Daily Archives: October 1, 2014

Mateo Poljak gives the Wanderers the lead against FC Seoul. Source: Ryan Pierse / Getty Images

In front of a packed house in Parramatta, the Wanderers become just the second A-League club to reach the AFC Champions League final

Western Sydney Wanderers have completed their fairytale run to the AFC Champions League (ACL) final after a 2-0 win over a shell-shocked FC Seoul on Wednesday night.

Goals in either half to Mateo Poljak and the returning Shannon Cole completed the historic 2-0 aggregate semi-final win in front of just under 19,000 fans at a rocking Pirtek Stadium.

It means the fledgling club that is just over two years old have become only the second Australian side to make the continental decider, following on from Adelaide United in 2008.

Tony Popovic’s side will face Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia over two legs in the final, with the first match in Sydney on October 25, followed by the second leg away a week later.

Even without key striker Tomi Juric, who injured his groin in training on Monday, the Wanderers still had too much firepower for a Seoul outfit that have now gone four ACL games in a row without a goal.

But all that matters very little to the Wanderers, who continue to defy the odds and are now just 180 minutes away from being crowned the kings of Asia.

After a 0-0 stalemate in the first leg it was always going to be a tense night with the first goal going along way to deciding who would win the tie.

And the Wanderers couldn’t have dreamed of a better start as Poljak scored his first ACL goal inside the first three minutes.

Seoul keeper Yu Sang-hun punched Shannon Cole’s free-kick right into the path of the Croatian waiting just outside the box.

Poljak showed great control and awareness to keep his first-time volley down, finding its way through a slew of players and into the back of the net to get Wanderland jumping.

And the home side should have doubled their lead just four minutes later when Brendon Santalab was sent through by Iacopo La Rocca but his effort bounced just the wrong side of the post.

It took until the half-hour mark for Seoul to really get into the contest and their best chance of the half came 12 minutes before the break.

Antony Golec could only clear Kim Chi-woo’s cross into the path of Cha Du-ri and his deflected shot was headed towards the goal before Brendan Hamill nodded the ball away to safety.

Chasing the goal needed to get them through, the visitors lifted their intensity at the start of the second half but struggled to penetrate the well-structured – and at times desperate – Wanderers defence.

Cole’s brilliant sliding challenge to block Osmar Barba’s effort epitomized the home side’s commitment.

But as Seoul kept coming, the Wanderers got the vital second goal through Cole almost midway through the half.

Labinot Haliti hung up a left-wing cross to the far post with Cole, who missed the first leg through suspension, outmuscling his marker and diverting his header past Yu.

The home side were then content to sit back and hold onto their lead, snuffing out any hope of a late Seoul fightback to continue their remarkable run in their debut ACL campaign.

Western Sydney Wanderers 2 (Poljak 3, Cole 64)
FC Seoul 0

Crowd: 18,896

source: goal.com

Έλυσε το συμβόλαιο του με την Πάρμα τέλος Αυγούστου καθώς δεν ήταν στις βασικές επιλογές του Ρομπέρτο Ντοναντόνι και πλέον βρίσκεται σε αναζήτηση ομάδας.

Ο Σωτήρης Νίνης έλυσε το συμβόλαιο του με την Πάρμα τέλος Αυγούστου καθώς δεν ήταν στις βασικές επιλογές του Ρομπέρτο Ντοναντόνι και πλέον βρίσκεται σε αναζήτηση ομάδας. Ο 24χρονος μεσοεπιθετικός εξετάζει τις επιλογές που έχει στη διάθεση του απ’ όλα τα ευρωπαϊκά πρωταθλήματα πλην του Καμπιονάτο.
Σύμφωνα με πληροφορίες, ο διεθνής άσος συζητάει περιπτώσεις ομάδων από την Ινδία, την Αυστραλία και τις ΗΠΑ, ενώ δεν δέχθηκε πρόταση από τον Παναθηναϊκό ή από κάποιον άλλο ελληνικό σύλλογο τις τελευταίες ημέρες των μεταγραφών.

