Catch up on the Isuzu UTE A-League Team of the Week, powered by Opta.
The Isuzu UTE A-League 2025-26 season continued with plenty of entertainment and drama over the weekend.
Round 16 saw plenty of standout performances but there was a clear winner when it came to top points scorer; Newcastle Jets midfielder Clayton Taylor.
The fleet-footed Jet stole the show at Coopers Stadium as his hat-trick fired Newcastle to a sixth-straight win and back to the top of the table.
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*Editor’s Note: The Team of the Week features matches played from Monday to Sunday – some teams may play more than once.
Team of the Week
Joining Taylor in a three-man midfield this week are Western Sydney Wanderers midfielder Angus Thurgate and Auckland FC ace Louis Verstraete, who bossed the middle of the park during their clash with Sydney FC.
In attack, Auckland FC’s Sam Cosgrove is now one of four players at the top of the Golden Boot standings after bagging his seventh of the season while Socceroos forward Mitch Duke and Central Coast youngster Miguel Di Pizio also feature after scoring at the weekend.
The defence this week is made up of goalscoring defenders with Macarthur’s Callum Talbot, Melbourne City captain Aziz Behich and Mariners full back Storm Roux all getting on the scoresheet in Round 16. Joining them is Melbourne Victory’s Sebastian Esposito.
Finally, your goalkeeper in this week’s Team of the Week is Auckland FC shot-stopper Michael Woud, who rebounded from a difficult spell to put in a commanding display and help the Black Knights defeat Sydney FC.
Opta Points is a system where points are given to players for certain on-field actions. Players who complete the full game duration on the field typically end up with a point total ranging from 10 to 40 points. (View the full breakdown of Opta Points below).
Explained: Opta’s Team of the Week using Opta Points
The scoring system distinguishes only between field players and goalkeepers, assigning the same number of points to all field players for corresponding actions. A distinctive feature of this system is its exclusive focus on in-game actions, refraining from awarding points for post-game performances, such as securing a victory or allocating bonus points for maintaining a clean sheet.
Positive actions (goals, passes, tackles, etc…) will add to a player’s score and, conversely, negative actions (cards, own goals, goals conceded) will reduce a player’s points total. Theoretically, a player’s points value is unlimited, and players can conclude a game with negative points. However, players who complete the full game duration on the field typically end up with a point total ranging from 10 to 40 points.
Goals, Shots on target, shots off target, blocked shots, own goal, assists, passes, crosses, tackles, interceptions, fouls won, fouls conceded, offsides, yellow cards, red cards, goals conceded, penalty won, saves, penalty saved are included in Opta Points.
