aleagues.com.au brings you all the biggest talking points from Round 2 of the Isuzu UTE A-League 2025-26 season.
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The pre-game joke that manifested a Macarthur gun’s first goal after 10 years
When Network 10 pitchside reporter Daniel Garb referred to Macarthur midfielder Liam Rose’s Monday-night goal as a “classic”, he was quickly corrected by Bulls striker Harrison Sawyer.
“Rosie’s goal was not a classic,” Sawyer quipped. “That’s his first one!”
Indeed, Rose’s bullet strike against Adelaide United was the first goal of his 124-game Isuzu UTE A-League career – a drought stretching back to February, 2015 and his first stint in the league with Central Coast Mariners.
Rose spent four seasons at the Mariners before a two-year absence from the competition, before returning Down Under with Macarthur in 2020.
Through 71 games at the Mariners and 52 at the Bulls, Rose went goalless – but that changed in emphatic fashion in Monday’s 2-1 win over the Reds.
Post-game, Sawyer revealed to Network 10 that Rose’s goalless streak was a pre-game topic of conversation, with head coach Mile Sterjovski even weighing in on the discussion.
“We were talking about it before the game and I think even Mile said, ‘Work on your shooting’,” Sawyer explained.
“He hit that one sweet, he’ll be happy.”
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Young gun’s hilarious response to two-goal haul: ‘That’s how he is’
Can anyone stop red-hot Melbourne City striker Max Caputo? On current form, the answer is no following his exploits in Saturday evening but he is not completely satisfied.
Caputo scored a first-half brace as reigning champions Melbourne City took down Perth Glory at AAMI Park, where Zane Schreiber opened his Isuzu UTE A-League account with a “screamer” in the closing stages, while Kavian Rahmani also scored a stunning goal of his own at the death for his at professional level.
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The 20-year-old made it four goals in his last three games across all competitions – he also scored in Round 1 and in the AFC Champions League – to help City celebrate their first win of the season in the Isuzu UTE A-League, while remaining unbeaten.
Caputo managed a career-high five goals in 15 Isuzu UTE A-League appearances last season. The 20-year-old already has three in two games this season, while he has also found the back of the net in the 2025-26 AFC Champions League Elite.
He now has 10 goals to his name since debuting in the Isuzu UTE A-League – the fifth-most in the history of the competition among players by the age of 20, only adrift of Archie Goodwin (20), Nestory Irankunda (26), Luka Jovanovic (12) and Thomas Waddingham (11).
Despite his exploits against Perth, the CommBank Young Socceroos forward provided a blunt reaction to his performance
“What we love about Max is even after the game, he goes ‘I’ve had a s**t game’. I went, ‘I wouldn’t mind having a crap game as well scoring two goals’,” City head coach Aurelio Vidmar smiled to reporters.
“That’s how Max is. He is always striving for perfection. That can be a good thing and also a bad thing.
“He just needs to keep doing what he is doing at training, and working hard. When you do that, you get the rewards.”
The half-time spray that changed Wellington’s fortunes
Wellington Phoenix head coach Giancarlo Italiano was sick of being the loudest voice at Sky Stadium on Sunday and told his players as much at half-time of their Round 2 clash with Brisbane Roar.
Admitting he was more frustrated than usual on the touchline, the Phoenix boss could be heard throughout the first half and was far from happy at what he perceived to be a lack of communication from his goalkeeper and defenders as they trudged in at the break, trailing to Roar striker Justin Vidic’s 42nd-minute strike.
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“I was a little bit vocal about our defensive line’s lack of communication and just sticking to the game plan,” said Italiano when speaking to Sky Sport NZ after the win
“So I was a little bit animated. I think I got the response I wanted…”
Pressed further in his post-match press conference as to what had irked him the most about his side’s first-half display, Italiano admitted he wasn’t happy with having to be the one to guide his defensive unit up and down the pitch.
“The lack of communication from the defensive line and the goalkeeper in that first half, I feel like, if I’m not the one screaming, then there wasn’t much in terms of direction.
“Second half that was fixed. There was no problem”
With his side’s new high-line tactic a hot topic of discussion after Round 1, keen onlookers would have seen Brisbane Roar score from a ball over the top during the first half in Wellington.
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However, Italiano believes the goal his side conceded was more about that lack of communication and practice as opposed to a tactical flaw being exposed.
“So I think when you play an expansive game, and when you want to play high risk, you need leaders on the pitch, and I think they’re just getting accustomed to the fact that they actually need to always be vocal,” he said.
“And we’ll learn it. It’s going to take us time, and we also have some young players in the back line, but for me, it starts with a goalkeeper.
“The goalkeeper needs to be loud. The three centre-backs need to be even louder, and then everyone feeds off that.”
