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 23 saw Auckland FC regain some ground on ladder-leading Newcastle Jets at the weekend after the Jets were beaten by Macarthur Bulls.
Playing a key part in that victory for the Bulls was Socceroos forward Mitch Duke, who top scored this round after bagging a crucial brace in the 3-2 win over Newcastle.
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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 Duke in the forward line this week at Perth Glory captain Adam Taggart, who scored in the Glory’s 2-2 draw with the Mariners, and Melbourne City young gun Marcus Younis, who continued his fine form since returning to Australia with a goal against his old side Western Sydney Wanderers.
The three-man midfield features three players who all found the back of the net in Round 23 with Central Coast Mariners youngster Bailey Brandtman joined by Auckland FC’s Luis Felipe Gallegos and Adelaide United’s Ethan Alagich.
In defence, Melbourne City duo Aziz Behich and Nathaniel Atkinson earn their spots after keeping a clean sheet in the 3-0 win over the Wanderers as do Brisbane Roar’s James McGarry and Wellington Phoenix’s Matthew Sheridan – both of whom kept clean sheets.
Finally your goalkeeper in this week’s Team of the Week is Sydney FC’s Harrison Devenish-Meares, who made several key saves during Sydney’s goalless draw with Brisbane Roar.
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.
