Move to Melbourne City has paid dividends for grateful Kai Trewin
Kai Trewin hasn't looked back since leaving A-League battlers Brisbane Roar to join glamour club Melbourne City.
Realising he needed to part ways with Brisbane to take his game and professionalism to another level, Trewin jumped at the chance to move to City last year.
The change of scenery has paid dividends. Not only is Trewin a leading player in a team contending for the A-League championship, he has also been recognised by Socceroos coach Tony Popovic with selection in Australia's 26-man squad for last month's matches against Indonesia and China.
'I learnt a lot at Brisbane and I've taken a lot of that with me, but Melbourne City has given me a good platform to go on with my game, and I'm just trying to make the most of it,' the 23-year-old Batemans Bay product said.
'I'm loving Melbourne as a whole. I'm loving playing for the club, playing with my teammates has been great, and it's been going well for me, so I'm very happy to have made the move.'
Able to play as a central defender or a defensive midfielder, Trewin's versatility, skill and maturity beyond his years have been crucial in second-placed City's bid for A-League honours, which continues on Saturday night at AAMI Park against Adelaide United.
'We've put ourselves in a good position for the end of the season, and we've been riding the momentum,' he said.
And while Trewin's priority is helping City lift silverware, he knows that his hopes of again being selected in the Socceroos squad for June's FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Japan and Saudi Arabia will be helped by strong performances in next month's A-League finals series.
'If I can myself back in the Socceroos squad that'd be another amazing achievement, and something I'll be very grateful for,' said Trewin, who despite not securing a maiden cap against either Indonesia or China, 'loved every minute' of his time in camp with the national team.
'I learnt a lot of things from it that I'll take with me for the rest of my career ... but right now I'm focused on the game against Adelaide and the finals series.'
While City needs a miracle to bump Auckland FC out of first place and Premier's Plate honours, finishing second will secure the Melbourne club an AFC Champions League Elite spot next season as Auckland is ineligible to compete in Asian competition due to being based in New Zealand, an Oceania Football Confederation nation.
'We know how important the run home is. It's massive for the club if we can get in that (Champions League) competition as well,' Trewin said.
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News.com.au
2 hours ago
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Socceroos midfielder Patrick Yazbek set for immediate return to club duty with Nashville
The 'business as usual' attitude that helped Patrick Yazbek play an important role for the Socceroos in their wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia will again apply on Sunday when the former Sydney FC midfielder returns to duty for his American club Nashville. While most of the Socceroos squad that sealed FIFA World Cup qualification with a 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia in Jeddah on Wednesday morning (AEST) are now taking a break ahead of their 2025-26 campaigns, it's not the case for 23-year-old Yazbek. With the Major Soccer League season running from March to November, Yazbek and his Socceroos teammates Aiden O'Neill (New York City) and Kye Rowles (DC United) have immediate club duties to tend to. 'I have a game this week, so it's business as usual for me,' Yazbek said ahead of Nashville's away clash with Chicago Fire on Sunday morning. However, despite needing to put 2026 World Cup qualification celebrations on hold, Yazbek likes the thought of getting back to work to further his case for ongoing Socceroos selection. It was a similar attitude that resulted in him being chosen in this month's Socceroos squad after being overlooked for March's wins over Indonesia and China. 'That was my mentality before this camp – play well at my club and hopefully I'll be selected,' he said. 'I had a good month for Nashville in May, and that allowed me to be involved in this camp. 'That's the approach going into the next year's World Cup – play consistent, play well, and if I get called in, really make an impression like I think I did in this camp.' Yazbek definitely impressed. He added significant energy to Australia after coming on at the start of the second half in the Socceroos' 1-0 win over Japan last Thursday night in Perth. The performance secured him his maiden Socceroos starting berth a few days later against Saudi Arabia. 'Being able to start, I felt comfortable … it was an honour,' Yazbek said. 'It's such a competitive environment and such a competitive position too (midfield). 'I had to just draw back on what got me in the squad in the first place – playing consistently and playing well for my club.' Yazbek, who joined Nashville in July last year from Norwegian outfit Viking, said the quality of the MLS competition should not be underestimated. 'It's a really good place to play, and it's only getting better,' he said. 'There's so much money floating throughout the league to attract players and bring good young players in. It's not that 'old league' that it had previously been seen as. 'The facilities, the stadiums, the scheduling and the travelling – it's world class, We have a lot of luxuries that you wouldn't get anywhere else in the world. 'The quality's constantly going up, there are plenty of games and I'm excited to see what the next few years have in store.'
