It’s all about to begin; after what has felt like an eternity, the A-League gets underway this Saturday. Never before has this level of excitement towards a new season of the round ball game been felt by football fans Down Under. Following two seasons plagued by poor crowds and financial troubles, there is a general expectation that this new edition of the competition will move the game in a positive direction, helped especially by the return of  two prodigal sons.

The game in Australia is steadily growing in popularity as the standard of play increases. Season six continued this trend, thanks largely to the Brisbane Roar.  The Side from the Queensland capital stunned the league, setting a new record for the number of games without defeat as they swept the Minor (top of the table) and Major (Grand Final winner) Premierships.  With traditional powers Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory making bold off-season moves, the seventh edition of the A-League promises to once again raise the bar.

While the Roar dominated last season, this season should be a closer competition.  Their talismanic leader, Matt McKay, is now at Rangers, earning the move to Scotland on the back of his A-League and Socceroos heroics. Frontman, Jean Carlos Solorzano has also departed, for rivals Melbourne Victory, and, while Brisbane has recruited well, they may not pack their former punch.

As far as new signings go, it’s nigh on impossible for any Aussie side to match the signings of Harry Kewell and Brett Emerton by Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC, respectively. The two Socceroos’impact on the domestic game is already showing with strong crowds at friendlies involving the clubs, not to mention a larger media presence.

A championship would be the icing on the cake for Emerton, who is happy enough just to have escape what looks to be a woeful premier League Season for Blackburn Rovers.  Meanwhile, Kewell has jumped off the sinking ship of the Turkish Super Lig, which is taking on water rapidly, thanks to a massive match-fixing scandal.  The duo will play out their careers in Australia and, in the process, bring a much needed boost to the game. Kewell and Emerton face off for the first time in the season’s opening round at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne — not Manchester! — this weekend.

While Kewell and Emerton are undoubtedly the headline signings, there are other newcomers who are expected to improve the quality of A-League play. Adelaide United have signed Socceroo Dario Vidosic from FC Nurnberg, while Tiago Calvano has also made the long trip from Germany, signing with Newcastle Jets from Fortuna Dusseldorf.  Perth Glory have brought in midfielder Liam Miller from Hibernian, former Blackburn Rovers striker Maceo Rigters will represent Gold Coast United and Tony Warner, an experienced goalie who as been at Liverpool and Fulham, has joined Wellington Phoenix.

There is one transfer, however, that has raised more eyebrows, especially amongst the Melbourne Victory community, than others, and that’s Melbourne Heart’s capture of Brazilian playmaker Fred. The midfielder, a premiership player at Victory and a former fan favourite has not only joined the Heart from MLS club DC United, but has been handed the captaincy. This move has started rumours that former captain Simon Colosimo is attempting to force a move away from the club with – surprise, surprise – Melbourne Victory actively seeking his signature.

The drama doesn’t end there, with the league rivaling popular soap Neighbours for nail-biting cliff-hangers, stunning betrayals, the writing out of key characters and last minute rescues.

The Wellington Phoenix were, for a while, looking to be in a bit of trouble. Under the ownership of Tony Serepisos, who had fallen into hundreds of millions of dollars of debt, the Phoenix were struggling to keep enough players to meet the minimum requirements set by the Football Federation of Australia (FFA.   The club was rescued in a take-over orchestrated by a group of local businessmen.   Following the coup, the club made a last minute dash in the market, signing a handful of players, but leading many to speculate that the Kiwis will struggle early, while the new line-up gels.

Yet, the Phoenix haven’t quite wrapped up the award for Most Dysfunctional Off-Season. The Newcastle Jets sacked manager Branko Culina last Tuesday in a move that shocked everyone who follows Australian football. Jets owner Nathan Tinkler is said to be furious that Branko signed his son and Socceroo midfielder Jason, on a lucrative contract, despite being aware of his injury troubles. Jason has been ruled out for this season and possibly longer, raising fears at the Jets that he may never play a game in the three years he is contracted to the club. Newcastle is also in the process of looking at ways of canceling Jason’s contract without being forced to pay it out.  Nothing like a bit of nepotism to get the blood boiling.

One has to wonder if the action on the pitch can compete with the off-the-field antics, but the opening match between the Sky Blues and Victory, starring Emerton and Kewell, has the potential to keep the fans riveted.  The pair make their marquee clubs favourites to dominate the competition.  Yet, one player doesn’t make a side, as we all know.  So don’t be surprised if another side claims the Minor Premiership.

Brisbane Roar, despite being somewhat weaker than last season, still have the league’s best manager, in Ange Postecoglou, and will be a force to be reckoned with. The Central Coast Mariners will be desperate to go one better while last years runners-up, Adelaide, have also recruited well and could launch a considerable title challenge.

Melbourne Heart are the great unknown.  Heading into their second season, it’s tough to say whether or not they will be in the finals, with one or two big moves still rumoured to be in the offing. Perth Glory and Gold Coast have enough quality to end up in the finals, although will have to play more consistent football than they have in the past in order to do so. Unfortunately, due to their dramatic build-ups to the season, Wellington and Newcastle must be considered favourites to finish bottom of the table.

Having said that, don’t be surprised if one of the favourites flop and one of the underdogs rise, such is the nature of the A-League.

Whatever happens, the 2011/12 A-League season promises to be entertaining both on and off the pitch. If you haven’t paid much attention to Australian football in the past, now would be the ideal time to change that, it’s going to be a cracker!

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And Don’t Call Me Sheila

The A-League may be in the middle of an incredibly long off-season but fans of Australian football have had plenty of action to help them cope. The Australian women’s team, the Matildas, delighted fans back home by progressing out of their World Cup group, while in the men’s game, it’s been a busy period of change.

The Matildas managed to show glimpses of their potential in Germany. A spirited 1-0 loss to 2007 finalists Brazil set the tournament off on a good note, as many expected the Lady Selecao to easily overcome the Aussies. A 3-2 win against Equatorial Guinea followed by another great performance, a 2-1 victory over Norway, ensured Australia booked a place in the quarter finals for the second tournament in a row.

Coming up against a formidable Swedish side, Australia had an awful start, conceding two goals in the opening 16 minutes. The Matildas didn’t give up, though.  A brilliant strike from Ellyse Perry, just before the half time whistle, restored hope that a semifinal place was still within reach. Alas, a Swedish goal seven minutes into the second half buried the Aussie girls and, disappointingly, that was the end of the road.

Having now made two quarter finals in a row, Australia will look to emulate Japan’s success and push for further progress four years from now in Canada.

Does This Colour Make Me Look Fat?

Talk about breaking stereotypes!  While the women have been playing football, the men have been concerned with fashion. Athletic outfitter Reebok’s exclusive contract to supply A-League uniforms has concluded, leaving individual clubs free to choose their own apparel maker.

Adidas will now supply Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC while other brands like Hummel and ISC are examples of the new logos to be seen on A-League shirts. Expect some flashy new kits to be unveiled between now and kick off in October.

Comings and Goings

In terms of playing staff, there have also been some notable changes. Marcos Flores, the Johnny Warren medalist for player of the season last year has left for China while Kosta Barbarouses, an integral part of Brisbane’s title winning side will share part of the trip, as he is bound for Russia. Melbourne Victory’s Robbie Kruse has joined Fortuna Dusseldorf in Germany’s Bundesliga 2, while Central Coast starlet, Mustafa Amini has signed a contract with top flight champions Borussia Dortmund that will see him play with the Mariners for another season, before following Kruse to Germany.

The mass of departures has been offset somewhat by some big signings, most notably Adelaide’s capture of Socceroo Dario Vidosic. Vidosic, who has played in the A-League for Brisbane, spent the last few years in Germany. His return will certainly be a boost for the league.  Sydney FC have been active, signing Melbourne Heart defender Michael Beauchamp, former Perth Glory defender Jamie Coyne and Dutchman Pascal Bosschaart, from ADO Den Haag.

The biggest transfer news involves two Australians who have previously played for Liverpool. Dean Bouzanis, once described by Rafa Benitez as “the best keeper in the world for his age” tweeted that he had signed with Melbourne Victory. It does seem, however, that this was a case of premature tweeting as the club never confirmed anything. The latest news suggests that a disappointed Bouzanis is headed back to England to try to arrange a deal with a Championship side.

Harry Kewell is the other player heavily linked with a return home. The injury-prone winger-cum-striker is apparently a target for both Sydney and Melbourne Victory. A plethora of stories and rumours suggest he has agreed terms with both clubs but wants a cut of the away gate from the league, too.  As the saga drags on, fans are becoming increasingly aware that they shouldn’t get their hopes up until they see Kewell sporting an A-League kit.

Hey, Somebody Brought a Ball!

Believe it or not, there have actually been a few football matches played amidst all the transfer drama. Scottish giants, Celtic, recently concluded their continental tour with a 1-0 win over Melbourne Victory before a sell-out crowd. They had previously beaten Perth, 2-0, and suffered a 1-0 loss to Central Coast, a result seemingly the fault of the Mariners’latest signing, jet lag.

Overall, the Celtic tour was considered a success and hopefully isn’t the end of big names visiting the golden shores of Australia.  Leave it to yours truly, though, to be camped out in Caledonia while one half of the Old Firm is running rampant Down Under!

Better Late Than Never!

Normally, the season would be kicking off in under a month’s time. The FFA, however, decided to adjust the fixture list in order to avoid clashes with the AFL and NRL final series, so kick off in the first game of the season will now take place on the 8th of October. If the past few months are anything to go by, there should be plenty of activity in the interim.

A-League Playoffs

There were just two games in the A-League this weekend but both were of the highest order. Fans of Aussie football were treated to nine goals across the two matches. On Saturday, the second leg of the top-two playoff between Brisbane and Central Coast almost resulted in the Roar’s unbeaten streak coming to an end. However, they fought back from 0-2 down to level the second leg at 2 and win on aggregate 4-2. On Sunday, the elimination final between Adelaide and Gold Coast ended in a surprising 3-2 victory to the Queenslanders. We are now left with just three teams and two games to decide the 2011 A-League champion.

The Brisbane Roar secured their spot as hosts of the Grand Final final through their 2-2 draw with the Mariners. After winning the first leg away from home 2-0, many expected the Queensland outfit to waltz into the season decider with ease. The Mariners had other ideas, though, and almost spoiled the party for their hosts. A large, pro-Brisbane crowd of over 25,000 was silenced just five minutes from half-time when the Mariners registered two goals within sixty seconds.

First, Daniel McBreen’s shot from an extremely tight angle was parried by Roar goalie Michael Theoklitos but remarkably bounced into the goal after deflecting off Matt Smith. Then, some great passing between Patricio Perez and Oliver Bozanic enabled Perez to curl a shot past a helpless Theoklitos. In just one half, the Mariners had levelled a tie from which they had been counted out and suddenly looked the more likely side to win the hosting duties in the final.

After the restart, Brisbane regrouped but it wasn’t until the 63rd minute that they struck back through Thomas Broich. The German star kept his composure and coolly slipped the ball into the net with the outside of his foot. The goal restored the Roar’s aggregate lead, 3-2, although it still looked as though the Mariners might become the first side to defeat the Roar since Melbourne Victory took all three points from them in September. While that would have been a Pyrrhic victory for the Mariners, with just minutes remaining, the score still read 2-1. Finally, Henrique combined well with Massimo Murdocca to register the equaliser.

While the defeat over 180 minutes sent Central Coast down an alternate path to the Grand Final, Pedj Bojic foolishly reacted to the frustration of seeing Coast’s near victory snatched away.  His red card will rule him out of next week’s Preliminary Final against Gold Coast.

The Robina club kept their season alive with a stunning 3-2 win over Adelaide United. Gold Coast showed a lot of fighting spirit and will need even more in their do-or-die clash with the mariners on Saturday.   Shane Smeltz gave the Queenslanders the lead in the 38th minute with a majestic strike. Adelaide fought back in the second half and took a 2-1 lead thanks to goals from striker Sergio van Dijk and rising star Matthew Leckie. However, just minutes later, the score was level at 2, when Bruce Djite found the back of the net. With less than a quarter-hour remaining and a penalty shootout looming, Smeltz stepped up to break Adelaide hearts. Joel Porter was felled in the box by Nigel Boogaard and the resultant penalty was coolly dispatched by the Kiwi, who would have to be considered one of the players of the match.

News

Rojas kisses off the generous Phoenix fans.

It appears that New Zealand starlet Marco Rojas has quit the Wellington Phoenix to join Melbourne Victory. The 19-year-old has apparently signed a two-year deal with the Victory, infuriating the Phoenix supporters who literally launched Rojas’career. Rojas signed his first professional contract with the Kiwi club after being awarded a scholarship funded mostly by the Nix’s fan club, Yellow Fever.

The FFA have decided to turn of the North Queensland Fury‘s life support, forcing the club to close its doors for good. The game’s governing body, who had to assume ownership of the Fury, felt the financial risk outweighed the potential benefits and have decided it is in their best interests to dissolve the foundering club after just two seasons in the A-League. A heartbroken Fury squad must now find new clubs to play for as their contracts will expire at the month’s end. The general feeling in Australia following the announcement is one of disappointment, with many believing the FFA could have done more to help the club, now the second team in the A-League’s short history to fail, following the demise of the New Zealand Knights.

On the Weekend

Central Coast Mariners host Gold Coast United at Gosford in the Preliminary Final. The winner earns one final crack at upsetting the seemingly Invincible Roar, a week later at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium. If the rest of the playoff action has been any indication, both teams will go all out for their chance to topple the league leaders.

