World Football - Aussie Style!

2006-09-24T23:44:00.000+10:00

Hyundai A-League 06-07 Season Round 3, 4 & 5 Wrap-up

I havent been able to update the blog for the last few weeks because my computer broke and only now have I got a new one. I will now review the 12 action-packed games that have taken place since my last entry so bear with me. Round 3 began with Adelaide United lifting themselves off the bottom place by scoring 3 goals in the first 30 minutes against the Newcastle Jets to soar to a 5 - 1 thrashing. Queensland Roar were able to draw 0 - 0 against Central Coast at home despite last season's runners-up trying to kickstart their campagin. In what was expected to be an intriguing match between 2nd and 3rd turned out to be a whitewash with Melbourne Victory slamming home 3 first half goals to beat the New Zealand Knights 3-0 at home. Perth Glory secured a 1-1 draw at home against Sydney FC to cap off the round.

The fourth round began with memories of the Knights' last season surfacing after Queensland impressively thrashed them 5 - 0 at Suncorp Stadium to remain undefeated. Adelaide continued their resurgence by cruising to a 3 - 0 home win over Perth. New Colombian signing: Milton Rodriguez come off the bench to score 2 goals for the Newcastle Jets and produce a 2-2 draw against Sydney FC at Aussie Stadium. Melbourne Victory continued their perfect start to the season by again winning and defeating the Central Coast Mariners.

The fifth round began with Sydney FC finally able to secure their second win with a well-fought 1-0 win over the New Zealand Knights in Auckland. Queensland Roar and Adelaide United had an exciting 0-0 draw. Central Coast were finally able to score a goal but victory eluded them as Newcastle's Joel Griffiths scored a late goal for a 1-1 draw. Melbourne Victory continued their 100% start to the season with a 2-1 win over Perth Glory, the late Perth goal not denting the Victory's hopes.
That is the last 3 rounds in a nutshell. Now here are some interesting observations

Melbourne Victory has won all their first 5 games yet last season were the last team to actually get a win - even behind New Zealand Knights! (Victory also only won 7 games last season)
Melbourne Victory captain Kevin Muscat, traditionally a defender is now leading the A-League goalchart with 4 goals in 5 matches (only one of which was not a penatly :) )
New Zealand Knights have conceded 9 goals in the last 3 matches without scoring one in return. It seems not alot has changed since last season...
Newcastle Jets and the Central Coast Mariners are the two teams yet to record a win in the new season despite both finishing 4th and 3rd respectively last season

Round 6's highlight match will be that of one between Melbourne Victory and Queensland Roar at Telstra Dome. Both sides are the only undefeated sides so far this season and Melbourne Victory has a 100% winning record thus far. This could prove to be a exciting match and a large crowd is practically guranteed with the two most entertaining - as well as the most successful this season - teams playing head to head. Even if Melbourne loses however, they will still hold no.1 spot so far their lead over the rest of the teams has now become. I look foward to it!

ROUND 3:

Adelaide United - 5
Fernando '8 '73, Robert Cornthwaite '19, Shengqing Qu '28, Andrew Durante (OG) '65
Newcastle Jets - 1
Mark Bridge '52

Central Coast Mariners - 0
Queensland Roar - 0

New Zealand Knights - 0
Melbourne Victory - 3
Daniel Allsopp '9, Archie Thompson '22, Kevin Muscat '35

Perth Glory - 1
Jamie Coyne '71
Sydney - 1
Sasho Petrovski '38

ROUND 4:

Queensland Roar - 5
Matt McKay '6 '85, Reinaldo (pen) '55, Simon Lynch '71, Ante Milicic '80
New Zealand Knights - 0

Adelaide United - 3
Fernando '14, Travis Dodd '34, Jamie Coyne (OG) '50
Perth Glory - 0

Sydney - 2
Steve Corica (pen) '33, David Zdrilic '38
Newcastle Jets - 2
Milton Rodriguez '45+1, '62

Melbourne Victory - 1
Archie Thompson '52
Central Coast Mariners - 0

ROUND 5:

New Zealand Knights - 0
Sydney - 1
Mark Rudan '58

Queensland Roar - 0
Adelaide United - 0

Central Coast Mariners - 1
John Hutchinson '12
Newcastle Jets - 1
Joel Griffiths '84

Perth Glory - 1
David Tarka '90+2
Melbourne Victory - 2
Adrian Caceres '55, Kevin Muscat (pen) '72

2006-09-03T21:51:00.000+10:00

Hyundai A-League 06-07 Season Round 2 Wrap-up

The second round of the Hyundai A-League went off with a bang with all the matches producing genuine and entertaining contests. The round kicked off with Newcastle Jets hosting Queensland Roar. After a hectic first half which saw own goals by both sides, the scores were 2 - 2. The deadlock continued for most of the second half and looked to be another draw. However new Queensland signing: Simon Lynch scored a late 86th minute goal to give his side a 3 - 2 away win.

