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After an early season run of disappointing results, on [[October 22]], [[2007]], it was announced that manager [[Branko Culina]] would be sacked from the club. On [[October 23]], former [[Adelaide United]] coach [[John Kosmina]] was presented as the new head coach of the team. <ref>{{citenews|url=http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item&id=19834 |title=Club and Culina part by mutual consent |publisher=sydneyfc.com |date=2007-10-22 |accessdate=2007-10-22}}</ref> Kosmina got the side off to a flying start under his tenure, winning a clash with table-topping rivals Central Coast in a thrilling 3-2 victory before a crowd of nearly 18,000 at the SFS - a sign of bigger things to come for the Blues. This was followed by an impressive 1-0 away victory over the Newcastle Jets, as with former England junior [[Michael Bridges]] recorded his first goal in the A-League. An entertaining 0-0 draw at the [[Telstra Dome]] with rivals Melbourne Victory followed, as Sydney FC - still undefeated under Kosmina - began climbing the competition's ladder.
After an early season run of disappointing results, on [[October 22]], [[2007]], it was announced that manager [[Branko Culina]] would be sacked from the club. On [[October 23]], former [[Adelaide United]] coach [[John Kosmina]] was presented as the new head coach of the team. <ref>{{citenews|url=http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item&id=19834 |title=Club and Culina part by mutual consent |publisher=sydneyfc.com |date=2007-10-22 |accessdate=2007-10-22}}</ref> Kosmina got the side off to a flying start under his tenure, winning a clash with table-topping rivals Central Coast in a thrilling 3-2 victory before a crowd of nearly 18,000 at the SFS - a sign of bigger things to come for the Blues. This was followed by an impressive 1-0 away victory over the Newcastle Jets, as with former England junior [[Michael Bridges]] recorded his first goal in the A-League. An entertaining 0-0 draw at the [[Telstra Dome]] with rivals Melbourne Victory followed, as Sydney FC - still undefeated under Kosmina - began climbing the competition's ladder.


[[Image:Sydney-Juninho-2008.jpg|350px|left|thumb|[[Juninho Paulista]] in the 2007/08 Sydney FC jersey]]During all of this, the [[Los Angeles Galaxy]] played a one-off exhibition match against Sydney FC at Sydney's [[Stadium Australia]] on 27 November 2007. Sydney FC won the match, which was broadcast nationally on free-to-air TV by [[Network Ten]], 5-3. [[David Beckham]] scored the first goal for the LA Galaxy from a free kick right on half time, as a crowd of over 80,000 looked on. <ref>{{citenews|url=http://news.sbs.com.au/worldnewsaustralia/beckham_bends_it_sydney_fc_conquers_136458|title=Beckam Bends It Sydney FC Conquers|publisher=SBS.com.au|date=2007-11-28}}</ref>
[[Image:Sydney-Juninho-2008.jpg|2000px|left|thumb|[[Juninho Paulista]] in the 2007/08 Sydney FC jersey]]During all of this, the [[Los Angeles Galaxy]] played a one-off exhibition match against Sydney FC at Sydney's [[Stadium Australia]] on 27 November 2007. Sydney FC won the match, which was broadcast nationally on free-to-air TV by [[Network Ten]], 5-3. [[David Beckham]] scored the first goal for the LA Galaxy from a free kick right on half time, as a crowd of over 80,000 looked on. <ref>{{citenews|url=http://news.sbs.com.au/worldnewsaustralia/beckham_bends_it_sydney_fc_conquers_136458|title=Beckam Bends It Sydney FC Conquers|publisher=SBS.com.au|date=2007-11-28}}</ref>