Adelaide United triumphed 1-0 over the Wellington Phoenix, sending the Kiwis back across the Tasman empty-handed . Adelaide can consider themselves a little lucky to be progressing to the next stage, considering the visitors had the better of the play for most of the game. However, Wellington’s failure to convert their dominance into goals proved to be a telling factor as Travis Dodd’s 70th minute brace was enough to send the perennial underachiever through. The win came as a huge relief to Adelaide, who came into the game with less than ideal preparation after hearing  that Paul Reid was ready to quit the club because his request to join Sydney on loan for the Sky Blue’s Asian Cup campaign was rejected. Reid has since met with manager Rini Coolen and club officials and is set to rejoin his team mates as they prepare for this weekend’s game.

Up north, Gold Coast United dealt Melbourne Victory their first finals defeat in normal time, thanks to Dino Djulbic’s stoppage time winner. The 1-0 win ensured United avoided a repeat of last season, where they earned a home final in the first week of matches but were eliminated by the Newcastle Jets on penalties in front of their own fans. The scoreline was a true reflection of the game as both sides struggled to get on top of each other. The Victory might feel they deserved more after creating numerous scoring opportunities.  However, wayward shooting ensured their finals run ended at the first hurdle. Melbourne can now turn their attention to the upcoming Asian Champions League campaign, which they kick off in a week and a half against Jeju United of South Korea.

The two United’s, Adelaide and Gold Coast, now face each other in a play-off with the winner keeping their A-League title dreams alive for at least another week. Adelaide hold the home advantage, although the Gold Coast are a strong side and will be just as hungry for the chance to face the loser of the Brisbane Roar/ Central Coast tie.

The first leg of that match up was contested on Saturday night, with the Roar, expectedly, getting the result. Kosta Barbarouses and Matt McKay found the net for Brisbane and ensured the Queenslanders impressive unbeaten streak was extended to 26 games. Their 2-0 victory away from home means it is almost a certainty that they will progress straight to the Grand Final as hosts. The Mariners remain hopeful of overturning the result in the return leg but Brisbane’s stellar record at home doesn’t hold much promise for the visitors.

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News

Sydney FC have been busy in the past week, taking full advantage of the lax rules in the AFC by recruiting two players on loan from rival A-League clubs for their upcoming Asian Champions League foray. The Sky Blues have added North Queensland Fury striker David Williams and Wellington Phoenix skipper Andrew Durante to their roster. The Durnate deal was sealed in just a matter of hours and won’t be the last if Sydney have their way. Perth Glory veteran Jamie Coyne is expected to join the club, as are Melbourne Heart defender Dean Heffernan and the Newcastle Jets’Adam d’Apuzzo . The players will return to their clubs for the start of the next A-League season.

Wellington Phoenix attacking midfielder Diego Walsh has decided to return to Miami in America following an unsuccessful stint with the New Zealand club. Walsh originally signed with Adelaide United back in 2006, from Miami FC, and quickly built a reputation as one of the top players in the A-League. He then moved on to the Phoenix in 2009 but failed to fit in and became unhappy.  Following the ‘Nix’s loss to his former club  last weekend, Diego decided enough was enough and quit the club to reunite with his family, which remained in the US.

Next Week
The Roar host the Mariners is the second leg of their top two play off on Saturday night. On Sunday, the Battle of the United’s will take place with the winner to take on the loser of the Roar/ Mariners, which, as stated, is looking very much like being Central Coast.

The two-legged tie between the Roar and second placed Central Coast Mariners will decide who gains the right to host a home Grand Final. While the winner will await an opponent to decide the A-League champion, the loser will face the ultimate victor of a series of one-offs between the other four play-off contenders. The first game between the Mariners and the Roar takes place this Saturday night at Bluetongue Stadium in Gosford.

Third placed Adelaide United will host the Wellington Phoenix on Friday night in the first elimination final. The Phoenix secured their place thanks to a 3-1 win over cellar-dweller North Queensland Fury, while rival contender Newcastle Jets crashed to a 0-1 loss against Central Coast. Wellington will be definite underdogs, having to travel to Adelaide from New Zealand and play in the rather hostile conditions of Hindmarsh Stadium. However, the Phoenix will be buoyed by the result of the last meeting between these sides. The Kiwis managed to snatch a 1-0 win at the Hindmarsh. Chris Greenachre’s brace was enough for the ‘Nix to upset the Reds.

Make believe became reality for the Phoenix when they claimed the final playoff spot on the final day of the regular season.

The winner of the Adelaide/Wellington final will play the winner of the weekend’s other elimination final between Gold Coast United and Melbourne Victory. The past week has been filled with uncertainty as to where this game will be played after question marks were raised about the safety of United’s Skilled Park surface. It does appear as though the game will be held at United’s home ground, as originally planned, much to the relief  of the Gold Coast faithful. Victory triumphed when last these two outfits faced up at AAMI Park in late January. A Danny Allsopp double secured Melbourne a valuable three points.

Roar Secure W-League Title

The Brisbane Roar’s mens side has taken the league by storm and is widely tipped to win the Grand Final in March this year, should they make it. A favourable result in that game will mean Brisbaneites can celebrate not just one but two domestic titles thanks to the Roar’s win in last weekend’s W-League grand final. Travelling to New South Wales to take on the highly favoured and defending champion Sydney FC seemed a huge task but the Roar were gallant and managed a 2-1 upset. Goals to Tameka Butt and Lisa De Vanna handed the Roar their second title in three years.  Now, if the guys can only follow the girls’example…

Individual Honours

Perth Glory captain Jacob Burns has won the club’s Best and Fairest by eight votes. Burns managed to record the maximum three votes from seven games and finished with a total of 28. Melbourne Victory bound goalkeeper Tando Velaphi finished second. Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler won the Bobby Despotovski award as the leading scorer with nine strikes.

The PFA Awards Night was held last Monday with the team, coach and referee of the season announced. Just three clubs had players in the team of the season with the Brisbane Roar unsurprisingly leading the way with seven.  Adelaide contributed three and Melbourne Victory’s Robbie Kruse also made it. Matt McKay was voted captain of the side. Roar manager Ange Postecoglou was voted Coach of the Year while Matthew Breeze was voted Referee of the Year. Also recognised was Mark Viduka who was awarded the Alex Tobin medal, the most prestigious award the PFA has to offer. Only Viduka, Johnny Warren, Joe Marston and Craig Johnston have received the honour, which recognises significant contribution to Australian football.

Next Week

Be sure not to miss the first leg of the top two play off between the Mariners and the Roar. Brisbane may have dominated the 30-match regular season but a two-legged tie is a kangaroo of a different colour.  The opening away leg will go a long way to establishing whether the Roar really are the team to beat.

The Roar’s turn around under Ange Postecoglou has been quite remarkable. By the end of the 2009/10 season, the Roar languished in 9th spot, one from the bottom. This triggered a massive overhaul of the club, with Postecoglou being brought in to replace former Socceroo boss Frank Farina. Postecoglou immediately got to work, releasing many of Brisbane’stars, including Craig Moore who was in contention for a spot in the national side at the time. He also recruited well and the end result was a new look Brisbane side ready to line up for the 2010/11 season. Many sceptics were unsure of the Roar’s ability to challenge for the title considering many of the players were new and had very little time to gel. Some unimpressive 0-0 draws and a 0-3 loss to  Melbourne Victory meant it looked like it was going to be a long season ahead, however, following the loss to the Victory, the Roar struck a vein of incredibly good form.

That game in Melbourne was the last time Brisbane dropped all three points to an opponent. In the games since, they have taken at least one point from every game to announce themselves as the best side in the country. With the finals series due to start in a week and a half, the Roar look likely to enter the play-off as the most feared and dangerous team, a side everyone will want to avoid.

Sydney FC’s season from hell ends

Reigning champion, Sydney FC have failed to make the finals series this season. After defeating the Victory in last season’s Grand Final, in Melbourne, the Sky Blues have had a dismal season that now sees them out of contention for a final spot. A number of star players from last seasons campaign have left the club in the interim, including John Aloisi, Karol Kisel, Craig Bolton and captain Steve Corica.

Coach Viteslav Lavicka worked hard to fill the gaping holes in the squad but it was to no avail. The signings of Nick Carle, Scott Jameison and Liam Reddy were expected to keep Sydney at the top of Australian Football but that hasn’t been the case and, following their 1 goal draw with Newcastle, it is now impossible for the Sky Blues to climb from 9th to 6th.

On the bright side, they’ll be able to direct all their attention to the upcoming Asian Champions League campaign.

Melbourne Victory secure Finals spot

Last years runners-up Melbourne Victory, almost suffered the same fate as the no longer defending champions. yet, with just one game remaining, the Victory are now guaranteed Finals football, following their 2-0 wins over Gold Coast last Sunday and Newcastle mid-week. Danny Allsopp saw that his club lived up to their name against the Gold Coast, while Tom Pondeljiak and Robbie Kruse, in his first game back after the Asian Cup, found the net against Newcastle Jets. The Victory will journey to either Adelaide or the Gold Coast for their elimination final depending on which way results fall in the final week of play. As a lower seed, they’re faced with a four match route to the title but they’ve traveled down that path already and will be prepared.  It bears remembering that the Victory are the only side to defeat the Roar this season, making theirs an interesting Grand Final pairing, should it come to pass.

The sixth spot is still not set but Wellington need only a draw in one of their two remaining matches to dispatch Newcastle Jets, who are clinging to hope by their fingernails.

News

News has come out that Pierre Littbarski will replace Steve McLaren at the helm of Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga. Littbarski guided Sydney FC to the inaugural A-League title in the 2005/06 season, when Dwight Yorke took the league by storm. His appointment is perhaps a sign that the A-League is starting to have a bigger influence on world football.

Karol Kisel was in hot form for Sydney FC last season as they claimed both the minor and major premierships. His stellar season attracted Sparta Prague, who snapped up his services. Rumours have started to emerge that following Sydney’s disappointing season, Kisel is on the verge of returning to the club and helping them back up the table in the 2011/12 season.

Reto Vanni, currently with FC Basel in Switzerland, has announced he is interested in a move to Australia. It is said four A-League clubs are interested in gaining Vanni’s signature, with Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Heart believed to be leading the race for the former Swiss U/21′s services.

Next Week

In the final week of matches, Central Coast have the opportunity to cement second spot on the ladder and end Newcastle’s Finals aspirations should they win their clash with the Jets on the 13th of February.

Asian Cup

Final: Australia 0-1 Japan

The Socceroos’Asian Cup campaign has ended in heartbreak thanks to a fine strike in the 109th minute by Tadanari Lee. The momentary lapse in concentration by the Aussie defence gifted the trophy to Japan who secured their fourth title. It could be argued that Australia had the better of the Blue Samurai for the majority of the match. Had we been able to capitalise on some good chances, the Australian players would have been welcomed home as continental champions.

Harry Kewell had the best chance to seal the title, when, in the 70th minute he found himself one-on-one with Japanese ‘keeper Eiji Kawashima. Kewell controlled the ball, shifted it onto his favoured side as football fans in Australia held their collective breath. Who would bet against Kewell’s magical left boot burying the ball in the back of the net? Kawashima though, was ready and pulled off a fine save with his legs, denying Kewell the chance to be Australia’s hero.

With no goals registered in the 90 minutes, extra time was required to separate the sides. Melbourne Victory youngster, Robbie Kruse, had the best chance to finish the game after coming on as a substitute. His header would have found the net but for another fine save by Kawashima. The keeper was Japan’s stand out player, keeping his side in the game on a number of occasions.

Lee’s impressive winner sealed the victory for Japan. Unmarked in the box due to some poor defending by Dave Carney, Lee volleyed Yuto Nagamoto’s cross with venom and precision, giving Mark Schwarzer no chance of saving the shot. The strike sent Japanese fans into raptures and with just 10 minutes remaining, gave the Socceroos very little chance of forcing a penalty shoot-out.

The referee’s final whistle was greeted by joyous celebrations by Japan and devastation by Australia. The Socceroos must now turn their attentions to the Brazil 2014 qualification campaign and the 2015 Asian Cup which Australia is to host. They will no doubt be hungry to avenge this loss in front of stadiums filled with Aussie supporters.

A-League:

North Queensland Fury 0-3 Melbourne Victory

With the Fury on life-support, a win was expected of the Victory and they delivered in fine style. Danny Allsopp found the net for the away side to continue his fine run of form since returning to the club. Mate Dugandzic also found his name on the score sheet with two goals in quick succession mid way through the second half.

Brisbane Roar 2-0 Wellington Phoenix

A James Meyer double in the final 10 minutes enabled the Roar to see off finals contender Wellington in the Roar’s first outing since the Queensland flood disaster. The Roar equalled the record of the longest undefeated streak in Australian football thanks to this result, their 22nd game without a loss.

Brisbane Roar 2-1 Melbourne Heart

Brisbane are simply unbeatable. having now taken points in 23 consecutive matches, they have taken the record for Australia’s longest undefeated steak, an honour previously held by NSL club APIA Leichhardt, who set the mark in 1986-87.   James Meyer again found the net, enjoying an impressive run of form since debuting two weeks ago. His strike, plus a fine goal by Jean Carlos Solorzano, enabled the hosts to see off Melbourne Heart, who, like the Phoenix are vying for a play-off spot. The win secures the Roar the Minor Premiership (best record in the regular season).

Perth Glory 0-2 Sydney FC

Sydney supporters were able to cling to hopes of a title defence, thanks to an early goal by marquee man Nicky Carle and a second half match killer from Bruno Carazine. The defending champions haven’t produced the same form they exhibited last season and, as a result, their finals chances hang by a thread.  They must take at least 7 points from their last 3 contests but, even so, should any one of the three clubs immediately above them reach 39 points, the champions will be eliminated from contention.  The rosary beads are becoming well-worn in Sydney.

Adelaide United 1-2 Central Coast Mariners

The Mariners triumphed in the A-League’s match of the round. The 2-1 victory wasn’t a true reflection of the Mariners dominance as Adelaide’s consolation goal came late, through captain Travis Dodd. Central Coast were the best side on the day, taking a deserved lead thanks to goals by Patricio Perez and Josh Rose. The victory cements the Mariners in second place with just three games to play.