The next match last season would have been given little notice - the bottom team: New Zealand Knights hosting the top team: Adelaide United. This season that was not the case. New Zealand continued its strong defensive structure and restricted Adelaide before Malik Buari slammed home a late winner giving New Zealand their first home win and the second since the start of the A-League competiton. Despite conceding easily the most goals last season, New Zealand is the only side yet to concede a goal after the first two rounds of the competition.

The next match was the blockbuster at the Telstra Dome - Melbourne Victory v Sydney FC. The match attracted a record home-and-away crowd of 39,730 and the match did not disappoint. Danny Allsopp starred for the home side scoring 2 goals and being the difference between the two sides in the 3 - 2 win for the Victory.

Perth Glory dominated Central Coast at Members Equity Stadium in Perth and it paid off with 2 second half goals that secured them their first win of the season.

After the first 2 rounds, Queensland and Melbourne are ontop of the ladder with 6 points with Roar ahead on goal difference. New Zealand is comfortably in third with 4 points and Sydney and Perth share fourth spot with 3. Newcastle has earned themselves 1 point while Adelaide and Central Coast are pointless.

Some interesting facts after the first 2 rounds are:

The top 3 teams on the ladder: Queensland, Melbourne and New Zealand are all undefeated yet made up the bottom 3 last season.
Adelaide despite finishing first last season, has lost to last season's bottom two sides: Melbourne and New Zealand.
Adelaide and Central Coast are both pointless and on the bottom despite finished 2nd and 3rd last season. Both sides have also failed to score.
The only sides to not win at home so far have been New Zealand who drew with Newcastle and Newcastle who lost 3 - 2 to Queensland

One must not get too excited however as the two bottom sides: Adelaide and Central Coast are yet to play a home game. I would suspect we won't get a fair idea of how the teams are really doing until at least round 7.

ROUND 2

Newcastle Jets - 2
Chad Gibson (OG) '25, Mark Bridge '40
Queensland Roar - 3
Reinaldo da Costa '5, Paul Okon (OG) '37, Simon Lynch '86

New Zealand Knights - 1
Malik Buari '87
Adelaide United - 0

Melbourne Victory - 3
Danny Allsopp '8 '51, Kevin Muscat (pen) '11
Sydney - 2
Iain Fyfe '18, David Carney '83

Perth Glory - 2
Simon Colosimo '52, Stuart Young '81
Central Coast Mariners - 0

2006-09-01T20:47:00.000+10:00

Yorke leaves SydneySydney FC's marquee signing for the inaugural Hyundai A-League: Dwight Yorke has signed a new two-year contract with second-tier English club: Sunderland that is allegedly $500,000 more than the one he is presently on. According to interview given by Yorke, he wanted an extension on his two-year contract with Sydney but Sydney refused to negiotate. This might be more or less a bit of an excuse for Yorke who is known for leaving a club without another thought. Is this terrible for the A-League?

I do not believe it is. In fact I think Yorke is overpriced and overrated and was not an outstanding player in Sydney's team of stellar players last season. Sydney rarely seemed to struggle without their marquee unlike rival club Melbourne Victory when their marquee player: Archie Thompson was on international duty they really struggled. Now the hunt for another marquee signing for Sydney begins. One doubts a signing will be found until at least halfway through the season but it should be interesting who Sydney try to get. Let's hope they are able to find a new marquee player quicker than the FFA has found a new Socceroos coach!

In other news, I tipped 3 out of 4 of the matches in the first round of the Hyundai A-League (I missed out on Melbourne because I tipped a draw) and I consider this a very good score for A-League tipping because unlike Aussie Rules football, there are 3 possiblties for every match when you include the draw. So I will be a kind man and give you my masterful tips for Round 2!

Mr.Chicken's Tips:
Draw
Adelaide
Melbourne
Central Coast

2006-08-31T21:58:00.000+10:00

Squad for Second Kuwait Game Named

Today the 18-man squad for the second Asian Cup qualifier against Kuwait - the one being played in Kuwait - has been named. While the squad for the first Kuwait game was made up entirely of A-League players, this squad is made up of European-based Australian players that are not necessarily our biggest stars. 9 of the 18-man squad were apart of the World Cup squad and some of these players were actually key parts of the starting 11 for the Socceroos in Germany like Scott Chipperfield, Jason Culina and Mark Schwarzer. Also in the squad is World Cup goalscorer, John Alosi. The squad is as follows:

John Aloisi (Alaves, Spain)
Michael Beauchamp (FC Nurnberg, Germany)
Jacob Burns (TS Wisla Krakow, Poland)
Scott Chipperfield (FC Basel, Switzerland)
Ante Covic (Hammarby, Sweden)
Jason Culina (PSV Eindhoven, Holland)
Ahmad Elrich (Fulham, England)
Ryan Griffiths (AFC Rapid Bucuresti, Romania)
Brett Holman (NEC Nijmegen, Holland)
Patrick Kisnorbo (Leicester City, England)
Scott McDonald (Motherwell, Scotland)
Jonathan McKain (FC Politechnica AEK Timisoara, Romania)
Ljubo Milicevic (BSC Young Boys, Switzerland)
Mark Schwarzer (Middlesbrough, England)
Josip Skoko (Wigan Athletic, England)
Mile Sterjovski (FC Basel, Switzerland)
Nick Ward (Queens Park Rangers, England)
Luke Wilkshire (FC Twente, Holland)

The game is a bit pointless from an Australian-perspective because we have already qualified. But this match is crucial for Kuwait as they are in a arm wrestle with Bahrain for the second spot in qualifying and look the more likely to qualify out of the two after holding on for a 0 - 0 away draw against Bahrain. If Kuwait could steal a draw or God forbid, a victory, they would probably send them a long way to securing themselves a place in the Asian Cup next year.

2006-08-29T22:24:00.000+10:00

O'Neill steps down as FFA Boss

At Football Federation of Australia (FFA) headquarters today, John O'Neill announced to much surprise that he would not seek to resign when his contract as chief executive of the FFA which expires March next year. This is a shock to some people as O'Neill seemed to be very passionate about his job. His reason was that his job had expanded further with the growth of Australian football in Australia and with the extra work was putting too much stress on his family life which is of course a very fair reason indeed. O'Neill since his appointment in 2004 has overseen one of the greatest growths of Australian football in this country ever which included the Socceroos qualifying for the World Cup for the first time in 32 years and making the Second Round and the launch of the new domestic league: the A-League. He will probably be remembered like Guus Hiddink by having a long-term impact on Australian world football in such a short time. Hopefully though his successor like Hiddink's eventual successor are able to build on the start those two men have given us.

2006-08-27T21:49:00.000+10:00

Hyundai A-League 06-07 Season Round 1 Wrap-up

The Hyundai A-League's second season has kick-offed with an interesting first round of matches. On Friday night to start the season was Melbourne Victory hosting Adelaide United. In the previous seven pre-season and regular matches between the sides, Melbourne had failed to score every single time let alone win. But with a new trio of Brazillians, Melbourne was able to break the trend with a 2 - 0 victory over Adelaide, the goals through a Kevin Muscat penalty - one that had been the result of some Alessandro magic - and Brazillian substitue Claudinho.

The season continued with Queensland Roar up against Perth Glory. The match looked to be deadlocked for a 0 - 0 result but with 10 minutes remaining like our Socceroos, Queensland were able to score three goals through newcomers Simon Lynch, Dario Vidosic and Stuart McLaren to soar to the top of the A-League ladder.

New Zealand continued the defensive efforts that had seen them through a improved Pre-Season Cup campagin to hold onto a o - o draw with Newcastle Jets at home. Sydney started their premiership defence with a average performance against last year's finalist: Central Coast Mariners with a 1 - 0 win.

ROUND 1:

Melbourne Victory - 2
Kevin Muscat (pen) '29, Claudinho '78
Adelaide United - 0

Queensland Roar - 3
Simon Lynch '79, Dario Vidosic '81, Stuart McLaren '85
Perth Glory - 0

New Zealand Knights - 0
Newcastle Jets - 0

Sydney - 1
Iain Fyfe '51
Central Coast Mariners - 0

2006-08-24T22:08:00.000+10:00

What lays beyond in the new season!

What lays beyond in the second season of the Hyundai A-League? Can Sydney FC defend their title? Can Adelaide United and Central Coast take that one step further? Can Perth Glory return to the ways of the old national soccer league and be champions again? Can Queensland take their attacking football into the finals? Can Melbourne make-up for a woeful inaugural season and meet their expectations? Can New Zealand turn it all around and be holding alof the cup in March? These are the numerous questions A-League fans everywhere are asking.

One must also remember there is more up for grabs this season: the premier and the champions both get a spot in next year's AFC Champions League! The Pre-Season Cup although obviously not the serious competition, can still give us a rough idea about what the season ahead holds. Below is the placings for the final spots in the cup:

1st Adelaide United
2nd Central Coast Mariners
3rd Sydney
4th Newcastle Jets
5th Melbourne Victory
6th Perth Glory
7th Queensland Roar
8th New Zealand Knights

The positisonig isnt really alot different from the one at the end of the last season. The top 4 remain the same 4 teams with Sydney and Adelaide swapping places. The only real change in the bottom half is that Melbourne Victory has moved two spots to be the best team outside the top 4.

There is little we can tell from these spots because New Zealand Knights despite finishing last were a much improved outfit, drawing half of their pre-season matches with one of them against the champions: Sydney. The one thing I think we can tell from this is that the top 3 look to be the same with the fourth spot up for grabs with it possible any of the 5 teams could pinch it.

