Sydney FC
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Firstly, apologies for the lack of updates recently.
Secondly, I’ve had enough. I think every fan who has ever donned the Sky Blue of Sydney has had enough too. It was slightly better the last time we took the pitch, across the ditch against Wellington, but it means next to nothing when we come away without a point to show.
The same old predictable moves, the heart-less defending and the inaccurate passes that would get you dropped at, say, Luton Town in the Blue Square Premier. And I don’t believe any of the fans of Luton Town would stand for it. “We yused to be in the top division lad! Yuse are a disgrace to the mighty Luton!”
The disaster, aka. Sydney’s title defence, started with a 3-3 draw after blowing a 2-0 lead to fierce rivals Melbourne Victory. What followed was a series of depressing performances and even further heartbreak. We fell to Brisbane and North Queensland away before drawing with Central Coast at home after leading 1-0. Adelaide then continued Sydney’s woes as they put us to the sword at the SFS with a 3-1 victory. This was followed by the previously mentioned much better performance at Wellington, yet we still had our hearts torn out with another loss.
So, you probably stumbled upon this blog accidently, right? “Sydney FC Offside? I searched Wayne Bridge gets offside with John Terry. Why has it taken me to a Sydney FC page and who is Mark Bridge and Terry McFlynn?” I can hear you asking yourself. Well this is the blog of the Champions, although I wouldn’t blame you if you don’t believe it*, and those two players are Championship winners (*insert same line here). Either way, you’re now up to date with the latest happenings of Sydney FC. Pretty embarrassing isn’t it?
Oh, wait! I missed out on the subject which has delivered the most moaning out of everything this season among the supporters: Our crowds are terrible.
Okay, now you’re up to date.
That’s why these next eight days are so important, you see. For we play Gold Coast on Sunday, North Queensland on Wednesday and Adelaide on Monday. Now, if you cast your eyes to the paragraph just four above this one you’ll notice we have already lost to North Queensland and Adelaide. Revenge time? Sounds good, lets call it that. Minimum aim? 6 points. At least.
Although, there have been a few positives so far this season (yes, I’m not all negative!):
1. Rhyan Grant. The 21-year-old has consistently started in the first team and has been one of our best. The young-gun is developing well and could be a valuable player.
2. Hiro Moriyasu. The new signing for Sydney had a man of the match performance off the bench against Adelaide, although that probably says more negative for the team than positive, and he was great against Wellington.
3. Sebastian Ryall. The two-time Championship winner has been arguably Sydneys best defender and has taken the captains armband a couple of times so far this year.
The top six isn’t out of reach yet for Sydney. Not even close to being out of reach. But if we don’t start winning – let me state the obvious here – we won’t make the finals. It’s a 30 game season and we still have 24 games to turn our fortunes around. It all starts this Sunday.
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A 10 men Sydney FC drew with Central Coast 1-1 in a competitive match in front of 10,147 people on Saturday night. The Sky Blues were hoping to register their first win of the 2010/2011 season but had two vital points taken away when the Mariners equalised from the penalty spot on 73 minutes.
Rhyan Grant scored the first goal of the game after Central Coast keeper Mathew Ryan dropped the ball at the feet of the 19-year-old.
But Sydneys lead was cancelled out when Liam Reddy was sent off for impeding Mariners attacker Patricio Perez in the penalty box.
“The whole team are very disappointed. I am upset,” Sydney manager Vitezslav Lavicka said. “I don’t know what to say at this time. We proved that we can deliver good individual performances and a good team performance. Full credit to the players, they gave it everything. We’re all frustrated.”
Stuart Musialik was the stand in captain, with the tough Northern Irishman Terry McFlynn out of the match injured.
“We’re not happy at all,” said captain Stuart Musialik. “We’ve had a slow start to the season and needed the win so to something like that go against us is difficult to deal with.”
“We improved our performances from the past two weeks. We’re heading in the right direction, it’s just important we get over this disappointment and look forward to next week.”
In a match where chances were at a minimum, a Mark Bridge shot on 11 minutes was deflected before rattling into the post.
Sebastian Ryall then gave the debutant Ryan problems with a hard low strike after 33 minutes which only managed to find the post for a second time in the first half.
Grant gave Sydney the lead on 47 minutes as he celebrated his new two year contract by capitalising on a goalkeeping error from Ryan.
New Central Coast signing Perez was introduced into the game in the 53rd minute, and made an impact instantly by winning a penalty in the 70th minute. Matthew Breeze, referring his 100th game, subsequently showed Reddy a red card for tripping Perez. The little Argentinian then slotted home and locked the match up at 1-1. 
