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2007–08 Sydney FC season

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Sydney FC
2007–2008 season
ChairmanGeorge Perry;
Andrew Kemeny
ManagerBranko Čulina;
John Kosmina
A-League3rd (League)
4th (Finals)
A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup7th
Pan-Pacific Championship4th
Top goalscorerLeague: Alex Brosque (8 goals)
All: Alex Brosque (11 goals)
Highest home attendanceLeague: 33,458 (20 January 2008, vs Melbourne);
All: 80,295 (27 November 2007 vs Los Angeles Galaxy)
Lowest home attendance10,732 (7 December 2007, vs Newcastle Jets)

The 2007–08 season is Sydney FC's third season of football (soccer) in Australia. The club finished seventh in the A-League Pre-season Challenge Cup and competed in the A-League 2007-08 season.

After a disappointing start to the season, the club sacked coach Branko Čulina in October,[1] and appointed John Kosmina. The team recovered from its poor start to finish third on the league table, securing a place in the finals series but being eliminated in the semi-final by Template:ALeague QR.

The club represented Australia at the Pan-Pacific Championship in February 2008 and finished fourth after losing to American MLS sides Houston Dynamo and Los Angeles Galaxy.

Pre-season

AFC Champions League

As A-League 2005-06 Champions, Sydney qualified for the 2007 AFC Champions League as one of the two teams representing Australia along with 2005–06 League Premiers, Template:ALeague AU. Group matches were played from March to May 2007, during the A-League off-season. Sydney finished second in their group after two wins, three draws and one loss, a point behind Urawa Reds who progressed to the next stage of competition.

Squad preparation

For the new season, Sydney have established an agreement with Macquarie University to use the Sport and Aquatic Centre as a training base[2] and also establishing an off-field relationship offering educational, corporate and research linkages.[3][4] As part of preparations, the club staged a training camp on the Sunshine Coast with a match against a team of local players in the lead up to their opening Pre-season Cup match.[5] Sydney will also play a series of friendly matches against NSW Premier League and State League sides, to engage with the Sydney football community.[6] These friendlies and Pre-season Cup matches also provided experience for trialling players Ben Vidaic, Cameron Watson, Daniel Severino, Robbie Cattanach, Shannon Cole, Chris Nunes, former short-term Sydney player Tolgay Özbey and goalkeepers Vendram Janjetovic and Matthew Nash.

Friendly matches

Sunshine Coast Select XI1–2Template:ALeague SFC
Tyson Holmes Report Ufuk Talay
Sydney University SFC0–3Template:ALeague SFC
Report David Zdrilic 25'
Mark Rudan 44'
Ben Vidaic 80'
Attendance: 100
Manly United FC2–3Template:ALeague SFC
Andrew Mailer 20'
Brad Groves 77'		 Report Adam Biddle 15'
Michael Enfield 40'
Ufuk Talay 75'
Cromer Park, Sydney
Attendance: 1,900
Penrith Nepean United2–1Template:ALeague SFC
Mitchell Long 44'
Ben Gough approx. 75' (pen.)		 Report Mark Milligan 27'
CUA Stadium, Sydney
Attendance: 5,000

2007 A-League Pre-season Cup

The Pre-season Cup competition consists of two groups of four teams, each team to play each other once. All teams then progress to a playoff stage with opponents based on group position, followed by finals series to determine the cup winner. Sydney finished the group stage bottom of Group B behind Template:ALeague CCM, Template:ALeague QR and Template:ALeague WP. After a loss and a win in the final placings matches, they were ranked seventh.

Fixtures

Group stage

Template:ALeague QR0–0Template:ALeague SFC
Danny Tiatto Yellow card 43' Report Ufuk Talay Yellow card 13'
Terry McFlynn Yellow card 66'
Attendance: 4,892
Referee: Chris Beath
Template:ALeague WP3–0Template:ALeague SFC
Michael Ferrante Yellow card 1'
Shane Smeltz 13', 89'
Mark Rudan (og) 14'
Ross Aloisi Yellow card 64'
Cleberson Yellow card 77'		 Report Ufuk Talay Yellow card 84'
Attendance: 6,039
Referee: Peter O'Leary
Template:ALeague SFC0–3Template:ALeague CCM
Clint Bolton Yellow card 51'
Nikolas Tsattalios Yellow card 63'
Tony Popovic Yellow card 65'
Alex Brosque Yellow card 68'		 Report Matthew Osman 36'
Adam Kwasnik 44'
Andre Gumprecht 51'
Mile Jedinak Yellow card 55'
Nigel Boogaard Yellow card 90'
Attendance: 5,735
Referee: Ben Williams

Group B Table

Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA BP
Template:ALeague CCM 10 3 2 1 0 6 1 3
Template:ALeague QR 6 3 1 2 0 3 2 1
Template:ALeague WP 5 3 1 0 2 4 4 2
Template:ALeague SFC 1 3 0 1 2 0 6 0