News.com.au
5 hours ago
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The insult Ange couldn't cop in ‘disaster' showdown with Fergie's Manchester United
Ange Postecoglou's South Melbourne Hellas side trained before Manchester United at the Maracana on the eve of playing one another in the inaugural FIFA Club World Championship of 2000. As superstars like David Beckham and Roy Keane arrived on the fabled pitch in Brazil, the South Melbourne players fawned, more like fans than opponents. Postecoglou was filthy. 'Ange said, 'Get the f*** out of here. Go inside'. He took it as an insult,' Elias Donoudis, there covering the tournament for Greek newspaper Neos Kosmos, said in the Postecoglou biography Angeball. South Melbourne's involvement in that tournament, and Ange's refusal to play the pitiable underdog, was a remarkable early chapter in the Postecoglou story. Having taken an unfancied team to one of football's great cathedrals to play the biggest club in the world, the Australian manager walked away knowing that anything was possible. 'I stared down the beast,' he told the ABC in 2015, the same year he led the Socceroos to Asian Cup glory. 'After that, I had nothing to fear.' South Melbourne's path to the tournament was rather more humble, coming via the 1999 OFC Club Championship in Fiji. The back-to-back NSL champions beat Malaita Eagles of the Solomon Islands (2-1) and Konica FC of American Samoa (10-0) in Group A, then breezed by AS Venus of Tahiti 3-0 in the semi-finals. Local hope Nadi was beaten 5-1 in the final, thanks to goals from Steve Iosifidis, David Clarkson, Michael Curcija, Vaughan Coveny and Steve Panopoulos. It was a tougher game than the scoreline indicated. 'Just to qualify for the tournament was surreal,' Hellas winger Goran Lozanovski said, per Football Nation Radio. 'We had to play this local Fijian side to qualify and it was the toughest game we had played in. The grass was thick and there were toads jumping on the ground. 'But we wanted that win badly because we knew what the end result would be.' Afterwards, the players sang Peter Allen's I go to Rio in their dressing room. Qualification for the Club World Championship meant the trip of a lifetime, plus a $4 million participation windfall for South Melbourne. And for Postecoglou, it was about respect after Hellas' championships were given limited recognition within Australian football, let alone the broader public. 'When are we going to get the recognition we deserve, because this team has been on top for two years,' he told reporters before attending the draw. 'I am flying to Brazil tomorrow because we are one of the eight teams in the world playing in this world club competition. This tournament is the most important thing in club football in this country for years, if ever, and these young men are setting new standards out there, but they don't get the recognition.' They were drawn in Group B against United, fresh from their iconic 1999 treble, plus a hometown Vasco da Gama side boasting Romario, and Mexican club Necaxa; the South American and North American continental champions respectively. Real Madrid (UEFA), Al-Nassr (AFC) and Raja Casablanca (CAF) were in Group A along with Corinthians, the host and reigning Brazilian champion. Far from the delirium of the Aussies, United were there under duress and had to forfeit their FA Cup defence in the name of currying favour (in vain) with FIFA. 'It turned out to be a disaster for us,' manager Sir Alex Ferguson told club magazine Inside United. 'We did it to help England's World Cup bid and that was the political situation. 'I regretted it because we got nothing but stick and terrible criticism for not being in the FA Cup when really, it wasn't our fault at all. 'The Football Association and the government felt that playing in this tournament would help England's bid to host the 2006 World Cup. 'There was a lot of undue criticism — but it was a great two-week break.' Nearly everyone of note in England gave their two pence, accusing United of 'disrespecting' or even 'killing' the FA Cup. 'If they don't play this year, they should never play again,' cricket great Ian Botham declared. Beckham also remembers the misgivings over United's participation. 'To be honest, it was something we talked about in the dressing room as much as everyone else did outside Old Trafford,' Beckham wrote in Inside United. 'We were looking forward to going to Brazil, looking forward to playing clubs from all over the world. But nobody was happy about missing out on the FA Cup. 'It didn't feel right not to defend the trophy. Perhaps we could have been given a bye through to the fourth round while we were away and joined when we came back, I don't know. That was for the FA and the club to sort out.' But an experience that was trifling to United's highly-paid stars was unforgettable for the South Melbourne boys. They travelled business class, took a large entourage of family and friends, dined with controversial FIFA president Sepp Blatter and stayed in a glitzy mountaintop hotel in Rio. 'We were like kings. We couldn't believe it,' striker John Anastasiadis said in Angeball. Postecoglou's side was decent but also outmatched. Their opening game against Vasco da Gama drew 66,000 people to the Maracana and they were in full voice as South Melbourne sat terrified in their dressing room, where the ceiling was visibly shaking. 