The penalty decision enraged Sydney and replays showed they had a case as it appeared Reddy didn’t make any contact with Perez.
But the Mariners had a right to be angry themselves not long after when they were denied what looked to be a legitimate winner in the 83rd minute. Perez appeared to have scored his second, only for the offside flag to deny him.
The Sky Blues back line managed to hold on against a determined Central Coast, who did there best to make their one man advantage count late in the game.
Sydney didn’t get the win they were looking for but wouldn’t be too disappointed with a point. Their focus now turns to next Saturday night when they take on the in form Adelaide United at the Sydney Football Stadium.
Match Details:
Sydney FC: 1 (GRANT 47′)
Central Coast Mariners: 1 (PEREZ 73′P)
Sydney FC Line-up: 1. Liam REDDY (gk), 2. Sebastian RYALL, 3. Stephan KELLER, 8. Stuart MUSIALIK (c), 10. Nicky CARLE, 11. Kofi DANNING (20. Ivan NECEVSKI (gk) 72′), 12. Shannon COLE, 19. Mark BRIDGE, 21. Scott JAMIESON (6. Hirofumi MORIYASU 90′), 22. Sung-Hwan BYUN, 23. Rhyan GRANT.
Substitutes Not Used: 5. Hayden FOXE, 16. Terry ANTONIS.
Yellow Cards: 8. Stuart MUSIALIK 76′, 21. Scott JAMIESON 77′, 19. Mark BRIDGE 78′.
Red Cards: 1. Liam REDDY 71′.
Goals: 23. Rhyan GRANT 47′.
Central Coast Mariners: 20. Matthew RYAN (gk), 2. Daniel McBREEN (23. Adam KWASNIK 69′), 3. Joshua ROSE, 4. Pedj BOJIC, 6. Patrick ZWAANSWIJK, 7. John HUTCHINSON, 8. Rostyn GRIFFITHS (10 Patricio PEREZ 53′), 11. Oliver BOZANIC, 14. Michael McGLINCHEY, 18. Alex WILKINSON (c), 19. Matt SIMON.
Substitutes Not Used: 17. Chris DOIG, 30. Paul HENDERSON (gk).
Yellow Cards: 3. Joshua Rose 64′, 7. John HUTCHINSON 90+3′.
Red Cards: Nil.
Goals: 10. Patricio PEREZ 73′.
Referee: Matthew BREEZE.
Crowd: 10 147 at the Sydney Football Stadium.
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Sydney FC midfielder/defender Rhyan Grant has extended his contract with the Sky Blues for a further two years. It’s been a good week for Sydney FC having just days earlier re-signed Sebastian Ryall for two more seasons.
The Qantas Young Socceroos player was happy to have his future sorted and to be able to concentrate on his football.
“It’s nice to be rewarded with an offer and I’m happy to be here for another couple of years,” he said.
The 19-year-old has proven an important part of the Sydney side so far this campgain, starting in both of the last two matches in a shuffled formation. Now, with captain Terry McFlynn out with a hamstring injury, Grant will be called upon to step up and be a leading figure from the midfield.
But Grant was looking forward to the challenge of replacing McFlynn in the starting side.
“It’s going to be a big loss for the team missing Tezza, he’s our captain and is an important player in our team,” Grant mentioned.
“It’s unlucky in his case but I’m happy to get the nod and be involved and get another couple of games.
“Tezza is a hard worker, that’s what he’s known for, and I’ve got to try to match that to help the team.”
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After two absolutely horrid away games up in Queensland, Sydney FC will be looking to pick up their first win of the season when they face rivals Central Coast. Meanwhile, the Mariners suffered a tough time last week over in Wellington as they were defeated 2-0. Mixed form leading into this match from both sides means this fixture promises to be an exciting affair at the Sydney Football Stadium.
Mariners recent form has slipped, after winning their first game away from home against Melbourne Heart, they proceeded to draw when they faced Adelaide before losing to Wellington.
Sydney have scored and conceded twice the amount of goals that Central Coast have so far this season. The Sky Blues were involved in two high scoring games to start the season; quite the contrary from last seasons grinding wins.
But this fixture has been known to produce goals, so for Sydney this early season form could end up helpful.
Where it will be won
This match will ultimately be won in the midfield. The team that takes control of the midfield from the start will score goals if they can get decent service in to their front men. Central Coast managed to hold the majority of possession against Wellington, where as Sydney have struggled to keep possession in both of their last two matches.
