Denmark 1st Division

BETSAFE LIGA

Following last weekend’s matches, Denmark’s 1st Division (Betsafeligaen) goes into winter hibernation. The league will continue in late March 2013.

As the league reached the winter break, only three points separate first from sixth position, and six points separate the bottom five teams. Denmark has a straight forward two up/two down promotion/relegation system.  The season is split into two parts, 19 games and 14 games.

The interest of Over There followers is in two teams: Hjorring and HB Koge.

Hjorring has American defender Mike Jones, who is spending his first season in Denmark, after spells at Sporting KC and NYRB. (Mike was a second round/28th pick overall in the 2011 MLS Supplemental Draft by Sporting KC) Mike is looking to cement a starting job, and for the last two games before the break made it to the starting 18.

HB Koge had two US players, before Shawn Nicklaw declared for Guam, now only employs American defender Brad Rusin. Brad played through PDL to USL (Capt. of Carolina Railhawks) and is now in his second season (three year contract) with HB Koge where, this year he has started nine games, and was in the gameday 18 an additional three times.

So that’s the what, where and who, so how are/will Hjorring and HB Koge fair this season?

As it stands Hjorring are in that bottom five, six points from bottom, but in a three-way tie. During the last five matches, Hjorring has the best record of the cellar dwellers; two wins, two draws, one loss. If they continue their form after the break they should survive.

HB Koge started off the season as favorites for promotion as they were relegated from Superliga last season.  After a disastrous start and the firing of their coach on September 3rd, they now have the overall best record in the 1st Division over the last 10 matches with 21 points. Unfortunately six points from the earlier nine matches have put the club in mid-table. It may be too much to ask for a promotional spot this year, six points out of a promotional place. But this is footy and anything can happen.

Look out for Danish 1st Division action between March and May 2013.

Some reading and links for your Friday morning pleasure.

Juan Agudelo is headed to Celtic for a training stint starting on Friday.  Jurgen Klinsmann has encouraged these training stints in Europe for MLS players in the past.  And Agudelo trained with Liverpool and Stuttgart last winter after the MLS season.

According to AZ Alkmaar technical director Earnie Stewart, Jozy Altidore is being scouted by some bigger clubs.  There was even a offer this past summer by an unnamed eastern European club.

Randy Kim recently spoke to Gregg Berhalter about his first season as manager at Hammarby in Sweden’s second division.

Clint Dempsey explains why he likes the number two.

Guam has already gone after A. J. DeLaGarza and now they are going after Shawn Nicklaw.

I haven’t heard this name in a while, but it looks like Alex Molano is going on trial in Austria (last sentence of the story).

And finally, Robbie Findley’s loan with Gillingham has ended as he is back with Nottingham Forest, playing with their U-21s this week.