Playoffs

Template:ALeague SFC2–3Template:ALeague NUJ
Tony Popovic Yellow card 21'
Brendon Santalab Yellow card 47'
Ruben Zadkovich 79'
Ufuk Talay 83'		 Report Joel Griffiths 5', 76'
Adam D'Apuzzo Yellow card 9'
Jobe Wheelhouse Yellow card 29'
Scott Tunbridge 56'
Steve Eagleton Yellow card 82'
Attendance: 2,611
Referee: Peter Green
Template:ALeague MV0–1Template:ALeague SFC
Report Alex Brosque 34' Yellow card 47'
Adam Biddle Yellow card 58'
Shannon Cole Yellow card 79'
Terry McFlynn Yellow card 87'
Olympic Park, Melbourne
Attendance: 3,400

2007–08 Hyundai A-League

On 5 August, David Carney was transferred for A$125,000 to English Championship side, Sheffield United. The former Sydney player signed a three-year deal with the club which has been reported to earn him around A$1.25 million a year.[7]

New players including former Socceroos regular Tony Popovic and former LA Galaxy Attacking Midfielder, Michael Enfield have signed with Sydney for the upcoming season. On 3 August 2007 Brazilian international Juninho Paulista, formerly of Celtic and Middlesbrough, signed with Sydney FC as their marquee player.[8] Sydney have also announced the signings of youth players Ben Vidaic and Adam Biddle.

Former Socceroos Tony Popovic has been named the new skipper alongside current Socceroos Mark Milligan as vice-captain for the coming 2007–08 season.[9]

On 15 October 2007 Michael Bridges was signed on a loan with Sydney FC, until the end of the 2007–08 season of the Hyundai A-League as a replacement for long-term casualty Michael Enfield, who has been ruled out for several months after sustaining a serious knee injury.

On 22 October 2007, it was announced that Branko Culina would be sacked from the club following disappointing results. It was announced on 23 October, that former Adelaide United coach John Kosmina will take the role as the new head coach of Sydney FC.[10]

Kosmina got the side of to a flying start under his tenure, his first match in charge, a clash with then table-topping rivals Central Coast, a thrilling 3–2 victory in front of a crowd of nearly 18,000 at the SFS, a sign of bigger things to come for the Blues. This was followed by an impressive 1–0 away victory over Newcastle Jets; with former England junior Michael Bridges recording his first goal for Sydney FC. An entertaining 0–0 draw at the Telstra Dome, with rivals Melbourne, followed, with Sydney FC still undefeated under Kosmina.

Sydney FC suffered their first loss under John Kosmina on 15 December losing 4–2 to bottom side Perth Glory. Sydney goals were scored by Steve Corica and Michael Bridges.

On 22 December, a crucial match against the Central Coast Mariners resulted in a 5–4 victory in favour of Sydney. The match, held at Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium, was described by critics as the best game ever to come from the A-League.[11] The crucial win moved Sydney FC up by 3 points to 4th place on the ladder, overtaking Adelaide United. The win was especially savoured after Sydney were down 2–0 after 15 minutes. The controversial sending-off of Mariners goalkeeper Danny Vukovic in the 16th minute turned the match in favour of Sydney, who scored their 5th goal via an Ufuk Taly penalty with the final kick of the match in stoppage time.

On Friday 28 December 2007, Sydney FC came from behind for the second time in two weeks to defeat a 10-man Adelaide United 3–1 and keep its unbeaten away record intact in front of a record crowd of 25,039 in Adelaide. This result forced Adelaide down to 5th on the ladder. With 3rd place Newcastle Jets unable to secure a victory over Wellington Phoenix in Round 18, Sydney leap-frogged the Jets into 3rd place, with only 3 points behind the tied leaders.

A week later Sydney travelled across the Tasman to face Wellington Phoenix at Westpac Stadium. Sydney came out of this match once again victorious winning 2–0 with goals from Northern Ireland superstar Terry McFlynn and current leading goalscorer for Sydney in 2007/2008 Alex Brosque. This kept them in 3rd position on the A-League ladder and in good contention for a finals berth. This win also ensured that the Phoenix would not reach the finals.

As of 30 December 2007 rumours suggesting that Sydney had signed Simon Colosimo from the Perth Glory and Newcastle Jets striker Mark Bridge for the 2008/2009 Season. Although these rumours have been proved true, no statements have officially been released as neither player wanted to cause trouble at their present clubs.

