Latest news with #ALeagueMen
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Aloisi to continue as Western United coach
Socceroos legend John Aloisi has signed a two-year contract extension to remain as coach of embattled A-League Men outfit Western United. The fresh deal comes amid the ongoing saga surrounding United's future, with parent company Western Melbourne Group seeking to finalise a sale of the financially-stricken club to American investors. United are also looking to replace leading scorer Noah Botic, who earnt a move to Austrian Bundesliga outfit Austria Vienna through his dazzling ALM form last season. Aloisi led United to a semi-final appearance last season, when they were knocked out by eventual champions Melbourne City. The 49-year-old first took the reins at United in 2021 and steered the club to the ALM championship the following year. Now entering his fifth season in charge, he is the longest-serving coach in the club's short history. "I still see so much growth left on and off the pitch and I can't wait to continue this journey together as a club, with the support of our fans who have stuck by us through the highs and the lows," Aloisi said. "First season at Ironbark last season, and we already started to make it our fortress. "It was so special to play there in front of our home fans and I'm eager to see them all there again cheering our boys on. "I am super excited to continue working with this group of players. "We played some great attacking football last season and I know this group is still hungry to keep learning and improving." United, drawn to host Sydney FC in the Australia Cup round of 32 on July 29, are the last ALM club to appoint a head coach for the 2025-26 season. The make-up of Aloisi's coaching staff remains unclear, following the departure of assistant coach Andrew Durante last week. Durante has joined cross-town rivals Melbourne Victory as an assistant to Arthur Diles.
The Guardian
01-06-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Alessandro Circati returns as Socceroos name squad for crunch World Cup qualifiers
Socceroos coach Tony Popovic has named fit-again defender Alessandro Circati as part of his extended 26-man squad for upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Japan and Saudi Arabia. Australia sit third in the qualifying group on 13 points and will round out their campaign against Japan in Perth on Thursday and third-placed Saudi Arabia (10 points) in Jeddah the following Tuesday. The top two in the group will automatically qualify for the 2026 World Cup, and Australia can guarantee their place if they beat Japan at Optus Stadium on 5 June. Classy central defender Circati ruptured his ACL last September, but has made a remarkable return for Serie A club Parma. A large portion of Popovic's squad arrived in Perth direct from a training camp in the United Arab Emirates – which featured players free from their respective club duties. Circati is joined by fellow West Australians, Cameron Burgess (Ipswich Town) and Adam Taggart (Perth Glory). Riley McGree (Middlesbrough) and Connor Metcalfe (St Pauli) have also been selected, making their long-awaited returns from injury. Aziz Behich will arrive in Perth fresh from lifting the A-League Men championship trophy, following Melbourne City's 1-0 win over Melbourne Victory. Victory defender Kasey Bos, younger brother of injured left-back Jordy, earns his first Socceroos call up. Bos is one of six players that will arrive into camp direct from the grand final, including teammates Daniel Arzani and Ryan Teague. Injuries have scuppered the hopes of Mathew Leckie and Nishan Velupillay while Jackson Irvine was already ruled out. Paul Okon-Engstler (Benfica) – son of Socceroos great and assistant coach Paul Okon – also earns his first call up to the senior national team, after impressing during his time in Abu Dhabi. Sign up to Australia Sport Get a daily roundup of the latest sports news, features and comment from our Australian sports desk after newsletter promotion Okon-Engstler was most recently an integral part of Australia's successful AFC U20 Asian Cup campaign. But Johnny Warren Medallist Nicolas Milanovic was overlooked, along with Kusini Yengi, while Craig Goodwin and defensive midfielders Nectar Triantis and Max Balard are also missing. 'We've put ourselves in a good position within the group to be in control of our destiny,' Popovic said. 'We are ready to embrace this challenge with great respect of our opponents, though full of belief and confidence to achieve our goal of automatic qualification. 'We've had the opportunity to work with a large group of these players in a training camp in Abu Dhabi, which has been extremely beneficial both on and off the pitch.' Socceroos squad: Daniel Arzani, Aziz Behich, Brandon Borrello, Kasey Bos, Martin Boyle, Cameron Burgess, Anthony Caceres, Alessandro Circati, Milos Degenek, Mitchell Duke, Joe Gauci, Jason Geria, Paul Izzo, Riley McGree, Connor Metcalfe, Lewis Miller, Paul Okon-Engstler, Aiden O'Neill, Kye Rowles, Mat Ryan, Mohamed Toure, Adam Taggart, Ryan Teague, Marco Tilio, Kai Trewin, Patrick Yazbek.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Melbourne City face up to winning ugly to end run of A-League near misses