On December 22, a crucial match against the [[Central Coast Mariners]] resulted in a 5-4 victory in favour of Sydney. The match, held at [[Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium]], was described by critics as the best game ever to come from the A-League.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22966795-2722,00.html|title=It was the best A-League game ever|publisher=[[The Australian]]|date=2007-12-24|accessdate=2007-12-24}}</ref> The win was especially savoured after Sydney were down 2-0 after 15 minutes. The controversial sending-off of Mariners goalkeeper Danny Vukovic in the 16th minute turned the match in favour of Sydney, who scored their 5th goal via an Ufuk Taly penalty in stoppage time.
On December 22, a crucial match against the [[Central Coast Mariners]] resulted in a 5-4 victory in favour of Sydney. The match, held at [[Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium]], was described by critics as the best game ever to come from the A-League.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22966795-2722,00.html|title=It was the best A-League game ever|publisher=[[The Australian]]|date=2007-12-24|accessdate=2007-12-24}}</ref> The win was especially savoured after Sydney were down 2-0 after 15 minutes. The controversial sending-off of Mariners goalkeeper Danny Vukovic in the 16th minute turned the match in favour of Sydney, who scored their 5th goal via an Ufuk Taly penalty in stoppage time.

Revision as of 20:13, 6 March 2008

Sydney FC
Logo
Full nameSydney Football Club
Founded2004
GroundSydney Football Stadium,
Sydney
Capacity45,500
ChairmanAustralia Andrew Kemeny
CoachAustralia John Kosmina
LeagueA-League
2008–09(league)
(finals)

Sydney FC, founded in 2004, is an Australian association football (soccer) club based in Sydney and competes in Australia's premier competition, the A-League.

Sydney FC won the inaugural A-League Championship in 2005–06 by defeating the Central Coast Mariners 1-0 in the Grand Final. After winning the 2004–05 Oceania Club Championship, Sydney FC competed in and finished fifth (of six teams) in the 2005 FIFA Club World Championship in December 2005. As inaugural A-League Champions, Sydney FC also competed in the 2007 AFC Champions League. It finished 2nd in its group behind Japanese giants Urawa Red Diamonds. Sydney FC also went on to compete in the 2008 Pan-Pacific Championship in Hawaii as the representative of Australia and its A-league. With its achievements in the last 4 years since its founding, Sydney FC today still remains one of the most successful clubs of professional football in Australia.

Its home ground is Sydney Football Stadium, a 45,500 seat multi-use venue[1] in the suburb of Moore Park. Right from the beginning Sydney FC was marketed as the "glamour club" of the new competition,[2], with the involvement of the club's high-profile personnel, including investor and actor Anthony LaPaglia, ex-Manchester United star Dwight Yorke as the team's first "marquee player" and 1990 FIFA World Cup winner Pierre Littbarski as manager in the first season given as rationale. [3] Sydney also went on to sign Former English International defender Terry Butcher as the 2006/07 season coach, Brazilian superstar midfelder Juninho in the 2007/08 season, and Socceroos legend John Aloisi as striker in their 2008/09 season, all proven to be multi-million dollar contracts. Caped Socceroos defender Tony Popovic is the current captain, and former Australian International John Kosmina is the current manager.

History

Foundation

The first steps towards the foundation of Sydney FC were taken in April 2004 when Soccer New South Wales (now Football NSW) announced their intention to bid for a licence in the new Australian football competition.[4] The bid was lodged with the Australian Soccer Association (now Football Federation Australia) on July 19, challenged only by a consortium headed by Nick Politis, known as the "Sydney Blues",[5] for Sydney's place in the 'one team per city' competition.[6] A public row broke out between the two bidders after reports that the ASA were set to vote in favour of Sydney FC,[7] causing Politis to withdraw his support for a team,[8] and leaving Sydney FC as the only candidate remaining.

Sydney FC playing the Los Angeles Galaxy at ANZ Stadium during 2007.

Sydney was officially launched as a member of the new 8-team A-League on November 1, 2004, with a 25% stake in the club held by Soccer NSW, the remainder privately owned.[9] Walter Bugno was announced as the inaugural chairman of the club.