Another interesting statistic is the top goalscorers. You might be glad to know that nobody has counted up all the top goalscorers for the Pre-Season Cup but me so you are being given a very lucky priviledge! Here are all the multiple goalscorers:

3 - Carl Veart (Adelaide United)
3 - Alex Brosque (Sydney)
3 - Sasho Petrovski (Sydney)
3 - Danny Allsopp (Melbourne Victory)
2 - Stewart Petrie (Central Coast Mariners)
2 - Adam Kwasnik (Central Coast Mariners)
2 - Paul O'Grady (Central Coast Mariners)
2 - Stuart Young (Perth Glory)
2 - Archie Thompson (Melbourne Victory)

Tying for the topgoalscorer was this Pre-Season Cup winner's Carl Veart, Sydney striking pair Alex Brosque and Sasho Petrovski and Melbourne Victory's Danny Allsopp. This tells us that all 4 strikers are in good form and should expect them to be the first to fire once the normal season starts. Danny Allsopp is the most interesting as he only was able to score 3 goals for the whole season last season despite being #2 for shots in the whole league (Brosque was #1). Melbourne Victory suffered from his lack of goal return and if he is in some form, it could be what makes Melbourne into the top-four team everyone believes they are. Usual suspects returned with Petrie and Thompson each netting in two and alot of Central Coast Mariners were able to join that club making up 3 of the 9 multiple goalscorers in the cup.

What does the 06-07 season hold for the A-League? Hopefully a regular season where every team has their moment and followed up by an exciting final series with some new teams taking part and hopefully a surprise champion. Only one way to find out!

2006-08-22T13:11:00.000+10:00

Hyundai A-League Pre-Season Cup 2006 Final and Playoffs Wrap-up

The final round of the Pre-Season Cup was an intriguing one with most interest being directed to the final between Central Coast and Adelaide, two major contenders for the proper title at the end of the regular season. In the first match of the round was the play-off for seventh place: New Zealand Knights hosting the Queensland Roar.

Neither team had registered a victory in the Pre-Season Cup so far and New Zealand were a bit unlucky after their improved form to be again in the bottom two. After a scoreless first half, Queensland won the match with two goals in the first 10 mins after half-time with goals to Brazillian striker: Reinaldo and Dario Vidosic. New Zealand were quick to respond with a goal through Darren Bazeley but it was enough to spark an equalizer and New Zealand knights ended up a undeserving last.

It was again another late-goal from Victory striker: Danny Allsopp that secured Melbourne Victory a 1 - 0 win over Perth Glory and giving themselves fifth place. The play-off for third place was between two injured-ravaged sides but Sydney FC simply outclassed the Newcastle Jets to pinch the third spot with a 2 goal win.

The Pre-Season Cup final was an intrigueing affair with last year's cup holders: Central Coast Mariners hosting last year's regular season premiers: Adelaide United. Despite Central Coast dominance in the first half, Adelaide were able to score an early goal through Carl Veart. An attacking Central Coast were desperate for a equalizer and eventually got one in the 77th minute through Andre Gumprecht. It looked like a tiring Adelaide would be overrun by the home team but they were able to hold on for the regular 90 minutes than the 30 minutes of extra times for the match to be decided by a penalty shootout.

In the shootout it was Scottish veteran: Stewart Petrie who was one of the four players to tie for the Hyundai A-League Golden Boot last season that missed his spotkick and delievered Adelaide a 5-4 penalty shoout victory and the Pre-Season Cup!FINAL:

Central Coast Mariners - 1
Andre Gumprecht '77
Adelaide United - 1
Carl Veart '7
(Penalty Shootout: Adelaide United won 4 - 5 )
Jamie McMaster - scored
Richie Alagich - scored
Stewart Petrie - crossbar
Greg Owens - scored
Wayne O'Sullivan - scored
Ross Aloisi - scored
Noel Spencer - scored
Shengqing Qu - scored
John Hutchinson - scored
Carl Veart - scored

PLAY-OFFS:

New Zealand Knights - 1
Darren Bazeley '65
Queensland Roar - 2
Reinaldo '49, Dario Vidosic '54

Melbourne Victory - 1
Danny Allsopp '84
Perth Glory - 0

Sydney - 2
Sasho Petrevski '40, Mark Rudan '68
Newcastle Jets - 0

2006-08-21T13:36:00.000+10:00

Match Report: Australia v KuwaitDue to technicial diffculties, this match report is very late and I apolgize for that. Without a further a do, the match report. Last Wednesday, the Socceroos played in the first international match since that unforgettable World Cup campagin and won in front of a 32,622 crowd at Aussie Stadium. This means Australia is the first non-host nation to qualify for next year's Asian Cup. It was also temporary coach: Graham Arnold's first win in charge of the Socceroos

On the field was a side devoid of any of the World Cup stars with only two members of the WC squad: Archie Thompson and Mark Milligan taking part in the match (neither of which saw actual game time in the WC). The starting eleven was made up of: Clint Bolton, Joel Griffiths, Archie Thompson, Alvin Ceccoli, David Carney, Mark Milligan, Jade North, Michael Valkanis, Steve Corica, Travis Dodd and captain for the match: Kevin Muscat.