On Sunday 13 January 2008 Sydney flew up to Brisbane to play the Queensland Roar at Suncorp Stadium. The game finished 0–0, with both sides taking a point. Sydney only needed a draw to secure their place for a 3rd consecutive finals appearance. The draw means that the top 4 teams (Sydney, Queensland Roar, Central Coast Mariners, Newcastle Jets) are all on 31 points each, although Queensland are on top due to goal difference. Both teams had excellent chances to open the scoring for their club, but good keeping and failure to capitalise on good opportunities meant that many goals went begging. In the end the 32,000 strong crowd at Suncorp Stadium went home feeling disappointed that they didn't get their moneys worth for this State of Origin Match.

The final game of the 2007/2008 regular season saw Sydney's largest crowd of the season, it drew a large crowd of 33,458 people. Sydney needed to win by at least 2 goals, and they got off to a flying start, with Steve Corica scoring in the 3rd minute. For the rest of the half Melbourne looked shellshocked, and never really recovered from to shock early goal. But they hit back 25 seconds after the break, with Sydney's minds still back in the dressing room, Melbourne midfielder Nick Ward flew down the right wing and took a shot, which ended up rebounding into Sydney defender Mark Milligan, ending up as an own goal. With 15 minutes left in the game Alex Brosque scored, making the score 2–1. But 5 Minutes later Danny Allsopp scored for Melbourne, leaving the final score 2–2. Sydney failed to claim the minor premiership which ended up going to the Central Coast Mariners with their 2–0 victory over the Wellington Phoenix at Gosford. Sydney will now play Queensland Roar in the Semi-Final which is to be held at the Sydney Football Stadium.

On Friday 26 January Sydney played their first leg home final against the Queensland Roar in front of a crowd of 23,450 at the Sydney Football Stadium. The match which was supposed to be played up at Queensland's home ground Suncorp Stadium but it was moved to Sydney because of a concert by the '80s band The Police. Recent matches against the roar, had all been mostly uneventful affairs, including a 0–0 draw a couple of weeks beforehand, and it was the same again. Both sides had few chances during the 1st half, but Queensland's Brazilian import Reinaldo missed a golden opportunity when he air-swinged a cross in the opening 10 minutes. Sydney's best chance came in the 2nd half when Alex Brosque made a break, got around defender Andrew Packer and only had to slot the ball past the keeper but ended up booting the ball over the crossbar, and into the disappointed 'cove' supporters. Late in the 2nd half Sydney suffered a blow when midfielder Robbie Middleby was fouled heavily by Roar defender Sasa Ognenovski and injured his hamstring. Middleby is now expected to miss the next leg up in Brisbane, and possibly the Grand Final. Sydney had to chance to get a double late in the game when Brendon Santalab and Patrick missed golden opportunities.

Sydney and Queensland will now play the second leg of the minor semi-final at Suncorp Stadium on 8 February 2008. Two weeks later Sydney were up in Brisbane to face off in the second leg of the preliminary final. They had suffered a knock-back the day before they flew up with Marquee player Juninho ruled out with a knee injury that he picked up in training. Ruben Zadkovich was announced as his replacement. Sydney started the match well but with lots of poor decisions by referee Mark Shield including the sending off of Midfielder Robbie Middleby for a tackle, which did not even deserve a yellow. Queensland scored in the 14th minute through their Brazilian import Reinaldo and Sydney never looked like coming back after that. Referee Shield made another poor call when Sydney captain Tony Popović allegedly shoved Roar striker Tahj Minniecon in the penalty box, and Sasa Ognenovski converted the penalty past keeper Clint Bolton. Many Sydney fans were disgusted at the poor display shown by referee Mark Shield, as most games refereed under him have turned out to be fair challenges, and as a result the small Sydney group that had travelled across the border booed him off.

