injuring his knee in March but is on track to return to action within the next month or so. Reid was initially expected to be back in mid-October at the earliest and West Ham’s Head of Medical, Richard Collinge, indicated last month he wasn’t far off. “Winston is in a knee brace and he’s eight weeks down the line from his surgery. He’s going to be a little bit longer but is making good progress.”

Matt Ridenton (Newcastle Jets, AUS): Played 90 minutes for the Jets as they defeated Western Sydney Wanderers 4-0 in their final pre-season hit-out, putting in a strong performance in the middle of the park. He will hope to have done enough to earn a starting berth against his former employers when the Jets take on the Wellington Phoenix in their opening match of the A-League on October 21 at Westpac Stadium.

Ali Riley (Chelsea, ENG): Her debut for Chelsea has been frustratingly delayed due to injury but it appears to only be days away now after the Football Ferns captain was included in the match day squad for the first time on Sunday. She looked on from the bench as the Blues defeated Brighton 2-0 for their first league win of the campaign. The defending champions are now fifth after posting scoreless draws in all three of their opening fixtures.

Marco Rojas (SC Heerenveen, NED): Was an unused substitute in a 1-1 draw at home to ADO Den Haag in the Eredivisie but received plenty of game time earlier in the week as a starter against Katwijk in the KNVB Cup. Rojas was handed a berth out wide but couldn’t help break the deadlock and came off with just over ten minutes remaining. The match then went to extra-time before Heerenveen finally found the net to progress with a 1-0 win.

Katie Rood (Bristol City, ENG): Started in a 3-0 loss to Manchester City in the Continental Cup but had to be content with a place on the bench as Bristol City earned a pair of league draws against two of the top sides in the country. The Robins firstly held defending champions Chelsea to a scoreless stalemate before facing Manchester City again and claiming another point in a 2-2 thriller. Rood remained an unused substitute for both games.

Tommy Smith/Deklan Wynne (Colorado Rapids, USA): Both started for Colorado against the Seattle Sounders with Smith lining up at centre back and the versatile Wynne being granted his favoured left-back berth. They were not able to prevent another defeat – a sixth in a row for the Rapids – as Seattle ran out 4-0 winners. Colorado have not managed to score in five of those six games, being outscored 19-1 in this time.

Rebekah Stott (Sky Blue, USA): Set to return to New Jersey after being offered a contract extension by Sky Blue. The aim will be to enjoy a much better season next time after Sky Blue finished bottom of the NWSL, winning only one and drawing six of their 24 matches.

Ryan Thomas (PSV Eindhoven, NED): Having suffered a serious injury soon after signing for PSV Eindhoven, Thomas is now looking to return to fitness but is likely to miss most of the Eredivisie season. The good news is that his surgery went well in early September and he is now working hard in the gym to get back on the training ground as soon as possible.

Nik Tzanev (AFC Wimbledon, ENG): Tested himself against some of the best in the business as the Wimbledon U-23 development team took on a Bournemouth side that included Premier League regulars Charlie Daniels, Tyrone Mings and Marc Pugh. The Dons battled back to earn a highly-creditable 1-1 draw with their star-studded opponents, Pugh finding a way past Tzanev for Bournemouth’s goal.

Rosie White (Chicago Red Stars, USA): Finished the NWSL season in disappointing fashion as the Red Stars fell to Abby Erceg’s North Carolina Courage in the semi-finals, White coming on for the final few minutes. Away from the pitch, she has taken the first step towards life after her playing career as one of 21 players accepted into a U.S. Soccer C License Coaching Course, made cost-free to these players by U.S. Soccer in a ground-breaking initiative.

Chris Wood (Burnley, ENG): Came on for the last 20 minutes as Burnley edged out Cardiff City 2-1 in the Premier League. The Clarets have now earned back-to-back victories for the first time this season and have moved up to 12^th. Wood will hope to be given a starting spot this weekend as Burnley look to make it three in a row at home to Huddersfield Town.

Article added: Thursday 04 October 2018