The game started off slowly with neither side really able to get any solid chances. Besides two aimless shots from the outside the box by the Kuwaits, the first real chance went to Australia on the 27th minute when David Carney sent a super-strong shot that the Kuwait goalie was only just able to save. This started a spell of dominance by Australia for the rest of the half with Carney being among most of the chances.

However at half-time, it was still 0 - 0. The second half started reserved like the first and Kuwait seemed to have the edge. It looked worrying for the Socceroos as they didn't look like scoring anytime soon and a draw would be a demeaning result for the side and the A-League.

The striking pair of Joel Griffiths and Archie Thompson was ultimately one of failure with neither able to break the deadlock and were subbed off by Arnold in the 56th and 69th minutes for Sydney FC strikers: Sasho Petrovski and Alex Brosque. With a foward set-up made up completely of Sydney players, the Socceroos were finally able to score. On 76 minutes, Carney played a beautiful to cut back the back from the by-line where it rolled onto a running Adelaide United midfielder: Travis Dodd who slammed it home from 12 yards.

Like in the first half after the long-range effect from Carney, the goal sparked dominance for Australia which resulted in another goal. On the 87th minute, Dodd made a long run to the goal and fired a shot only for it to be deflected than rebounded in by Sasho Petrovski. This sealed the game for Australia and sent them to the top of Group D in the Asian Cup qualifying, guranteeing themselves a place in the Asian Cup next year. Travis Dodd was named Man of the Match.

Australia - 2
Travis Dodd '75, Sasho Petrovski '87
Kuwait - 0

2006-08-14T13:52:00.000+10:00

Match Preview:

Australia

Kuwait

This is my first match preview so forgive me if it is not very in-depth. Australia, ranked 33th in the FIFA World Rankings, (the highest Asian team) is up against Kuwait, ranked 100th in the World in this Asian Cup qualifiying match. The 18-player Socceroos squad for this match has only two players from the 2006 World Cup squad – Archie Thompson and Mark Milligan – neither of which played in one of Australia’s four matches. This is mainly because most of European leagues, where nearly all the main Socceroos players are based, start a few days after the qualifier. So this squad is more or less a A-League All-Stars Team. Below is the 18-player Australian squad for the match:

Clint Bolton (Sydney)
Danny Vukovic (Central Coast Mariners)
Alvin Ceccoli (Sydney)
Iain Fyfe (Sydney)
Mark Milligan (Sydney)
Kevin Muscat (Melbourne Victory)
Jade North (Newcastle Jets)
Michael Valkanis (Adelaide United)
David Carney (Sydney)
Steve Corica (Sydney)
Travis Dodd (Adelaide United)
Matt McKay (Queensland Roar)
Stuart Musialik (Newcastle Jets)
Kristian Sarkies (Melbourne Victory)
Alex Brosque (Sydney)
Joel Griffiths (Newcastle Jets)
Sasho Petrovski (Sydney)

This should be an interesting match with an Australian team made up mostly of Australian youngsters and veterans against a team of unknowns. Though Australia should not understimate the Kuwait team: they made the final group stage for qualifying for the last World Cup and knocked powerhouse side China while they did it. Melbourne Victory captain Kevin Muscat has been named captain for the qualifier with the expceted captain: Stan Lazaridis unable to make the squad due to contracting the flu. Fellow Melbourne Victory teammate Archie Thompson has been named vice-captain.

Kuwait will be determinted to try and get something out of this match as they are in a tight duel with Bahrain for second place in the group. However despite a second-tier side, Socceroos at home will be too much for Kuwait. I predict Australia at home will be too much for Kuwait with the Socceroos winning 2 - 0, Thompson and Alex Brosque getting the goals for Australia.

2006-08-13T00:32:00.000+10:00

Hyundai A-League Pre-Season Cup 2006 Bonus Rd, Playoffs and Semi-Finals Wrap-up

Sorry about the delay but without further a do, the match reports. The bonus round started off with Adelaide United cruised to a 1-0 victory over the improved New Zealand Knights in front of a home crowd of 12,006. In an exciting match that was influentical in the final standings of the group stage, Melbourne Victory defeated the Newcastle Jets with a late 84th minute goal from Danny Allsopp to win 3 - 2. This victory gave Melbourne a staggering 5 points: 3 for the win and 2 bonus points for scoring 3 goals but it was not enough to get them to the semis. Newcastle, despite losing, earned itself one important bonus point.

There was another 0-0 slug between Queensland Roar and the Central Coast Mariners, gifting the Central Coast top spot in Group A. Syndey absoultey blew away Perth winning 3 - 0 with Alex Brosque continuing his fine pre-season form scoring the first two goals in the respective 26th and 27th minutes.