By February 2005, Sydney had filled 16 of their allowed 20 squad positions – attracting Socceroos Clint Bolton, Steve Corica and David Zdrilic as well as youth internationals Justin Pasfield, Mark Milligan, Wade Oostendorp, Iain Fyfe and Jacob Timpano.[10] German Pierre Littbarski was signed as Head Coach, to be assisted by former Norwich City player Ian Crook. Sydney FC played its first ever match against Manly United FC on March 25, 2005, winning 6-1.[11] Shortly after, Sydney set off on a tour to the United Arab Emirates to play matches against local teams FC Hatta, Al Ain FC and Al Jazira, winning all three.[12][13][14] Whilst in Dubai, Sydney FC announced that they had agreed to terms with former Manchester United player Dwight Yorke to join Sydney as their "marquee player" – one paid outside of the $1.5 million salary cap – for two seasons.[15]

Pre-League

Sydney FC's first competitive match was held against Queensland Roar at Central Coast Stadium in Gosford as part of an Australian qualifying tournament to enter the 2005 Oceania Club Championship. After winning the match 3-0, Sydney went on to defeat Perth Glory and the Central Coast Mariners to win their first piece of silverware and qualify for the Oceania Club Championship, to be held in Tahiti. Despite an early scare against New Zealand club Auckland City FC,[16] Sydney won all of their matches in the competition and qualified for the 2005 FIFA Club World Championship in Japan. The start of the 2005 Pre-Season Cup marked Sydney FC's first match at Sydney Football Stadium, as well as Dwight Yorke's first appearance for the club – Yorke scoring the first goal of Sydney's 3-1 win which stretched their unbeaten run to 9 competitive matches (15 including friendlies). Upon reaching the semi-finals, Sydney's unbeaten run finally ended at 11 with Perth Glory midfielder Nick Ward scoring in injury time to inflict the new club's first ever loss.[17]

Club World Championship 2005

In December 2005, Sydney FC competed in the 2005 FIFA Club World Championship as the Oceania Football Confederation's entry to the tournament following their 2004-05 Oceania Club Championships success in June. On December 12, in front of a crowd of over 28,000 at Japan's Toyota Stadium, Sydney FC narrowly lost to Costa Rican champions Deportivo Saprissa 1-0, denying the club a semi–final match against European champion Liverpool. Four days later, Sydney FC defeated the African "Club of the Century" Al-Ahly 2–1 to finish the competition in fifth place.

League 2005-06

Main article: Sydney FC season 2005-06

Sydney FC entered the inaugural A-League season as heavy favourites for the title,[18] and hosted their first league match against Melbourne Victory on August 28, 2005. This event drew a then-record crowd for a regular season match in Australia. The stated figure was 25,208, though this is likely to be an underestimation of the true crowd size as the number of people who 'walked up' to the game meant that ticket sellers at the gate were unable to cope. For only the second time in the history of the SCG Trust (the operators of Sydney Football Stadium), the gates were opened twenty minutes after the game had started, permitting around two–thousand fans to enter for free.

At the conclusion of the twenty–one game regular season, Sydney FC finished in second place, seven points behind Adelaide United. However, in the Major Semi–Final they defeated Adelaide 4–3 on aggregate, ensuring a home Grand Final which produced a sell–out crowd of 41,689 (above the stated capacity of Sydney Football Stadium) against the Central Coast Mariners on March 5, 2006. Sydney won the match 1–0 after Dwight Yorke set up Steve Corica for the deciding goal.

After the first season, coach Pierre Littbarski left the club following a dispute over his contract which involved a significant pay cut from his reported $700,000 first year salary. [19] [20] He was replaced by former England international and Motherwell manager Terry Butcher on May 17, 2006. [21] During the 2006 off-season, Sydney FC recruited Ruben Zadkovich (previously on a short-term contract with Sydney FC), Alex Brosque (Queensland Roar) and Jeremy Brockie (New Zealand Knights).