Home-and-Away fixtures

Template:ALeague SFC0–1Template:ALeague CCM
Ufuk Talay Yellow card 43' Report Dean Heffernan Yellow card 41'
Mile Jedinak Yellow card 42'
Sasho Petrovski 7', Yellow card 52'
Andre Gumprecht Yellow card 61'
Attendance: 18,457
Referee: Peter Green
Template:ALeague SFC2–2Template:ALeague AU
Ufuk Talay 12'
Alex Brosque 74'		 Report Richie Alagich 8'
Bobby Petta Yellow card 45'
Nathan Burns 76'
Attendance: 14,233
Referee: Mark Shield
Template:ALeague PG0–0Template:ALeague SFC
Tyler Simpson Yellow card 61' Report Patrick da Silva Yellow card 29'
Iain Fyfe Yellow card 45'
Mark Rudan Yellow card 81'
Attendance: 7,907
Referee: Craig Zetter
Template:ALeague SFC1–2Template:ALeague WP
Adam Casey 6'
Mark Rudan Yellow card 56'
Brendon Santalab Yellow card 64'
Ruben Zadkovich Yellow card 86'
David Zdrilic Yellow card 89'		 Report Felipè 8'
Daniel 29' (pen), Yellow card 30'
Ross Aloisi Yellow card 85'
Glen Moss Yellow card 86'
Attendance: 11,491
Template:ALeague QR0–1Template:ALeague SFC
Josh McCloughlan Yellow card 33'
Danny TiattoYellow card 45'		 Report Ruben Zadkovich Yellow card 37'
Ufuk Talay Yellow card 43'
Terry McFlynn Yellow card 67'
Patrick da Silva 69'
Brendon Santalab Yellow card 87'
Attendance: 16,582
Referee: Mark Shield
Template:ALeague SFC1–0Template:ALeague NUJ
Alex Brosque 36', Yellow card 72'
Ruben Zadkovich Yellow card 84'		 Report Matt Thompson Yellow card 6'
Adam D'Apuzzo Yellow card 12'
Adam Griffiths Yellow card 22'
Attendance: 13,755
Referee: Craig Zetter
Template:ALeague SFC0–1Template:ALeague MV
Ruben Zadkovich Yellow card 8'
Steve Corica Red card 25'
Juninho Paulista Yellow card 63'
Alex Brosque Yellow card 75'
Mark Rudan Yellow card 90'		 Report Kevin Muscat Yellow card 12'
Grant Brebner Yellow card 36'
Joseph Keenan Yellow card 40'
Danny Allsopp 81'
Archie Thompson Yellow card 90+3'
Attendance: 18,436
Referee: Mark Shield
Template:ALeague PG3–3Template:ALeague SFC
Simon Colosimo Yellow card 41'
Naum Sekulovski Yellow card 48'
Jamie Harnwell 52'
James Robinson 59'
Mitchell Prentice 69', Yellow card 73'		 Report Alex Brosque 40', 90+3'
David Zdrilic Yellow card 52'
Patrick da Silva 71'
Attendance: 6,876
Template:ALeague SFC0–1Template:ALeague AU
Mark Rudan Yellow card 57'
Robbie Middleby Yellow card 85'		 Report Lucas Pantelis 52', Yellow card 73'
Dez Giraldi Yellow card 52'
Robert Cornthwaite Yellow card 69'
Attendance: 12,922
Template:ALeague SFC3–2Template:ALeague CCM
Alex Brosque 16', 25'
Tony Popovic 31'
Ufuk Talay Yellow card 86'
Clint Bolton Yellow card 87'		 Report John Hutchinson 27', Yellow card 50', 56'
Mile Jedinak Yellow card 53'
Dean Heffernan Yellow card 54'
Tony Vidmar Yellow card 64'
Attendance: 17,652
Referee: Mark Shield
Template:ALeague NUJ0–1Template:ALeague SFC
Denni Yellow card 25'
Adam Griffiths Yellow card 26'
Ante Covic Yellow card 84'		 Report Mark Milligan Yellow card 22'
Ruben Zadkovich Yellow card 47'
Michael Bridges 69', Yellow card 86'
Attendance: 16,433
Template:ALeague MV0–0Template:ALeague SFC
Grant Brebner Yellow card 41'
Kevin Muscat Yellow card 87'		 Report Iain Fyfe Yellow card 32'
Telstra Dome, Melbourne
Attendance: 31,844
Referee: Mark Shield
Template:ALeague WP1–1Template:ALeague SFC
Ross Aloisi 29'
Steven Old Yellow card 61' Yellow-red card 90+2'
Kristian Rees Yellow card 76'
Vaughan Coveny Yellow card 78'		 Report Popovic Yellow card 27' Yellow-red card 70'
Talay 90+3' (pen)
Attendance: 8,062
Referee: Peter Green
Template:ALeague SFC0–0Template:ALeague QR
Michael Bridges Yellow card 39' Report Stuart McLaren Yellow card 17'
Liam Reddy Yellow card 23'
Andrew Packer Yellow card 42' Yellow-red card 82'
Attendance: 16,659
Template:ALeague SFC1–0Template:ALeague NUJ
Robbie Middleby Yellow card 35'
Ruben Zadkovich Red card 52'
Tony Popovic Yellow card 66'
Steve Corica 90+2'		 Report Mark Bridge Yellow card 71'
Andrew Durante Yellow card 80'
Attendance: 10,732
Template:ALeague SFC2–4Template:ALeague PG
Steve Corica 50'
Mark Milligan Yellow card 64'
Michael Bridges 90', Yellow card 90+2'		 Report Billy Celeski 34', 35', 77' (pen)
Leo Bertos 49'
Dino Djulbic Yellow card 61'
James DowneyYellow card 90'
Attendance: 12,402
Template:ALeague CCM4–5Template:ALeague SFC
Mile Jedinak 3'
John Aloisi 15'
Danny Vukovic Red card 16'
John Hutchinson Yellow card 44'
Greg Owens 63' (pen)
Alex Wilkinson Yellow card 83'
Adam Kwasnik 86', Red card 90+4'		 Report Iain Fyfe 33'
Terry McFlynn 50'
Tony Popovic Yellow card 62'
Adam Biddle 71'
Brendon Santalab 76'
Mark Robertson Yellow card 78'
Ufuk Talay Yellow card 90', 90+5' (pen)
Attendance: 17,514
  • Match rescheduled from 1 December 2007 due to unplayable pitch[12]
Template:ALeague AU1–3Template:ALeague SFC
Kristian Sarkies 20'
Travis Dodd Yellow card 28'
Robert Cornthwaite Red card 33'
Eugene Galekovic Yellow card 66'
Cássio Yellow card 76'		 Report Iain Fyfe Yellow card 31'
Mark Milligan Yellow card 40'
Brendon Santalab 44'
Steve Corica 54'
Robbie Middleby Yellow card 65', 67'
Brendan Renaud Yellow card 83'
Attendance: 25,039
Template:ALeague WP0–2Template:ALeague SFC
Kristian Rees Yellow card 14'
Shane Smeltz Yellow card 81'
Tony Lochhead Yellow card 85'
Ross Aloisi Red card 91'		 Report Ufuk Talay Yellow card 26'
Terry McFlynn 79'
Alex Brosque 83'
Attendance: 14,288
Referee: Ben Williams
Template:ALeague QR0–0Template:ALeague SFC
Andrew Packer Yellow card 33'
Simon Lynch Yellow card 39'		 Report Terry McFlynn Yellow card 16'
Attendance: 31,933
Referee: Mark Shield
Template:ALeague SFC2–2Template:ALeague MV
Steve Corica 4'
Alex Brosque 62'
Brendon Santalab Yellow card 82'		 Report Leigh Broxham Yellow card 7'
Sebastian Ryall Yellow card 44'
Mark Milligan (og) 46'
Kevin Muscat Yellow card 47'
Danny Allsopp 76'
Attendance: 33,458
Referee: Peter O'Leary