Wellington Phoenix 1-0 Newcastle Jets

The Phoenix recorded a much needed win as they fight for a place in the finals.  Victory was secured by Dylan McAllister and enabled the New Zealanders to move into sixth place on the ladder.  The Jets must now prepare for a crucial game against Melbourne Victory on Wednesday that could make or break their season.  Their four games remaining is the most of any A-League club but they must take points.

Melbourne Victory 2-0 Gold Coast United

Two spectacular goals by Danny Allsopp handed Melbourne the three points at a critical stage of the season. The win gives the Victory a firm grip on fifth spot but they still need a win and a draw in their final two contests to assure themselves of a play-off position. Gold Coast must now regroup for their next match against third-placed Adelaide.

News
A rather embarrassing blunder by the Perth Glory has tarnished the departure of club legend Jamie Harnwell. An advertisement for their game against the Gold Coast on Sunday read, “Join Us As We Farewell A Legend” and was displayed on the club’s website an hour before Harnwell was to discuss his future with the club. Embarrassed, the Glory veteran has insisted the decision to retire was entirely his and that he wasn’t pushed out the door.

Ljubo Milicevic has turned down a contract offer from Swiss side FC Basel which currently has the services of former Socceroo Scott Chipperfield. Milicevic, a former Newcastle player, quit the Jets in order to pursue a career overseas. It is believed he is considering a more lucrative offer from an Asian club.

In more bad news for the North Queensland Fury, striker Chris Payne has been ruled out for the remainder of the season thanks to a lateral meniscus injury. Payne has already signed to play for Newcastle next season so this injury means he has surely played his last game for the struggling Fury who are in a battle to stay alive due to financial troubles.

Next Week

Essential viewing: Melbourne Heart vs Central Coast Mariners

The Mariners are coming into this clash on the back of their impressive win over Adelaide United and will seek to build on their fine form as the play-offs approach. The clash is more important for the home side, Melbourne Heart, as a loss would put a serious dent in their own bid for a post-season berth, in their inaugural season. Kick-off is at 8pm on Friday the 4th February.

A-League

Match of the Round: Adelaide United 8-1 North Queensland Fury

The most one-sided game of football in the A-League’s history could signal the end of the road for the Fury who are struggling to stay alive, both on the pitch and off it. Financial troubles and poor management have resulted in the club staggering on its last legs in desperate need of help. The situation is obviously affecting the players who showed very little fight in this contest.

A decent crowd of almost 11,000 attended Hindmarsh Stadium to watch the demolition derby. Hat tricks to Marcos Flores and Sergio van Dijk were the highlights from the game with Iain Ramsey and want away captain Travis Dodd also getting their names on the score sheet to complete the rout. The only consolation for the Fury was Panagiotis Nikas’rather impressive goal.

The loss leaves the North Queenslanders with very little hope of climbing off the bottom of the ladder as their goal difference has taken a hammering. It now remains to be seen whether they will be able to front up for next season as the club goes into crisis mode. Adelaide, on the other hand, are preparing for a tilt at the play-offs, which begin in less than a month.

Other Matches

Perth Glory 1-2 Central Coast

An action packed 20 minute period at the start of this game determined the result. The Mariners registered two goals in as many minutes through Daniel McBreen and Matt Simon to leave the hosts stunned. Just three minutes after the second goal, Simon could have made it 3-0 when he stepped up to take a penalty. However, Glory’s Tando Velaphi saved the shot and kept his side in the contest. Just when the crowd thought they’d seen it all, Jamie Harnwell got his marching orders for a nasty elbow to Simon.  Down a man, the Glory put up a fight, with Todd Howarth scoring for the home side. It wasn’t enough for Perth though, despite their best efforts they couldn’t find an equaliser and dropped the three points.

Melbourne Heart 1-1 Gold Coast United

The point Heart salvaged from the game was enough to take the final play-off spot however, the Melburnians would view this as a missed opportunity to have cemented themselves in the position. Brazilian Alex Terra scored in the 17th minute and Heart was ascendant, although it was the Gold Coast who scored next, through Bruce Djite, five minutes from half time. Heart goalkeeper Graig Bolton pulled off three remarkable saves in the dying stages of the game to deny United the three points.

Melbourne Victory 2-2 Melbourne Heart

Victory should feel very lucky with this result as Heart deserved the three points. Victory went up 2-0 early in the match thanks to a Danny Allsopp header and a spectacular Beckham-style free kick by Carlos Hernandez. The Heart however, clawed their way back into the contest thanks to a John Aloisi double. The game was marred by Kevin Muscat’s horrific tackle on Heart’s prodigy Adrian Zahra.

Muscat’s badly mis-timed tackle which up-ended Zahra and seriously injured his knee, has ruled out the heart winger for an extended period.

Gold Coast United 5-1 Newcastle Jets

Another one-sided affair saw another impressive hat trick. Former Socceroo Bruce Djite’s three goal haul ensured United fans, who attended the ‘free’game (instead of paying for a ticket fans were asked to donate to the flood appeal) left the ground happy. Shane Smeltz also managed to find the back of the net while Adama Traore kicked things off in style, scoring in the 10th minute. Much like the battered Fury, Newcastle did find a consolation goal, theirs through Chinese import Zhang Shuo.

Wellington Phoenix 4-0 Perth Glory

The Phoenix helped their chances of qualifying for the finals by thumping the Glory at Westpac stadium. An own goal by Perth keeper Tando Velaphi, in the 10th minute, got things rolling.  The ‘Nix then saw Dylan MacAllister, Vince Lia and Chris Greenacre add goals in the second half. Wellington are now well placed to climb above Melbourne Heart should they win on Wednesday at SunCorp Stadium against stuttering top side Brisbane Roar, suddenly more human with captain Matt McKay on Asian Cup duty.

Central Coast 2-2 Sydney FC

After taking a point from their stunning clash with Brisbane last week, the Mariners were involved in another thriller this week. Two goals in 10 minutes by Sydney youngster Dimitri Petratos gave the visitors a dream start.  However, the Mariners showed some determination, resulting in second half goals to Patricio Perez and Matt Simon. The draw enabled Central Coast to hang on to second spot on the ladder while the second half lapse saw Sydney eliminated from A-League finals contention.

Asian Cup

Australia 1-0 Iraq

The match was a repeat of the 2007 quarter-final however this time the result went Australia’s way. Veteran Harry Kewell ensured the Socceroos didn’t have to negotiate a penalty shootout in their bid for a spot in the semi-finals, scoring in the 118th minute. The Socceroos now face a clash with Uzbekistan for a place in the Asian Cup final.

(You’ll have to forgive the announcer’s somewhat unenthusiastic goal call)

News

Melbourne Victory fans may have seen the last of their captain, this season, after his disgraceful tackle in the Melbourne derby. The minimum ban he faces is four matches.  However, it is expected the disciplinary panel will add more games onto that, which could rule Muscat out for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs. Many believed this would be the 37 year old’s final season and, if the severe ban is handed down, then Muscat may have played his last game.

Less than a year after being named Best and Fairest winner for the 2009/10 season, Perth Glory defender Andy Todd has left the club in order to move back to England. It is believed he is seeking a  new club to play for after enjoying his time in Australia and will no doubt attract plenty of attention. Perth have lost Todd, striker Michael Baird, goalkeeper Aleks Vrteski and midfielder Andrija Jukic while announcing they have signed Wellington keeper Danny Vukovic and Melbourne Victory winger Evan Berger.

Gold Coast owner Clive Palmer has thanked fans for their generosity after the game against the Newcastle Jets raised over $30,000 for flood victims. Palmer threw the gates open and asked fans to donate money to the Queensland Premier’s Flood Appeal instead of buying a ticket to the match. The money combined with donated toys will greatly aid flood victims as they attempt to rebuild their lives.

Next week

Essential viewing: Adelaide United v Central Coast>>>>>Saturday evening (Oz), Saturday AM (UK)

The winner of this game will take second spot on the ladder at a critical stage of the season. It will be interesting to see which team prevails and could be an early indication of who is most likely to challenge the Brisbane Roar for the A-League title.

First stop, Villa Park in Birmingham…

>>>

Roger Domeneghetti

Roger Domeneghetti @ Who Ate All The Goals

Premier League Saturday

Aston Villa v Manchester City

When these two teams met at the fag-end of last season, a win for Manchester City saw them leapfrog Aston Villa into fifth place.  Fast forward eight months and City are in with a real chance of the title, while Villa are battling the drop, seeming to prove the difference an unrestricted ability to spend makes.

It’s no surprise City have dipped into their pocket this month to throw £30m of loose change at Wolfsburg, for Bosnian Edin Dzeko.  But it was a shock when Villa smashed their transfer record shelling out £18m for Sunderland’s Darren Bent, who’s set to make his debut in this televised clash.  It took the ex-Sunderland man just 24 hours to go from hero to Villan at the start of the week. Now he’ll be looking to make an instant mark on the score sheet to regain that hero status.

Wolves v Liverpool

One away League win all season and just one point from the last 18 available on the road make pretty grim reading for Liverpool boss King Kenny as he takes his team to Molineux this weekend.  While Wolves lie in the bottom three they’re not going to roll over and have their tummies tickled. They have five wins from 11 homes games one of which came last time out against champions Chelsea.  There were positive signs for Liverpool in the Merseyside derby last weekend, but it was still all a bit scrappy, while for Wolves this game comes hot on the heels of a confidence-boosting 5-0 cup win against Doncaster.

Blackpool v Sunderland

A week’s a long time in football – just ask Steve Bruce. Seven days ago his forward line consisted of a World Cup star and one of the most prolific scorers currently playing in the Premier League. At least he still has the World Cup star but Bruce will not relish a trip to Blackpool following the turmoil.  And you can see why – The Tangerines took all three points at the Stadium of Light last month and have won three and drawn one of their last five at home, including a victory against Liverpool just last week.

The jury’s still out on exactly who got the best deal from the Bent transfer and there is a strong argument that, despite his goals tally, his absence will leave Sunderland tactically stronger.  Whatever the final verdict, this trip to the seaside will go some way to illuminating what the Black Cats’ future holds without him.

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Andrew Gibney

Andrew Gibney @ the New, Improved Gib Football Show

Hearts v Rangers, SPL>>>>>Saturday

A risky choice, as I’ve lost count the number of times either Hearts of Rangers games have been postponed this season after they get previewed in this space. Fingers crossed with this one.

If it can survive the Weekend Catch jinx, this should be a real cracking game with a barnstorming atmosphere. A win for Hearts will take them within two points of Rangers, and with the Champions now without top scorer Kenny Miller questions are going to be asked about who will fill the gap that the 22 goal scorer has left.

Initially, the spotlight will fall on Nikica Jelavic, if he is given the start. Jelavic came on for thirty minutes on Tuesday against Inverness but he is far from match sharp. Vladimir Weiss is in great form right now and he could be the player to step up and make his presence felt.

Hearts face late worries over Kevin Kyle and Rudi Skacel, after they both missed the midweek win over Kilmarnock. With both fit Hearts will fancy having a go at Rangers and seeing what the Glasgow giants are made of. Otherwise, they may tread a bit more lightly.

Chambery v Brest, Coupe de France>>>>>Saturday

Once again it’s Cup time in France and after my suggestion that Chambery could beat Monaco in the last round came true, it’s seems only fair to stay with the 5th Division side situated around 150 league places below Brest in the league tables.

This must be a strange feeling for Brest. All season, they have been the underdogs, plucky upstarts flying high in Ligue 1. Suddenly, they are the big fish invading the minnow’s pond and being expected to win. Chambery will be happy to hear that they are not in the best of form, either, eking out a 1-0 Cup win in extra time against Issy and then losing 3-1 against Caen.

Chambery have played one game since the fairytale win over the Principality club, a 1-0 win over Le Puy, which gives them an impressive four on the trot. Woe betide the team that doesn’t take Chambery seriously.

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Tapesh Patel

Chunneling with Tapesh Patel

Cardiff City v Watford, The Championship>>>>>Saturday

Cardiff seem to think that this is their year and are going for broke to gain promotion. Plenty of personnel have been brought in to a squad already burgeoning with talent. The latest arrival, on loan, is Arsenal midfielder Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, with Blackpool defender Dekel Keinan set to arrive in the coming days and Aaron Ramsey also a possibility, according to Arsene Wenger.

The toast of the Welsh town, though, remains Jon ‘The Beast’Parkin, bought for £100,000 from struggling Preston, to provide cover for Jay Bothroyd. Parkin is usually more of a threat in the air, but displayed much more on his debut last week, scoring a goal that belied his 6’3”, 14 stone frame. Parkin latched on to a hoofed ball up field, heading to Michael Chopra, who in turn laid it off for Parkin to thump the ball into the corner from 25 yards. As they say, start as you mean to go on.

Cardiff may need Parkin, too, with Jay Bothroyd apparently wanted by Sunderland after Darren Bent blew a hole in their front line. Those Bluebirds remaining in the nest aren’t in full flight at the moment, either, having been tarred and feathered over the holidays at Bristol and, yes, Watford.

The 2-goal hero of that game, Danny Graham, is the Championship’s current form player. The striker has scored in seven successive games (all of which the Hornets have won), and is leading a young side towards a surprising play-off adventure. One of those precocious talents, Marvin Sordell, is also impressing, with five goals in his last five games, while Scott Loach continues to mature into one of the division’s best goalkeepers.  Will the element of surprise catch Cardiff cold? It’s entirely possible, given that Watford have scored more than any other Championship side away from home this season.

Lille vs Wasquehal, Coupe de France>>>>>Sunday

France does romance fairly well. So it follows, then, that the Gallic equivalent of FA Cup 3rd Round saw 10 top-flight teams eliminated from the competition. In picking a match this weekend, then, logic went out the window.  I’ve settled on a Cup derby with a twist, France’s most individually talented club side against their local amateur opponents.

