The 20th anniversary season of the Isuzu UTE A-League is nearly upon us, and there’s plenty to get excited about before the action kicks off on October 18.
Auckland FC’s inaugural season takes the league to a 13-club competition and, for the first time, there are two New Zealand sides competing in the same league campaign.
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There are star signings galore across the league, headlined by Juan Mata’s arrival at Western Sydney Wanderers and Sydney FC’s recruitment of Douglas Costa, while three clubs prepare for the new campaign with new coaches and Central Coast Mariners chase an unprecedented Championship three-peat.
Ahead of Round 1, aleagues.com.au brings you 10 of the biggest storylines to follow through the 2024-25 Isuzu UTE A-League season.
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Mata, Costa and a bonkers transfer window
With a new club on the scene and more than 140 new signings across the Isuzu UTE A-League, this off-season transfer window has been one of the busiest in the competition’s history.
It’s also been a transfer window of ambitious recruitment across the board, with several clubs acquiring some of the biggest names to have ever called the Isuzu UTE A-League home.
The Sydney Derby is set to be special this season after the arrival of former Brazil, Bayern Munich and Juventus attacker Douglas Costa at Sydney FC, and Western Sydney Wanderers’ recruitment of ex-Chelsea, Manchester United and Spain superstar Juan Mata.
Both Costa and Mata bring world-class pedigree and international prestige to the Isuzu UTE A-League but despite standing out as the two eye-catching signings of the window, they’re not the only two players to have turned heads on their Isuzu UTE A-League arrival.
Newcomers Auckland FC made a splash with 75-time Japanese international Hiroki Sakai whose decision to join the Black Knights has instantly improved the club’s chances of contending in their inaugural season.
Sakai has been to three World Cups and two Olympic Games with Japan and at club level, has played for the likes of Bundesliga side Hannover SV and French giants Olympique Marseille, where he made 145 appearances and won the club’s Player of the Season award in 2019.
Central Coast Mariners have lured Socceroos great Trent Sainsbury home in a massive boost to the reigning champions’ defensive stocks; his partnership with Brian Kaltak will likely be a joy to watch this season.
Melbourne Victory landed another Socceroo in Mitch Langerak, Wellington Phoenix lured Japanese duo Kazuki Nagasawa and Hideki Ishige to New Zealand and Adelaide United convinced former Sparta Rotterdam captain Bart Vriends to play his club football outside of the Netherlands for the first time in his career.
But for every big-name recruit, there’s another flying under the radar – here are 10 transfers you may have missed this off-season.
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Auckland have arrived – and they have two instant rivals
Are you ready for the Kiwi Clasico?
For the first time in history, two New Zealand clubs will compete in the same A-Leagues season after the inception of Auckland FC.
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The expansion club, owned by US billionaire Bill Foley, are set to enter the 2024-25 Isuzu UTE A-League season with an impressive 25-player squad and in Round 3, we’re poised to get a taste of the very first New Zealand derby between Auckland and Wellington Phoenix.
Nicknamed the Kiwi Clasico, the Round 3 blockbuster will take place at Wellington’s home, Sky Stadium on Saturday, November 2. You can get your tickets here.
But while Wellington and Auckland battle for New Zealand supremacy, will the two clubs also battle for the right to face Perth Glory in the true Distance Derby?
Up until this season, Wellington v Glory has been nicknamed the Distance Derby. However, the roughly 5,200km journey between Perth and Wellington is no longer the furthest distance a team has to travel in the A-Leagues…
Yes, you guessed it, the distance between Auckland and Perth is more than 5,300km.
Will fans stick to tradition when the ‘Nix and Glory go head-to-head, or will the Distance Derby moniker transfer to Auckland v Perth?
Can the Mariners secure an unprecedented three-peat?
In the mid-to-late 2010s, Central Coast Mariners were the Isuzu UTE A-League cellar dwellers, picking up four wooden spoons in five seasons.
Now, they’re a powerhouse; having won the last two Grand Finals, the Mariners come into the new campaign on the hunt for an unprecedented third consecutive Isuzu UTE A-League Championship.
The Mariners won the 2023 Grand Final under Nick Montgomery and with new head coach Mark Jackson at the helm in 2023-24, the Englishman took the club to the Premiership, Championship and the AFC Cup title.
