‘They didn’t want him’: How Sky Blues are getting tune out of Elvis

Elvis Kamsoba was part of the mass exodus at Melbourne Victory in the off-season after new head coach Tony Popovic overhauled a squad which finished dead last for the first time in club history. 

Sydney FC coach Steve Corica caught wind of his availability, and having kept tabs on the Burundi international throughout his three-season Victory spell, decided to make a move for the 25-year-old. 

He returns to face his former side in the first Big Blue of the season on Tuesday, January 25 with new-found confidence, proving a more effective player through his earliest days at Sydney FC.

The Sky Blues only made six signings prior to the 2021/22 Isuzu UTE A-League campaign, with Kamsoba being one of them. Corica hopes those who initially criticised Kamsoba’s recruitment can now see the value he brings to the Sky Blues squad.

“We watched him when he was at Victory last year,” Corica told KEEPUP prior to Saturday night’s defeat to Perth Glory. “Even when he wasn’t playing a lot, and he was (coming) off the bench.

“He’s always been a lively player. He’s always creating something, running with the ball. Probably the thing that let him down the most was his final pass, his final shot, which was probably lacking.”

“Coming here, I think he’s surprised a lot of people.”

Kamsoba started just half of the 20 games he featured in last season as Victory slumped to new lows in the Isuzu UTE A-League.

Corica added: “Popa was getting rid of him down there, so his name was brought up to us. Myself and our assistant coaches, we all quite like what he does. Like I said, it wasn’t a great year for Melbourne last season so they were getting rid of some players.

“He was always good value, I think, for what we wanted at the time. We already had strikers but we wanted something a little bit different to strengthen the squad. He’s been great for us so far.

“We’ve done it once before with Kosta (Barbarouses), we haven’t really taken too many players away from them. But for me, they didn’t want him and we saw him as someone who can do something for us.

“It’s just pleasing he’s doing really well. There was doubt about him from the fans, but I hope they’re enjoying what he’s doing, because he’s doing a good job, and while he’s scoring goals and creating goals that’s a real bonus for us.”

A look at Kamsoba’s attacking stats from his first seven Isuzu UTE A-League appearance at Sydney FC, compared to his 61 at Victory between 2018-2021, shows the initial signs are good for the attacker Corica has employed as both a number 10 and number nine since his off-season arrival.

Elvis KamsobaMelbourne Victory (2018-21)Sydney FC (2021/22)
Games played617
Goals62
Assists21
Goals per game0.090.28
Shot accuracy35%55.6%
Touches per game3441
Expected goals (xG) / goals scored10.8 xG / 6 goals1.87 xg / 2 goals

It was in Kamsoba’s earliest days at the club when his pre-season form impressed his new coach. Kamsoba would score in consecutive friendlies against Macarthur FC and Newcastle Jets, and now has four goals to his name across both the Isuzu UTE A-League and FFA Cup in Sky Blue. 

“In pre-season he was probably one of our best players, if not the best,” Corica said. “We had a really good pre-season, we played a few A-League clubs and he scored in most of those games. 

“I suppose that set him up for the start of the season. He went from a strong pre-season and he’s continued into the season. He’s fit in well. 

“We saw a lot of things in pre-season we liked, and a lot of you guys are starting to see those things now in games.

“I think a lot of people have been surprised by the way he’s been going, which is good. He’s proven a lot of people wrong because there were doubts about him. It’s nice he’s doing well, he’s fit well into the team, into Sydney, and he’s playing some really good football.

“We’re really pleased with how he’s progressing, and we want to see more than that. We want him to score more goals, he can create more chances. He’s a lively guy on the pitch.”

Kamsoba travels back to AAMI Park to face Victory on Tuesday night (kick-off 7.45pm AEDT), meeting his former side for the first time since his off-season departure.

The Sky Blues have won their last eight Isuzu UTE A-League games on the bounce against Victory; a ninth consecutive win would equal their longest winning streak against a single opponent in the competition.

But Victory are proving hard to beat at AAMI Park of late, with just one of their last seven fixtures at that venue resulting in a defeat (W3, D3).

The Sky Blues are under fire after a 2-1 home loss to Perth Glory on Saturday night, whilst Victory return to A-Leagues action for the first time since a 1-1 draw against Adelaide United on January 8.

If Corica’s side is to return to form, they’ll need Kamsoba at his best, proving a point, in front of the Victory faithful.