'We're pretty much sh**ting ourselves,' Hellas defender Steve Iosifidis recalled in Angeball. Postecoglou played the Hunters and Collectors anthem Holy Grail to snap them out of it. In a manner that would later become world famous, he told them to be proud and enjoy the game. 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'It's been fantastic here – what a chance for us to come out and get some sun,' he told the BBC. 'Back home we would have been freezing our toes off. Playing in the Maracana stadium – that's an experience that probably 90 per cent of the top players in the world don't get. 'It's been well organised, the Brazilian people have looked after us very well. On the playing side, we wish we had been better.' Criticism of the Red Devils' presence in Rio reached fever pitch back in England as the Hellas showdown approached. The Daily Mirror branded it 'the most meaningless football game in history … the result is irrelevant, as neither team can make the final of this absurd tournament anyway. Nobody will turn up to watch it, nobody will tune in to see it and nobody cares what happens.' Yet for Postecoglou, it was invaluable. He got to spend about 15 minutes with Ferguson. 'He was kind with his time when he didn't have to be, and there are plenty I've come across that aren't kind with their time,' Postecoglou told 'That leaves an impression on you as well, because you go, 'I don't want to be like that'. You realise that and think, I don't want anyone to think that about me. So the fact that he spent 10, 15 minutes talking to a young manager, I was 34 at the time, it was significant. 'We were walking to a press conference, and he said, 'You're never going to like this stuff, I hate it'. 'So I hung on his every word, but more important was the impression he made on me that if you can do that to a person, that person then leaves thinking or feeling like you've given them that time of day, and that has an unbelievable effect, because you're not just representing yourself. 'He's representing his football club at the time and all these other things. So yeah, those kinds of things leave a mark on you.' Ferguson wasn't so generous as to field a full-strength team, with his tournament effectively over. Jonathan Greening, Danny Higginbotham and Ronnie Wallwork were a few of the names on the team sheet for a fixture that United's yearbook later deemed to have 'an unmistakeable aura of anticlimax'. The game drew 25,000 fans, allegedly. Yet it was a big moment for Postecoglou and an early nod to his philosophy. He refused to be conservative and though Hellas fell to 2-0 via a Quinton Fortune brace inside 20 minutes, his side played attacking football throughout and created chances. Coveny and Curcija very nearly scored in the second half. Coveny lobbed United goalkeeper Raimond van der Gouw, only for his shot to inexplicably hit both posts. Ferguson noticed. 'He said to me that we did very well,' Postecoglou said, per the Herald Sun. 'He also said, 'I bet you I get a question about Beckham, even though he was only on for 14 minutes'.' Having given a good account of themselves, South Melbourne's players marched to the United dressing room to swap jerseys. They weren't met entirely well by the big-money stars, until hard-nosed captain Roy Keane told them to pull their heads in. 'There was a bit of sarcasm from the United players when we came in,' Lozanovski said. 'Would you believe Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer] and Andy Cole were giggling, going, 'Look at these amateurs'. 'But Roy Keane walks in and really put them in their place, telling them to be respectful. I have the utmost respect for Roy, he was a complete gentleman.' Panopoulos got Beckham's jersey. Becks and his United teammates were by then sick of their Brazilian holiday. The tournament ended with a scoreless draw between Vasco da Gama and Corinthians; Vasco da Gama won 4-3 on penalties to become the inaugural champion. 'I couldn't wait to get back to some mud, wind and rain, to get on with the rest of the season,' Beckham said. 'We might not have had the FA Cup to look forward to but while we'd been away, no other team had been able to catch up: the premiership was there to be won.' And it was. United defended their Premier League crown in a canter, despite being second at the turn of the new year, finishing 18 points ahead of Arsenal. South Melbourne, meanwhile, weren't able to go on to a hat-trick of NSL titles. Postecoglou remembers the season being a write-off around the excitement of the Brazil adventure. 'There was a fair bit of prize money at stake for a club like ours,' Postecoglou said earlier this year ahead of an FA Cup clash against Tamworth. 'Qualifying for that tournament probably destroyed our domestic season because from the moment we qualified our players just didn't want to risk getting injured and were just not interested in our league season. We had a disaster that season, they just didn't want to miss out on playing. 'We ended up losing 2-0 on the day [against Manchester United] but we gave a decent account of ourselves considering the difference. 'Some of my players, who were semi-pro but good footballers, probably played the games of their lives that day.' And Postecoglou tasted the big time. So began his remarkable ascent in the world game. It was incredible symmetry that his finest moment in club football came against United, 25 years later, when he led Tottenham Hotspur past the Red Devils in the Europa League final. Ferguson was there watching.
