Marco Rojas - The retirement of the Kiwi Messi

The ball would be hitting his cheekbone wouldn't it? Looks like his eyebrow is in front of the ball

Does it matter?

Yes. 

Woo hoo!!!

Finally game time for Marco - played the first half in Stuttgart reserves' 0-0 draw with Duisburg.

http://int.soccerway.com/matches/2014/04/04/germany/3-liga/msv-duisburg/vfb-stuttgart-1893-ev-ii/1490920/

http://www.vfb.de/de/saison/vfb-ii/saison-2013-2014/3-liga/spielberichte/33-msv-duisburg-vfb-stuttgart-ii/page/7701-30-5-.html?f6145

(NB English language version of the Stuttgart website doesn't carry second team reports - only on the German site)

It's cool when the reserves play meaningful games in the German Third Division - crowd here was 11,296 in Duisburg (the stadium holds 35,000). Duisburg lie sixth on the 3.Bundsliga table but finished eleventh in the 2.Bundsliga last season - relegated for financial irregularities.

VfB Sttugart II languish in 16th in the 20 team 3.Bundesliga. four points off a relegation spot. Not at all a good season for the club then...

At least the first team won 2-0 v Freiburg this weekend to take them marginally above the relegation zone:

Recent photos of Marco in training earlier this week from his Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/TheOfficialMarcoRojasPage

 Marco Rojas

 Marco Rojas

April 3

.... and we're off!

Typical fan's comment posted:

Sascha Wolfer Dude! There's a lot of hope pinned to you in Stuttgart... I hope you gonna help us staying in the first division!

Comments of Rojas performance from the coach: He looked disconnect, which is normal after injury and not enough playing time.

played a 20 odd minutes for the reserves, coming off the bench for a 3-0 loss.

http://www.soccerway.com/matches/2014/04/12/germany/3-liga/vfl-osnabruck/vfb-stuttgart-1893-ev-ii/1490930/

Marco's rehab can't be going so well - not even in the second team's squad for the 3-2 win over Unterhaching yesterday.

The first team had a surprise 3-1 home win v. third place Schalke to widen the gap between them on 15th place and Hamburg on 16th to four points (the 16th placed team enter a play-off with a second div. side). Three games left in the season.

Shit hope they dont get relegated

didn't play in the last vfb II game, and wasn't on the bench - must be injured again - marco is in danger of disappearing into obscurity at this rate.

Back to the A-League (and the nix) to regroup...

Hes been injured for a season so he should run away back to the aleague? Get a grip people.

Hopefully he gets loaned out to a Belgian or Dutch club for a season to get game time and develop - hard coming straight into the Bundesliga from A-League.

Should join Ryan at Zwolle. Bit like how the Aussies did with Sarota, Zullo and Oar playing together at the same Dutch clib

Same position

and Leeds in the early 2000s with Viduka etc

As an end of season thank-you, VfB will play 4 friendlies against local clubs (see link).

It will be interesting to see if Marco makes an appearance in any of these.

It wouldn't surprise me if he is loaned to a 2nd tier club - plenty of big names there including the likes of Kaiserslautern, Nurnberg (boohoo!), Dusseldorf (where Robbie Kruse made his mark) Karlsruhe etc, so would be excellent experience.  Plenty of pre-season (and post season it would appear) shenanigans ahead of us yet!

So they avoided relegation?

New manager is Armin Veh. A blast from the past who managed them when they won Bundesliga in 2007.

And Rojas played a full game in first of the 'local' friendlies. 1st half as outside back! 2nd half as attacking midfield and scored 2 goals in 2nd half in 10-0 win. Can't take too much from that, but good to see him out and about. (All based on VfB tweets)

If was Marco was loaned to St. Pauli I would be a very happy feral little penner punk

someone just told me he scored in an 18-0 win against another amateur side

played the first half at right back!?? bizarre

Not really, could be an attacking right back/wing back pretty easily - bit like Zullo did.

Seems to playing again ATM. Hard to understand what the twitter feed saying though

Got a goal too it seems

yep, came on for the second half in a 10-0 amateur pasting and got another goal

http://www.vfb.de/en/aktuell/meldungen/news/2014/spielbericht-schrozberg-vfb/page/3037-1-1-.html?f2

Quite a lot of first teamers played for Stuttgart in this game - some familiar names amongst the goalscorers as seen on Sommet Sports during the season. No wonder the scores have blown out in these friendlies against very minor local amateur sides.

Quite unusual for a club to field first teamers in friendlies at season's end against local amateur sides - would never happen in the UK where such friendlies are only played pre-season in the month before the new season. Maybe just a German thing - or just peculiar to Stuttgart??

In their third friendly game of the „Tour durchs Ländle“ , a crowd of 2,500 watched on as VfB convincingly beat amateur side TSV Schrozberg 10-0 (6-0). 

VfB’s goals were scored by Alexandru Maxim (4’, 22’), Christian Gentner (25’), Cacau (28’, 41’),  Ibrahima Traoré (44’), Marvin Wanitzek (60’), Marco Rojas (60’) and Daniel Didavi (64’, 74’). 

Not sure if all clubs do it but I know of some other German clubs that have also had post season friendlies. They don't play as much football and gives them the chance to thank coaches and players that are leaving and fans.

got a goal in a 70 minute match against a 'fan-selection' - imagine the equivalent yellowfever vs phoenix match!

http://www.vfb.de/en/aktuell/meldungen/news/2014/spielbericht-vfb-fanauswahl/page/3038-1-1-.html?f2