With the Australia Cup Round of 32 in full swing, enter the 10 A-Leagues clubs ready to take their place in the tournament for the first time in 2022.
Across the weekend, five ALM outfits are in Australia Cup action, before the Round of 32 carries into next week.
Football Queensland Premier League’s Magpies Crusaders welcoming Dwight Yorke’s Macarthur FC to BP Print Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Then, attention turns to two all A-Leagues fixtures between Newcastle Jets and Adelaide United on Saturday, and Sydney FC and Central Coast Mariners on Sunday to round out the weekend.
KEEPUP outlines what’s at stake for all five ALM clubs in the Australia Cup Round of 32 this weekend.
Veart: Halloran negotiations ‘progressing very well’ ahead of Jets clash in Aus Cup
Adelaide United head coach Carl Veart has confirmed the Reds are in discussions to bring Ben Halloran back to the club, revealing negotiations are “progressing very well” in a deal which could be announced within the next week.
The news comes as Veart prepares his side for their first competitive game since returning to pre-season; the Reds travel to face Newcastle Jets in the Australia Cup Round of 32 on Saturday, with the bulk of last season’s squad back on board for another tilt at silverware in the domestic league and cup competitions.
Halloran, who began the 2021-22 campaign as a Red before signing for Korean side FC Seoul, is tipped to return to the Reds for the upcoming ALM season.
“We’ve had some negotiations with Ben,” Veart said. “And that’s progressing very well. Hopefully we can get something sorted in the next week or so.
“He’s experienced, he’s a great guy, he works extremely hard and he really suits the style of football I want to play.”
Newcastle pose an interesting challenge for Veart’s Adelaide in the Australia Cup, with a number of new signings making Arthur Papas’s side a relatively unknown quantity at this stage in the ALM off-season.
The Jets have recruited a number of high profile players from rival ALM clubs, including Brandon O’Neill (Perth Glory), Reno Piscopo (Wellington Phoenix), Trent Buhagiar (Sydney FC), Jaushua Sotirio (Wellington Phoenix), Rory Jordan (Macarthur FC), Mark Natta (Western Sydney Wanderers) and James McGarry (Newcastle Jets).
Whilst the Jets’ off-season has been littered with eye-catching recruits, Veart has opted to make a number of important re-signings, highlighted by captain and Socceroos gun Craig Goodwin. Key first-team members Bernardo Oliveira, Alexandar Popovic, Juande, Javi Lopez, Zach Clough, Hiroshi Ibusuki and Ryan Kitto have joined Goodwin in re-committing to the club.
It’s the new-look Jets against the recognisable Reds at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday evening (5.30pm AEST), and Veart is eager to see how his side is tracking just three weeks into their pre-season regime.
“We’ve got the new boys that have come in in Harry (Van der Saag) and Ben (Warland), they’ve done quite well,” Veart said. “But overall, the whole playing group have worked extremely hard these first three weeks and they’re just looking forward to getting g game under their belt.
“It’s a difficult one (facing the Jets). We don’t know anything really about them. They’ve brought in a lot of new players this year, so we’re not sure they’ll play the same style they did last year. But we’ve got our style we’ve played over the last two years and we’ll keep playing that same way.
“I think we’ve retained 90% of last season’s squad, and we’ve added a couple of players into the squad to strengthen… we’re very happy with the way the squad is developing at the moment.”
Opta stat: This will be the third Australia Cup meeting between Newcastle and Adelaide; the Reds have won each of their previous two matches in the competition by a 1-0 margin.
MATCH DETAILS
Newcastle Jets v Adelaide United
Saturday, July 30 2022
Kick-off: 5.30pm AEST
Venue: McDonald Jones Stadium
Broadcast: 10 Play
Yorke’s competitive coaching debut awaits against Crusaders – but will Arzani make bow?
Macarthur have been one of the busier Isuzu UTE A-League clubs this off-season, with nine signings and eight departures ensuring new head coach Dwight Yorke’s squad would take on a fresh look ahead of the 2022-23 ALM campaign.