Η αλήθεια είναι ότι ο Σωτήρης Νίνης έκανε κανονικά προετοιμασία με την Πάρμα και τις τελευταίες είκοσι ημέρες πραγματοποιεί μονές ή διπλές προπονήσεις καθημερινά με τον εργοφυσιολόγο της Εθνικής ομάδας, Γιάννη Κωτσή.

Πληροφορίες από την Αθήνα αναφέρουν ότι τον ενδιαφέρει να αγωνιστεί στην Αυστραλία αν και δεν έχει γίνει γνωστό ποια είναι η αυστραλιανή ομάδα που του έκανε πρόταση.

Πηγή: Νέος Κόσμος

With a huge audience across the region, Wednesday night’s AFC Champions League (ACL) semi-final is one of the biggest games in the history of any A-League club let alone Western…

Fixture details

Squads: 

Wanderers: Ante Covic, Daniel Mullen, Daniel Alessi, Nikolai Topor-Stanley, Antony Golec, Brendan Hamill, Shannon Cole, Alusine Fofanah, Mateo Poljak, Yianni Perkatis, Jason Trifiro, Iacopo La Rocca, Kwabena Appiah, Labinot Haliti, Vitor Saba, Mark Bridge, Tomi Juric, Brendon Santalab, Dean Bouzanis, Jaushua Sotirio

FC Seoul: Kim Yong-Dae, Yoo Sang-Hoon, Cha Du-Ri, Kim Jin-Kyu, Choi Hyo-Jin, Osmar Barba, Lee Woong-Hee, Kang Seung-Jo, Ko Myong-Jin, Ko Yo-Han, Lee Sang Hyup, Everton Santos, Park Hee-Seong, Ko Kwang-Min, Choi Hyun-Tae, Sergio Escudero, Mauricio Molina, Kim Joo-Young, Kim Dong-Suk, Choi Jung-Han, Sim Je-Hyuk, Kim Nam-Choon

Hashtag: #ACL2014 #WSWvSEO

Broadcast coverage: Fox Sports 3, Wednesday, October 1 at 7pm (kick off 7.30pm)

Bluffer’s guide

It promises to be another tense and tight evening as the Wanderers aim to become just the second Australian side – since Adelaide United in 2008 – to make the ACL final.

If the scoreless first leg is anything to go by, there is very little between the two sides and goal-scoring chances could again be limited.

It means the first goal on Wednesday night will be vital to deciding the winner of the tie. Seoul, one of the biggest and most successful clubs in the K League, are aiming to make the final for the second straight year.

Route to goal

The Wanderers will be boosted by the return of attackers Tomi Juric and Brendon Santalab, as well as the versatile Shannon Cole.

It will give Tony Popovic a few more options and a great deal more firepower in the front third.

Juric offers a different presence to Labinot Haliti – who started in the first leg – which will allow the home side to be much more direct and put greater pressure on Seoul’s back three.

The first leg was the only time in 11 ACL games the Wanderers have been kept scoreless but with Juric, Santalab and Cole back and a huge home crowd behind them it’s hard to see them not putting one past Seoul goalkeeper Kim Yong-Dae.

Seoul is without Yun Il-Rok, who was injured on Asian Games duty, while Spanish defender/midfielder Osmar Barba is racing the clock to be fit. Sergio Escudero – who wasted a couple of great chances in the first leg – will again be the visitor’s best outlet for a goal while Colombian playmaker Mauricio Molina could be the x-factor.

Who’s been in the spotlight this week?

Wanderers skipper Nikolai Topor-Stanley has been rewarded for his consistent form over the last couple of years by earning a recall to the Socceroos squad for next month’s friendlies against UAE and Qatar.

But before he can focus on grabbing a green and gold jersey he will have his work cut out trying to keep the likes of Sergio Escudero, Everton Santos and Mauricio Molina quiet.

If the Wanderers are to continue their fairytale run to the final, Topor-Stanley and the rest of his defence will need to be at the top of their game.

Mistake or master-stroke?