Despair for one side of Melbourne, jubilation for the other. It was 5 May 2024 and after a heroic performance from keeper Paul Izzo, Melbourne Victory had just eliminated Melbourne City from the A-League Men finals after a dramatic penalty shootout. Illustrative of the high standards set, it capped off the worst season City had experienced in recent times, scraping into the playoffs after sacking coach Rado Vidošić just two weeks into the campaign and failing to reach the grand final for the first time in five years. A host of club legends would soon depart amid league-wide cuts to distributions and budgets. It almost felt like the recession the club needed to have. But the bear is gone, and the bull is back. As referee Adam Kersey's whistle rang out for the final time in front of a record crowd at AAMI Park and players sank to their knees in joyous celebration in front of him, coach Aurelio Vidmar was wrapped in a bear hug by his director of football Michael Petrillo and assistants Scott Jamieson and Paul Pezos. City had sealed a 1-0 triumph over Victory on Saturday night to become champions of Australia for the second time. Advertisement Related: Melbourne City clinch championship with fiery A-League Men grand final win over Victory Joe Marston medallist as best despite finishing the game in being a bloody mess, Mat Leckie's performance was not only of the legacy-defining variety but also reflective of the way his side went about returning to the mountain top. It hadn't been pretty in the slightest, but it had been effective. Physicality and desperation added to a cunning ability to ride the whistle and slow the game down and disrupt their opponents' flow. It ensured that Yonatan Cohen's 10th-minute goal was all that would be needed, Victory failing to produce much in the way of anything that would constitute a major threat to Patrick Beah's goal. Losing four of the previous five deciders they had reached – lowlighted by a 6-1 hammering by Central Coast Mariners in their last trip to this stage – men's grand finals hadn't been kind to City over the years. But this was different. The top-level talent might not be the same as in previous campaigns but in its place is a trusted if unheralded depth. Vidmar backed 17-year-old Medin Memeti with 24 minutes off the bench in the decider as he replaced 19-year-old Max Caputo, and City carried a level of steel and leadership that didn't allow them to blink under the bright lights as they had done in the past. A year ago, Vidmar told the media after the shootout loss that he was set to come back next season, signing a two-year contract extension after initially arriving as a caretaker. Much of the club's fan base wasn't impressed. After years of swashbuckling, high-scoring football, there was a feeling Vidmar's less spectacular approach would neither deliver them the ruthless drive nor the success they craved. This sense of frustration was only exacerbated when former coach Patrick Kisnorbo landed back in Melbourne not at the helm of City but, instead, at Victory. Advertisement But not only did Victory's gamble on Kisnorbo soon blow up in their faces when he left for Japan in December – Arthur Diles' late-season resurgence sparing the club plenty of blushes – City would go on to finish second and qualify for Asia under Vidmar, fielding the most miserly defence in the league. Entrusting the dressing room to leaders such as Aziz Behich – the move to loan the skipper to Al Nassr last season, in hindsight, a heavy blow to City's hopes – Leckie, Andrew Nabbout and James Jeggo, the squad pulled in the same direction more as the season went on. 'Despite people thinking you don't do a worldwide search, we have the capability of doing that within the [City Football Group],' said Petrillo. 'Aurelio's numbers came up really high in the data that we had. 'He had a lot of things to contend with last year. He inherited a side with probably not quite the right mentality. And we made some wholesale changes at the end – some of them were made for us. But I knew, working with him, I could see where we were going.' Related: Melbourne City defeat Melbourne Victory in A-League Men grand final – as it happened Indeed, difficult as it may be to imagine, given he's got a stand at Hindmarsh Stadium named in his honour, Vidmar's contribution to Australian football is perhaps underappreciated in the broader footballing public. the 58-year-old is one of the best players ever produced by the country and one of the most talented to ever pull on a Socceroos shirt. But given his playing career ended before the World Cup qualification for 2006, he never got the mainstream exposure of others. His coaching career, meanwhile, features a premiership and Asian final with Adelaide but had largely been characterised in 'pissant town' remarks. Now, though, just over a year after his barbequing of some prime rib was interrupted by his old friend Petrillo calling him out of the blue to come to City, he's an A-League Men championship-winning coach too.