Oliver Bozanic will look to take advantage of Sydney’s sore and sorry defence which has proven to be vulnerable so far this season. If Central Coast can get some good wide ball to Bozanic, it will cause Sydney a lot of problems. John Hutchinson in the defensive midfield role will be doing his best to stop Nick Carle in the center of the midfield. If he can succeed, the Mariners will go a long way to winning the match.
A very sloppy midfield is what has plagued Sydney in their last two matches. Stuart Musialik and Rhyan Grant have struggled in the defensive midfield roles. Terry McFlynn and Scott Jamieson – two predominately defensive players – have also struggled in their roles down the wing. As a result, Sydney have had to turn to long balls to the lone front man, which doesn’t work when that lone front man is either Alex Brosque or Kofi Danning.
The return of Mark Bridge is a massive boost for Sydney and it will be interesting to see if Vitezslav Lavicka reverts back to his 4-4-2 or sticks with the 4-5-1 which hasn’t produced results or performances so far.
Key Players
Matt Simon will be an important player for Central Coast. He played a very pivotal role in Round one when he marked Josip Skoko out of the match. Sydney FC will still look to play through their defensive midfielder- whether it’s Musialik, McFlynn or Grant – and Simon might be called upon to try take these players out of the match, which would force Sydney into another direct style game; which ultimately takes Sydney’s star player Carle out of the match.
But Carle has struggled to make any impact in the last two matches and he will be hungry. He’ll be looking for the ball and hoping to impress once more in front of his home fans. With Bridge back, the formation may change and Carle will be able to slot back into the role that saw him dominate Melbourne Victory in round one.
History
These two sides have met 16 times, including in the Grand Final of the inaugural season – Which the Sky Blues took out 1-0. Overall, Sydney have won eight, Central Coast four and the draw prevailing four times as well.
At the Sydney Football Stadium, the Mariners have only won two times in nine clashes. It’s not a happy hunting ground for Central Coast but that is something they’ll be eager to turn around come Saturday night.
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21-year-old defender Sebastian Ryall has put pen to paper on a new contract that will keep him at the club until the end of the 2012/2013 season. The two-time championship winner will be hoping to strengthen his already impressive CV over the next few years with the Sky Blues.
The re-signing for Ryall is a massive coup for the club after they lost numerous wonder-kids over the off-season such as Chris Payne and Iain Ramsay. Ryall was glad to have committed the next two years of his future to the club as he continues to develop alongside fellow young defenders Antony Golec and Matthew Jurman.
“I am really happy to have my future sorted and that it is with Sydney FC,” Ryall said to Sydney FC.
“The club has been great to me since I returned home in 2009,
“It is a very special time here at the moment and I want to be part of that and the club wanted me to be part of it to so I am really happy.”
Ryall has been one of the better defenders from Sydney’s back four so far this season, adding a much needed injection of youth, with his other three defensive partners all in their 30’s.
He played 18 games for Sydney during the last campaign and has featured in the opening three games of the 2010/2011 season. The Qantas Young Socceroos defender also played 24 times for Melbourne Victory, winning a Premiership and a Championship.
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There has been no secret over the past weeks and months that Sydney FC have been on the hunt for a striker to replace John Aloisi, who joined Melbourne Heart in the off-season. Many have come, only to duly return home after failing to impress Vitezlav Lavicka and the rest of the Sydney coaching staff. But that hasn’t dampened the Sky Blues spirit as they continue their world-wide search for that tall target man their squad so desperately needs.
Enter Bruno Cazarine. Cazarine is the newest player to enter Sydney FC on trial. The 27-year-old Brazilian forward has mainly played his football in Portugal and Brazil. Standing at 188cm, he is tall and strong with his head – already impressing in training after showing off his aerial ability. Currently plying his trade in the second division of Brazil, Cazarine would be the cheap purchase Sydney are looking for.
Bruno Cazarine at his first training session with the Sky Blues
The last striker on trial for Sydney was the 198cm Senegalese forward Ibrahima Thiam. Thiam was at Sydney FC for two days, scoring in his debut against AEK Athens. He also went close to scoring against Scottish champions Glasgow Rangers, but ultimately he failed to meet the tough criteria of Lavicka and his staff and was sent back to Belgium.
With the transfer window closing at months end, Lavicka is running out of time to find that tall target man he’s been looking for. But Cazarine might finally be the one that Sydney turns to as that much-longed striker to back up Mark Bridge and Alex Brosque – who have both already suffered injuries in the early part of this season.