League 2006-07

Main article: Sydney FC season 2006-07

The second season of the Hyundai A-league ("dubbed Version 2.0") was ultimately an unsuccessful and disappointing season for the defending champions. The club's administration had spent far more than it had earnt over the course of the past two years, and subsequent budget cutbacks included the sale of marquee forward Dwight Yorke, a significantly reduced advertising campaign, and the loss of German coach Pierre Littbarski. The team's displays on the field were widely reported by Australian sports media to have ranged from showing glimpses of strong form to marked disappointment[22], and no real challenge for the premiership was mounted.

The off-field administration of the club came under equally heavy criticism. There were disruptions and disagreements within the club's controlling board, and disruptions in the dressing room involving several senior players and coach Terry Butcher. Amongst many other unfortunate events, the club was fined AU$129,000 and three competition points for an alleged salary cap breach involving David Zdrillic[23]. The Sydney FC squad also suffered through remarkably bad fortune with regards to injuries; at one point, only thirteen players were fit & available on the team sheet, including regular second-choice keeper Justin Pasfield [24]. All of this amounted to disappointing attendances, ugly displays of football from what were previously regarded as a good team to watch and relatively poor performances.

Eventually, Sydney progressed to the finals series only by way of a hard fought draw against the Queensland Roar in the final match of the regular season[25]. The Newcastle Jets were drawn as the team's initial play-off opponents in the final series. Sydney Won the first leg 2-1 at home but lost the second leg 0-2 away and they were ultimately defeated by the Jets 3-2 over the course the two (home and away) legs.

Asian Champions League 2007

On November 22 2006, Sydney FC and Adelaide United, as 2005-06 Champions and Premiers, were nominated as the first clubs to represent the Australia in the AFC Champions League 2007. Expectations were low for Sydney after a troubled season, many key players left the club at seasons end and coach Terry Butcher was replaced by former NSL coach Branko Culina. Culina named a revamped 21-man squad and in their opening game on March 7 2007 had 2-1 away win over Shanghai Shenhua with Ufuk Talay scoring a thunderous goal outside of the 18 yard box. That result was followed up with a 2-2 draw at home against Japanese club Urawa Reds after being up 2-0 in front of 21,010 - a bigger home crowd than had attended any of the last season's regular matches[26]. However they struggled against Indonesian side Persik Kediri in a game delayed by a day after near monsoonal rain, losing 2-1 and showing their lack of match fitness against a better than expected Persik side.

Despite minor setbacks due to the suspension of David Carney and Ruben Zadkovich, Sydney FC revenged the loss a fortnight later on ANZAC Day facing Persik at Parramatta Stadium in Western Sydney (Sydney Football Stadium being unavailable due to the scheduling of the annual ANZAC Day rugby league match between the Sydney Roosters and the St George-Illawarra Dragons). Although Sydney started slowly during a tight first half, they were eventually able to open the game up and win the match 3-0 via two goals from Steve Corica, producing an outstanding performance from midfield, and another to forward Alex Brosque[27].

On 9 May 2007, Sydney FC returned to Sydney Football Stadium to face Shanghai Shenhua. The match was a spiteful affair with questionable tactics and playacting employed by the Chinese club to disrupt Sydney's momentum throughout the match. Although Sydney FC dominated for most of the match, it was unable to capitalise on its opportunities, including a missed penalty by Ufuk Talay and squandering a plethora of chances. The match eventually finished in a stalemate with a scoreline of 0-0. The draw would prove to be somewhat costly as a victory would have enabled Sydney FC to leapfrog into the top position in their group as Persik and Urawa played out a 3-3 draw in Surakarta in Indonesia earlier that afternoon.

A fortnight later, Sydney played its final game in the group stage away to Urawa Red Diamonds. Sydney was one point behind Urawa in their group ladder, faced with needing to win in order to progress. Sydney were unable to capitalise on good ball possession, the match ended 0-0 and thus ended Sydney's Asian Champions League campaign.