The Advertiser
6 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Veteran Socceroo up for World Cup fight
Martin Boyle is done with experiencing the World Cup from the sidelines. But with injured players returning and ambitious youngsters waiting in the wings, he will have to fight for his dream of taking the field on football's grandest stage. Boyle was famously ruled out two days before the Qatar World Cup, requiring a full reconstruction of his right knee. The popular winger was the Socceroos' vibes manager on crutches as they went on a barnstorming run to the round of 16. But after helping Australia seal automatic qualification to next year's World Cup finals, Boyle, 32, wants more. "I'm glad I got to experience it, I still had them special memories of being selected and being part of the qualifying campaign," Boyle told AAP. "But to physically play and do your best and help the team is something that I'm really hungry to do. "Obviously, I'm not getting any younger. This could be my last chance, so I really need to keep working hard at club level, keep scoring goals and assists and try to get better. "Obviously, it'll be in the back of my mind that I want to play at the World Cup. But it's not a given. "You have to earn the right to be there, and the competition for places is really difficult at the moment. So as long as I keep performing, then hopefully I can make it." Jackson Irvine, Harry Souttar, Mathew Leckie, Craig Goodwin, Nishan Velupillay and Nestory Irankunda are among those who didn't feature against Japan and Saudi Arabia and will be pushing their cases. "The boss has made that clear that he wants people performing and being at their best every camp," Boyle said. "So it will be difficult. We've had a lot of boys missing. It's great competition." Boyle, who has triggered another year at Scottish club Hibernian, had to fight his way into Tony Popovic's plans, after falling out of favour early. "I came back swinging - not physically swinging, because he would knock me out," Boyle said of towering boss Popovic with a laugh. "But it was quite difficult. I just came back from my wrist surgery, and I didn't feel like I was fully up to speed, and maybe that was a kick up the backside of 'I'm really in for a fight for my position'. "I went back to my club level, and I was hungry, I was motivated. The results we were getting there at club level really spurred me on and pushed me on. "I've started the last four (games), which has been brilliant." While Boyle fondly remembers Australia's dramatic win over Peru on penalties four years ago, he is delighted to have the Socceroos' World Cup berth locked in a year out. Popovic can use international windows in September, October, November, March and June to prepare. "It's a great feeling, we don't have that stress. We don't have that in the back of our minds," Boyle said. "We can fully prepare for a full year. "I am not entirely sure what the games will be like, but I presume we'll have some good ties, and hopefully we can have a few ties over in the US and stuff like that. "But it's definitely a relief. We're all on cloud nine at the moment." Martin Boyle is done with experiencing the World Cup from the sidelines. But with injured players returning and ambitious youngsters waiting in the wings, he will have to fight for his dream of taking the field on football's grandest stage. Boyle was famously ruled out two days before the Qatar World Cup, requiring a full reconstruction of his right knee. The popular winger was the Socceroos' vibes manager on crutches as they went on a barnstorming run to the round of 16. But after helping Australia seal automatic qualification to next year's World Cup finals, Boyle, 32, wants more. "I'm glad I got to experience it, I still had them special memories of being selected and being part of the qualifying campaign," Boyle told AAP. "But to physically play and do your best and help the team is something that I'm really hungry to do. "Obviously, I'm not getting any younger. This could be my last chance, so I really need to keep working hard at club level, keep scoring goals and assists and try to get better. "Obviously, it'll be in the back of my mind that I want to play at the World Cup. But it's not a given. "You have to earn the right to be there, and the competition for places is really difficult at the moment. So as long as I keep performing, then hopefully I can make it." Jackson Irvine, Harry Souttar, Mathew Leckie, Craig Goodwin, Nishan Velupillay and Nestory Irankunda are among those who didn't feature against Japan and Saudi Arabia and will