You see, Wasquehal are currently in 9th place in the CFA2, France’s fifth tier. That is precisely five divisions and 8 places from Ligue 1 leaders Lille, who look every bit a great side able to take the Championnat this season. However, only 5 miles separates the small commune from the big(ger) city. If the Cup evens the playing field, the derby muddies it, paving the way for an unlikely hero to potentially steal the show.

There’s no doubt it’s a tough ask for Wasquehal, especially as the tie is no longer being hosted at their stadium because of security issues, much to the dismay of mayor and club president Gerard Vignoble. That said, I’m sure a few Wasquehal fans will make the short trip to see their plucky side take on Les Dogues for a match they won’t soon forget.

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Mohamed Moallim

Mohamed Moallim in The Low Country

Eredivisie

NEC  v NAC>>>>>Saturday

A mid-table tussle is on the menu at the Goffertstadion when NEC Nijmegen and NAC Breda lock horns with 6 points just separating both sides.

Despite languishing in 11th and having no wins in four games, NEC do boast the league’s top scorer, Bjorn Vleminckx.  The Belgian international has bagged 13 goals so far in the campaign or just under half of his teams tally.

NAC are looking to quickly start another run, after losing their last game before the break to Den Haag. Only AZ, Heerenveen and PSV can top the team from Breda’s recent form.

FC Utrecht v AFC Ajax>>>>>Sunday

This match promises fireworks, as it always has done. There’s no love lost between either set of fans, sometimes leading to unsavoury incidents, but on the pitch FC Utrecht are hoping to do the double over the Amsterdammers.  Their shock 2-1 victory, both goals from Ricky van Wolfswinkel may have been the beginning of the end of Martin Jol.  Yet, despite that win, they’ve yet to push on and find themselves mired in 12th spot.

Ajax, on the other hand, will look to kick-start their title challenge under Frank de Boer.  They go into the game on the back of a comfortable 2-0 win over Feyenoord in midweek.

FC Groningen v FC Twente >>>>>Sunday

Possibly the game of the weekend. FC Groningen have been riding high, in 3rd place, and had been threatening to break the top three’s monopoly for some years.  But inconsistency and failing to capitalise on good form has always seen them drop to mid-table.

This season, promise could turn into success, unless old habits return. FC Twente, The club which beat Groningen to the punch last year, in unseating the big clubs, lay just 3 points behind their opponents.   On paper, this match couldn’t be any closer but FC Twente will want to repeat their 4-2 October victory.

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Shaun Best

Shaun Best on the Serie A

Bologna v Lazio>>>>>Sunday

Both teams will be looking for a pick-me-up after being bundled out of the Coppa Italia in midweek.

Bologna find themselves in 16th position after last weekend’s crushing 4-1 defeat to Inter and subsequent two-point penalty for failing to pay players’ wages on time.

Meanwhile, Lazio’s morale boosting win over Sampdoria took them back up to joint second. Goal hero Libor Kozak is competing with new signing Giuseppe Sculli for a place up-front, after the latter moved from Genoa for £2.9 million on Monday.  Ironically enough, Kozak remains a target for the Rossoblu as they look to take some of the goalscoring burden off of Marco Di Vaio’s shoulders.

In recent meetings, Lazio have held the upper hand. They won the reverse fixture 3-1 back in September, and ran out 3-2 winners in last season’s corresponding fixture.  Sergio Floccari, Stefano Mauri and Fernando Muslera should all return after being rested in midweek. In defence, Stephan Lichtsteiner sits out due to a one game suspension, but Giuseppe Biava returns from a similar ban.  Bologna boss Alberto Malesani has a near full strength squad from which to choose.

Udinese v Inter>>>>>Sunday

A blockbuster of a game looks on the cards as free scoring Udinese face a rejuvenated Inter.  Featuring no fewer than 14 goals in Udinese’s last two leagues games and 10 in the Nerrazzurri’s, both clubs will be hoping to be on the high end of the goals tally at the Friuli.

Udinese will also want to bounce back from their Coppa Italia penalty shootout loss to Sampdoria, although Inter have no such problems, after marching into the quarter finals of the competition last week.  New Inter boss Leonardo has certainly provided the midas touch to get his side back to winning ways, bringing Diego Milito back in from the cold to share the goalscoring duties with Samuel Eto’o.  Udinese will be expecting the Serie A’s top scorer, Antonio Di Natale, to add to his 14 goal tally,but must do without defender Gabriele Angella, who went off with a knee injury during the Sampdoria loss.  Young Swedish defender Joel Ekstrand, 21, is widely expected to join the Friulani from Helsingborgs and could make his debut in this match.

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Martin Palazzotto

Martin Palazzotto Bundesliga Boünce

Hannover 96 v Schalke 04>>>>>Saturday

For both sides this is a match that could define their season.

The hosts, Hannover, have landed on their feet in 2nd place, after a 3-0 away win at Frankfurt, to begin the second half of the season.  The result has many pundits urging them on but it is best to remember that they went into the holidays licking their wounds from a less inspiring 3-1 loss at Nürnberg, ending a 5 game winning streak.  Streaky has been 96′s modus operandi in this campaign and their meager +1 goal differential reveals that their current position may be more fortunate than deserved.  Certainly, that November/December run was against sides from the lower half of the table.

Of course, Schalke themselves are still in the bottom section of the standings but, until a very tough 1-0 defeat to Hamburg last week, Die Königsblauaen had begun to exhibit a domestic form more on the level of their successful Champions League group stage victory.  Felix Magath will have his side invading the AWD-Arena with urgency, knowing that a victory will not only push Schalke up the table but will put doubt into one of the sides he must eventually overcome to maintain a European place in 2012.

Mirko Slomka, meanwhile, will be driving Die Roten to put his former side down and prove that they are truly a factor in the race for a Champions League berth.

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Fab Presilli

Fab Presilli From the Latin

Beira Mar v Porto, Portuguese Liga>>>>>Saturday

The Portistas unbeatable run should go on when they play at Aveiro this weekend. Hulk is having a season to remember, with a rate of over a goal every game. Porto, this week, also managed to secure the signing of Argentinian U20 sensation Juan Manuel Iturbe, 17 years old.

Brazil v Bolivia, South American U20, Tacna, Peru>>>>>Sunday

Bolivia is probably the worst nation in the group, which will make a lot easier for the young and talented Brazilian squad to give a show. Look for Neymar, as he is scoring wonderful goals, and Lucas who should make big plays in the midfield.

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Tom Pollock

Tom Pollock

Melbourne Victory v Melbourne Heart, A-League>>>>>Saturday

Despite this being the Heart’s debut season in the A-League, the Melbourne Derby is already quite meaningful to both clubs and fans. These bitter rivals have met twice before in this campaign with the honours being evenly shared. Both of the first two matches were played at AAMI Park, a 30,000 seat rectangular stadium. Derby I sold out while Derby II wasn’t far from doing so. This is the first contest between the two at the larger 55,000 seat Etihad Stadium and it will be interesting to see what sort of crowd is recorded.

Melbourne Victory will be without talismanic striker Archie Thompson who has failed to recover from a hamstring injury. His absence plus that of Robbie Kruse, who is on Socceroo duty in Qatar, leaves Victory’s attacking options very thin. Vice-captain Adrian Leijer will also miss through injury which is a major blow for the ‘home’side as he has been one of their most consistent performers. The Heart faces a much brighter team selection with Josip Skoko and Rutger Worm returning to a squad that boasts John Aloisi, Michael Beauchamp and Simon Colosimo.

There is a lot more at stake than just pride, with both these teams battling it our for a finals spot. A win here would give the victorious side a healthy advantage as the season approaches its final rounds. The Heart has to be favourite for this one, coming into the game on a five game unbeaten streak, while the Victory isn’t living up to their name and is looking to break a three game winless run.

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As well as the club matches, Saturday sees the Aussies take on Iraq and South Korea, Iran, as the Asian Cup quarter finals wind up, with Uzbekistan and Japan already into the semi-finals.  Those of you who prefer La Liga, forgive us for passing over the Spaniards this week.  The consensus here was that the Espanyol/Getafe match, a poor man’s El Clasico was the best of a bad lot.  Next week, however, holds some intriguing matchups and we’ll be bringing them your way.

See you then!

A-League

Match of the Round: Central Coast 3-3 Brisbane Roar

The Brisbane Roar came into this game riding the back of a 20 game unbeaten streak and were determined to make it 21. However, they would have been forgiven had they not salvaged a draw in this contest considering many of the traveling squad had friends, family and even team mates who were affected by Queensland’s floods.

The Roar struck first, taking the lead in under 25 minutes, thanks to a brace by Erik Paartalu. The Mariners responded well and equalised, through Adam Kwasnik in the 37th minute. The 1-1 scoreline at halftime set up what was to be a thrilling second half.

Coast's Joshua Rose is brought down in the box by Milan Susak.

The Mariners had a dream start to the second period, when Matt Simon did well to get on the end of a Patricio Perez free kick, handing his side the lead. The Roar, not to be outdone, were persistent and drew even for the second time in the match, this time through Thomas Broich. Jean Carlos Solorzano’s inch perfect pass through the Mariners defence enabled Broich to open his body and blast it into the back of the net.

Central Coast looked to have been handed the game, however, when Milan Susak brought down Joshua Rose in the penalty box and, in the process, picked up his second yellow card. Perez who set up the second goal stepped up and put away the penalty to give the Mariners the lead with only 15 minutes to play.

The Roar’s fighting spirit shone through though and a brilliant strike by debutant James Meyer game saw the scores even once more. Meyer, who came on for Erik Paartalu, took three touches, one to control the ball, one to set up the shot and the third a brilliant right footed drive that sailed into the back of the net.

The final stages of the game were tense as the result could still have gone either way. The 3-3 result was a fitting one and enabled the Mariners to climb above Adelaide into second place.

Other Matches

Gold Coast United 4-0 North Queensland Fury
North Queensland Fury appears to be staggering on its last legs and results like this won’t help at all. The embattled club had no chance against a strong Gold Coast side that welcomed striker Shane Smeltz back into the line up for his first appearance for the club since re-signing last week. Smeltz didn’t let United fans down, scoring two goals and setting up another. Bruce Djite and Chris Harold also found the net in a dominant display.

Perth Glory 1-1 Melbourne Heart

Both these clubs will be happy they didn’t lose, although Perth will be particularly disappointed they couldn’t hold on and win this one. The Glory took the lead in the 34th minute thanks to stand-in captain Todd Howarth. Perth were then denied what they believed was a goal after Scott Neville’s flick on from a Jamie Harnwell header appeared to have crossed the goal line. The match referee Gerard Parsons and his sideline assistant disagreed and play went on. It proved to be a crucial moment in the game as less than 10 minutes later Heart’s Brazilian striker Alex Terra connected with a wonderful bicycle kick to even up the scores.

Sydney FC 1-1 Melbourne Victory

A rematch of last seasons Grand Final promised to be a good game, as any match between these two sides is hotly contested. Sydney had the better of Victory in the early stages but could not convert their dominance into a goal. After numerous chances for both sides in the first half went wanting, it remained scoreless at the main break. It wasn’t until the 52nd minute that Danny Allsopp scored the first goal of the match and his second stint at the club. Victory’s inexperienced defence, missing regulars Kevin Muscat and Adrian Leijer, appeared to be holding together well until Juho Makela arrived in the box unmarked and finished easily in injury time to salvage a point for the home side.

Newcastle Jets 0-2 Central Coast

The Central Coast’s win here cemented their spot just behind the Roar in second place. Matt Simon’s 14th minute strike and John Hutchinson’s coup de grâce, three minutes from time, was enough for the Mariners to see off the Jets who were desperate to get at least a point from this contest. The Jets are fighting it out with both Melbourne sides and the Wellington Phoenix for a spot in the finals.

Brisbane Roar – Wellington Phoenix: Postponed due to flooding

Asian Cup

Tim Cahill continues heading both the Socceroos and the Quuensland aid effort in the right direction.

Game 2: Australia 1-1 South Korea

This was the big one for Australia, a match against South Korea in the group stages was always going to be tough. The Koreans came into the game fresh from a 2-1 win over Bahrain and had a good start to this match. They were the most impressive team in the first half and deservedly took the lead on 24 minutes through Koo Ja-Cheol, after some poor defending by the Aussies. Australia regrouped and swung the momentum in their favour in the second half. Harry Kewell’s shot was deflected out for a corner. The resulting cross found Tim Cahill, whose header floated towards the back post, landing on the chest of Lucas Neill who found himself facing away from goal.  He intelligently lobbed the ball back towards the 6 yard box, enabling Mile Jedinak to climb and head home.The result means Australia needs just a draw with Bahrain to progress to the knockout stage.

News

The highest bid for “The Tim Cahill” experience in aid of Queensland’s flood victims stands at $600,200. Bids of $999,999 and $980,100 were withdrawn during the week. The winning bidder will receive two business class tickets to England to watch Cahill play, from his private box at Goodison Park, as well as an invitation to a training session, an Everton shirt signed by the entire side and a pair of Cahill’s boots. All of the money will go to the Queensland Premier’s Flood Appeal.

Sad news came out this week that the Queensland floods may end up claiming the North Queensland Fury as a victim. The Queensland government was pumping money into the embattled club hoping to keep it alive for at least one more season, while investors are located. However, with a substantial clean up bill expected in the wake of the floods, the money may be withdrawn and put towards the recovery effort, meaning the Fury’s future looks very grim.

Reading’s Aussie goalkeeper Adam Federici has penned a new two-year deal that will keep him at the club until 2013. Up and coming defender Shane Lowry, who was signed by Aston Villa, was sent out on loan to Sheffield United until the end of the season, where he made his debut for the Blades just a day later.