League 2007-08

Main article: Sydney FC season 2007-08

For the third Hyundai A-league season, Sydney FC's playing squad retained a majority of players from the previous AFC Champion's League campaign, but was nonetheless altered through activity in the transfer market. On August 5, David Carney was transferred for AU$125,000 to English Championship side Sheffield United. The former Sydney player signed a three year deal with the club which has been reported to be earning him around AU$1.25 million a year. [28]

New players included former Socceroos regular Tony Popovic and former LA Galaxy attacking midfielder, Michael Enfield. On August 3 2007 Brazilian international Juninho Paulista, formerly of Celtic and Middlesbrough, signed with Sydney FC as the team's marquee player,[29] along with youth players Ben Vidaic and Adam Biddle. Tony Popovic and Mark Milligan were named as captain and vice-captain, respectively. [30] On October 15, 2007 Michael Bridges was signed on a season-long loan deal from Hull City as a replacement for Michael Enfield, who had sustained a serious knee injury.

The Cove before kickoff during the 2007/8 A-League finals series.

After an early season run of disappointing results, on October 22, 2007, it was announced that manager Branko Culina would be sacked from the club. On October 23, former Adelaide United coach John Kosmina was presented as the new head coach of the team. [31] Kosmina got the side off to a flying start under his tenure, winning a clash with table-topping rivals Central Coast in a thrilling 3-2 victory before a crowd of nearly 18,000 at the SFS - a sign of bigger things to come for the Blues. This was followed by an impressive 1-0 away victory over the Newcastle Jets, as with former England junior Michael Bridges recorded his first goal in the A-League. An entertaining 0-0 draw at the Telstra Dome with rivals Melbourne Victory followed, as Sydney FC - still undefeated under Kosmina - began climbing the competition's ladder.

File:Sydney-Juninho-2008.jpg
Juninho Paulista in the 2007/08 Sydney FC jersey

During all of this, the Los Angeles Galaxy played a one-off exhibition match against Sydney FC at Sydney's Stadium Australia on 27 November 2007. Sydney FC won the match, which was broadcast nationally on free-to-air TV by Network Ten, 5-3. David Beckham scored the first goal for the LA Galaxy from a free kick right on half time, as a crowd of over 80,000 looked on. [32]

On December 22, a crucial match against the Central Coast Mariners resulted in a 5-4 victory in favour of Sydney. The match, held at Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium, was described by critics as the best game ever to come from the A-League.[33] The win was especially savoured after Sydney were down 2-0 after 15 minutes. The controversial sending-off of Mariners goalkeeper Danny Vukovic in the 16th minute turned the match in favour of Sydney, who scored their 5th goal via an Ufuk Taly penalty in stoppage time.

On Friday the 28th of December 2007, Sydney FC came from behind for the second time in two weeks to defeat Adelaide United 3-1 and keep its unbeaten away record intact in front of a record Adelaide crowd of 25,039. A win over Wellington Phoenix and draws with Queensland Roar in Brisbane and Melbourne Victory in Sydney (in front of the highest crowd of the season for all A-League teams) gave Sydney a final league position of 3rd.[34]

On Friday the 26th of January, Sydney played out a nil-all draw for the first leg of the semi-final against the Queensland Roar in front of 23,450 fans at the Sydney Football Stadium. The teams then met again two weeks later in Brisbane to face off for the second leg. Marquee player Juninho, who had been in and out of the team all season with various leg and back problems, had been ruled out with a knee injury that he picked up in training, and Ruben Zadkovich was announced as his replacement. The Roar scored in the 14th minute through their Brazilian import Reinaldo, and Sydney FC was subsequently defeated and knocked out of the running for the 2007/2008 A-league championship and AFC Champions League qualification. Instead, the team was placed into the 2008 Pan-Pacific Championship.

