The Kitchen Champion Division has been a breeding ground for national and international talents for decades and this season there are again many footballers with potential at the second level. Voetbalzone, the official media partner of the Kitchen Champion Division, highlights one of these talents every week, this time focusing on 21-year-old keeper Michael Woud, who has already kept his goal clean at leader Almere City six times this season.

By Thijs Verhaar

“One step back with the intention of taking two forward later? Hmm… ”Woud tastes the question before answering. “I don’t really think that my adventure at Almere is a step back. Here I get the chance to play weekly and that’s what I really need at my age ”, said the closing post rented from Willem II. The two-time international of New Zealand was the reserve goalkeeper for the past two seasons behind Timon Wellenreuther, who retired from Tilburg last summer. “Of course I had hope that I would continue afterwards, but the club did not dare to do that. I have to respect that, because disappointments are also part of football. ”

Willem II brought in a new first goalkeeper with Robbin Ruiter and also welcomed Jorn Brondeel so that Woud could gain experience elsewhere and return with more experience in Brabant next year. “Almere said it would like me very much and I am very happy with my current situation. It is professional and the only difference with Willem II is that I play everything here ”, says Woud. He calls the level of the competition ‘fine’ and is looking forward to meeting the biggest rivals in the battle for promotion. “In principle, anyone can win and lose from anyone. That is what makes the competition so fun and the best thing I think is of course that we are at the top ”, the 1.96 meter long goalkeeper laughs. “We are all working very hard to score points every week and so far we have not lost once.”

Michael Woud enjoys a lot of confidence from trainer Ole Tobiasen, who was eager to bring him to Almere.

Woud plays a major role in this with his solid performances, because he has already kept his goal clean six times in the first eleven games. “Of course I am very satisfied with that, but I am not obsessed clean sheets. Against Roda, for example, we already got a goal against in the first minute and then it is important to keep your head. I put the team at a disadvantage if I stand there with a sad face because I had to accept a goal against ”, the mercenary explains. “My goal is simply to get the most out of myself week in week.” Thanks to his height, the goalie has no difficulty with high crosses and believes that he also has fast reflexes. Shotstopping is my greatest quality next to my mentality and my ability to steer the defense. ”

He cannot detect very big weaknesses in his own game, although he is the first to indicate that he can and must do much better before he can pat himself on the back. “But if you ask me what my weakness is, there isn’t really anything I can take out of my game. I am reasonable in all aspects and now it is important that I make progress on a detailed level, because that is precisely what ultimately determines whether or not I can achieve my goals for the future. ” Woud first dreams of creating something tangible with Almere City and then he hopes to return stronger next season to Willem II, which should form a springboard towards a club in the Netherlands or elsewhere competing for Champions League participation.

Michael Woud is currently the least passed goalkeeper in the Kitchen Champion Division with 9 goals against.

“In the end, everyone dreams of playing at the highest level in front of packed grandstands, so I also dream of top European matches. However, I can only get there if I do everything right in the coming years ”, argues Wout, who considers Almere strong enough to force promotion this season. “I certainly believe in that. We have a strong selection and are dealing well with the challenges that the corona virus currently presents to all clubs. ” In the first eleven games, his team already won eight times and the remaining three games ended in a draw. The top match against SC Cambuur is on the menu on Sunday and that is a match that Woud is looking forward to.

“That will be another great test for us. It can just be another crazy game “, the keeper expects, who mainly refers to the bizarre 4-6 result against Excelsior. In that game, Woud became acquainted with league top scorer Elías Ómarsson, who scored a hat-trick on behalf of the Rotterdam team and has already scored thirteen goals this season. “He had a good match against us, but is certainly not the best striker in the Kitchen Champion Division. That is our Thomas Verheydt ”, says Woud, who saw how his colleague also scored twice and has already cheered this competition six times in total. “He’s just a winner and I don’t say that to please him, because I really experience it that way. I experience him daily at training and I am very impressed with his level. ”

Michael Woud thinks teammate Verheydt is a better striker than competition top scorer Ómarsson of Excelsior.

Still, Woud hastens to say that he also thinks Ómarsson is a good player. “It’s also hard to say otherwise about a player who scored three goals against me, but in the end we took the three points home and that’s what it’s all about. We are at the top and we will do everything we can to ensure that it stays that way. ” The New Zealander knows that he is also doing himself an excellent service, because he will be more emphatically in the picture again with the national team where he made his international debut at the age of nineteen and unfortunately had to settle for a supporting role afterwards. “The national coach can finally see me playing again, so that is an extra motivation to do well here. We call each other regularly and I know he is following me. ”

Because of his father’s Dutch descent, Woud also has a Dutch passport and, when he arrived at Willem II in 2018, he also expressed an oblique view of Orange. In the meantime, however, he has made the decision and, due to the lack of an invitation from the KNVB, he focuses entirely on New Zealand, where he hopes to play an important role for the youth. “I want to show the children there that it is possible to pursue your dreams in Europe. I was able to go to Sunderland at a young age and now play in my father’s country. Unfortunately he passed away when I was sixteen years old, but I am sure that he is always looking over my shoulder ”, said Woud, who still calls his father his greatest source of inspiration. “I want to make him proud and it is thanks to him that I became a goalkeeper.”

His father was active as a goalkeeper in the youth academy of AZ in his early years, but ultimately did not choose a life as a professional football player. He opted for a career as an engineer in shipping and moved to Auckland, New Zealand, where he met a half-Dutch woman. With her he gave birth to Michael and his brother who plays hockey at the top level. “So I come from a sporty family and I have been given a winning mentality from home. I have always had in mind that I wanted to become a top goalkeeper. As a child I watched the Premier League a lot, especially Edwin van der Sar at Manchester United. I dream of being on such a big stage one day and can happily conclude that I am now in the ideal place to further develop myself. ”

Name: Michael Woud
Date of birth: January 16, 1999
Club: Almere City (rented from Willem II)
Position: keeper
Strengths: reflexes, leadership, height

Voetbalzone is the official media partner of the Kitchen Champion Division

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