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A successful 2009/2010 season for Sydney FC saw them take out both the Premiership and the Championship – defeating Melbourne Victory for both titles. But Sydney will need to be sharp and on the ball this time around after losing quite a few important players in critical positions such as Clint Bolton, Simon Colosimo, Karol Kisel and Steve Corica. Although they have recruited well with the likes of Liam Reddy, Scott Jamieson and Nick Carle joining the ranks, teams are more aware to their system and the Sky Blue players will need to step up. Here are five players who will be vital for Sydney this season if they are to be the first team to go back-to-back.
Nick Carle
The 28-year-old Australian is making his return to the A-League after leaving his former club Newcastle to pursue a playing career in Europe. But after stints in Turkey and the lower leagues of England he has returned home and is ready to tear up the A-League with his impressive array of tricks and smart football brain.
Carle will bring a whole new perspective to how football in Australia can be played and will trouble defenders from every club. There are a lot of slow and old defences out there – including Sydney – and Carle will look to punish those defences with his pace and pinpoint passing.
Carle is a great coup for not only Sydney but the A-League on a whole, especially if he can continue his solid pre-season form. Crowds will be flocking in to watch this man if he keeps pulling out his impressive tricks and that’s only good for the game.
Terry McFlynn
When former Captain Steve Corica was ruled out of the Grand Final last season with injury, the tough Northern Irishman Terry McFlynn led the Sky Blues to success. McFlynn has been a loyal servant for Sydney and is now rightfully the captain of Sydney FC.
The no-nonsense midfielder has proven his worth in this league, featuring in every season so far, and has played at least 16 games in each A-League campaign.
McFlynn is a strong tackler and very good at reading the game, but also has shown that in that in the role of right midfield he isn’t afraid to get forward and make himself an option in attack.
Mark Bridge
Mark Bridge is another player with a wealth of A-League experience. Bridge has featured in every A-League season to date, having previously played at Championship winning Newcastle Jets before moving to Sydney FC. He has a smart head on his shoulder and is one of the most clinical finishers in the A-League at the moment.
The stats from last season show Bridge was the second most deadly finisher in the A-League, just behind Gold Coast United’s Shane Smeltz. Bridge scored a goal every five shots he took – Smeltz scored one every four shots.
With John Aloisi leaving the shores of Sydney to join the new boys Melbourne Heart, a lot of responsibility falls on the shoulders of Bridge and Alex Brosque as the only two respected strikers in the Sydney side.
Sebastian Ryall
The 21-year-old defender will have all eyes on him this season as he continues to make a name for himself in Australia. The two time Premiership and Championship winner with Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC will have an important role to play in Sydney’s back four after Colosimo left the club. The current center back pairing of Keller and Foxe is old and vulnerable and Ryall could find himself called upon to move from right back into the center of defence at some point in the season.
Ryall already has experience in Asia and is a very smart and solid player. He’ll only continue to grow under the watchful eye of the Sydney backroom staff. He’ll also be eager to register his first ever A-League goal this season
Stephan Keller
The 2010/2011 season will see the big Swiss Stephan Keller pushed to the limit by opposition attacks as he tries to handle the responsibility of commanding Sydney’s backline. When Colosimo left Sydney FC for Melbourne Heart, there were questions as to who would replace him. The answer wasn’t a new signing – rather utility player Hayden Foxe. But this has meant that Stephan Keller will be more important than ever for the Sky Blues.
Last season Sydney only scored 35 goals in the 27 games of the regular season. They were also kept scoreless on nine occasions. It is a remarkable effort to win the league with only 35 goals, but it means your defence needs to be right on the mark – and it was, only conceding 23 goals.
The 31-year-old Keller was at the heart of that defence, alongside Colosimo. But now with Colosimo gone, Keller needs to become the commander of the back four and lead from the front. Can he step up to the plate?
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Chris Tanner has been heavily involved within Australian sport for the past 20 years, more importantly Football. Currently a member of the Qatar World Cup Bid Team for the 2022 competition, Tanner will be speaking to us here at Sydney FC The Offside all about the failed Sydney A-League bid, Bernie Mandic, and of course the ambitious 2022 FIFA World Cup from Qatar.
Watch this space for more…
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This isn’t going to be a full in depth review on the current squad of players, more a summary of the upcoming season and our chances weighed up against those of the other clubs. Sydney FC are currently involved in a round-robin festival of football involving European Clubs AEK Athens, Glasgow Rangers and Blackburn Rovers. The terminus of this tournament should show how well the squad are gelling together.