2008 Pan-Pacific Championship

On the 20th February, Sydney were pitted against Houston Dynamo, who had won the previous season's MLS Championship. The match was played on artificial turf (fake grass) at Aloha Stadium. Sydney FC were never really settled in the unfamiliar conditions, and suffered a 3-0 loss. Sydney newcomer Ryan Walsh was dispossed of the ball 8 meters from the 18-yard box by Brian Ching, and the Canadian International Dwayne De Rosario put the ball past keeper Clint Bolton. Then, straight after the restart by Sydney, Stuart Holden received a 'through-ball' pass from Dwayne De Rosario, and shot past a stunned Sydney defence from the edge of the 6-yard box. When Chris Wondolowski scored before half-time to make the score 3-0, Sydney FC had really lost hope of coming back.

Sydney went into the 3/4th playoff against Los Angeles Galaxy fairly confident, as they had already beaten an understrength Galaxy team during the in November 2007 friendly match. However, Sydney fell behind only 3 minutes into the match when multi-million dollar English signing David Beckham sent in a pin-point cross from the right wing to find striker Ely Allen, who volleyed the ball past Sydney keeper Ivan Necevski. Defender Brendan Renaud then scored with a powerful shot from 30 meters out in the top right corner, but the Los Angeles team regained the lead soon after, as David Beckham again sent in a cross that Necevski couldn't handle and palmed to the feet of Los Angeles midfielder Josh Tudela, who tapped the ball into the net. LA went on to win the match 2-1, and Sydney finished 4th in the inaugural tournament. Japanese Side Gamba Osaka finished 1st, after a 6-1 thrashing of MLS Champions Houston Dynamo.

League 2008-09

Sydney FC have started recruiting heavily going into the fourth season of the A-League with three major signings to the club, with Socceroos Stars John Aloisi from the Central Coast Mariners and Simon Colosimo from Perth Glory, along with the only goal scorer in the 2008 Grand Final and Olyroos Star Mark Bridge.

Colours and badge

The club colour of Sydney FC is sky blue, representing the state colour of New South Wales. The secondary club colour is navy blue, with additional contrasting colours of orange and white.

The Sydney FC badge features a football set in a stylised crest shape. Above the ball is the shape of three shells of the Sydney Opera House, an internationally recognisable symbol of the city of Sydney. Below the ball is the seven pointed Commonwealth Star, a symbol of Australia.

Stadium

Outside the Sydney Football Stadium
Main article: Sydney Football Stadium

Sydney FC play their home matches at Sydney Football Stadium (commonly known as SFS, and formerly known as Aussie Stadium[35]), located in the Sydney suburb of Moore Park. It was built in 1988 to be the premium "rectangular field" for rugby league matches. It is also now used for association football and rugby union for major matches and domestic competition.

The stadium has easy access from the city centre, with shuttle buses running from nearby Central Station on match days. It has been the venue for several Australian international matches (notably World Cup Qualifier against Argentina in 1993). The stadium's capacity was stated at 41,159 prior to renovations in 2007, although the attendance of the 2006 A-League grand final exceeded this number by over 500. The currently stated capacity is 45,500.

Sydney FC have played matches at other Sydney venues. Parramatta Stadium in western Sydney was the venue for an AFC Champions League match against Indonesian football side Persik Kediri in April 2007 when the SFS was unavailable due to a NRL match being played there. A friendly match against LA Galaxy was played at ANZ Stadium in November 2007 due to its greater capacity, which drew a crowd of 80,295.

'The Cove'

The "Cove" supporters at Sydney Football Stadium

Arguably the most vocal supporters in the league, sit at the northern end, around Bay 23 of Sydney Football Stadium, and are known as "The Cove". The term came from the original name given to the settlement of Sydney — Sydney Cove. This settlement was located on the piece of land that is now the Circular Quay ferry terminal. Cove members attend every home match and often travel as group travel around the country to support the team at away matches. They sing football/Sydney FC chants, wear club colours (Blue in particular), wave banners and flags and generally try to help lift the team and demonstrate fervent support. Some members make unofficial Cove merchandise such as scarves, flags, banners, patches and clothing to distribute or sell.

