Report Card: Your Isuzu UTE A-League side's season rated

The 2024-25 Isuzu UTE A-League is in the history books with records broken, hearts won and moments created that will last a lifetime.

Following an incredible season which saw new boys Auckland FC clinch the Premiers Plate and Melbourne City secure just their second Championship crown, aleagues.com.au takes a look back at how your club fared during the season that was in 2024-25.

In the final instalment of our End of Year review, aleagues.com.au takes a closer look at the four remaining teams: Sydney FC, Wellington Phoenix, Western Sydney Wanderers and Western United.

If you missed Part One or Part Two of our Report Card series, then click on the links below to read up on your team.

PART ONE: Your Isuzu UTE A-League side’s season rated
PART TWO: Your Isuzu UTE A-League side’s season rated

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Sydney FC (7th)

Plenty was expected of Sydney FC in season 2024-25, especially after they pulled off the signing of the transfer window by recruiting Brazilian international and former Bayern Munich and Juventus winger, Douglas Costa.

Add to that the signings of former Serie A midfielder Leo Sena, creative midfielder Anas Ouahim and ex-Celtic striker Patryk Klimala on a season-long loan, Ufuk Talay’s side looked to be a frightening proposition going forward, if a little light in the defensive derpartment.

Whilst Sky Blues veteran and newly appointed club captain Rhyan Grant was an ever-present for the club at the back, only central defender Alexandar Popovic was recruited to bolster the defence meaning Talay’s defensive pairing would consist of 22-year-old Popovic and young star Hayden Matthews – something that would ultimately prove to be their undoing.

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A shock exit in the Australia Cup Round of 32 aside, the Sky Blues went into the new Isuzu UTE A-League with back-to-back wins under their belts as they kickstarted their AFC Champions League Two campaign with victories over Eastern and Kaya FC before then defeating arch-rivals Western Sydney Wanderers 2-1 at CommBank Stadium in Round One.

Defeat to Auckland FC and former head coach Steve Corica then followed in Round Two though and this would prove to be a pattern of the Sky Blues’ season as they juggled ACL Two commitments with a demanding Isuzu UTE A-League schedule.

Proving to be a constant threat going forward with the likes of Joe Lolley, Costa, Anthony Caceres and the emerging Adrian Segecic in attack, Sydney FC’s problems lie in defence as they often found themselves enthralled in more than a few ‘you score three, we’ll score four’ type of games.

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Among the defensive changes that occurred throughout the season was the installation of goalkeeper Harrison Devenish-Meares as the club’s new number one in place of Sydney FC legend Andrew Redmayne. That, coupled with the mid-season departure of defender Matthews to English side Portsmouth and an injury to Popovic, meant the Sky Blues’ defensive unit was constantly disrupted throughout the course of the campaign and it would ultimately prove to be costly as they ended the season having conceded 46 goals.

Whilst Segecic was proving to be one of the revelations of the season with his goalscoring antics the Sky Blues found themselves embroiled in a nail-biting race to finish inside the top six with both Adelaide United and Macarthur Bulls. Furthermore, they also had a semi-final showdown with Singaporean side Lion City Sailors to contend with as they bid to reach the ACL Two final. Ultimately, they would achieve neither.

Beaten 2-1 by Lion City over the course of two legs, the Sky Blues then lost both of their remaining regular season fixtures against Western United (1-0) and Melbourne City (5-1) to miss out on playing Finals football by just a single point, with Adelaide United clinging on to the all-important sixth spot.

Following the end of a disappointing season the future of head coach Talay remained up in the air with his contract set to expire. However, after an internal review the club announced the former Wellington Phoenix boss would remain in charge of the Sky Blues after penning a new one-year contract extension.

RATING: 4/10

Wellington Phoenix (11th)

Having got within touching distance of the 2023-24 Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final, plenty was expected of Wellington Phoenix in season 2024-25.

With rookie head coach Giancarlo Italiano back for his second season in charge, many thought the Nix would continue their upward trajectory however, they were dealt a big blow following the departure of several big name players.

Gone were the likes of star striker Oskar Zawada, Bulgarian international Bozhidar Kraev and Goalkeeper of the Year Alex Paulsen who moved to Premier League side AFC Bournemouth.