It could be a master-stroke for Seoul coach Choi Yong-Soo to use Mauricio Molina from the start. The Colombian was only a second half substitute in the first leg but they immediately looked a better side when he was on the pitch.

It would be a mistake for the Wanderers to go all-out for the goal, which would put them through to the final, with Seoul knowing an away goal would put them in the box seat to progress.

Form lines

The Wanderers haven’t played a competitive match since the first leg. With the A-League season still over a week away from starting, Tony Popovic’s squad have been able to focus solely on the clash and they should be physically and mentally fresh enough to produce their best.

Seoul had the weekend off in the K League, allowing them to arrive in Australia early to prepare for this game. The Koreans shouldn’t be short on confidence, currently on an unbeaten run of 13 games in all competitions. They are hitting their straps at just the right time of the season.

Prediction

Result: Wanderers 2-1 FC Seoul

Back in front of a raucous home crowd, the Wanderers will be confident of getting the victory to get them through to the final.

They have been sensational in the knockout stages at Parramatta and, with Juric back in the side, they look a far more dangerous outfit.

It could very much come down to which side gets the first goal. If it’s the Wanderers you would back them do enough to get a victory but if Seoul strikes first the home side might find it hard to break down their defence at least twice.

It will be a cracking atmosphere in Parramatta and that could be what helps get the Wanderers over the line and keep the club’s fairytale run into an ACL final.

source: goal.com

Peter Katholos coaching in the Skills Acquisition Program.

Peter Katholos’ tenure might have ended at Football NSW a year ago, but his experience with the Skills Acquisition Program (SAP) was not a happy one.

The former Socceroos and NSL great says there are gaping problems with the program and wants to see more done about the state of coaching in the state and nationally.

“I’m not involved anymore with the program because I don’t agree with its structure,” Katholos told Neos Kosmos.

“The whole thing needs revamping if we are going to be a force in world football, this should be our aim.”

The program trains children aged Under 9 through to Under 12s, promoting itself as an elite program for young footballers. That’s not what Katholos saw.

“When you call it ‘elite’ it means the best,” he says.

“No disrespect to the guys but what I’m saying to you is the leading program in football NSW for all those age groups had inappropriate coaches to teach skill.”

Katholos reveals that although many of the coaches were fully qualified, there was no set curriculum.

“A skills acquisition program had no curriculum and the program was endorsed by Football Federation Australia (FFA).”

“Where is the 40 week program that every coach in Australia follows? Where is the manual so everyone is uniformed to do everything the same in skill teaching?”

Katholos says he tried to contact then FFA technical director Han Berger, author of the curriculum, but he got no response.

Current technical director for Football NSW Alex Tobin declined to comment when Neos Kosmos contacted him, but did say it’s an important issue.

Katholos isn’t convinced that they are committed to change.

“It’s all talk. It has never being put properly into action,” he said.

He has seen many parents take their kids out of the elite system in Australia and go through private academies.

One such example is recent Udinese signing Panos Armenakas. Armenakas bypassed the elite set up in NSW to train at the AC Milan Academy.

Katholos says that academies are now an option for parents because they offer something different.

Katholos wants to see a national approach to building academies.

“There should be training centres of excellence around the country funded by the federations with top coaches coaching our best footballers. They don’t exist.”

Pay disparity also means the best coaches are leaving Australia.

“Clubs collect $1,500 per kid and you pay the coach $3,000-$5,000 per year. How are you going to attract the best coaches?”

There has been promising steps at least to see a better national curriculum implemented.

The FFA has just appointed Belgian youth coach Eric Abrams as their new technical director to oversee the elite youth player development and coach education strategies of Australian football.

Abrams will be leading all of the elite pathway and youth development structures in line with the national curriculum that has been in place since 2009.

He will also take responsibility of the coach education program.

The new structure follows a review of the FFA’s technical structure by FFA head of national performance Luke Casserly, which highlighted youth technical development as a key area for improvement.

Under the new structure, Socceroos head coach Ange Postecoglou will oversee all the underage and senior national men’s team and Westfield Matildas head coach Alen Stajcic will oversee all the underage and senior women’s national teams.

source: Neos Kosmos