Following the tour of Everton Down-Under, Sydney FC turned in a decent performance to only go down 1-0 to the visiting Merseyside team. Not only have we learnt how well the squad can play after the pre-season break, we know how well other teams in the competition can play. New entity Melbourne Heart have shown some strong form with a good performance against the same side, as did Brisbane Roar, who only lost 2-1. Everton manager David Moyes stated that Brisbane were the best side they played in the tour. This is a statement of intent almost for the Brisbane squad. Could the Roar possibly be a force to be reckoned with this season?
Boca Juniors’ visit to Australia and New Zealand has been vital for us to weigh up our chances against the enemy Melbourne Victory. Last year’s grand finalists played a valiant match against Boca Juniors, however they were no match for the South American powerhouse who ran out 1-0 winners. Melbourne however are definitely not to be ruled out of course, the side still poses a potent threat to the Sky Blues’ title hopes.
Boca’s other opponents during their tour was Wellington Phoenix. The surprise about this is that the New Zealand based side defeated the South American powerhouses. Boca failed to get going in the wet conditions at Westpac Stadium; however Ricki Herbert’s men played a strong brand of football that shut out Riquelme’s side. This potent mix of home advantage along with a well constructed game plan could be Wellington’s recipe for championship glory this season, with the side able to mix it with the powerhouses of the sport. Sydney may have to be careful when playing Wellington this season, especially at home, as Ricki Herbert has definitely done his homework.
Sydney FC will definitely be pushing to defend their title this season, however it seems that the other teams will be pushing to trip up the Sky Blues. Perth Glory with new signing Fowler shall be a good test for Sydney FC, as with the local rivals Central Coast Mariners, who will want to make up for lost time, to regain their sport near the top of the national competition. Sydney FC fans should look out this season for the midfield combinations of Gan, Musialik, McFlynn, and of course the new signings, former Adelaide midfielder Scott Jamieson, and Socceroo international Nicky Carle, who has shown in the A-League previously that he can take on an entire team and score (Season 2, Round 10 Newcastle Jets vs Adelaide United).
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Hello Readers,
I am finally back after a long, long absence from writing on The Offside. Due to other commitments, I did not have nearly enough time to continually write on this site, and thankfully Matt Collard has been here updating on events that have occurred at the terminus of the season and post season. I have spent my time working on other projects, and trials etc. But enough about me, lets move onto Sydney FC.
Recently I had the wonderful opportunity to watch Sydney FC play Everton FC at ANZ Stadium. This hence is the topic of the article, however I am not going to completely analyse the football played, more the organisation of this match. This game had the potential to be the flagship match so to speak of the upcoming Sydney FC campaign, and of Australian football to the international audience. This was where I was quite disappointed.
Sitting in the Cove, looking around the stadium, I felt quite let down by what I was seeing. The stadium seemed very empty. Personally, it looked like a normal Sydney FC crowd of around 15,000 people. And despite the crowd size in the end, (40,000) the game didn’t seem complete, with both upper bays empty. The players on the field would also feel this ideal with me, that the game wasn’t the best game, mainly because of the daunting empty upper tiers.
Had the match been played at the SFS, I’m sure that the atmosphere would have been absolutely fantastic. The Cove were in full voice, Everton fans were in full voice, and even the odd Liverpool supporter would be in full voice. The players would have really enjoyed the atmosphere in a packed out Sydney Football Stadium.
On a more gameplay note, Sydney FC played a great first half, and seemed to shut down well the Everton attacks. Everton showed some classy work in the first half, however Sydney were able to counter quite well. It was a disappointment that Sydney were not able to capitalize on their runs. The addition of Dwight Yorke to the side was quite a spectacle, and the crowd really enjoyed his classy movement with the ball, despite his age.
In the second half however, Sydney seemed far more sluggish than the first half. Everton’s goal within the first few minutes really set the tone for the half, and nothing really eventuated after that. This was again voiced by the crowd, when the majority of the fans rendered the game irrelevant, and started cheering and booing the Mexican Wave that was making its way around the field.
All in all, the Sydney FC vs Everton match was one of the most interesting Sydney FC matches I’d have to watch, even more so than the match where Robbie Fowler told me to f-off. Hopefully Sydney FC will have a great season ahead, and if anything will go from that match, we are in for a real good season from the boys.
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