League table

Template:A-League 2007-08 Position Ladder

Finals

Template:ALeague SFC0–0Template:ALeague QR
Mark Milligan Yellow card 7'
Brendan Renaud Yellow card 43'
Ufuk Talay Yellow card 56'		 Report Sasa Ognenovski Yellow card 22'
Matt McKay Yellow card 55'
Josh McCloughan Yellow card 73'
Attendance: 23,450
Referee: Mark Shield
Template:ALeague QR2–0Template:ALeague SFC
Andrew Packer Yellow card 3'
Reinaldo 12'
Massimo Murdocca Yellow card 48'
Liam Reddy Yellow card 74'
Sasa Ognenovski 83' (pen)		 Report Brendan Renaud Yellow card 15'
Robbie Middleby Red card 20'
Ufuk Talay Yellow card 67'
Tony Popovic Yellow card 82'
Attendance: 36,321
Referee: Mark Shield
  • Queensland Roar win 2–0 on aggregate

Hyundai Club Challenge

Sydney hosted the Los Angeles Galaxy in a one-off exhibition match at Telstra Stadium on 27 November, including high-profile Galaxy signing David Beckham. Sydney won the exciting match 5–3, which included a Beckham goal from a free kick.

Template:ALeague SFC5–3Los Angeles Galaxy
Alex Brosque 5', 25'
Ruben Zadkovich 29'
Robbie Middleby Yellow card 49', 53'
Adam Biddle Yellow card 76'
Iain Fyfe 87'		 Report Kevin Harmse Yellow card 31' Yellow-red card 76'
David Beckham 45', Yellow card 64'
Edson Buddle 49'
Landon Donovan 90'
Attendance: 80,295
Referee: Mark Shield

Pan-Pacific Championship

Sydney represented Australia in the inaugural Pan-Pacific Championship held in Hawaii.[13] They placed fourth overall after losing both matches, first to American MLS champions Houston Dynamo and then Los Angeles Galaxy in the third place playoff.

Houston Dynamo3–0Template:ALeague SFC
Dwayne De Rosario 28'
Stuart Holden 29'
Chris Wondolowski 43'		 Report Brendon Santalab Yellow card 49'
Ryan Walsh Yellow card 57'
Attendance: 15,128
Referee: Alex Prus
Los Angeles Galaxy2–1Template:ALeague SFC
Ely Allen 3'
Josh Tudela 45'
Michael Gavin Yellow card 72'		 Report Brendan Renaud 43'
Terry McFlynn Yellow card 49'
Mark Robertson Yellow card 51'
Attendance: 23,087
Referee: Brian Hall

Home Attendances

# Opponent Round Attendance Result
1 Central Coast Mariners 1 18,457 L 1–0
2 Adelaide United 2 14,233 D 2–2
3 Wellington Phoenix 4 11,491 L 1–2
4 Newcastle United Jets 6 13,755 W 1–0
5 Melbourne Victory 7 18,436 L 0–1
6 Adelaide United 9 12,922 L 0–1
7 Central Coast Mariners 10 17,652 W 3–2
8 Queensland Roar 14 16,659 D 0–0
9 Los Angeles Galaxy Exhibition 80,295 W 5–3
10 Newcastle United Jets 16 10,732 W 1–0
11 Perth Glory 17 12,402 L 2–4
12 Melbourne Victory 21 33,458 D 2–2
13 Queensland Roar Semi-final 23,450 D 0–0

