Archie Goodwin is one of the most highly-rated talents in the Isuzu UTE A-League but injuries have delayed his rise. Now fit and firing in new surrounds, the Adelaide United young gun spoke to aleagues.com.au about what led him to South Australia and his big goals for what comes next.
There are not many footballers who have started just six professional matches across more than than three years, yet attract so much attention.
It only highlights the immense quality of Archie Goodwin.
Goodwin is one of the most highly-rated talents in the Isuzu UTE A-League, but since bursting onto the scene with Newcastle Jets as a 16-year-old in February 2021, injuries have limited him to only a half-dozen starts across 48 appearances and 1,194 minutes of football.
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However, after swapping boyhood club Newcastle for rivals Adelaide United in the off-season, the 20-year-old is in a good spot, physically and mentally.
“(I’m) absolutely loving it. It was a big move to move away from home for the first time but I look back now and I think it’s the best decision I’ve ever made,” Goodwin told aleagues.com.au after scoring his first goal for the Reds – the match-winner against Brisbane Roar in Unite Round.
“I’m really happy to be where I am. The pre-season was a bit up and down for me, I had few niggles here and there but I’ve come through. The staff have been really patient with me and really built me up to a point where I feel like I’m the best I’ve felt in a very long time.”
Goodwin added: “It was difficult (the injuries) but I look back on it now and it made me into a really resilient person.
“Those things I look back on and I think they were a good thing for me that I had it at a young age and now I know how to manage my body, what I have to do day in, day out. During that time it was very mentally challenging but those are just things a lot of people have to deal with in football and they make you stronger. It’s built my character.
“I’m very mentally strong where I am, and that makes you push even harder to get yourself right. It’s been a positive thing for me – I turn a negative into a positive.”
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Goodwin began his journey with Newcastle’s Under-9s team and went on to become the club’s youngest player at 16 years and 106 days just over three years ago.
A novocastrian, he was a shining light for the Jets but his development was impacted by a string of serious injuries. Cautiously managed at McDonald Jones Stadium with 38 of his 44 league appearance coming off the bench, he still delivered seven goals.
The Jets tried to keep their poster boy at the end of 2023-24, but Goodwin needed a change, to get away from his “comfort zone”.
“A lot of players they always come through their local club and get the opportunity to get a foot in the door,” he said.
“But to be honest, you look at a lot of players around the league – Jamie Maclaren, he had to step out of his comfort zone to go to another club and really step away from home, work things out on his own.
“I feel like I had to do that just to get away and really work myself out, and improve my football in a different environment. I think that’s the best decision I’ve ever made.
“Obviously Newcastle is a great place and I have all my family there but being that comfortable, you never really push yourself to the best of your ability. I feel like I’m doing that now at Adelaide and I have a good mindset and I feel like my body is in the best place it’s ever been.”
Goodwin commanded a lot of attention throughout his time with the Jets. Whether it was under former boss Arthur Papas or current head coach Rob Stanton, all eyes were on the local hope.
“To be honest, a lot of people deal with it differently but I think it built a fire inside my belly to really work as hard as I can every time I step out on that pitch,” Goodwin said. “Me as a person, I’ve always been someone who’s really performed well with people who believe in me and I believe a lot in myself too.
“Having all that backing was really good. Definitely that was a thought when moving away from there, I have to start again but I know that’s pushing me this year to step out of my comfort zone and show the fans what I can do, and really perform to my best here.”
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Goodwin was not short of suitors when he decided to leave the Hunter region.
However, there was only ever one option for the Australia youth international, with Adelaide’s “plan” for Goodwin seeing them win the race for his signature.
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“There were a few (clubs interested) but the way Adelaide approached me,” he recalled. “Everything they put in front of me was unreal.
“They had a plan for me, just for my development and where they want to see me in a few years. I think that’s always been the main goal for me – to get overseas. They said they would provide me that pathway and that got me very excited.
“I can see how they are working with me now and I feel like I’m developing as a young player into a player who is really going to push to start games week in, week out and hopefully get the opportunity to move overseas.”
Another big factor was Adelaide’s track record with young players and their famed production line.
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Socceroo and teenage sensation Nestory Irankunda is the latest example of an Adelaide youngster emerging at Coopers Stadium and earning a move to Europe. In this case a transfer to Bundesliga juggernaut Bayern Munich.
Giuseppe Bovalina also moved to MLS outfit Vancouver Whitecaps in the off-season, while the likes of Mohamed Toure, Musa Toure, and Al-Hassan Toure have also gone abroad via Adelaide.
“You look at a lot of clubs around the league and not many compare to Adelaide with their youth development and being able to provide that pathway for players to go overseas,” Goodwin said.
“That was a big thing for me moving here, I wanted to follow in the footsteps of a few of the young boys who have gone overseas.
“Get that experience in either Europe or whether it’s in MLS, anything. It really stuck out to me and I wanted to make that same move.”
Goodwin has made an immediate impact with the Reds.
Adelaide boss Veart has already dubbed the “natural number nine” as a “15-20-goal season striker”.
Goodwin believes he can reach that figure, too.
“It shows they have the belief in me,” he said. “I believe myself I can score 15-20 goals a year.
“It’s just getting the opportunity to start games and build up to 90 minutes, which is one of my big goals this season. I believe I can do it.
“Having the backing from the club, staff and Carl, it’s really good. It makes me really want to work hard for those people who believe in me.”
Goodwin opened his account against the Roar in Round 5, and he is a player who is trying to model his game around two A-Leagues products – all-time leading Isuzu UTE A-League goalscorer Jamie Maclaren and Mitch Duke.
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“I’ve always watched Maclaren in terms of just being in the right positions,” Goodwin said.
“There might be games, you might not impact the game too much but he always pops up with a goal in those years where he scored 20-plus a season.
“It was unbelievable to watch him. I always looked at him as a striker who has a natural ability to get in the right positions.
“I also strive on hard work, so pressing. You look at the likes of Dukey in the Socceroos. He really presses hard.
“If I can combine both him and Maclaren’s traits, I think I’ll be a top striker.”
Both Maclaren and Duke are Subway Socceroos. The latter was involved in the previous international window as Australia drew with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup qualifying.
The November window also saw another two debutants from the A-Leagues – veteran Sydney FC star Anthony Caceres and 20-year-old Sky Blues defender Hayden Matthews.
If there is one thing Tony Popovic hasn’t been afraid to do since his appointment as Socceroos head coach in September, it’s give opportunities to A-Leagues players. It has also provided encouragement for the Young Socceroo.
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“As a kid, I always dreamt of playing for the Socceroos,” Goodwin said.
“I don’t think it’s too far out of reach. A string of form and consistency in scoring and match minutes is definitely on the cards.
“The fact he has shown he will pluck some young talent out of the A-League, it creates a fire in my belly. I really want to push for that. It’s definitely a goal of mine in the near future.”
Featured image: Adelaide United
