Sydney FC’s Australia Cup title defence came to an end in the Round of 32, while 2022 winners Macarthur FC overcame a potential banana skin to book their spot in the next round. This is what we learned from both contests.
Oakleigh Cannons 3-1 Sydney FC
History repeated itself in the Australia Cup as holders Sydney FC were upstaged by NPLM VIC outfit Oakleigh Cannons for the second time in three years.
In 2022, Oakleigh stunned Sydney en route to a memorable run to the semi-finals.
On a crisp Tuesday night at the Home of the Matildas, Ufuk Talay’s Sky Blues enjoyed plenty of possession but struggled to assert their dominance and ultimately paid the price.
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Having gone behind in the 14th minute thanks to a header from Kingsley Sinclair, Sydney hit back via the penalty spot just 11 minutes later as international recruit Anas Ouahim found the back of the net at the second time of asking after his initial spot-kick was saved but ordered to be retaken.
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However, goals either side of half time from former Adelaide United forward Asad Kasumovic and a brilliant solo effort from Emlyn Wellsmore in the second half ultimately sealed Sydney’s fate in Victoria – a result newly installed captain Rhyan Grant conceded was deserved.
“Disappointing result,” said Grant when speaking after the game. “They’re a good outfit, we knew that and they were up for it and credit to them, they played good.
“We’ve got some good youngsters coming through that got a chance tonight and they did well but it is about us now and we have a long pre-season now to work on things.”
Of those youngsters to feature for Sydney was Nick Alfaro – who at 16 years, six months and 29 days – became the Isuzu UTE A-League team’s youngest ever player to feature in a competitive match.
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But as disappointing as the result was for Sydney FC, how much can we read into it?
While the defensive unit featured five regulars from last season in goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne and defenders Rhyan Grant, Hayden Matthews, Jordan Courtney-Perkins and Joel King, the midfield and forward line painted a very different picture.
Still without the likes of Joe Lolley and Max Burgess due to injury, the creative spark of Anthony Caceres due to suspension and midfielder Corey Hollman away on international duty – Anas Ouahim aside – the rest of the team featured three teenagers, 22-year-old Jaiden Kucharski and Adrian Segecic, who has just returned from a season on loan in the Netherlands.
Fresh off penning his first professional contract, 17-year-old attacking midfielder Marin France was deployed on the right of the Sky Blues’ attack on debut and tasked with replicating the role performed by Robert Mak last season, while 18-year-old midfield debutant Lachlan Middleton filled the boots left by Luke Brattan as he anchored the midfield.
Deserving of their win, Oakleigh played both the occasion and their opposition perfectly but it is worth noting the stages of their respective seasons that both sides currently find themselves in.
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Currently sat third in NPLM VIC with 24 games under their belt this season, Oakleigh looked well-oiled in comparison to a Sydney FC side that only returned to pre-season training at the start of July and are still in the process of building out their squad ahead of the upcoming Isuzu UTE A-League season.
O’Connor Knights 1-2 Macarthur FC
Despite going a goal down to O’Connor Knights in the nation’s capital, Macarthur FC overcame the threat of a cupset to book their spot in the last 16 of the Australia Cup.
In front of a raucous home crowd at GIO Stadium in Canberra, a towering header from substitute Pax Manda saw the Knights snatch the lead in the 57th minute but the response from Mile Sterjovski’s Bulls spoke volumes.
A beautifully simple move in the 72nd minute saw midfielder Jake Hollman throw the opposition defence with a dummy before running onto the through ball from Frans Deli and dispatching the ball beyond the keeper to calm any Macarthur nerves.
It was this type of intricate play from the Bulls’ playmaker which saw him crowned the club’s Player of the Year in 2023-24 and subsequently saw his name appear on many a scouting list for European clubs.
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In contrast to Hollman, a player in the infancy of what promises to be an excellent career, is his new teammate in the Macarthur engine room, the experienced figure of former Sydney FC captain Luke Brattan.
Recruited in the off-season by Sterjovski as the Bulls look to replace several key departures in the heart of their midfield, Brattan was all class on his Bulls debut as he combined well with fellow new boy Marin Jakolis to dispatch a well-worked freekick into the bottom corner and with it, book the Bulls a spot in the last 16.
After overcoming an ankle injury which saw him play with loose bone fragments in his foot in what was his final season with Sydney FC, Brattan now appears to be injury-free ahead of the new campaign with Macarthur as the Bulls look to build on their fifth-placed finish in 2023-24.
While Brattan’s addition to Macarthur certainly ups the average age of the Bulls squad there’s no doubting his quality when it comes to delivering on the pitch and when you slot him into a side which already contains the creative outputs of both Hollman and Frenchman Valere Germain, the signing of the 2023 Australia Cup winner could prove to be a masterstroke.
Furthermore, with new signing Joshua Damevski making his debut at right back and fellow recruit Chris Ikonomidis yet to feature for the club following his arrival from Melbourne Victory, it appears as though Sterjovski is building a new-look Bulls side which blends A-Leagues experience with young talents such as Hollman, 19-year-old Ariath Piol, 20-year-old Jed Drew and Olyroos forward Bernardo Oliviera, who is on the comeback trail from an Achilles injury.