The rules of the bonus round was pushed to their limits when Newcastle, Queensland and New Zealand all were equal on 3 points despite the fact Newcastle had lost one more game than either side. But since one of Newcastle's 3 points were a bonus point and number of bonus points come before goal difference, they were at the top of the pack and progressed to the knockout stage with Sydney, Adelaide and Central Coast: surprisingly enough, our top 4 finalists in last year's proper season.

Another addition to the Pre-Season Cup has been play-off matches. This is basically matches between the sides that don't make the knockout stages so they get the same amount of match practise as the sides that progress further in the Cup.

The play-off matches were very close affairs with Melbourne defeating Queensland in a penalty shootout 4 - 2 (that shootout scoreline seems familiar) after finishing 0 - 0 at the end of 120 minutes. Perth Glory's Stuart Young slammed in a 87th minute goal to give his side a 1 - 0 victory over a New Zealand Knights side that didn't make the most of their dominance.

The semi-finals of the Pre-Season Cup continued the theme of the play-offs with both of them being very close affairs. A 90th minute goal gave Adelaide a 2 - 1 victory over Cup favourites Sydney FC. In the New South Wales derby, Paul O'Grady scored an extra time goal for his Central Coast side to win their semi-final also 2 - 1 over Newcaslte.

Defending Cup holders Central Coast Mariners will host the final against Adelaide United this Saturday. Could the Central Coast go back-to-back?

BONUS ROUND:

Adelaide United - 1
Carl Veart (pen) '19
New Zealand Knights - 0

Newcastle Jets - 2
Jade North '17, Nick Carle (pen) '70
Melbourne Victory - 3
Archie Thompson '44, Kevin Muscat (pen) '62, Danny Allsopp '84

Queensland Roar - 0
Central Coast Mariners - 0

Sydney - 3
Alex Brosque '26 '27, Sasho Petrovski '57
Perth Glory - 0

PLAY-OFFS:

Melbourne Victory - 0
Queensland Roar - 0
(Penalty Shootout: Melbourne Victory won 4 - 2)
Kevin Muscat - scored
Simon Lynch - scored
Rodrigo Vargas - scored
Steve Fitzsimmons - saved
Archie Thompson - scored
Sasa Ognevoski - scored
Kristian Sarkies - scored
Chad Gibson - saved

New Zealand Knights - 0
Perth Glory - 1
Stuart Young '87

SEMI-FINALS:

Adelaide United - 2
Travis Dodd '16, Kristian Rees '90
Sydney - 1
David Carney '43

Central Coast Mariners - 2
Stewart Petrie (pen) '52, Paul O'Grady '96
Newcastle Jets - 1
Vaughan Coveny '25
(After Extra Time)

2006-08-06T16:52:00.000+10:00

Vidmar joins Central Coast
Veteran Socceroo Tony Vidmar has joined the Central Coast Mariners on a two-year deal. The third-highest capped Socceroo played terrific in the World Cup qualifiying play-off against Urugay and was one of the successful penalty takers in the shootout. Unfortunately he missed out on the World Cup with a heart condition but to much surprise, after overcoming that problem the 36-year old has chosen to continue playing on.

The Socceroo defender has now signed with the Central Coast Mariners as there marquee signing which is probably why Central Coast beat other A-League clubs in getting Vidmar's signature. Vidmar maybe the missing piece in Central Coast taking the next step further and winning the A-League Championship. Vidmar will surely finish his playing career in Central Coast but when will he finish his international career? After the Asian Cup? Only time will tell.

2006-08-04T23:06:00.000+10:00

Lebanon out of Asian Cup
Fellow members of the Socceroos's Asian Cup Qualifiying Group D, the Lebanese National Football Side has withdraw from the Asian Cup qualifiers because of the terrible conflict with Israel. This is not good at all for the Socceroos even though technicially it will be much easier to make the Cup. One must point out that Australia was never in danger of not going through into it. Lebanon's withdrawl however means the Socceroos will be playing less matches and one less home match in Australia which means less people will be able to see them. This is also a great pity for Lebanon who showed encouraging signs with a 1-1 draw with Australia's next opponent's Kuwait. All in all, this is a terrible result for football worldwide and proves that even the world game cannot overcame everything. Let us hope Lebanon will be back on the world stage in the near future.

2006-08-01T18:30:00.000+10:00

The Bonus Round Explained!

The Hyundai A-League Pre-Season Cup this year has had a few changes since last year's edition. One of these new changes is the Bonus Round. What is the Bonus Round? Well it is when each team from each group plays a team from the other group before the knockout round. But it is more than just a crossover round. There are bonus points to win in the Bonus Round with additional points up for grabs. These are:

- 1 bonus point for 2 goals scored by a team,
- 2 bonus points for 3 goals scored by a team
- 3 bonus points for 4 or more goals scored team

These give teams like Melbourne Victory at the bottom of the tables to have a possible chance of making the knockout stages. What do YOU think about the Bonus Round? Do you like the idea? Do you think its fair?