A-League Regular Season Total: 180,197

A-League Regular Season Average: 16,382

Season Total: 283,942

Player details

For current squad details see Sydney FC Current squad

Squad

Players included in a Sydney FC squad in the 2007–08 season: Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Australia AUS Clint Bolton
2 DF Australia AUS Iain Fyfe
3 DF Australia AUS Nikolas Tsattalios
4 DF Australia AUS Mark Rudan
5 DF Australia AUS Ryan Walsh
6 DF Australia AUS Tony Popović (captain)
7 MF Australia AUS Robbie Middleby
8 MF Australia AUS Ruben Zadkovich
9 FW Australia AUS David Zdrilic
10 MF Australia AUS Steve Corica
11 FW Australia AUS Brendon Santalab
12 FW Brazil BRA Patrick da Silva
13 FW Australia AUS Ben Vidaic
14 FW Australia AUS Alex Brosque
15 MF Northern Ireland NIR Terry McFlynn
16 DF Australia AUS Mark Milligan
17 DF Australia AUS Jacob Timpano
No. Pos. Nation Player
18 FW Australia AUS Adam Casey
19 MF United States USA Michael Enfield
20 GK Australia AUS Ivan Necevski
21 MF Australia AUS Adam Biddle
22 MF Brazil BRA Juninho
23 MF Australia AUS Ufuk Talay
24 FW Australia AUS Robbie Cattanach
25 MF Australia AUS Matthew Jurman
25 DF Australia AUS Cameron Watson
25 FW Australia AUS Daniel Severino
26 MF Australia AUS Brendan Renaud
27 MF Australia AUS Shannon Cole
28 MF Australia AUS Chris Nunes
28 FW England ENG Michael Bridges
29 MF Australia AUS Mark Robertson
30 GK Australia AUS Matthew Nash
40 GK France FRA Michael Herbet

Transfers

With Branko Culina installed at the helm, he sought to reconstruct the Sydney squad which had been plagued by injuries and financial constraints the previous year. Nikolai Topor-Stanley and Noel Spencer left for other A-League sides at the end of the Asian Champions League, but defender Nikolas Tsattalios was rewarded with a longer term contract. New signings from foreign leagues were unveiled in American Michael Enfield, Brendon Santalab and World Cup Socceroo Tony Popović. Popović's expected role in the club was further reinforced by being handed the captaincy for the A-League season.[14] The club also fulfilled their youth player quota, signing Joey striker Ben Vidaic and winger Adam Biddle.

The club also sought to find a new marquee player as they had been unable to land a household-name since the departure of Dwight Yorke at the start of the previous season. The club unsuccessfully courted a number of high-profile internationals including Philip Cocu, Robbie Fowler,[15] Hakan Şükür,[16] Christian Vieri,[17] Jay-Jay Okocha[18] and John Aloisi.[19] On 3 August 2007 Sydney announced, (two days after media reports broke the story[20]) that Brazilian international Juninho Paulista will be their marquee player on a one-year deal. This came the same time as David Carney agreed to move to English side Sheffield United following speculation of his departure following the 2007 AFC Asian Cup. Sydney finalised their squad by signing a second Brazilian in striker Patrick da Silva.

With the season kicking off, new reserve goalkeeper Ivan Necevski suffered an injury in training expected to keep him out of action for up to two months. APIA Leichhardt custodian Matthew Nash impressed in his preseason trial to earn a short-term contract as cover. As first round matches were underway with Nash on the bench, Sydney agreed terms with veteran John Filan to join the club, having recently returned home after retiring at Wigan.[21] The short-term agreement fell through less than a week later, Filan citing outside issues.[22]


In

Player From League Fee Date
United States Michael Enfield Los Angeles Galaxy United States Major League Soccer Free 7 April 2007[23]
Australia Brendon Santalab Újpest FC Hungary Borsodi Liga Free 22 June 2007[24]
Australia Ivan Necevski Blacktown City Demons Australia NSW Premier League Free 22 June 2007[25]
Australia Nikolas Tsattalios Sydney FC (promoted from short-term deal) Australia A-League – 2 July 2007[26]
Australia Tony Popović Al-Arabi Qatar Qatari League Free 11 July 2007[27]
Australia Ben Vidaic Sydney United Australia NSW Premier League Free 31 July 2007[28]
Brazil Juninho Paulista Flamengo (free agent) Brazil Brazilian Série A – 3 August 2007[29]
Australia Adam Biddle Blacktown City Demons Australia NSW Premier League Free 6 August 2007[30]
Brazil Patrick da Silva Nacional Atlético Clube (SP) Brazil Campeonato Paulista Série A2 Free 18 August 2007[31]
Australia Brendan Renaud Blacktown City Demons Australia NSW Premier League Free 12 December 2007[32]