On July 7, 2006, Australian rock singer Jimmy Barnes recorded a club song entitled 'Sydney FC For Me' with 25 members of The Cove singing back-up vocals.[36] It was released prior to the start of the 2006–07 season.

During the '07/08 season a new group emerged in the SFS, know as the Sin City Crew. The SCC is a complete contrast with The Cove, they support the team with a more South American style and they promote the use of tifo, flags and they have a support till the end mentality that many support groups don't have when the team is down and out. They are known as "hinchas" due to the background of many members being of a South American decent and the style of support they promote. Each week the SCC grows bigger with around 100 people regularly in the SCC. They are currently located in bay 29, but they were normally based in the southern side of the SFS in bay 41, but crowd troubles with Melbourne Victory fans in round 7 led to the group being moved to the other side of the stadium.[citation needed]

Rivalries

Melbourne Victory - Melbourne are considered Sydney FC's major rivals, due to Melbourne and Sydney being Australia's two largest cities. Matches between the two teams are regularly controversial and bitter encounters. Strong tensions are also emerging between the supporters from opposing teams, evident in the sell-out crowds.[37]

However other rivalries also include:

Adelaide United - The two strongest teams in the first season have continued their rivalry. There has only been one game between the two sides decided by more than one goal.

Central Coast Mariners - A local derby, with easy travel between Sydney and the Central Coast. The runner-up from the first season. Tension between the supporters as the teams (along with the Newcastle Jets) separate the New South Wales football fanatics into separate fan groups, unlike other states with 1 team representing their state as their capital city. This culminated in a fantastic 5-4 game in season three, with Sydney coming out on top thanks to a penalty kick in the last minute of stoppage time. The game was rated by critics as the best match to ever come from the A-league.[38]

Players

Current squad

As of 3rd March 2008:

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Australia AUS Clint Bolton
2 DF Australia AUS Iain Fyfe
3 DF Australia AUS Nikolas Tsattalios (youth)
4 DF Australia AUS Simon Colosimo
5 MF Australia AUS Stuart Musialik
6 DF Australia AUS Tony Popović (captain)
7 MF Australia AUS Robbie Middleby
10 MF Australia AUS Steve Corica
11 FW Australia AUS Brendon Santalab
12 FW United States USA Michael Enfield
13 FW Australia AUS Ben Vidaic (youth)
14 FW Australia AUS Alex Brosque
No. Pos. Nation Player
15 MF Northern Ireland NIR Terry McFlynn
16 DF Australia AUS Mark Milligan (vice-captain)
17 DF Australia AUS Jacob Timpano
18 MF Australia AUS Adam Casey
20 GK Australia AUS Ivan Necevski
21 MF Australia AUS Adam Biddle (youth)
22 MF Brazil BRA Juninho
23 FW Australia AUS John Aloisi
24 FW Australia AUS Mark Bridge
29 MF Australia AUS Mark Robertson

Squad Changes for the 2008-09 Season

In

Player From League Fee Date
Australia Simon Colosimo Perth Glory (released) Australia A-League - 27 January 2008
Australia Ryan Walsh Blacktown City Demons Australia NSW Premier League loan 20 February 2008
Australia Mark Bridge Newcastle United Jets FC Australia A-League Free 3 March 2008
Australia John Aloisi Central Coast Mariners Australia A-League Free 3 March 2008

Out

Player To League Fee Date
Australia Mark Rudan Avispa Fukuoka Japan J.League Div 2 $100,000 December 2007
Australia Ufuk Talay Avispa Fukuoka Japan J.League Div 2 - February 2008
Australia David Zdrilić Released - - February 2008
Australia Ruben Zadkovich Released - - February 2008
Brazil Patrick Released - - February 2008