The Guardian
01-06-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Melbourne City face up to winning ugly to end run of A-League near misses
Despair for one side of Melbourne, jubilation for the other. It was 5 May 2024 and after a heroic performance from keeper Paul Izzo, Melbourne Victory had just eliminated Melbourne City from the A-League Men finals after a dramatic penalty shootout. Illustrative of the high standards set, it capped off the worst season City had experienced in recent times, scraping into the playoffs after sacking coach Rado Vidošić just two weeks into the campaign and failing to reach the grand final for the first time in five years. A host of club legends would soon depart amid league-wide cuts to distributions and budgets. It almost felt like the recession the club needed to have. But the bear is gone, and the bull is back. As referee Adam Kersey's whistle rang out for the final time in front of a record crowd at AAMI Park and players sank to their knees in joyous celebration in front of him, coach Aurelio Vidmar was wrapped in a bear hug by his director of football Michael Petrillo and assistants Scott Jamieson and Paul Pezos. City had sealed a 1-0 triumph over Victory on Saturday night to become champions of Australia for the second time. Joe Marston medallist as best despite finishing the game in being a bloody mess, Mat Leckie's performance was not only of the legacy-defining variety but also reflective of the way his side went about returning to the mountain top. It hadn't been pretty in the slightest, but it had been effective. Physicality and desperation added to a cunning ability to ride the whistle and slow the game down and disrupt their opponents' flow. It ensured that Yonatan Cohen's 10th-minute goal was all that would be needed, Victory failing to produce much in the way of anything that would constitute a major threat to Patrick Beah's goal. Losing four of the previous five deciders they had reached – lowlighted by a 6-1 hammering by Central Coast Mariners in their last trip to this stage – men's grand finals hadn't been kind to City over the years. But this was different. The top-level talent might not be the same as in previous campaigns but in its place is a trusted if unheralded depth. Vidmar backed 17-year-old Medin Memeti with 24 minutes off the bench in the decider as he replaced 19-year-old Max Caputo, and City carried a level of steel and leadership that didn't allow them to blink under the bright lights as they had done in the past. Presenting your Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final 2025 Champions: @MelbourneCity! 🏆👏 A year ago, Vidmar told the media after the shootout loss that he was set to come back next season, signing a two-year contract extension after initially arriving as a caretaker. Much of the club's fan base wasn't impressed. After years of swashbuckling, high-scoring football, there was a feeling Vidmar's less spectacular approach would neither deliver them the ruthless drive nor the success they craved. This sense of frustration was only exacerbated when former coach Patrick Kisnorbo landed back in Melbourne not at the helm of City but, instead, at Victory. But not only did Victory's gamble on Kisnorbo soon blow up in their faces when he left for Japan in December – Arthur Diles' late-season resurgence sparing the club plenty of blushes – City would go on to finish second and qualify for Asia under Vidmar, fielding the most miserly defence in the league. Entrusting the dressing room to leaders such as Aziz Behich – the move to loan the skipper to Al Nassr last season, in hindsight, a heavy blow to City's hopes – Leckie, Andrew Nabbout and James Jeggo, the squad pulled in the same direction more as the season went on. 'Despite people thinking you don't do a worldwide search, we have the capability of doing that within the [City Football Group],' said Petrillo. 'Aurelio's numbers came up really high in the data that we had. 'He had a lot of things to contend with last year. He inherited a side with probably not quite the right mentality. And we made some wholesale changes at the end – some of them were made for us. But I knew, working with him, I could see where we were going.' Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Indeed, difficult as it may be to imagine, given he's got a stand at Hindmarsh Stadium named in his honour, Vidmar's contribution to Australian football is perhaps underappreciated in the broader footballing public. the 58-year-old is one of the best players ever produced by the country and one of the most talented to ever pull on a Socceroos shirt. But given his playing career ended before the World Cup qualification for 2006, he never got the mainstream exposure of others. His coaching career, meanwhile, features a premiership and Asian final with Adelaide but had largely been characterised in 'pissant town' remarks. Now, though, just over a year after his barbequing of some prime rib was interrupted by his old friend Petrillo calling him out of the blue to come to City, he's an A-League Men championship-winning coach too.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
City star's Socceroos hopes hit by fresh injury
Melbourne City star Mathew Leckie's latest bid to return to the Socceroos appears over after revealing he is dealing with a hamstring issue along with the busted nose suffered in the A-League Men grand final. Leckie won the Joe Marston Medal as player of the match in City's 1-0 win over Melbourne Victory on Saturday night, despite having his nose splattered across his face after copping an accidental boot early in the second half. A battered Leckie confirmed after his heroic performance that he had been called up - for the first time under Tony Popovic - for crunch World Cup qualifiers against Japan in Perth on June 5 and against Saudi Arabia in Jeddah five days later. But the 2022 World Cup hero is now unlikely to go - between both requiring assessment on his face in Melbourne on Monday and a fresh soft tissue injury. The 34-year-old revealed he had suffered a hamstring injury on Tuesday and had carried it into Saturday's decider, when he starred at defensive midfield - showcasing his grit and versatility. "I was selected for the national team but now I'm not sure. There's a good chance I won't go because of this," he said. "But also on Tuesday, I hurt my hamstring, so I basically played with a strained hamstring. "It was minor but we didn't get it scanned. I didn't want to know it was. "I just wanted to get through Friday's session. It didn't feel too bad. And then with medication and stuff (I could play)." Leckie hasn't played for Australia since the June 2024 win over Palestine, when Graham Arnold was still coach. "I want to be there. I really do," he said. "I've always said that I love the national team. I love representing Australia. "But obviously over the last two years, my body's just been a lot of dramas with injuries. "And as much as I would like to be there, what's happening now with this and recently with my leg, I really, really think I do need just a really good break. And hopefully it all works out for next season. "Just have a nice break, get through the preseason - because I need a good pre season - not just stop-start. Because I was back four or five times this year. "I need consistency. My body needs game time, and hopefully with a really good break that'll happen." He hopes that getting his body right can deliver the consistent form to make a run at a potential fourth World Cup. "I need to play a really good season to give myself a chance," he said. "If I'm playing, I'm healthy, playing well, that's what's gonna keep an opportunity to potentially compete." Leckie could at least soak up his first championship win. "It feels unbelievable," he said. "I was saying, if we had lost this game and I walked away looking like this, then I would get devastated. It's all worth it. "Now we've made another special moment where, when I finish my career, I can look back on and I've probably got scars that'll remind me as well."