Finally, Gold Coast United has again bolstered their squad ahead of the A-League finals, signing German Peter Perchtold and Korean Sung-kil Kim. Perchtold has made senior appearances for German clubs FC Nuremberg and Stuttgart, while the 27-year-old Kim is a midfielder who previously played for Busan Kyotong.

Next Week

Essential viewing: The Melbourne derby between the Victory and the Heart should be a cracking match. Both sides have recorded a win over each other so far this season so this one is considered to be the decider, giving one set of fans the bragging rights until next season. Kick off is at 7pm local time on Saturday, the 22nd.

See you next week!

On top of that, the Socceroos have opened their Asian Cup campaign with a resounding 4-0 victory over India, courtesy of a brace from Everton star Tim Cahill. We’ll see how the group develops over the week, though.  For now, we’ll just focus on the domestic scene.

Match of the Round:
Melbourne Victory 1-4 Adelaide United

Adelaide United well and truly ended their hoodoo against the Victory, emphatically beating the home side 4-1. Goals to Sergio van Dijk (2), Marcos Flores and Fabian Barbiero ensured United ended their 10 game losing streak against Melbourne, a terrible run that stretched back to October 2007. Melbourne were poor, Ricardinho and Danny Allsopp failed to impose themselves up front as Adelaide’s stopper Mark Birighitti was forced to make just one save for the 90 minutes.

Sergio van Dijk enjoys turning the tables on Melbourne.

Flores gave the visiting side a dream start, scoring in the 12th minute with a sweet strike that left Victory keeper Michael Petkovic no chance. Van Dijk made it 2-0 ten minutes into the second half, hitting quite possible the best free kick in A-League’s history. From 30 yards his shot curved through the Victory wall and easily beat Petkovic. Barbiero put the game beyond doubt in the 74th minute, with his first touch of the game after coming on as a substitute.  Right place, right time. United fans went into party mode when an error by Rodrigo Vargas gifted van Dijk his second. A hopeful long ball should have been dealt with but the defender allowed the ball to bounce over him, whereupon a streaking van Dijk pounced.

Mate Dugandzic’s consolation goal came just seconds before the final whistle and did little to quell Adelaide’s celebrations. The Reds can now say they have found some of their best form and will take a lot of confidence into their clash with North Queensland Fury at Hindmarsh Stadium. On the other hand, Victory must now try to lift for their game against Sydney FC. If Melbourne continues to perform as they did in this one, then a place in the finals series will have to be dismissed; they simply were not good enough.

Other matches:
Sydney FC 2-0 Gold Coast United

Another hoodoo was broken in this match. Dimitri Petratos and Juho Makela found the net for the Sky Blues, enabling their side to record their first win over the Gold Coast since United entered the league in 2009. Securing the three points keeps Sydney’s finals hopes alive.

Brisbane Roar 1-1 Perth Glory

Ladder leaders Brisbane Roar were held to a surprise draw by a Perth team who sit second from bottom. The Glory were given very little chance heading into this clash but surprised many when they took the lead in the 31st minute thanks to Mile Sterjovski. Mitch Nichols saved the home sides blushes in the 62 minute, heading home the equaliser.

North Queensland Fury 1-3 Newcastle Jets

The Jets helped their finals chances with a win over last placed Fury. Newcastle ended a four game losing streak in style, scoring two goals in the opening 16 minutes, before ending the contest with a third in the 70th minute. The Fury’s goal, too little too late, came in injury time. The win keeps the Jets in the post-season race, while the Fury still sit rock bottom, three points behind Perth.

Central Coast Mariners 1-0 Wellington Phoenix

The Mariners victory helped them secure their spot in the top three. A goal to Michael McGlinchey four minutes from half time was enough to separate the sides. Wellington now sit one spot outside the finals, a single point behind 6th placed Melbourne Heart.

News:
Sergio van Dijk’s double against Melbourne Victory sees him take a three goal lead at the top of the goal scoring charts. Van Dijk has found the net an impressive 13 times this season. Victory’s Robbie Kruse, who is away on Asian Cup duty, sits equal second along with Brisbane Roar duo Jean Carlos Solorzano and Kosta Barbarouses.  The three forwards have all hit 10 goals.

New Zealand international Shane Smeltz has returned to Gold Coast United. The striker who left the club at the end of last season to play for Genclerberligi in Turkey, was frustrated at his lack of game time. His return could not have come at a better time for United, as Brazilian attacking midfielder Robson could miss the rest of the season after injuring his hamstring in the clash with Sydney.

Perth Glory director of football Dave Mitchell has admitted his club will be scouting the Asian Cup for players. The Glory apparently have their eye on Indian striker Sunil Chhetri who has a contract with MLS side Kansas City Wizards.

Next week:
Essential viewing: The Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC fixture shapes as the match of the round. This clash is one of the most fiery in the A-League and is eagerly watched by the Australian football community. Be sure to catch it on Saturday 15th January.

The were three rather surprising selections: Nathan Coe, Neill Kilkenny and Robbie Kruse.

Coe is a goalkeeper, currently playing in Denmark for Sonderjysk Elitesport, and is uncapped at international level.  Previously, he had been on the books at Inter Milan and PSV Eindhoven, although he failed to make a senior appearance for either club. A move to FC Copenhagen in 2007 ignited his career and, apart from a brief loan move to Swedish club Orgryte IS, he has remained in Denmark ever since, playing for Copenhagen, Randers and now, Sonderjysk. He will be third choice keeper behind Schwarzer and Liverpool’s Brad Jones.

Kilkenny plays for a revitalised Leeds side, in The Championship. He has made over 100 appearances for the club but he has only ever managed two caps for Australia. His debut against Liechtenstein, in a warm up game for the 2006 World Cup, had many believing it was the start of a promising international career. However, it would be another two years before Kilkenny was given another chance to play in the green and gold. The second opportunity came in a World Cup qualifier, this time against China, though his failure to cement his spot in the side saw him miss out on the trip to South Africa.

Melbourne Victory’s Robbie Kruse is perhaps the most intriguing selection of all. The striker has been in hot form this A-League season, scoring 10 goals in 15 games. His performances obviously caught the eye of Osieck, who rewarded the prodigy with his first Socceroos call-up. Kruse has represented Australia at the U/17 World Cup and he has also featured in 5 games for the U/20s. Formerly a winger with Brisbane Roar, the youngster has been a revelation this season for Victory, following Ernie Merrick’s decision to use him more in central attack

Kruse has carved out a place in the Victory's plans and now hopes to do the same with the Socceroos.

Four A-League players have made the cut, including Kruse, Gold Coast captain Jason Culina, Roar captain Matt McKay and Wellington defender Jade North. Their call ups will provide their managers with selection headaches, during the Cup,  as they will be unavailable for the majority of January, one of the busiest months on the A-League calendar. All four clubs are title contenders, so while their inclusions are great news personally, their teams will have to cover for them as best they can.

The most significant absentees from the squad are Adam Federici, Vince Grella and Mark Bresciano, who chose not to go to Doha and instead focus on their club football. Other notable omissions are youngsters Nikita Rukavytsa and Tommy Oar†. As well, Turkey has won the battle for Ersan Gulum’s services.  The youngster, who plays for Besiktas, pledged his future to the Turks despite being born in Australia.

†Editor’s note:  Tommy Oar was called up to the squad on Sunday, 2 January, to replace the injured Richard Garcia (knee) of English Championship side Hull City.

The 2011 Asian Cup is a tournament  Australia will be hoping they can win and they enter competition as one of the favourites. They play a friendly against the United Arab Emirates on January 5th, five days before their first match against India on the 10th.  Asian Cup action kicks-off on the 7th of January, when hosts Qatar meet Uzbekistan.

The NSL had been the premier Australian football competition for 27 years, although it never gained mainstream acceptance. Clubs came and left, the format was tinkered with time and time again and ethnic tensions made it difficult for the league to establish itself as a competition for all Australians to enjoy, as it so desperately wanted.  The continuity of clubs was never certain.  Teams such as Mooroolbark, Collingwood Warriors and Canterbury-Marrickvale lasted no more than two seasons, while Blacktown City was in and out of the league three times in one decade.

The format of the league was also never settled.

In the beginning, a finals series was played but teams gained more pride from winning the league, so the series was scrapped after seven years. In 1984, a conference system was introduced which saw the competition split into two groups. Teams from New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory played in the Northern Conference while teams from Victoria, South Australia and, interestingly, Queensland were grouped into the Southern Conference. The winners of each conference would play off in a two-legged final at the end of the season. This system proved to be unpopular and after two seasons the league became a single division competition again.

In 1990, the league changed from a winter to summer schedule to avoid competition with the other football codes.

Dwight Yorke celebrates, after his Sydney FC win the first A-League Grand Final and hoist perhaps the most unusual trophy in football.

This change also prompted the then governing body, Soccer Australia, to attempt to remove ethnic ties to clubs, which frequently led to tension and drove neutral fans away from games. Ethnic flags were banned from games while clubs changed their names and logos to become more fan friendly.  New clubs were introduced with hopes of spicing up the competition, however, most of them failed to make an impact. The only club that was a hit was the Perth Glory, who won the final two NSL championships and was eventually accepted into the A-League. This neutering of cultural identities was the NSL’s last shot at entering the Australian sporting mainstream

In 2004, after staggering on weak legs for some time, the NSL finally collapsed.  When Seven Network decided not to renew its broadcasting deal with the league, the remainder of its sponsors soon followed suit.  The league’s failure prompted a major overhaul of the Australian football system.

Soccer Australia was replaced by the Football Federation Australia (FFA), in an effort to make the game familiar as football rather than soccer.  The A-League was developed as the new national competition, promising to be a competition that anyone could enjoy. Eight teams lined up for the first season in 2005, including Perth Glory and Adelaide United, the only teams unchanged from their NSL existence. The Newcastle Jets and  Brisbane Roar were born out of the old Newcastle United and Brisbane Lions NSL sides, respectively, while Melbourne Victory, Sydney FC, New Zealand Knights and Central Coast Mariners were all new clubs.

The format of the league was, and still is, nothing like your traditional European football league. Teams play each other three times over the season. In the current 11 team competition, six teams make the finals series. The top two teams clash in a two-legged play off with the winner going straight to the Grand Final as hosts, not just in name but on their own ground. The other four teams play knockout football until one team remains. That team faces the loser from the top two, with the winner going to the Grand Final.  Still with me?  Maybe the graphic, below, of last year’s play-off will help.

This format means any of the six teams can become the eventual champion, though no team from outside the top two has yet managed to go all the way.

Sydney FC won the inaugural title with help from Dwight Yorke, formerly of Manchester United fame, who topped the goal scoring charts. Crowds were decent and the competition was healthy, with none of the ethnic tensions that had crippled the NSL.  The trophy, a uniquely shaped ring, which is a hybrid of the traditional cups and shields found in other leagues, was the victor in an intensely competitive contest, held by the FFA, to design the A-League’s championship prize.  D3 Design, the firm which produced the winning entry, was inspired by the laurel wreath originally awarded to ancient Olympic champions.

Season two saw a boost in crowd numbers, thanks largely to the Socceroos qualification for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the nation’s first real achievement in the sport in over 30 years.  The sophomore campaign also saw the A-League gain its first major TV rights deal, pay TV company Fox Sports signed a $120 million/7 year deal.  It was a controversial move for a fledgling league looking to crack an established market, considering that the PPV set-up would only provide viewing access to proven fans already sold on the product.

Robbie Fowler has made an impact in the A-League but backroom issues have hindered his rising to the heights which Dwight Yorke reached with Sydney.

In the ensuing years, the A-League has seen one club fail, the New Zealand Knights, while the Wellington Phoenix, North Queensland Fury, Gold Coast United and Melbourne Heart have all joined the competition. The addition of the Heart has made football much more popular in Melbourne thanks to the Heart-Victory derby, while Queensland’s three teams have also attracted large turn-outs on derby days.

Robbie Fowler has become the biggest name to venture to Australia, originally playing for North Queensland before moving to Perth to play for the Glory. Other big name players who have joined Australian clubs include Dwight Yorke, Francis Jeffers and the well-travelled Scotsman, Charlie Miller.

In recent years, falling crowds have led to financial troubles for some clubs.  That and the failed Australian World Cup bid have threatened to undo the FFA’s hard work in setting up a top class Australian league. Despite the empty seats and backroom difficulties, the competition on the pitch remains top-notch, with the current 2010/11 season shaping up as the most exciting in the A-League’s short history.

If the FFA is able to secure the future of competition, ensuring no more clubs go out of business and boosting crowd figures, then the Hyundai A-League may one day grow into the most watched competition in the country. Hopefully, we will be able to entice some of our top internationals, like Tim Cahill, Harry Kewell and Mark Schwarzer into coming home while they still have some matches in them, possibly bringing a few top foreign players with them, to try their hand in a truly unique football league.

On the Tenth Day of Christmas, FIFA gave to me

Ten Matches Amazing,

Nine Wags Enchanting,

Eight Landons Leading,

Seven Studs-a-Stomping,

Six Meals-a-Making,

Five Golden Goooooooooooooaaaaaaaaalllss!!

Four Failing Clubs,

Three French Men,

Two Keeper’s Gloves

and A Whistle Happy Referee

Johan Cruyff was an amazing player, at or near the top of any sane fan’s all-time list, and understands the game far better than I ever will but, on his pet peeve, he comes across like a newborn babe.  When he sees a club or country emphasise defense over attack, organisation over showmanship, simplicity over intricacy, he starts howling like an infant at three in the morning.  The only thing which can stop his caterwauling is an offensive spectacle.  He likes bright colours, bells and whistles, something to catch the eye.

He should meet Thomas Dietz or Falco Scheffler.  Never heard of them?  That’s not surprising considering that they can’t do too much with a football.  Give them more than one, however, and Dietz and Scheffler will show you some tricks that would put Ronaldhino to shame.  They’re master jugglers.