Jackson is back for his second season on the Coast as he hunts his second Championship and a third in a row for the Mariners. No team has ever won three consecutive Championships in the competition’s history and Jackson’s task will not be an easy one, considering the players who have left the club this off-season.
Johnny Warren Medalist Josh Nisbet is arguably the biggest loss for the club but Jacob Farrell, Max Balard, former captain Danny Vukovic and Dan Hall are also significant outs.
Lucas Mauragis, Northern Ireland international Alfie McCalmont, Vitor Feijao and Socceroo Trent Sainsbury are the big additions to the club ahead of the new campaign.
Three fresh starts for three new coaches
With David Zdrilic at Perth Glory, Patrick Kisnorbo at Melbourne Victory and Alen Stajcic at Western Sydney Wanderers, three clubs have new coaches at the helm for 2024-25 – and each is faced with unique challenges.
For Zdrilic, it’s to lead Glory into a new era. Perth went into season 2023-24 without an owner and despite Pelligra Group’s mid-season acquisition of the club in February, the impact of the insecurity ultimately became a strong factor in Glory’s slump to the foot of the table.
Zdrilic left his post as Sydney FC assistant to take on the top job in Perth, in the first full off-season under Pelligra Group’s ownership. Not only that, but the club has benefited from the appointment of WA football legend Stan Lazaridis as Glory Football Director.
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This off-season, 15 players have joined the club and 12 have been moved on as part of a major overhaul both on and off the pitch.
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Stajcic left Perth after the 2023-24 Isuzu UTE A-League season and in June, took on the vacant head coach role at Western Sydney.
After missing out on the finals under Marko Rudan last season, there was always going to be pressure on the coach who came in to replace the ex-Wanderers boss. Then, the club signed Juan Mata.
The former Chelsea and Manchester United midfielder is the most high-profile signing in Western Sydney’s history, and his arrival has only enhanced the interest in what Stajcic can achieve in his first season as Wanderers boss.
And then, there’s Patrick Kisnorbo at Melbourne Victory.
The former Melbourne City boss holding a Victory scarf aloft after confirmation of his appointment was a sight no A-Leagues fan expected to see after the success Kisnorbo experienced with Victory’s crosstown rivals.
Kisnorbo won City’s first ever piece of Isuzu UTE A-League silverware in 2021 with the Premiers Plate. Then he made it a double, winning the Championship that year before a second Premiership in 2021-22.
After his glistening stint in charge of Victory’s rivals, Kisnorbo joined City Football Group (CFG)-backed Troyes in France’s Ligue 1 but a relegation season saw him eventually depart the club by mutual consent in December last year. Now he’s back in the A-Leagues – and his appointment as successor to former Victory coach Tony Popovic has certainly raised eyebrows.
Victory lost 3-1 to Central Coast Mariners in last season’s Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final. In Kisnorbo, the club has hired a man with a decorated A-Leagues coaching CV who Victory chairman John Dovaston believes can bear the burden of the club’s lofty expectations.
“While many of our members may never have pictured Patrick leading our boys in blue, he has grown up in football and the experiences he has had both domestically and internationally make him the best candidate for the role,” Dovatson said.
“Patrick knows what Melbourne Victory means to this league and to Victoria and understands the responsibility and weight of leading this great club along with our expectations for silverware.”
Kisnorbo has already coached the club to the Australia Cup Final and it will be fascinating to see what he can achieve with his new side.
There’s a new Dutch flavour in Adelaide – but who replaces Irankunda at the Reds?
Since the announcement of Adelaide United’s strategic partnership with Dutch powerhouse PSV Eindhoven in April, the Reds have made a series of important moves both on and off the field with a clear vision for the future of the club.
Adelaide is calling its partnership with PSV a “mutually beneficial exchange” which will grant the A-Leagues club greater access to overseas talent and benefit its youth and coaching development pathways.
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PSV legend and former Netherlands international Ernest Faber has joined the club as technical director, and the Dutchman has been key in convincing countryman and experienced centre-back Bart Vriends to the club, as well as PSV winger Julian Kwaaitaal who was immediately loaned out to Dutch second division side FC Eindhoven.