Notable Former Players

For details see and List of Sydney FC players

Managers

Honours

2007 - Group Stage

2005 - 5th

2008 - 4th

Records

Club

Player

References

  1. ^ "Australian Stadiums: Aussie Stadium". Austadiums. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ "Sydney FC emerging as new league's glamour club". The Sydney Morning Herald. October 27, 2004. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ "Budget FC closes door on Benito". Fox Sports. November 7, 2006. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ "Soccer NSW announces bid for new national league". Soccer NSW. April 7, 2004. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ "Kewell major player behind Sydney team: report". The Sydney Morning Herald. September 9, 2004. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ Smith, Peter (July 21, 2004). "ASA delighted with number of bids for new league". Football Federation Australia. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ "ASA picks Soccer NSW". The World Game. September 10, 2004. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ Hall, Matthew (October 10, 2004). "Harry now a Central figure". The Sun Herald. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ "Birth of Sydney FC is a magical moment". November 1, 2004. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "Sydney FC squad list". February 23, 2005. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "Sydney FC starts with emphatic 6-1 win over Manly". April 6, 2005. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "Petrovski and Carney score twice in Sydney's 7-1 win". April 12, 2005. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ "Talay's lone goal gives Sydney 1-0 win in Dubai". April 20, 2005. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ "Zdrilic goal gives Sydney 1-0 win over Al Jazira". April 20, 2005. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ "Yorke completes trifecta for Sydney FC". The Sydney Morning Herald. April 18, 2005. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ "Steve Corica wonder goal gives Sydney a 3-2 win". June 2, 2005. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ "Ward comes off bench to seal Perth win". August 14, 2005. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ "Sydney FC installed as favourites". August 10, 2005. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ "Littbarski commits to Sydney". April 13, 2006. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ "Littbarski quits, blasting club 'lies'". May 4, 2006. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ "Butcher named as boss of Sydney". May 17, 2006. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ "Sydney FC Butchers Opportunity". 3 February 2007.
  23. ^ "FC Won't Appeal Salary Cap Sentence". 4 January 2007.
  24. ^ "Gloves are off for plucky Pasfield". The Sydney Morning Herald. November 3, 2006. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ "Sydney through to play-offs". 21 January 2007.
  26. ^ "Sydney FC lets lead slip". 22 March 2007.
  27. ^ "Sydney maintains ACL charge". 25 April 2007. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help)
  28. ^ Carney Makes Blades Parade, 5 August 2007
  29. ^ Juninho signs as marquee player, 3 August 2007
  30. ^ Millsy Gets Vice Captain, 7 August 2007
  31. ^ "Club and Culina part by mutual consent". sydneyfc.com. 2007-10-22. Retrieved 2007-10-22.
  32. ^ "Beckam Bends It Sydney FC Conquers". SBS.com.au. 2007-11-28.
  33. ^ "It was the best A-League game ever". The Australian. 2007-12-24. Retrieved 2007-12-24.
  34. ^ "Sydney FC draw 2-2 with Melbourne Victory". LiveNews.com.au. 2008-01-20. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  35. ^ SCG Trust (2007-07-09). "Sydney Football Stadium returns as Aussie deal expires". League Unlimited. Retrieved 2007-11-28. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  36. ^ "Barnesy and The Cove record Sydney FC club song". July 7, 2006. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  37. ^ "Rivalry will draw record crowd". Fox Sports. 2008-01-14. Retrieved 2008-01-21.
  38. ^ "It was the best A-League game ever". The Australian. 2007-12-24. Retrieved 2007-12-24.
  39. ^ "Roar dominates but unable to break Sydney unbeaten run". August 6, 2005. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help) – N.B.: The 17 matches quoted includes friendly matches, which are not included in this record
  40. ^ "Sydney FC vs Central Coast Mariners FC". March 5, 2006. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  41. ^ Transfer fee of £200,000; "Yorke completes Sunderland move". BBC Sport. 2006-08-31. Retrieved 2007-08-15.
Preceded by
Inaugural Champions
 A-League Champions
2005/06 		Succeeded by

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