Out

Player To League Fee Date
Australia Nikolai Topor-Stanley Perth Glory Australia A-League – 24 May 2007 .[33][34]
Australia Justin Pasfield Sydney United (released) Australia NSW Premier League – 24 May 2007[35]
Australia Noel Spencer Newcastle United Jets Australia A-League – 24 May 2007[36]
Australia Luka Glavas Heidelberg United (released) Australia Victorian Premier League – 24 May 2007[37]
Australia Dean Bouzanis Liverpool F.C. (loan terminated – delisted) England Premier League – June 2007[38]
Australia David Carney Sheffield United England Premier League A$125,000 4 August 2007[39][40]
Australia Mark Rudan Avispa Fukuoka Japan J. League Div 2 A$100,000 17 December 2007[41][42]
Australia Brendan Renaud Retired – – 23 February 2008

Short-term signings

Player From Start date End date Reason
Australia Matthew Nash Australia APIA Leichhardt 23 August 2007 10 October 2007 Injury cover for Ivan Necevski[43]
21 December 2007 24 December 2007 Injury cover for Clint Bolton[44]
France Michael Herbet Australia Waverley Old Boys 6 September 2007 12 September 2007 Cover for Clint Bolton while on international duty[45]
Australia Matthew Jurman Australia AIS 6 September 2007 12 September 2007 Cover for Mark Milligan/Ruben Zadkovich while on international duty[45]
Australia Robbie Cattanach Australia Manly United FC 6 September 2007 12 September 2007 Cover for Alex Brosque while on international duty[45]
England Michael Bridges England Hull City (loan) 17 October 2007 21 January 2008 Injury cover for Michael Enfield[46][47]
Australia Mark Robertson Hungary FC Sopron 13 December 2007 24 February 2008 Injury cover for Adam Casey[48]
Australia Ryan Walsh Australia Blacktown City Demons 20 February 2008 24 February 2008 Injury cover for Robbie Middleby at Pan-Pacific Championship[49]

Team kit

For the third A-League season, all clubs released new playing strip supplied by sponsor Reebok. Sydney FC retained the established colours in a new design, a sky blue home shirt with navy blue and orange secondary colours, and a white away shirt with sky blue trim.[50]

Sydney also signed new sponsorships with Sydney-based electronics retailer Bing Lee and electronic brand JVC. The home strip will feature Bing Lee as the main shirt sponsor with JVC on the shorts, while the away shirt will feature JVC prominently and Bing Lee on the shorts. A second shirt sponsorship was secured with HBA Health Insurance, that will appear on the back of the shirt below the player number.

2007–08 home colours
2007–08 away colours
2007–08 goalkeeper

Awards

  • Sydney FC Players Player Award: Alex Brosque
  • SMH Members Player of the Year Award: Steve Corica
  • Chairman Award: John Kosmina
  • Forward of the Year: Alex Brosque
  • Midfielder of the Year: Steve Corica
  • Defender of the Year: Tony Popovic
  • Young Player of the Year Award: Adam Biddle
  • Golden Boot: Alex Brosque
  • Fans Goal of the Year Award: Brendon Santalab (Goal v Adelaide United Round 18)

[1]