As it was, the home side were able to secure their first win at Sky Stadium since late 2024 thanks to goals from Kazuki Nagasawa and new signing Carlo Armiento, who struck in the 96th minute of the game to break Brisbane Roar hearts.
The win did come at a cost, though, with Italiano revealing after the contest that key defender Tim Payne is likely to have broken his collarbone after falling awkwardly during the first half, with the All Whites defender now expected to be out of action for at least six weeks.
Newcastle’s unsung hero
Alex Badolato earned all the plaudits on Friday night, and deservedly so, but there was another “standout” against Melbourne Victory.
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It was a breath-taking performance from the 20-year-old, headlined by a pair of stunning goals.
But Jets head coach Mark Milligan heaped praise on another youngster following Newcastle’s first win of the season – 17-year-old academy graduate Dobson who started against Victory having sat out the F3 Derby defeat.
“Will Dobson tonight was probably a standout for me because he’s had a very, very tough week,” Milligan told reporters.
“He went down with gastro last week. Missed out on the Mariners game.
“Came back in on Wednesday and showed me that I need to put him in the team.”
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$1m-rated star’s seamless transition in Auckland
Jake Girdwood-Reich produced another monster performance for Auckland FC as the reigning premiers edged Western Sydney Wanderers 1-0 on Saturday.
At the heart of defence alongside Dan Hall, the pair helped the Black Knights record their second straight clean sheet to start 2025-26 after Jesse Randall’s first-half opener saw off the Wanderers.
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Auckland boss Steve Corica lured Girdwood-Reich back to the Isuzu UTE A-League on loan from MLS outfit St Louis City. The pair worked together at Sydney FC – Corica gave Girdwood-Reich his debut in 2022-23 before the 21-year-old became the Sky Blues’ first million-dollar-plus transfer following a club-record switch to St Louis last year.
Now, the talented 21-year-old Australian is already playing a key role for Auckland, who have four points from two games while no other team have managed more goals from outside the box than the Black Knights (11) since their introduction in 2024-25.
“He is a young boy. He is only 21 but he is an experienced player,” Corica told Sky Sport New Zealand. “He’s fitted in really well.
“Him and Dan are similar. Both are quick, both very good in one-v-one situations.
“He’s calm on the ball too, which is great. I think he’s done really well in the first two games.”
Young Socceroo quietly going about his business at Sydney FC
Sydney FC are off and running for the Isuzu UTE A-League 2025-26 season after defeating Central Coast Mariners 2-0 at Leichhardt Oval on Saturday night.
Second-half strikes from new Spanish import Victor Campuzano and substitute Patrick Wood got the Sky Blues their first three points of the season, with Ufuk Talay’s men eventually breaking down a stubborn Mariners side who frustrated their opponents for large chunks of the game.
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But whilst Sydney’s foreign contingent of off-season recruits will naturally take centre stage when it comes to the intrigue around the new faces at Sky Park, a CommBank Young Socceroos star is quietly going about his business in the engine room of the side.
Recruited from Portuguese giants Benfica in the off-season, Paul Okon-Engstler’s early displays have shown exactly why Sydney FC handed the young talent a three-year contract.
Operating in a two-man Sydney FC midfield on Saturday night, the 20-year-old has seemingly brought a calmness and composure to a side which was often lacking in both last season.
A headline look at some of his statistics from the win over the Mariners will tell you that, in possession of the ball, Okon-Engstler finished the game with a passing accuracy of 88% from a total of 69 passes.
Drill deeper into those numbers and they tell you that ‘Junior’ completed all 28 of his passes made inside his own half, often dropping in as a left-sided number six to combine with full back Joel King or his two central defenders.
Furthermore, Okon-Engstler also proved to be a combative force when his side lost possession of the ball, making eight recoveries, three tackles, as well as a multitude of other defensive actions.
“Junior’s an intelligent player,” said Talay after the game when asked for his take on his midfielder’s performance.
“I thought he did a fantastic job with the Young Socceroos at the World Cup. I think Rhys (Youlley) did a great job alongside him as well.
“I think they connected well and recognised the moments when Paulie could drop and Rhys could go higher and find those moments.
“Look, they’ll only get better with games as well. Young players need games. You know, there’s going to be times where they are inconsistent as a young player, but the more games that they get, the better they will be as well.”
When you factor in Okon-Engstler’s five duels won from six contested as well as a passing range which saw him play successfully through the lines on multiple occasions, Sydney FC may well be on to a winner with their new midfield signing.
Add to that the fact that his numbers in Sydney’s Round 1 loss to Adelaide United were equally as impressive, and it’s clear to see why CommBank Socceroos head coach Tony Popovic is a keen admirer of the son of a Socceroos great.