I’m sure Cruyff would agree with me that a good comparison can be made between juggling and football; we just wouldn’t agree on which one.  Cruyff would surely approve of the intricate movement of the juggler’s balls, flickering from place to place, up down, across, from hand to hand and back quicker than the eye can track them.  That sounds much like the combination of Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez, both with the Dutch Master’s beloved Barcelona and the World Cup Champion Spanish national team.

The thing about juggling, though, is that the true artistry is not in the spectacle of motion that catches the eye but in what doesn’t.  To my mind, expert juggling is more like perfectly executed catenaccio.  Think about it.  The juggler’s feet act as a central balancing force, keeping everything in front of him, the right and left hands working in tandem distribute and the a still head and steady gaze dictate the balance.  The clincher though, is that the highest priority for a juggler and the measure of his/her skill, no matter how much pressure is applied by more objects being introduced to attack and spread his attention, ultimately breaking his concentration, is to not allow a single ball through.  Juggling, like football, Mr. Cruyff, is ultimately defensive in nature.

Ultimately, my point is two-fold:  one, that art can take many forms and two, that beautiful football is in the eye of the beholder.  To that end, WFC’s Ten Matches Amazing will bring you, in as diverse a manner as possible, what we think were the most interesting matches of 2010.  Not only will we cover matches on five continents, but we will look at matches where different styles prevailed or succumbed, where outside factors or underhanded methods dictated results or were overcome and where the individual made the difference or was suppressed by the group.

Like Johan Cruyff, you may not like every choice (and if you want to cry about it, we do have a comment section, although no jugglers) but we hope they’ll give you something to think about.

Big Moment, Big Expectations, Big Letdown >>>>>(Mohamed Moallim)

Spain 1 – 0 The Netherlands, 2010 World Cup Final>>>Johannesburg, RSA

Holland’s third World Cup Final was its most dramatic, even if anti-climactic.  Another defeat, but neither beautiful, as in 1974, or suddenly heartbreaking, like in 78, although similar to the Buenos Aires final, the Dutch lost it in extra time.

In fact, there are many parallels to that final: l’Oranje were coached by an ex-Feyenoord boss, who brought European success to his club and reached an international final, to the surprise of most.

This time the venue was Soccer City, in Johannesburg, and the opponents the reigning European champions, Spain. Dubbed as the Custodians of ‘Total Football’ vs the Masters of Tiki Taka – a final for the purist, it quickly proved you can’t judge a book by its cover.  To the dismay of many, Holland adopted negative tactics to counter Spain’s fluid passing game, the choice embedded on our consciousness as Nigel de Jong’s studswere embedded in the chest of Xabi Alonso.

Despite their low tactics, Holland could have won before extra time, as in ’78.  Then, it was Rob Rensenbrink missing a golden opportunity.  In July, it was the turn of Arjen Robben, played through one-on-one against ex-teammate Iker Casillas. However, his touch betrayed his nerves and a tame shot was easily handled by the Spanish Captain.

Just when it looked like the game was destined for penalties, as Bertie Van Marwijk may have hoped, a subbed-in Cesc Fabregas found his former La Masia colleague, Andres Iniesta – in the exact minute (116) Daniel Bertoni scored in 78’ to crown Argentina new champions – with the Barcelona star doing the same for his nation, shades of his 2009 Barcelona Champions League winner.

Spain became the first European nation to win on another continent and not many would begrudge them.  That was reserved for the chosen tactics of Van Marwijk and his squad.

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The Death of Innocence>>>>> (Martin Palazzotto)

Germany 4 – 0 Argentina, 2010 World Cup Quarter-final>>>Cape Town, RSA

This was another match that failed to live up to its billing.  At this World Cup, there were plenty of them.  Still, there was much about Germany v Argentina which separated it from the regular fare.

Coming in, Argentina were loving life under Diego Maradona. They were playing open, exciting football.  Juan Sebastien Veron was distributing the ball with sublime vision befitting the best player on a continent as football-rich as South America.  Everyone, except Lionel Messi, seemed to be bulging the twine and Little Leo was playing like a man possessed, even if he couldn’t apply the finish.  Maradona’s lads had run through everyone, to that point, and their flair had charmed all the purists lamenting the stolid play on offer everywhere else.

El Pibe had eschewed tactics — like Harry Redknapp, only shorter and without a decent command of the English language.  On second thought, make that just ‘only shorter.’ Diego had no use for schemes and strategies, he just sent his side out and told them to play like Argentines, defense be damned.  In practices, the manager organised playful free-for-alls.  On match days, he paced the sidelines with hands behind his back or on the bench, with one inserted in his trousers, ala Al Bundy, celebrating madly when his boys struck.  With every victory, more people began to believe in Maradona the Manager, never mind that he hadn’t faced a true World Cup side, as yet.

For their part, not much was expected of the Germans, despite the fact that, inevitably, their play was always greater than the sum of their parts.  Die Mannschaft were far too young, were missing Captain Michael Ballack, had struggled in a loss to Serbia, albeit referee-assisted, been inconsistent in an easy but, again, referee-assisted victory over England and had lost a home friendly to the Albiceleste in the WC build-up.

Yet, as usual, they were gaining momentum as the tournament progressed.  The wing play of Lukasz Podolski and Thomas Müller was spreading defenses thinner than Kate Moss in a silk teddy and Argentina would be without Juan Veron.  Many were pointing to the age and sloth of their central defence, claiming that Messi and Co. would eat them alive.  Instead, the defense, working together, pushed the little Lego Master towards the centre circle every time he made his trademark cut inside from the right.  Basti Schweinsteiger and Sami Khedira continually stripped him of the ball, sent it out to the flanks, where Podolski and Müller attacked and Miro Klose cleaned up in front of goal.

It was as complete a match as Joachim Low’s side played in the competition and heralded them as successors to Spain as Europe’s next great side.  For Maradona, it exposed his naiveté (if you can say that of a man famous for his excesses and left-wing political dalliances) and proved that, for the foreseeable future, teamwork would trump star power at the top levels of the game.

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Fair Play Exposed>>>>> (Martin Palazzotto)

Uruguay (pen.) 1  [4-2] 1 Ghana, World Cup Quarter-final>>>Johannesburg, RSA

I dubbed the Germany/Argentina match the ‘Death of Innocence’but it had already been mortally wounded the night before in the Uruguay/Ghana encounter.  An entire continent was behind the Black Stars on this night, the only African team remaining in the tournament.  Images were broadcast of Ghanaians and South Africans crowded into tiny bars, cafes and family rooms all leaning into the television set, intent on their heroes pride, hope and anticipation painted on their faces.

Uruguay would be no pushovers, though.  They had a well organised defence, which had played the crumbling but still potent French to a scoreless draw and won a very tough group.  As well, Ajax captain Luis Suarez and Atletico Madrid’s Diego Forlan were both in torrid form.

In 1st half added time of a back and forth affair, Ghana would strike, through the rebellious Sulley Muntari, of all people, and the rest of the planet shook from the reverberations of an entire continent’s celebration.  But Uruguay’s stars had not had their say, as yet.  Forlan would equalise ten minutes after the restart, setting the stage for Suarez to shock the world.

Ghana had a talisman of their own, in Asamoah Gyan, and, at the death, he turned on a loose ball in the middle of the box, with Fernando Muslera off his line.  A defender deflected it off the line and the entire footballing world leaned forward as Africa’s moment arrived but Suarez had snuck in to cover for his keeper and stuck out a hand to make the save on a header, with the referee set to blow the final whistle.

In what common sense says should have been a goal awarded, with nothing but Suarez’hand to stop the ball from crossing the line, FIFA rules demanded that Gyan try again from the spot.  What he could do in the heat of the moment, proved too difficult when he had time to think on matters.  He couldn’t convert the penalty and then his teammates missed two others and Uruguay were through.

To make matters worse, the Uruguayans did not have the good grace to acknowledge that they had advanced on a technicality and actually claimed pride in their victory.  In the interim, there has been no discussion of a simple rule change which would prevent such blatant cheating from occurring a second time and, no mistake, there will be a second time now that players see FIFA’s policy of Fair Play has no teeth.

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Never Put Off What You Can Do in the 1st Half Until the 2nd >>>>>(Martin Palazzotto)

USA 2 – 2 Slovenia, World Cup Group Stage>>>Johannesburg, RSA

On one hand, the Americans have only themselves (or their coach’s poor squad selection) to blame but, on the other, there’s Koman Coulibaly.  Throughout their CONCACAF qualification, the warm-up friendlies and the competition itself, Bob Bradley’s side showed a propensity for falling behind.  It was smoothed over by their further tendency to fight back like Zsa Zsa Gabor at a routine traffic stop, and steal result after result.

It was the same in this match, as the Slovenians found not one but two 1st half goals, putting the American’s tournament in doubt.  After the break, though, Landon Donovan again showed that this is his team and his time, pegging one back, when the keeper decided he preferred his head to remain attached.  Then two Donovan free kicks would initiate goals.  The first was headed down by Jozy Altidore for Michael Bradley to finish and the second was picture perfect for Maurice Edu to stroke home.  Unfortunately, match official Coulibaly saw an inter-dimensional foul – there certainly wasn’t one on this plane – and disallowed the goal.

It was a thrilling match that revealed a potential that the Americans would then fail to realise but it also confirmed Landon Donovan as a world-class player.

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Going Back To Cali?  Yes, I Think So!>>>>>(Thomas G. Clark)

Deportivo 6 – 3 America, Cali Derby>>>>>Cali, Colombia

Commentators are often more than happy to share their ‘wisdom’on local derbies, coming out with the same tired conjecture that such games are rarely entertaining because there is too much pressure on the players. The Cali derby is contested between two of the giants of the Colombian game. América de Cali are the most successful team in the Colombian league with thirteen national titles and they famously played and lost four Copa Libertadores finals between 1984 and 1996. Deportivo Cali are the fourth most successful side in the Colombian league with 8 championship titles.

However,when they met in October, during the Clausura 2010 championship, both sides were stumbling towards embarrassing mid table finishes and would eventually finish out of the top eight, eliminated from the post-season play-offs. With the weight of expectation gone, the 2010 Cali derby featured nine goals, one red card, one of the all time great hat-tricks from Argentine striker Martín Morel (Deportivo’s 2nd, 3rd & 5th goals), his second such of the year and, for good measure, a goal keeper getting in on the fun.

In all, 9 goals, something we’re not likely to see in a World Cup again. Well, maybe in Qatar 2022.

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Third Time Pays For All

The Aussie A-League has an unusual play-off format.  Six teams make it but the top 2 play a two-legged tie for one spot in the Grand Final.  The other four pair up for a series of one-off knockouts.  The ultimate winner faces the loser from the top-two tie, for the other spot in the Grand Final.  Last season, Melbourne Victory defeated Sydney FC 4-3, on aggregate, to reach the Grand final and Sydney then held off the emergent lower seed to secure a rematch.  Tom Pollock picks up the tale…

Melbourne Victory 1 – 1 Sydney FC (Pen), 2009-10 A-League Grand Final

It’s the 62nd minute of the 2010 A-League Grand Final between bitter rivals Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC. Kevin Muscat whips an inviting cross into the box from a free-kick. The ball eventually lands at the feet of Roddy Vargas who bundles the ball into the net.

Victory fans and players celebrate. But something’s not right.  Sydney players are running down the pitch with the ball. No one saw the assistant referee’s flag. Vargas was offside and Sydney’s Mark Bridge finishes the dramatic two minutes by forcing the ball over the line. Victory fans are stunned, Sydney fans can now celebrate.

With 10 minutes to go, Sydney still hold a lead and can feel the A-League title in their grasp. That is, until Adrian Leijer’s headed equaliser which sets the game up for a tense finish. Extra time can’t separate them. The Champion would be decided on penalties.

A tense shoot-out saw Victory Captain Kevin Muscat miss a penalty for the first time in his long career and concluded when Sky Blue Byun Sung-Hwan hit the winning shot past Mitch Langerak. Sydney was now the top team in the country and beating the Victory in Melbourne made it that little bit sweeter, especially considering Victory’s last second win in the Preliminary Final at Sydney Football Stadium just weeks earlier.

Thanks to this game, the Sydney-Melbourne rivalry has intensified to levels never seen before in the A-League. Any game between these sides is keenly watched by members of  the entire Australian football community.  Believe it or not, the rest of the world is missing out.

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More Postcards from the Edge

As with affairs in Oz, the Major League Soccer Cup was a wide open back and forth affair.  Admittedly both countries are behind the times when it comes to the beautiful game and neither realises that this just isn’t how it’s done anymore.  New WFC writer Jeff Cann recalls the MLS Cup Final.

Colorado Rapids 2 -1 FC Dallas, MLS Cup>>>Toronto, Canada

Major League Soccer celebrated its 15th anniversary with a fiercely competitive MLS Cup Final. Played outside the United States for the first time, FC Dallas faced the Colorado Rapids in Toronto. The Rapids physical play trumped the finesse of FC Dallas with a 2-1 win in extra time.

FC Dallas showed quality early and were rewarded by a goal late in the 34th minute. It was classic FC Dallas, a long ball forward to a wide-open Marvin Chavez. He paced a stiff cross into the penalty area, into a running David Ferreira. 1-0 FC Dallas.

As the second half began, the Colorado Rapids would not be denied. Striker Conor Casey equalized in the 57th minute. This goal will be remembered as one of the ugliest in MLS Cup Final history and it was a metaphor for the never-say-die-attitude shown by the Colorado Rapids.

At the 90 minute whistle, it was FC Dallas 1-1 Colorado. It was in the 107th minute when substitute striker Mac Kandji whose brilliant move to place a shot on goal bounced off the hip of FC Dallas defender George John and into the FC Dallas net.

Kandji was injured on the play (torn ACL) and FC Dallas placed three excellent chances in the final 10 minutes. The 10-man Rapids defended well and Rapids keeper Matt “Jesus Saves” Pickens ironically denied George John on what would have been the extra-time equalizer.

