Isuzu UTE A-League Team of the Week: Hat-trick hero soars to 4-year high

Catch up on the Isuzu UTE A-League Team of the Week, powered by Opta.

The Isuzu UTE A-League continued over the weekend and there was plenty of excitement, goals and even a hat-trick.

Newcastle Jets young gun and hat-trick hero Alex Badolato – the sixth-youngest hat-trick scorer in the history of the competition – headlines the latest Team of the Week, while Melbourne City sensation Max Caputo is also included.

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This season, Opta will power the Isuzu UTE A-League Team of the Week using Opta Points – a comprehensive player metric that evaluates a player’s overall contribution to the game. Each Monday, the Isuzu UTE A-League Team of the Week will be displayed in a 4-3-3 formation, highlighting the best-performing players.

Note: The weekly Team of the Week will feature matches played from Monday to Sunday. So, Monday night’s Macarthur Bulls v Adelaide United clash will count towards next week’s Team of the Week.

What is the Opta Points system?

Opta Points is a system where points are given to players for certain on-field actions. Players who complete the full game duration on the field typically end up with a point total ranging from 10 to 40 points. (View the full breakdown of Opta Points below)

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AFC Young Footballer of the Year Badolato is unsurprisingly the highest-scoring player following the weekend’s action thanks to his three-goal haul in Newcastle’s 5-2 win over Melbourne Victory on Friday night. His 82.2 Opta Points are the most of any player in an Isuzu UTE A-League game since Melbourne City great’s Jamie Maclaren registered 83.6 against Melbourne Victory in April 2021.

The 20-year-old – who has 113 points through two games – was also in the Round 1 Team of the Week, and he is not the only one to back up in week two.

Wellington Phoenix recruit Carlo Armiento is also in the Team of the Week again after his 97th-minute winner against Brisbane Roar on Sunday, and he is joined by teammate Kazuki Nagasawa. Melbourne Victory duo Denis Genreau and Keegan Jelacic also ranked highly.

Isuzu UTE A-League Team of the Week

Goalkeeper: Lawrence Thomas (Western Sydney Wanderers, 36.6)

Defenders: Lukas Kelly-Heald (Wellington Phoenix, 26), Bradley Tapp (Central Coast Mariners 33.2), German Ferreyra (Melbourne City, 25.8), Joel King (Sydney FC, 23.4)

Midfielders: Alex Badolato (Newcastle Jets 82.2), Denis Genreau (Melbourne Victory, 46), Kazuki Nagasawa (Wellington Phoenix, 30)

Forwards: Keegan Jelacic (Melbourne Victory, 44.8), Max Caputo (Melbourne City, 34.6), Carlo Armiento (Wellington Phoenix, 36)

Explained: Opta’s Team of the Week using Opta Points

The scoring system distinguishes only between field players and goalkeepers, assigning the same number of points to all field players for corresponding actions. A distinctive feature of this system is its exclusive focus on in-game actions, refraining from awarding points for post-game performances, such as securing a victory or allocating bonus points for maintaining a clean sheet.

Positive actions (goals, passes, tackles, etc…) will add to a player’s score and, conversely, negative actions (cards, own goals, goals conceded) will reduce a player’s points total. Theoretically, a player’s points value is unlimited, and players can conclude a game with negative points. However, players who complete the full game duration on the field typically end up with a point total ranging from 10 to 40 points.

Goals, Shots on target, shots off target, blocked shots, own goal, assists, passes, crosses, tackles, interceptions, fouls won, fouls conceded, offsides, yellow cards, red cards, goals conceded, penalty won, saves, penalty saved are included in Opta Points.