References

  1. ^ "Club and Culina part by mutual consent". sydneyfc.com. 22 October 2007. Retrieved 22 October 2007.
  2. ^ "Training HQ at Macquarie University". 2 July 2007. Retrieved 4 July 2007.
  3. ^ "Sydney find training home". FourFourTwo Australia. 8 August 2007. Retrieved 8 August 2007.
  4. ^ "Unique relationship with Macquarie Uni". 9 August 2007. Retrieved 9 August 2007.
  5. ^ "Pre-season camp on Sunshine Coast". 9 July 2007. Retrieved 11 July 2007.
  6. ^ "Friendlies in the north, south and west". 9 July 2007. Retrieved 11 July 2007.
  7. ^ Carney Makes Blades Parade, 5 August 2007
  8. ^ Juninho signs as marquee player, 3 August 2007
  9. ^ Millsy Gets Vice Captain, 7 August 2007
  10. ^ "Club and Culina part by mutual consent". sydneyfc.com. 22 October 2007. Retrieved 22 October 2007.
  11. ^ "It was the best A-League game ever". The Australian. 24 December 2007. Retrieved 24 December 2007.
  12. ^ "Central Coast v Sydney FC rescheduled". sydneyfc.com. 3 December 2007. Retrieved 6 December 2007.
  13. ^ "Sydney FC to represent Australia at the PPC". Pan-Pacific Championship. 8 February 2008. Archived from the original on 17 February 2008. Retrieved 11 February 2008. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ "Popovic appointed new club captain". sydneyfc.com. 2 August 2007. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
  15. ^ "Fowler turns Sydney down". Smithies,T. 20 July 2007. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
  16. ^ "Sydney's Şükür punch plan". Smithies,T. & Davutovic,D. 1 May 2007. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
  17. ^ "Vieri to Sydney FC... maybe". 20 May 2007. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
  18. ^ "Okocha in Sydney FC talks". BBC Sport. 14 May 2007. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
  19. ^ "Sydney FC chases Socceroo hero Aloisi". The Age. Australia. 26 July 2007. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
  20. ^ Juninho is Sydney Marquee, 1 August 2007
  21. ^ "Oh what a Filan: Sydney get their hands on veteran keeper". Sydney Morning Herald. 28 August 2007. Retrieved 28 August 2007.
  22. ^ "Filan's about-face puts Sydney on spot". Sydney Morning Herald. 31 August 2007. Retrieved 31 August 2007.
  23. ^ Sydney FC signs American attacker on two-year deal.[permanent dead link‍] 7 April 2007. Retrieved 30 April 2007.
  24. ^ Sydney FC sign striker. Archived 14 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine 22 June 2007. Retrieved 22 June 2007.
  25. ^ Shot-stopping Sydneysider joins squad Archived 14 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine 25 June 2007. Retrieved 4 July 2007.
  26. ^ Cockerill, Michael (14 February 2007). "Culina granted audition as Sydney coach". Sydney Morning Herald. Melbourne. Retrieved 15 February 2007.
  27. ^ Socceroos World Cup hero signs deal Archived 14 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine 11 July 2007. Retrieved 11 July 2007.
  28. ^ "Ben clocks on for two seasons". 31 July 2007. Archived from the original on 14 September 2007. Retrieved 31 July 2007. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  29. ^ "Juninho signs as new marquee player". 3 August 2007. Retrieved 3 August 2007.
  30. ^ "Biddle to link up following Grand Final". 2 August 2007. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
  31. ^ "Patrick doubles the Brazilian contingent". sydneyfc.com. 18 August 2007. Retrieved 21 August 2007.
  32. ^ Gatt, R (12 December 2007). "Now it's double Dutch for Socceroos staff". The Australian. Retrieved 22 December 2007.
  33. ^ Topor-Stanley joins Perth theworldgame.com.au. 1 April 2007. Retrieved 13 April 2007. [dead link‍]
  34. ^ Topor-Stanley now a Glory boy The Daily Telegraph. 2 April 2007. Retrieved 25 April 2007.
  35. ^ Who's Going Where in the Hyundai A-League, 13 June 2007. Retrieved 4 July 2007.
  36. ^ "Jets To Unleash "Excitement Machine"". A.Ormond. 29 June 2007. Retrieved 1 August 2007.
  37. ^ "Bergers Sign Perth Glory Striker". May 2007. Retrieved 12 July 2007.
  38. ^ "Necevski eyes Bolton's spot". 25 June 2007. Retrieved 12 July 2007.
  39. ^ "Carney Joins the Blades". 2 August 2007. Retrieved 4 August 2007. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help) [dead link‍]
  40. ^ "Carney sold... for just $125K". 4 August 2007. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 5 August 2007. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  41. ^ "Rudan leaves Sydney FC for Japan". Sydney Morning Herald. 10 December 2007. Retrieved 11 December 2007.
  42. ^ Davutovic, D (11 December 2007). "Rudan leaves Sydney FC for Japan on good terms". The Daily Telegraph. UK. Retrieved 14 December 2007.
  43. ^ "Hyundai A-League 2007/08 – Round 1 Preview". 23 August 2007. Retrieved 24 August 2007.
  44. ^ "Kosmina backs Sydney FC despite injuries". sydneyfc.com. 21 December 2007. Retrieved 22 December 2007.
  45. ^ a b c "Trio registered to cover call ups". sydneyfc.com. 6 September 2007. Retrieved 7 September 2007.
  46. ^ "English striker Bridges signs on loan". sydneyfc.com. 17 October 2007. Archived from the original on 14 September 2007. Retrieved 17 October 2007. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  47. ^ Henderson, P (21 January 2008). "Bridges jets out of Sydney". Fox Sports. Retrieved 22 January 2008.
  48. ^ "Sydney FC signs midfielder Mark Robertson". sydneyfc.com. 13 December 2007. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 13 December 2007. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  49. ^ Mason, David (21 February 2008). "Ryan Walsh to make Sydney FC debut against Houston". sydneyfc.com. Retrieved 21 February 2008.
  50. ^ Young, Richie (7 August 2007). "Sydney gets plugged in". Retrieved 14 September 2007.
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