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How To Get Results & Sacked at the Same Time>>>>>(Tapesh Patel)

Chelsea 3 – 4 Newcastle United, League Cup>>>Stamford Bridge

Going into this match, Chelsea were clear favourites. Last season’s champions started their season in imperious fashion, stringing six wins together to start the season. Florent Malouda, Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka came out with all guns blazing. They went up against newly promoted Newcastle, who, having just scraped past Accrington Stanley, in the last round with a 3-2 win, weren’t exactly favourites for the encounter.

Now, the Carling Cup isn’t England’s most reputable competition, and so both sides rested players in advance of this tie. Still, the fashion in which Chelsea lost this game must have been disappointing for the Stamford Bridge faithful. Chelsea, having been a man down for almost half an hour,  through injury, eventually succumbed to Newcastle’s advances, and Shola Ameobi got the winner in injury time to eliminate the Blues from the competition.

The fact that Chelsea had lost was not the issue here. Indeed, Carlo Ancelotti seemed more concerned with the three injuries to his team and preparation for an important match against Manchester City. The damage had been done however, and Chelsea’s boat was rocking.

They were no longer invincible, and Ancelotti was beaten again that weekend by compatriot Roberto Mancini’s Manchester City. Then came a goalless draw at Aston Villa. The French-speaking trident that had carried them to that point lost its collective mojo. And the dodgy results have kept coming, most notably a 0-3 home loss against Newcastle’s famed rivals, Sunderland. Maybe there’s something in the Tyneside air.

And so Chelsea continue to struggle, even now.  Newcastle? Well, Chris Hughton was there, and they were great. Now he isn’t, and no-one knows what will happen.

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When Parked Buses Attack>>>>>(Matt Dalton)

Aston Villa 6 – 4 Blackburn Rovers, League Cup Semi-final 2nd leg>>>Villa Park, Birmingham

Wednesday, 20th January 2010. That was the day the world stood still. Okay, maybe not, but it could have been. When a game involving two of English football’s notoriously defensive, counter-attacking teams churns up ten goals, you just have to go and check your Nostradamus to make sure there is no prediction scheduled for the end of the world!

After a pretty drab first leg in the semi final of the Carling Cup, Blackburn came out firing and took a surprise two – nil lead through goals from Nikola Kalinic in the first twenty-six minutes. Rovers were totally dominant; that is, until Christopher Samba was given his marching orders on the 30th minute for bringing down the turbo-charged Gabby Agbonlahor.

From this point, the game turned on its head. Rovers were still ambitious; they still threw everything into the game; they always went for it. Villa, however, were just too strong with the extra man and goals from Stephen Warnock and a James Milner penalty took them in at half time level, 3-2 up on aggregate.

If the first half was barmy, the second half was completely nuts! Another six goals would follow, as Villa surged into a 5-2 lead with goals from Gabby Agbonlahor and Emile Heskey, after Steven N’Zonzi had bundled the ball into his own net.

Did Blackburn’s heads go down? Oh no! They came back fighting immediately, with Jonas Olsson scoring with a classy overhead kick. They even managed to pull the score back to 5-4 in the 84th minute, courtesy of a rare Brett Emerton goal. It was not to be, however, as Ashley Young finally killed the game off in injury time.

In what was a quite remarkable game, it will be Blackburn Rovers that are remembered from this one. If only Big Sam had set his side up to play like this more often, maybe he would still have a job…

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The Case for the Defence>>>>>(Martin Palazzotto)

Internazionale 3 – 1 Barcelona, UEFA Champions League Quarter-final 1st Leg>>>San Siro, Milan

Barcelona had won 6 trophies in a single calendar year, which had never been done.  They were neck and neck with Real Madrid but still manhandling them in El Clasico, four wins running.  They were the best team in the world.  Jose Mourinho had them just where he wanted them in the opening leg of their quarter-final tie.  As much as is made of the Ticka-Tacka between Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez, it’s difficult to link passes together when the Inter defenders are attacking you in your own half of the field and forcing you to the outside.

After a hiccup, in the early going, which saw Pedro sneak in to put the Catalans ahead, Inter began to dictate terms.  They pushed Barça’s finesse players out against the touch-line and took the ball away.  Then they attacked up an empty middle of the pitch.  Diego Milito kept hammering away at Victor Valdes and Wesley Sneijder was picking out open teammates all over the pitch.  Sneijder would change roles and lurk at the back post to equalise.  Then, Milito would turn passer and set up Maicon.  Finally, things would return to normal and Sneijder would head down for Milito, admittedly offside, to finish.  Mourinho had taken the Total Football of Cruyff, steeped it in defensive pressure and injected massive amounts of doubt into the most confident team in the world.

♦   ◊    ♦

Tomorrow, they’ll be more on Mourinho, his replacement at Inter and many of his former Premier League rivals as, on the Eleventh Day of Christmas, FIFA brings us Eleven Gaffers Griping.

See you then!

Melbourne are also the most supported team, consistently managing to top the attendance statistics. In fact, there has been only one season when Victory didn’t have the highest average attendance and this occurred in the first year when Sydney finished on top. Since then, Melbourne has had an average attendance of over 20,000/match every year, a remarkable figure considering most other teams are lucky to break 10,000.

For Merrick's Victory, it's twilight time.

The key to Melbourne’s success lies in its stability. Coach Ernie Merrick is the only foundation manager still holding onto his job. Kevin Muscat has captained the club since day one, while Archie Thompson has been the focal point in attack for just as long. Players have joined and left the club, the core however, has remained largely unchanged. Roddy Vargas, Leigh Broxham and Adrian Leijer all joined the club within its first year.  Leijer did, however, have a two-year stint at Fulham from 2007-2009, before returning a more accomplished player. Merrick’s scouting ability meant players of the quality of Fred, Joe Keenan, Sutee Suksomkit and current midfield talisman Carlos Hernandez have been brought in from overseas. Such attention to detail adds up and Victory was the club to which all others aspired.

However, this season has seen a power shift. The ageing Victory squad is no longer the force it used to be. Kevin Muscat is approaching retirement. Players such as Vargas, Brebner and Tom Pondeljak, who hit the winning goal in the 2009 final, are all on the wrong side of 30 and Thompson, still finding his feet following a serious knee injury, isn’t as potent as in previous years. The two outstanding players for the Victory this season are defender Leijer and forward Robbie Kruse, who is in top form. He has hit 10 goals and has been attracting attention from Europe. However, two players don’t a team make.  This week, Melbourne barely managed to string a rare pair of wins together, something that once came easily and often to them.

While Victory’s influence has faded, a new power has arisen during the 2010 A-League season.  The Brisbane Roar have taken all before them, racing to the top of the league and opening a 10 point lead over the rest of the competition. Their loss to Melbourne Victory is the only blemish on an otherwise amazing season for the Roar, who remain undefeated at their home ground, Suncorp Stadium. Manager Ange Postecoglou, who took over the club in late 2009, has moulded his side into an (almost) unbeatable force which is taking the standard of A-League play to new levels.

Thomas Broich is becoming the face of the league.

Postecoglou initiated a massive overhaul of the club, clearing out no less than 11 players, including Roar’s 09-10 top scorer Sergio van Dijk. Promising youngsters, Adam Sarota, Tommy Oar and Michael Zullo left the club together to pursue their European careers with FC Utrecht, while Liam Reddy was allowed to leave for Sydney. With room to build, Postecoglou brought in some influential new signings which have breathed surprising life into the formerly second to bottom side.

Securing the services of goalkeeper Michael Theoklitos, of the 2009 Victory championship side, has provided the defence with a solid foundation. Former Socceroo Shane Stefanutto’s signing, from North Queensland Fury, further strengthened the back line. The midfield was bolstered by the signings of Rocco Visconte and Erik Paartalu, from Scottish clubs Hearts, and Greenock Morton, while the job of replacing van Dijk, up front, was given to Kosta Barbarouses, formally of the Wellington Phoenix.

Yet, the biggest signing of Postecoglou’s reign so far would have to be Thomas Broich. The former German U/21 representative moved from the Bundesliga’s FC Nuremburg to the Roar on a free transfer.  Since arriving, he has led the Brisbane midfield in emphatic fashion.  Players of Broich’s quality have rarely been seen on an A-League pitch and his willingness to relocate over such a distance only says good things about the league’s global standing.  Hopefully, more will follow in the near future.

The $64,000 question is whether the current Brisbane side is a step ahead of the championship winning Victory sides of old?

The short-term answer is not yet but they definitely have the squad and support to get there.

The A-League, Version 5.0, is now in its last week of season proper. Out of the 27 games in the regular season 26 have been played and this is how things stand.

 If you’re not familiar with this league this is all a precursor to the finals series and the top six teams get to compete for the major premier crown. Although this means that whoever finishes 6 out of 10 can, in theory go on to win the season’s ultimate honours and entry in to the lucrative Asian Champions League it’s not clear sailing. Coming top is preferable, since it guarantees the other Asian Champions League spot and coming top two gives you a second bite of the cherry.

Put simply the top six teams play off thusly. 1^st plays 2^nd and the winner proceeds to the final. 3^rd plays 6^th and 4^th plays 5^th. The winner out of 3^rd and 6^th and 4^th and 5^th then play off for the chance to play the loser of 1^st and 2^nd. The winner of this game then challenges the winner of the first 1^st v 2^nd  for the major crown. Simple.
Whilst the order of 3^rd-6^th is still to be decided Gold Coast United have secured third no matter what whilst two points separate the top two, Melbourne Victory leading Sydney FC who they visit on Sunday. 26 rounds down and the title comes down to the biggest rivals in the league, a one-off that’s sure to be a classic on a Sydney Football Stadium pitch struggling to recover from the thousands of stamping feet that marched across it last weekend for the military tattoo, a tattoo which exiled the team across the city to Parramatta for its spectacular 3-2 win over the Perth Glory.

What happens below that is much of a muchness, with an Adelaide Utd win and a North Queensland Fury loss the only way to stop the South Australians getting the wooden spoon, but without relegation this isn’t such an issue beyond pride. Which brings us to Nik Mrdja.

The 31 year old striker has played 43 A-league came, scoring 13 goals for the Central Coast Mariners, a rather unremarkable career capped by one 11 minute substitute appearance for Australia against Argentine in 2007. Then he was playing for Graham Arnold and following the Mariners 7^th place finish it’s Graham Arnold who’ll be his manager at the Central Coast next season, Lawrie McKinna stepping in to a management role having helped bring the former Socceroos manager to Gosford. What’s unusual about Mrdja, who’s played for the Mariners this season and will do next season, is that for the remainder of this season, he’s playing for the Melbourne Victory.

Taking advantage of a loop hole that allows temporary outside of the transfer window for emergency replacements the Central Coast released Mrdja from his contract, got him to sign a new contract for next season and then Victory signed him to play for the finals series and beyond, including the Champions League, should Melbourne qualify.

The backlash has been sharp. Gold Coast Utd asked to be allowed to sign Robbie Fowler for the remainder of the season, more in jest than anything presumably, and Branko Culina of the Newcastle jets wondered aloud to the press:

“It’s not outside the rules in what they are doing but it’s not in the spirit of the game that we’d like to see. I don’t see how Nik Mrdja can go out there and kiss the badge if he scores tomorrow when he’s only just got there. Then he goes to the ACL, then back to the Mariners. How do the Central Coast supporters take that on board?”

All good questions. The FFA have agreed to review the rule to prevent this happening, the crux being that by releasing Mrdja the Mariners have made him a free agent. Not that Mrdja minds. Having been part of an underperforming team he now has the chance to clinch two titles by month’s end. And even if they do close the loophole he doesn’t seem concerned about the possibility of a ‘Nik Mrdja rule’.

”That’s always a positive, too – my name is always going to be there as the guy who done it.” He said.

True enough, even if it does leave a bit of a bad taste in some mouths given that he’s come in under the special circumstances injury replacement rule, as a replacement for midfielder Billy Celeski. FFA boss Archie Fraser has agreed to have a look at the rule come the end of the season, but until then there’s nothing to stop him playing against Sydney on Sunday.

I’ll be there, supporting Sydney and hoping that Mrdja plays (with his scoring record I doubt the Sydney back line are concerned) so that I can write all about it next week. Cue ‘Nik of Time’ puns, cue ‘This Game was Mrdja’ puns, cue “Victory for the Victory” or “Defeat for Victory” or “Melbourne Nik Victory” or… You get the idea.

NOTE

It doesn’t fit in here but Gold Coast owner Clive Palmer has been rattling the bars again, accusing the FFA of conspiracy and generally letting it all hang out like he does. Great stuff – read more here

Who ultimately backed the manager they’d appointed to replace Frank Farina following his DUI disgrace. With the sparkling talents of chubby Scot and ex-ranger Charlie Miller twinkling over to Gold Coast United Ange is unrepentant and, obviously, is asking for time.

 ”We’ve made decisions we’ve felt are right. Some people will judge us today on those decisions. That’s their prerogative . Most people will judge us in 12 months time as to whether we’re right or wrong.”

 So long term growth for short term loss it is, even if the signing of Belgium defender Pieter Collen does something to ease the blow, the fact that the ex-international has come from the Belgian second division side SK Beveren means his statement that “I hope to do it better than him – I know he’s a big name and expectations are high,” regards filling Moore’s shoes is firmly planted in the aspirational you would think.

 And that’s not all, for even FFA chief executive Ben Buckley has got in on the action, telling Brisbane to sort out their own backyard, get fans back in to the stadium or risk being turfed out to a smaller venue more fitting for their average fan base.

 This is not helped by excursions on the pitch either, with the Roar losing to Wellington Phoenix in New Zealand, newly arrive strike Eugene Dadi scoring twice for the home side, the first of which a spectacular overhead kick with his back to goal that sailed in to the net, despite not having the cleanest of contacts. The second, a classic poachers finish from six yards was a timely reminder too of the need for a bit of clinical finishing up front, where Paul Ifill, for all his endeavour, has often looked like he’s had it all to do himself, a stretch too far.