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Furthermore, talented midfielder Ben Old moved to French Ligue 1 side AS Saint-Etienne and defender Finn Surman headed stateside to join MLS side Portland Timbers, meaning Italiano had a huge task on his hands to effectively replace the spine of his side. In their place came experienced Japanese duo Kazuki Nagasawa and Hideki Ishige, winger Marco Rojas returned to his boyhood club while former Tottenham Hotspur academy product Josh Oluwayemi was chosen as the man to replace Paulsen.

Kicking off their campaign with a 1-1 draw with Western United, the Nix then got off the mark with a 2-0 win over Perth Glory before attention soon turned to the big game at Sky Stadium in Round Three as the Isuzu UTE A-League braced itself for the first ever instalment of the New Zealand Derby.

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With a group of cheeky Wellington fans organising for a banner to be flown over Go Media Stadium during Auckland FC’s Round One clash against Brisbane Roar which read “NZ is yellow – see you next week” anticipation was high ahead of their first ever meeting but unfortunately for the home side it was Auckland FC who came away with all three points and indeed New Zealand football’s bragging rights thanks a dramatic late Jake Brimmer double.

Despite that gut-wrenching defeat, Italiano’s side responded well and won their next two matches before then getting the chance to exact revenge over the Black Knights at Go Media Stadium, but once again,n It wouldn’t end well for them. A 2-1 loss to Auckland FC proved to be the start of a run which saw them lose five of their next six matches, leading to criticism for Italiano and his side for their lack of cutting edge in front of goal.

Despite results not going their way though there were still positives for the Nix in season 2024-25 with the likes of young guns Corban Piper and Luke Brooke-Smith establishing themselves as A-Leagues players while veteran striker Kosta Barbarouses also notched his 100th Isuzu UTE A-League goal during the 2-1 win over Macarthur Bulls in January 2025.

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Furthermore the introduction of January loan signing Francisco ‘Chico’ Geraldes looked to be an inspired piece of business as Italiano looked to add some more creativity to his side but for all the mini-positives that may have occurred the real watershed moment took place at Go Media Stadium in late February as they faced Auckland FC for the third time this season. It didn’t end well.

A 6-1 hammering at the hands of their new rivals meant the Nix would finish the season with an 0-3 record against Auckland FC and a run of just one win in the final nine games would see the Nix finish the season in 11th place, 14 points outside the top six.

RATING: 4/10

Western Sydney Wanderers (4th)

After missing out on the 2023-24 Finals Series, the Wanderers were looking to bounce back in season 2024-25 under new management.

With Western Sydney local Alen Stajcic appointed as head coach on a one-year deal, the Wanderers set about building out their squad and they soon recruited one of world football’s most decorated players in the form of Spanish superstar Juan Mata.

Signing a one-year deal, the former Chelsea and Manchester United midfielder joined the likes of former Wellington Phoenix midfielder Bozhidar Kraev and towering Korean defender Tae-wook Jeong in a new-look Wanderers side that was hoping to get off to a flyer against rivals Sydney FC in Round One.

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However things didn’t go to plan for the Wanderers. Firstly Captain and first-choice goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas suffered an ankle injury in pre-season meaning he would miss the first few rounds of the season while the side then suffered a season-opening Sydney Derby defeat to rivals Sydney FC at CommBank Stadium.

Following that opening round defeat the Wanderers then drew 1-1 away at Western United and lost 4-3 in a classic against Adelaide United. Three games in and just one point to show for their efforts, the Wanderers got their first win of the campaign in Round Four after beating the Jets before then losing another Sydney Derby, this time 4-2 in Unite Round.

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Stajcic’s side eventually began moving through the gears though and it was an injury to a first-team player that proved to be a turning point in their campaign. With loan signing Jeong suffering what would turn out to be a season-ending ankle injury, central defender Anthony Pantazopoulos came into the side and went on to form a formidable defensive partnership with fellow young centre back Alex Bonetig and the results began to follow.