2006-07-30T19:58:00.000+10:00

Hyundai A-League Pre-Season Cup 2006 Rd. 3 Wrap-up.

In comparison to the first 2 rounds of the Pre-Season Cup, the third round has proved to be much more defensive and a bit boring with three out of four of the matches played producing no goals.

The first match of the round was the top two teams of Group B: Sydney FC and the New Zealand Knights. New Zealand continued their astounding run of form by holding Sydney off for a 0-0 draw and proving they are a much more improved team from last season.

The second match was the highest-scoring match of the Pre-Season Cup so far: Melbourne Victory v Central Coast Mariners. Despite an early 4th minute goal through returning Socceroo Archie Thompson, the Central Coast sailed through by scoring 3 goals and guranteeing themselves a place in the knockout stages of the cup. Bottom of the table teams: Newcaslte and Queensland helped neither catch their group leaders with a 0 - 0 all draw. Former Socceroo Stan Lazardis made his debut with Perth Glory against Adelaide United but was unable to give them a victory with another 0-0 draw.

ROUND 3:

New Zealand Knights - 0
Sydney - 0

Melbourne Victory - 1
Archie Thompson '4
Central Coast Mariners - 3
Adam Kwasnik '35, Paul O'Grady '63, Noel Spencer '77

Newcastle Jets - 0
Queensland Roar - 0

Perth Glory - 0
Adelaide United - 0

2006-07-27T17:49:00.000+10:00

Who do you think will win the Pre-Season Cup?

As the Pre-Season Cup nears its 3rd Round, the groups begin to take shape. One must not forget that there is the "Bonus" Round too so technicially the cup is halfway through the group stage. At the present: Central Coast Mariners and Adelaide United seat tied on top of Group A while Sydney FC tower over the rest of Group B with two solid victories. If like in last year's competition there were merely 3 group matches than one would presume several teams like Melbourne Victory and Perth Glory were out of the running for continuing to the knockout stages but with this year's new "bonus" round, every single team is still in the running.

Who do you think will win the Pre-Season Cup? Will Central Coast Mariners be able to defend their title? I think at the moment, Sydney FC look the most dominant with two wins but one must remember that in both their victories they have conceded goals. Compare this to Adelaide who has won one of their games and drawn the other and is the only team in the Pre-Season cup so far to not have coneded a goal. Another impressive contender for the title so far is defending champs: Central Coast. Despite injuries to key personel, they have stood strong and pulled off a 0 - all draw with Adelaide to tie for first place in Group B.

Who do I think will win the Pre-Season Cup? If I were a betting man, I would put my money on Central Coast to take the title. Despite their injuries, I think they have the determination to at least make it to the final to try and defend their title. I would put my beloved Melbourne Victory as an outside chance but if they are to have any chance they would have to beat Central Coast this weekend. Who do YOU think will win the Pre-Season Cup?

2006-07-25T14:43:00.000+10:00

Graham Arnold announced short-term coach of Socceroos

Last friday, Football Federation Australia (FFA) announced that Graham Arnold had been appointed as the Socceroos coach for their next two Asian Cup qualifying matches. This came as no surprise since he coached the Socceroos when they played their first Asian Cup qualifier back in Febuary earlier this year. That match was against Bahrain in Bahrain where a second-grade Australian side were able to conjur up a 3 - 1 victory.

The announcement about Graham Arnold comes as no surprise and I expect him to coach the rest of the qualifying. But the question is: will he be the one to lead the Socceroos when it comes time for the Asian Cup? Guus Hiddink believed he could and so far Hiddink has yet to be proven wrong. Lyon coach: Gerald Houllier didn't sign because FFA could not afford to pay him the amount he wanted. There is also some belief by the Socceroos that Guus Hiddink could come back to coach them to the next World Cup as he is only contracted to Russia until 2008. Hoping for Hiddink to be back might ward off some potential coaches who are interested in the Socceroos job. All in all, this has created a situation where I don't see a new national coach being signed up anytime soon and I would not be surprised to see Graham Arnold taking the reins when it come for Australia to take part in its first Asian Cup. What do you think? Do you reckon he has what it takes?

2006-07-24T18:17:00.000+10:00

Australia gets 2 spots in AFC Champions League!

Last Tuesday, the Asian Football Confederation released the following statement: "Following a proposal from the Competitions Committee held on Saturday 15 July 2006, the AFC Executive Committee approved the demotion of one club from Thailand and one club from Vietnam to the AFC Cup competition, to make way for the participation of two Australian clubs in the 2007 edition of the AFC Champions League." This means that after the 2006-2007 season, two A-League clubs will take part in the AFC Champions League!