 This win took Wellington up to fifth and in to finals contention but given that the top six of  ten are finals places this season, that’s not saying much. Brisbane, to put this in context, are seventh, just one point off sixth (and a finals berth) and indeed every club except rock-bottom Adelaide are within one win of making it there with 8 rounds to go.

 For Brisbane though, next up is Newcastle Jets, a game Postecoglu believes they must win to keep their hopes alive, but that’s no guarantee. The Jets have won five of their last sixth, their only loss following the long slog to Perth, and got the result of the round last weekend. Having gone down to ten men against Champions Melbourne Victory they pushed on, eventually securing a fantastic 3-2 win, hitting the Victory on the counter. Mark Bridges (yes, that one) led the line brilliantly alone, scoring the second the get their noses in front just before half time and keeping them in the games. When Labinot Haliti spun round in the area, caught the ball on the volley and steered it expertly across the keeper and in to the side netting, you certainly felt that it was Newcastle’s day, holding on to stay comfortably fourth.

 All of which gave Sydney FC the chance to extend their lead at the top to six points by beating Perth Glory in Perth. Except Sydney did not, although a respectable nil-nil was enough to give them four points and a game in hand over Melbourne. Next up for Sydney is Gold Coast, the battle of the glamour clubs, made the more interesting by the fact that Gold Coast play Newcastle on Wednesday night, and would be able to leap frog  Sydney and take top spot should they win both fixtures, a tough ask but not impossible for the impressive Queensland outfit. Sydney defender and world cup hopeful Simon Colosimo came out warning danger ahead of the tie.

 ”It really is a danger game. They have the deadliest finisher in the league in Shane Smeltz, but that’s because the service is usually very good from their midfield.”

 Smeltz has already racked up 19 goals this season, more than any player has scored in the a-league in a complete season, and saved the day for Gold Coast, scoring at the death to gain a point for his side. Adelaide, continuing their poor run to just two wins in the past eleven games (otherwise known as half the season) deserved more from the game but are not sitting at the bottom of the table for nothing. Gold Coast coach Miron Blieberg was whimsical about the two points dropped saying 

 ”[Adelaide’s] desperation of such a proud club not to finish last was stronger than our desperation as a young club to take advantage and climb into the top two.”

 A very poetic way of saying they wanted it more.

Sure it started well. Pierre Litbarski had them working well and with the touch of Dwight Yorke class in the middle it was a romp to the inaugural title. It was fun. But how things changed. The Terry Butcher years, John Kosmina, Branko Culina, all promising so much.

But the problem… oh the problem. Players were scouted. They were seen performing well for other A-league teams, teams with a work ethic and organisation. They were purchased. They were shoved on  the pitch and they were left to get on with it. Excellent cogs in well run machines were being dumped in a bucket and asked to tell the time. It didn’t work, it couldn’t work. Until now.

Because  Vítězslav Lavička has come in and turned them in to a team, a team moreover that it more than the sum of its parts, that has a game plan, that uses it’s player to their abilities and, most of all, a team that does not feature John Aloisi. The A-league’s highest paid player gets left on the bench to stew, given a late cameo when the games stretched, a simple and effective indictment of his ability to play as part of this team.

Instead Alex Brosque and Mark Bridge have formed a devastating partnership up front. Brosque is slighter, but he is faster, and Bridge, no slouch, has that extra burst of pace aligned with his more muscular and powerful build.  Given an extended run up front this season they’ve produced some dazzling performances. True, Brosque should score a few more goals, and likewise Bridge should set more up but on current form they’re the most lethal double act going, and both these players having been bought from other A-league franchises, poorly used and both in danger of seeing their natural talents squandered.

A good example was against Wellington Phoenix last weekend. The Phoenix had, in their previous game, thrashed the stuffing out of Gold Coast Utd 6-0 and have, since, comfortably beaten the Newcastle Jets2-0 but in Sydney they were never in the game. First the Sydney front two combined with a neat one-two to set Bridge free and plant a powerful shot just inside the far post with venom. Next up Brosque just refused to give up the ball in the opposition area before finding some space to fizz a favoured left foot shot low at goal which the keeper could only parry before Steve Corica tapped it away and, saving the best for last, Brosque ran half the length of the pitch before delivering the ball in low for Bridge to sweep in to the net. Game over.

There was a scare when Wellington won a dubious penalty but justice was served when it was ordered retaken for encroachment and Clint Bolton got down easily to scoop up the second attempt. Sydney are back. Enjoyable to watch, enthusiastic, looking like they’re enjoying their football and even space in the team for fan favourite and foundation player Terry McFlynn of whom it was announced this week that he’d signed a contract extension keeping his at the club till the end of the 2012/13 season.

Sydney sit atop the table, 1 clear of Melbourne Victory and 5 of Gold Coast, who they face next at Skilled Park. A win will keep them top but also send out quite a message, since it would mark victory over every opponent they’ve thus far faced, and should they follow it up the following week against Perth Glory it will mean a win against every other team in the league. That may be no great achievement, and there’s  sure to be losses to come, but knowing that on your day your team can beat anyone has got to be good for the confidence and with an ethic, a tactic and a well balanced team, that top spot is theirs to lose.

Having moved to Australia just in time to get a season pass to the inaugural season I was treated to a deep lying Dwight Yorke dictating the play for Sydney as they romped to the title under world-cup winner Pierre Littbarski’s management, as the rest of the league struggled to find marquee players of note or a tactical system as rigidly enforced.

With the loss of Yorke, who returned to Sunderland, there were the odd interlopers, Juninho and Romario to name two, but the league was struggling under the fact that in such a small competition it seemed like pretty much any one could lose to anyone on their day and it was hard to imagine any huge talents coming in to the game. Mark Bosnich coming out of retirement to stand between the sticks for the Mariner was notable, but mainly for the schadenfraude prospects.

Partly this is because the salary cap system controls club finances and introduces an upper limit on the skills importable, and partly because the standard, throughout, was simply not that high. This season that’s changed. Things have, without a doubt, got better and it’s looking like now, anyone could beat anyone else and, increasingly, through beautiful goals.

The New Zealand Knights in their time were lamentably bad but Wellington Phoenix most certainly give a good account of themselves and New Zealand. The two new teams have invigorated the league by introducing more competition for the top places, more quality plays in the league and a playing schedule that’s less repetitive.

Admittedly, there’s been a few coups like Fowler and Jason Culina bringing their skills to the league, but more that that, the general level has improved considerably. Last year we saw a youth league and a woman’s league playing concurrent to the A-league with players from the former now breaking through to the first teams.

This means that within two seasons we’ve gone from a situation of players being sourced either from regional clubs (a big leap up) or from overseas to the nurturing of in house talent which can, of course, be custom trained to the necessities of the A-league, which remains a physical league.

So yes, the crowds are down a bit, but once the oval ball seasons are out of the way I’d expect that to change. More to the point, the A-league is beginning to make it in to the public consciousness as the media pick up on it and start running with it further and further up the news agenda. Last weekend’s clash between the Fury and Sydney was widely billed as Aloisi vs God and God, of course, won in the end, but the fact that an A-League match could produce such a headline, or such hyperbole, is a sign of how far it’s come.

Next season will see two new teams with one, based in Western Sydney, touted as being the jewel in the A-league crown even though the complicated bidding process saw a Lucas Neill backed bid fall apart following the murderer of a notorious business man. With no name, players or backroom staff yet in place, the new conglomerate creating this franchise will none-the-less be well placed to bring in some good names to what is one of Australia’s football heartlands if this season, and this league, continue to improve at this pace.

As well as lengthening the season by six games for each side (all teams play each other three times), the new Queensland teams have forced the Queensland Roar to change their name to the Brisbane Roar. Why they didn’t use the opportunity when filling in the paperwork to drop the Roar too is beyond my purview, but possible match-up combinations now include; Mariners Fury, Phoenix Jets (admittedly quite cool) and Victory Roar at the top left of the screen.

Wheeling and dealing has abounded in filling up the two new franchises but with talent streaming in and out of Australia more than ever, every team is coming in to this season with a different feel and look, and, with at least an extra six games each this season, fitness is going to be a telling, maybe a deciding factor. In the first four A-league seasons we’ve had three different premier and grand final champions, only Melbourne repeating either feat. Predictions are bound to be futile.

Other than Fowler signing of the summer may well be Perth Glory’sMile Sterjovski from Derby County.It’s rare to see Premier quality players in the antipodes, and it’s fairly clear from last season that Derby were not premiership quality, but with Andy Todd joining him, as well as Chris Coyne from Colchester and Branko Jelic from Energie Cottbus, who were relegated from the Bundesliga last season, Perth are looking strong contenders for the final series, and maybe one of the major prizes.

Adelaide United obviously thought they’d done a good bit of business having snagged another Colchester boy Lloyd Owusu as a replacement for the retired Paul Agostino and there was a sense that should he prove a suitable foil for the Brazilian Cristiano, they could build up a bit of an understanding. But then Owusu got swine flu and is out till round four at least. Coach Aurelio Vidmar sounded relatively unconcerned about the flu that’s slowly destroying the world as we know it when he calmly stated

“We’re going to be really cautious with him and if it takes us six, seven, eight weeks then that’s how it is.”

Without a marquee player, Adelaide may find themselves pinning a lot of hope on a man who’s career goals to games rations is a little more than one in 3, and scratching around to find goals from elsewhere.

Having progressively got worse in almost every way, year on year since the A-league began, Sydney FC start version five with yet another new coach, Vitezslav Lavicka, who’s looking to instil a new culture in the club.

“I have three parts to my coaching philosophy,” he said. “Discipline and respect, motivation to improve and team unity. Also we must enjoy playing and the work. We must be together for the success.”

That’s the problem with starting a sentence with ‘I have three parts’ when you haven’t thought it out first. Hopefully Sydney can look like they care this season and who knows, maybe John Aloisi will start looking like the star signing he purportedly is, hopefully helped by the undeniable talent of former Sparta Prague man Karol Kisel who’s followed his former coach south.

Sacked former Sydney manager, Branko Culina, meanwhile has taken up the coaching reins once again having been appointed in charge of the Newcastle Jets whilst his son Jason lines up for Gold Coast United following his time with PSV Eindhoven. Tipped generally as the best, most in prime, great player the A-League has ever seen, not a huge challenge to live up to, the battle of the Culina’s proper won’t happen till round four when Jason gets the chance to try his luck against what was a shaky back line for Newcastle last term, bolstered this season by Ljubo Milicevic, who’s year off from football (no, seriously, he took a year off) seems to have changed the man.

“I think for the first time in my career,” he said in an interview, “my heart and my head are going in the same direction and I think for the first time in my life, people are going to see me play at a level that they haven’t seen before.”

Presumably his manager Is just hoping he doesn’t take another sabbatical.

Meanwhile, over at Gold Coast United, Jason is facing up to the prospect of playing under Australia’s closest thing to a sugar daddy. Whilst salary caps and other restrictions mean that huge spending is not really an option, United chairman Clive Palmer is helping in other ways, promising to fly his team to and from matches in a luxurious private jet. A controversial figure, he’s already complained about the state of the pitches, accused the FFA of ‘lacking respect’ for the people of the Gold Coast, aimed to go the whole season unbeaten whilst winning the title and offered Roar supporters a 25% discount to switch allegiance. A colourful character, it remains to be seen whether his team can make a splash on the field with the former Juventus (on loan) keeper Jess Vanstrattan coming out before a ball’s been kicked in anger to inject a touch of pedestrian realism.

“We have to be realistic. We’re a new team and we haven’t played together.”

Melbourne Victory meanwhile, as title holders, are obvious favourites to lead the race early on having a virtually unchanged team, but their last post-championship season saw them fall out of the final series entirely. It would be a surprise if that happened again, but should hit men Archie Thompson or Danny Allsopp get injured there is a lack of quality depth. Kevin Muscat must surely be the most hated man in the A-League ( and let’s never forget the words of Ian Wright regards Muscat: He is a nobody. He knows it, I realise it and a hell of a lot of other people think it.”) but within this league, and this team, Muscat’s without a doubt a force to be reckoned with. The danger is that this could be the year when age catches up with the thirty six year old.

No report on the A-league, Australia’s top flight of football, would be complete without a mention of New Zealand team Wellington Phoenix who had been providing the comic relief in the league before last season finishing a surprising third last. Whether they can repeat that will be questionable, having lost goal-scoring ace Shane Smeltz and replaced him with Paul Ifill, who’s going to have to improve his career strike rate of a goal every six games if he’s to be any use, although playing up front will no doubt help that.

With more teams to be added next year, this is going to be something of a transitional season for the A-league with more grounds to fill, players to pay and matches to watch but it looks set to be the most exciting yet with high profile signings who could either triumph ecstatically or flop disastrously, in either case fascinating for the observers. Melbourne kick off the season against the Central Coast Mariners on the 6th August and Lawrie McKinna’s men will be hoping to finally win their first match of 2009. With Adam Kwasnik back to lead the line up front and Michael McGlincey, who never quite made the grade at Celtic, to sure up the midfield, it’s looking a tough prospect for the Mariners who’ll have to be hoping that Melbourne have a rare off day at home.

Also in round one, Adelaide take on Perth; North Queensland, with six ex-Sydney FC players on their books will be taking on the very same in Queensland; Brisbane will be hosting Gold Coast and Newcastle will be looking to start things up with all three points as Wellington come to town. It’s too early days for results to really matter, but everyone will be looking at the likes of Fowler and Culina to really make their mark from the outset and prove that their expensive additions to the league are worthwhile, and bring in the crowds, since last season was the first that saw a drop in attendances across the board, a state of affairs that would be perilous if repeated in what should be a burgeoning league.