Aided by the goals of 23-year-old Nicolas Milanovic who had formed part of a deadly attacking trio alongside Socceroo Brandon Borrello and young striker Zac Sapsford the Wanderers began to climb the league and aided by mid-season signings Jarrod Carluccio, Mohamed Al-Taay and returning Socceroo Alex Gersbach, soon became a top four fixture heading into the business end of the season.

Whilst a season-ending ACL injury to midfielder Dylan Scicluna was certainly a big loss for the side, Stajcic’s team would finish the season in scintillating fashion as they reeled off eight wins as part of a 12-game unbeaten run to lock up a top-four finish, thus sealing a return to the Finals Series.

Finishing the season with 12 goals to his name and just one short of the Golden Boot, Milanovic was crowned the 2025 Johnny Warren Medalist following an outstanding individual season as his goals helped ensure the Wanderers finishing the regular campaign as the league’s most potent attacking force.

However, despite ending the season in red-hot form the Wanderers’ attack was kept quiet by Melbourne Victory in the knockout Elimination Final as a 2-1 loss at CommBank Stadium saw Western Sydney fall at the first hurdle as their season came to a premature end. There was some good news for the club following a season which brought plenty of joy to a reinvigorated Wanderers fanbase as Stajcic was subsequently handed a new two-year contract extension to remain in charge of the club.

RATING: 7/10

Western United (3rd)

After a 2023-24 Isuzu UTE A-League season which saw Western United finish second last, there was plenty of room for improvement for John Aloisi’s side heading into the new campaign.

Following the exits of Championship winners Josh Risdon, Lachie Wales and Steven Lustica as well as the likes of experienced striker Nikita Rukavytsya and Brazilian creator Daniel Penha, Western opted to go younger for season 2024-25, albeit with a sprinkling of A-Leagues experience. In came former Adelaide United striker Hiroshi Ibusuki and Western Sydney defender Tate Russell while Aloisi then put his faith in some of the club’s younger talents including highly-rated defender Dylan Leonard, exciting winger Abel Walatee, Charbel Shamoon and Jordan Lauton.

An opening day draw in Wellington was then followed by a home stalemate against the Wanderers and subsequent back-to-back losses against Melbourne City and Adelaide United, however Aloisi’s side were playing an exciting brand of football and their first win of the season duly arrived in Round Five with a 3-1 win over Perth Glory.

REPORT CARD: Your Isuzu UTE A-League side’s season rated – Part One

Trusted to lead the line alongside the experienced Ibusuki, young forward Noah Botic began to catch fire as he scored eight goals in 11 games to catapult himself into the running for the Golden Boot while Western began their rise up the table. A four-game winning run around Christmas time coupled with a five-game winning streak between February and April saw Western move from top six hopefuls to Premiership challengers and no team wanted to take on a side that was now scoring goals for fun.

However, just as they were closing in on top spot Western suffered a narrow loss away at the Wanderers before a surprise 2-1 defeat to lowly Brisbane Roar then ensured they’d be fighting for second spot at best, albeit that placing would come with the added bonus of Asian football next season.

Despite defeating both Sydney FC and Premiership winners Auckland FC in their final two rounds of the season Western finished the campaign in third, albeit with the second-deadliest attack in the competition and therefore set-up an Elimination Final showdown with Adelaide United in what would be the first ever men’s finals game to be held at Ironbark Fields.

The strong favourite against an Adelaide side which squeezed into the Finals series by just a point, Western put on another brilliant attacking display to justify their ‘favourites’ tag and outgunned their opponents thanks to a hat-trick from Botic to set-up a semi-final clash with cross-town rivals Melbourne City.

Sadly for Aloisi’s men though, that’s where the good times would come to an end. Defeated 3-0 by City in the home leg of their semi-final, Western tried in vain to overcome the mountain that was their first leg defeat and while a fit-again Botic did bag his 16th goal of the season in all competitions, Western’s season was brought to an end at AAMI Park.

Heading into the season not much was expected of an incredibly young and inexperienced Western Untied side however Aloisi’s side can walk away from this campaign with their heads held high after securing an impressive third-placed finish, all whilst consistently serving up some of the most attacking and exciting football of any of the sides in the competition.

Rating: 8/10