The partnership has also provided some of Adelaide’s top young talents the opportunity to visit PSV’s Campus De Herdgang for a block of training sessions and to represent the club’s youth team; the likes of Amlani Tatu, Feyzo Kasumovic and Malual Nichola have all taken part in this initiative through the off-season before signing long-term deals with Adelaide’s senior squad.
The 2024-25 campaign has presented Reds head coach Carl Veart with the challenge of mitigating the impact of Nestory Irankunda’s departure to Bayern Munich and, having developed the teenage superstar through the club’s youth ranks, Veart may hope to repeat the feat with Tatu who is highly rated at the club.
Tatu turned heads in the off-season with the Subway Joeys at the ASEAN Under-16 Boys’ Championships where he was named Player of the Tournament and has been backed to impress in his debut Isuzu UTE A-League season; fellow youngsters Luka Jovanovic and new signing Archie Goodwin will also be tasked with significant roles in Adelaide’s attack in 2024-25 as Veart continues to show his willingness to trust in young players to make an impact in his senior squad.
Can Western United create a fortress in the club’s first full season at Ironbark Fields?
Western United have a new home at Ironbark Fields, and after playing their first men’s and women’s games at the Tarneit venue through the backend of last season, the club are set to benefit from their permanent home base in 2024-25.
Since 2019, Western have played home games across several venues in Victoria and Tasmania but since the opening of Ironbark Fields in March, there’s plenty of optimism surrounding the club and what they can achieve in their new home.
Last month, aleagues.com.au spent a day with Aloisi at Ironbark Fields to observe pre-season preparations and the Western coach’s insight into the club’s day-to-day operation at the Tarneit venue reflected the outside perception that the Green and Black are on the right track since moving into their new home.
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Mariners and Sydney FC take on Asia in new AFC Champions League format
There’s an all-new, two-tiered AFC Asian Champions League format this season, and there’s one Isuzu UTE A-League club in both the ACL Elite and ACL Two chasing both continental glory and the eye-watering prize money on offer.
Central Coast Mariners are reigning Isuzu UTE A-League Premiers and as such, have claimed the competition’s one place in the ACL Elite. Sydney FC, meanwhile, booked their spot in AFC Champions League Two (ACL Two) by winning the 2023 Australia Cup title.
Up until last season, the AFC’s two competitions were the Asian Champions League, and AFC Cup. The AFC Cup has since been abolished in favour of a two-tiered Champions League format.
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The ACL Elite is the top division, featuring 24 clubs from around the confederation and split into two 12-team “leagues” – West and East – and the 12 teams in each league play against eight opponents from their league (four home and four away).
The Mariners have been drawn in the East league against Kevin Muscat’s Shanghai Port, reigning J1 League champions Vissel Kobe, last season’s Champions League finalists Yokohama F.Marinos led by A-Leagues great John Hutchinson, Malaysian side Johor Darul Ta’zim, current Thai champions Buriram United, Shandong Taishan FC, Shanghai Shenhua of China and Japanese giants Kawasaki Frontale.
For qualifying for the tournament alone, the Mariners are set to earn a guaranteed minimum of USD $800,000 (approximately AUD $1.2 million).
The further the Mariners progress in the tournament, the grander the financial rewards become. Should the Gosford side manage to win the ACL Elite, their prize money would exceed USD $12m – approximately AUD $18m.
The breakdown of the ACL Elite Champion’s prize money is:
- Qualification for the tournament: USD $800,000
- Qualification for Round of 16: USD $200,000
- Qualification for Quarter-Finals: USD $400,000
- Qualification for Semi-Finals: USD $600,000
- Champion: USD $10 million
The ACL Two has replaced the AFC Cup as the second tier of men’s continental club football in Asia, and Sydney FC are Australia’s sole representative in the all-new league.
The ACL Two features a 32-team group stage – and unlike the ACL Elite, it’s a traditional round-robin, not a league format, that will decide which teams progress to the Round of 16.
Sydney have been drawn in Group E, and will face Japan’s Sanfrecce Hiroshima – home to former Melbourne City star Tolgay Arslan – current Filipino champions Kaya FC-Iloilo and Hong Kong FA Cup winners Eastern.
For reaching the group stage alone, Sydney have earned USD $300,000 – roughly AUD $450,000.
If Ufuk Talay’s side goes all the way and wins the final, as champions they would receive at least USD $3.28m – approximately AUD $4.92m.