The likes of Kearyn Baccus, Matthew Millar, Jonathan Aspropotamitis and Anthony Carter have arrived in Campbelltown and gotten stuck into training as the third week of Macarthur’s pre-season rolls on.
An Australia Cup Round-of-32 meeting against Magpies Crusaders will be Yorke’s first competitive fixture as a head coach. Kicking off on Saturday night, the former Manchester United striker will hope to get his managerial career off to a bright start.
But will he have Macarthur’s latest signing Daniel Arzani at his disposal as the Bulls travel to BP Print Stadium? The fringe Socceroo confirmed his return to the ALM after a four-season absence on Tuesday, July 26, and Bulls fans will be eager to see their prized recruit in action as soon as possible.
“We definitely are exited, the cup is important for the club,” Yorke said.
“It’s going to be our first competitive game as well, the boys are training well getting used to their new surroundings.
“There’s a lot of changes here, but at the same time we’re pretty excited and looking forward to the game.
“You sort of prepare yourself for these moments, and then the reality really kicks in. What I can say (is) I’ve been enjoying the two weeks I’ve been here at this point in time, the reaction from the players, the players buying into our way of thinking and playing here at the Bulls really excites me.
“But I’m under no illusion – it’s going to be a lot of hard work, but at the same time really excited. Looking forward to the game at the weekend, and I can’t wait to see what we’re capable of doing as a team.”
Opta stat: This will be the first meeting between Magpies Crusaders and Macarthur in the Australia Cup; indeed, it will be Magpies Crusaders’ first match against an A-League Men team in the competition and the Bulls’ first against a team from outside New South Wales.
MATCH DETAILS
Magpies Crusaders v Macarthur FC
Saturday, July 30 2022
Kick-off: 5.30pm AEST
Venue: BP Print Stadium
Broadcast: 10 Play
Sky Blues begin cup campaign against the backdrop of transfer scrutiny
It’s one of the compelling stories of the current off-season: with 15 players heading for the Sydney FC exit door – including club legend Miloš Ninković to bitter rivals Western Sydney – only one has come the other way.
The transfer inactivity has fostered concerns within the Sky Blues fanbase. Now, for the first time since the end of a woeful 2021-22 campaign for the club, Steve Corica’s side are back in competitive action against the Mariners in the Australia Cup Round of 32.
With Spanish defender Diego Caballo the only signing of the off-season thus far, new club CEO Adam Santo has sent a message to the fans to douse fears about Sydney’s perceived lack of movement in the transfer market.
“I think it’s important to note the A-League season is still two and a half months away and we have plenty of time to build the best squad we can,” Santo told the club website.
“We’ve already signed five of our excellent academy squad who we believe can make a big impact this season, and Steve is on record as saying we need a new left back, who we have, a centre-half and two or three attacking players.
“However, we won’t rush those remaining signings and risk compromising the season with a player who doesn’t fit the bill.
“We are getting new options daily and we will take our time to do our due diligence to make the best decision for the club and our members.”
There’s been similar turnover in Gosford, with Nick Montgomery’s Mariners losing Oliver Bozanic, Lewis Miller, Kye Rowles, Mark Birighitti, Marco Urena, Cy Goddard, Ruon Tongyik and a number of fringe first-team players.
Ghanaian striker Paul Ayongo is the key arrival of the off-season thus far in a Mariners squad bolstered by young talent arriving on the coast, and academy products such as Jacob Farrell, Josh Nisbet and Dan Hall re-committing to the club.
Both sides will take on a new look in Sunday afternoon’s Australia Cup clash at Leichhardt Oval.
Opta stat: Sydney have won six of their seven Australia Cup Round of 32 matches; their only defeat in that span was a 2-0 loss to Brisbane Roar in 2019. Central Coast, meanwhile, have won their last two Round of 32 matches in the Australia Cup, keeping a clean sheet in each of those games; they had won only one of all their five such fixtures prior in the competition (L4).
MATCH DETAILS
Sydney FC v Central Coast Mariners
Sunday, July 31 2022
Kick-off: 4.00pm AEST
Venue: Leichhardt Oval