be pushing their cases. "The boss has made that clear that he wants people performing and being at their best every camp," Boyle said. "So it will be difficult. We've had a lot of boys missing. It's great competition." Boyle, who has triggered another year at Scottish club Hibernian, had to fight his way into Tony Popovic's plans, after falling out of favour early. "I came back swinging - not physically swinging, because he would knock me out," Boyle said of towering boss Popovic with a laugh. "But it was quite difficult. I just came back from my wrist surgery, and I didn't feel like I was fully up to speed, and maybe that was a kick up the backside of 'I'm really in for a fight for my position'. "I went back to my club level, and I was hungry, I was motivated. The results we were getting there at club level really spurred me on and pushed me on. "I've started the last four (games), which has been brilliant." While Boyle fondly remembers Australia's dramatic win over Peru on penalties four years ago, he is delighted to have the Socceroos' World Cup berth locked in a year out. Popovic can use international windows in September, October, November, March and June to prepare. "It's a great feeling, we don't have that stress. We don't have that in the back of our minds," Boyle said. "We can fully prepare for a full year. "I am not entirely sure what the games will be like, but I presume we'll have some good ties, and hopefully we can have a few ties over in the US and stuff like that. "But it's definitely a relief. We're all on cloud nine at the moment." Martin Boyle is done with experiencing the World Cup from the sidelines. But with injured players returning and ambitious youngsters waiting in the wings, he will have to fight for his dream of taking the field on football's grandest stage. Boyle was famously ruled out two days before the Qatar World Cup, requiring a full reconstruction of his right knee. The popular winger was the Socceroos' vibes manager on crutches as they went on a barnstorming run to the round of 16. But after helping Australia seal automatic qualification to next year's World Cup finals, Boyle, 32, wants more. "I'm glad I got to experience it, I still had them special memories of being selected and being part of the qualifying campaign," Boyle told AAP. "But to physically play and do your best and help the team is something that I'm really hungry to do. "Obviously, I'm not getting any younger. This could be my last chance, so I really need to keep working hard at club level, keep scoring goals and assists and try to get better. "Obviously, it'll be in the back of my mind that I want to play at the World Cup. But it's not a given. "You have to earn the right to be there, and the competition for places is really difficult at the moment. So as long as I keep performing, then hopefully I can make it." Jackson Irvine, Harry Souttar, Mathew Leckie, Craig Goodwin, Nishan Velupillay and Nestory Irankunda are among those who didn't feature against Japan and Saudi Arabia and will be pushing their cases. "The boss has made that clear that he wants people performing and being at their best every camp," Boyle said. "So it will be difficult. We've had a lot of boys missing. It's great competition." Boyle, who has triggered another year at Scottish club Hibernian, had to fight his way into Tony Popovic's plans, after falling out of favour early. "I came back swinging - not physically swinging, because he would knock me out," Boyle said of towering boss Popovic with a laugh. "But it was quite difficult. I just came back from my wrist surgery, and I didn't feel like I was fully up to speed, and maybe that was a kick up the backside of 'I'm really in for a fight for my position'. "I went back to my club level, and I was hungry, I was motivated. The results we were getting there at club level really spurred me on and pushed me on. "I've started the last four (games), which has been brilliant." While Boyle fondly remembers Australia's dramatic win over Peru on penalties four years ago, he is delighted to have the Socceroos' World Cup berth locked in a year out. Popovic can use international windows in September, October, November, March and June to prepare. "It's a great feeling, we don't have that stress. We don't have that in the back of our minds," Boyle said. "We can fully prepare for a full year. "I am not entirely sure what the games will be like, but I presume we'll have some good ties, and hopefully we can have a few ties over in the US and stuff like that. "But it's definitely a relief. We're all on cloud nine at the moment."