Which kids will break through this season?
In recent seasons, one of the most enjoyable aspects of each Isuzu UTE A-league season has been the emergence of young talent across the competition.
In 2023-24, 19-year-old Nestory Irankunda had an exceptional farewell season before departing Adelaide United for Bayern Munich. Teenage Central Coast Mariners forward Miguel Di Pizio wrote his name into the history books as the youngest-ever Grand Final goalscorer. Thomas Waddingham scored goals for fun at Brisbane Roar, while the likes of Jacob Farrell, Ben Old, Marcus Younis, Musa Toure and Max Balard earned European moves from their respective A-Leagues clubs.
But which players are set for big seasons in the new campaign?
There’s plenty of hype around Adelaide youngster Amlani Tatu, Phoenix recruit Luke Brooke-Smith and Brisbane Roar’s 16-year-old sensation Quinn MacNicol; the same can be said of Perth Glory signing Abdelelah Faisal who has caught attention with a blistering pre-season, as well as Newcastle Jets academy prospect Alex Nunes and Melbourne Victory’s Kasey Bos – brother of Socceroo Jordan Bos who showed glimpses of his potential last season.
Chiefy’s new-look Nix and the exciting return of Rojas
The rise of Wellington Phoenix under new head coach Giancarlo Italiano was one of the stories of the 2023-24 season. Now, the challenge has presented to “Chiefy” to keep the ‘Nix in the hunt for silverware after an off-season of change.
Some of the most important players in Italiano’s squad have left the club since Wellington’s Semi-Final finish in 2023-24, including star goalkeeper Alex Paulsen – whose move to Premier League club AFC Bournemouth and subsequent loan move to new A-Leagues club Auckland FC has added spice to the Kiwi Clasico.
Ben Old, Bozhidar Kraev, Finn Surman, Oskar Zawada and Nicholas Pennington have also left the club after playing pivotal roles for the Phoenix last season.
But Phoenix fans will be encouraged by the club’s recruits, particularly Japanese duo Kazuki Nagasawa and Hideki Ishige as well as former fan favourite Marco Rojas, who has returned to the club that launched his professional career 13 years ago.
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Rojas, who won the 2013 Johnny Warren Medal as the best player in the Isuzu UTE A-League whilst at Melbourne Victory, was Italiano’s first signing of the off-season and the Phoenix boss has since described the “Kiwi Messi” as pivotal to his plans in 2024-25.
“I think he’s a special player,” Italiano said. “He’s been around the league for a number of years, he’s had the experience overseas, and my messaging was all around getting him back to the best form of his life, which I still think is around that 2016-17 year (when) he had an unbelievable season.
“I truly believe I can get him back to the best football of his career. I’m really looking forward to getting him matched up with someone like Kosta (Barbarouses) and (David) Ball and some of the younger boys as well. And I think he can give us an extra dimension.
“He’ll be one of the front three attacking positions. We are going to change the formation a little bit going into next season, without going into detail.
“But for me I don’t see him as a winger or a 10, I see him just as a natural attacker so we’re going to play to those strengths. We’re going to basically evolve the system to fit his profile which I think is very, very important.”
Who replaces Maclaren’s goals at City?
Jamie Maclaren has departed Australian shores for a new opportunity in India – and the Isuzu UTE A-League’s all-time leading goalscorer has left a significant void to fill in Melbourne City’s attack.
The 31-year-old with 154 Isuzu UTE A-League goals to his name did experience a drop-off in his scoring rate last season, with his 10 goals ranking Maclaren as the second-highest figure scorer at City for the season, behind Tolgay Arslan (13) who has also left the club.
City head coach Aurelio Vidmar will hope new recruits Yonatan Cohen and Andreas Kuen can add goals to his squad from midfield and wide positions while Socceroos trio Marco Tilio, Andrew Nabbout and Mathew Leckie all possess a goal threat – as does 19-year-old Max Caputo who is entering his fifth season in City’s senior squad.
Caputo made just six appearances through his first three seasons at City but in 2023-24, earned 21 appearances and his first five starts of his Isuzu UTE A-League career. He scored just one goal last season but has consistently performed for the Young Socceroos and City’s youth squads. Arion Sulemani and Medin Memeti are other academy guns who could receive opportunities under Vidmar this season.
