Carl Veart’s Adelaide United have made the best-ever start to a season with two wins from two, nine goals scored and none conceded.
As the goals have rained in, Adelaide United really are in uncharted territory.
Two wins in two games and nine goals scored without reply makes this the best ever start by an A-League Men’s team, with Carl Veart’s side blitzing the champions Central Coast and the premiers Melbourne City so far.
For the naysayers who view two games as insufficient to draw any conclusions, a key player in the team that previously held the record for the best ever start couldn’t disagree more.
Former Sydney FC striker Alex Brosque believes United’s potential is “scary” as they face a trip to Melbourne Victory on Saturday – scorer of seven goals in two games themselves – that will provide Veart’s baby-faced squad with its sternest test yet.
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Brosque – now a Paramount+ expert – was one of the leading lights in 2016-17, the year Sydney obliterated the competition to set a points record for a season – beginning with back to back 4-0 wins in the opening two rounds, against Western Sydney and the Mariners.
That topped the 8-1 aggregate Gold Coast United achieved in the first two games of 2009-10, their debut campaign – and Brosque believes such a blistering start can create instant momentum, even so early in the season.
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He scored in each of Sydney’s first two games of what turned out to be a record-breaking season, and believes Adelaide have shown raw potential that should frighten the rest of the competition.
“You can feel it in pre-season but until you’ve played a couple of games it’s hard to get a real sense of where you are,” Brosque told aleagues.com.au.
“The best pre-season can unravel quickly, just look at Syndey FC who won the Australia Cup a few weeks ago but haven’t got a goal or a point yet.
“But two big wins, two clean sheets and lots of goals – you just feel everything is clicking. From those first two games we had a sense of invincibility and we trained like it, the players were demanding higher and higher standards so that by the weekend you’re ready to crush anyone.”
Brosque believes that Adelaide needn’t be concerned at the concentration of youth in their squad, even though his Sydney side was studded with experience at the highest levels in Europe.
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For game-by-game discussion, timestamps are as follows:
– 6:42 – Brisbane v Sydney
– 18:42 – Wellington v Perth
– 27:19 – Western Sydney v Western United
– 32:55 – Central Coast v Macarthur
– 38:42 – Melbourne Victory v Newcastle
– 47:32 – Adelaide v Melbourne City
“For those young kids, when you’re winning and winning well, it just takes over, whatever level of experience you’ve got,” he said. “Carl Veart will be all over them to keep them honest and reminding them they’ve won nothing yet.
“Just as we had the perfect mix in 2016, I can see enough experienced faces at Adelaide to keep the young boys focused. It’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance but Veart won’t let them cross it.
“I have no doubt they’ll be going to Victory this weekend expecting to win, that’s the mindset you get into. It’ll be an intriguing game, especially with the form Bruno Fornaroli is in – but if Adelaide come away with a good result, it’s scary what this team could go on to produce.”