The statement also said that "Further information regarding the participation of the Australian clubs shall be published over the next few weeks, following discussions between the AFC Administration and Football Federation Australia." How will the two clubs be decided? There are numerous possibilities. Maybe the top two spots at the end of the season regular, despite what happens in the finals, will automatically qualify for Asia. Though that would be unfair if the A-League Champions - the team that wins the actual trophy at the end of the final series - were a team that had been originally 3rd or 4th.

Personally I believe the spots will be decided like this: the A-League Champions and the A-League Premier - premier being the team to finish at the top of the ladder after the season regular. If the Champion and the Premier were to be the same team, than the runner-up in the final would qualify. To give you an example, if there had been two spots for the Asia last season than Adelaide United being the Premier would have qualified and Sydney would also have qualified being the Champion. How do YOU think the two clubs for the AFC Champions League will be decided?

2006-07-24T17:27:00.000+10:00

Popović and Bresciano join new clubs

Socceroo players: Tony Popović and Marco Bresciano have left their respective clubs and made a move. Marco Bresciano has left low Serie A side: Parma and signed a 4-year deal with a slightly better Serie A side: Palermo. The deal will see the 26-year old up until the next World Cup unless he wishes to transfer.

Tony Popović left Crystal Palace and despite rumours the 33-year old would return to Australia to play in the A-League, he has signed a lucrative one-year deal with the rich Qatar club Al-Arabi. The deal is worth reportedly $1 million. I would be surprised now to see him come back to the A-League after his contract with Al-Arabi expires.

I do not believe that it should have been expected that Popović would join the A-League but at the same time I'm disappointed that he did not. Maybe part of the reason he has declined to join the A-League is that he has a better chance of re-entering the Socceroos squad if he is playing against better opposition than what the domestic league could provide. In that case, let's hope both these boys are ready when it comes to the Asian Cup next year!

2006-07-23T00:17:00.000+10:00

Hyundai A-League Pre-Season Cup 2006 Rd. 1 & 2 Wrap-up.

The first two rounds of the Pre-Season Cup have produced entertaining football with 16 goals scored and each team earning themselves at least a point. The Pre-Season Cup began with a rematch of last year's Cup Final with Central Coast hosting Perth Glory. Yet again the Central Coast proved victorious helped by a flying start with 2 goals in the first 8 minutes to win 2 - 1. New Sydney FC signing: Alex Brosque found himself up against his old team: Queensland Roar in Carrara Stadium. The up-and-coming Australian star proved to be the difference between the two sides as he set-up Sydney's early goal and hammered home the winner in the dying moments for Sydney to win 2 - 1.

Despite Melbourne Victory dominating the match, Adelaide won with a Carl Veart strike 1- 0. And somewhat of a surprise, the New Zealand Knights team full of new players were able to hold on for a 1-1 draw with Newcastle.

The second round began with Sydney FC continuing their winning run by defeating a struggling Newcastle at home 2 - 1. The rest of the matches ended with draws with Adelaide and Central Coast slugging to a dull 0 - 0 scoreline and Melbourne and New Zealand able to steal away 1-1 draws against Perth and Queensland.

At the end of the first 2 rounds, Sydney FC is the only team to have won both matches. Adelaide, Central Coast and unbelievably New Zealand join Sydney FC in the prestigious class of the "undefeated." Central Coast and Adelaide are presently tied for first place in Group A on both points and goal difference and Central Coast is only ahead because they have scored more goals. Unsurprisingly Sydney FC leads Group B but with no other team from that group able to notch up a victory so far, New Zealand is presently in second place with two draws.

ROUND 1:

Central Coast Mariners - 2
Stewart Petrie '7, Adam Kwasnik '8
Perth Glory - 1
Leo Bertos '62

Queensland Roar - 1
Tim Smits '31
Sydney - 2
Sasho Petrovski '16, Alex Brosque '87

Melbourne Victory - 0
Adelaide United - 1
Carl Veart '65

New Zealand Knights - 1
Jonti Richter '30
Newcastle Jets - 1
Mark Bridge '57

ROUND 2:

Sydney - 2
Nikolai Topor-Stanley '3, Robbie Middleby '25
Newcastle Jets - 1
Terry McFlynn '68og

Central Coast Mariners - 0
Adelaide United - 0

Perth Glory - 1
Stuart Young '59
Melbourne Victory - 1
Daniel Allsopp '51

Queensland Roar - 1
Spase Dilevski '8
New Zealand - 1
Dani Rodrigues '25

2006-07-22T14:51:00.000+10:00

Welcome to World Football - Aussie Style!

My name is Mr.Chicken and I am an Australian of course. After Australia's success in the world cup, I've become very interested in the world game. I found myself searching the net for any news I could find about the Australian world game. So I decided that I may as well make a blog so I can report the latest news about Australian world football for everyone! On this blog, I'll post the latest news about the Socceroos, the A-League and anything else relating to the Australian world game. I hope you have a good time here!