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Adelaide United may be second in the A-League, but Reds coach Aurelio Vidmar could be forgiven for having his mind on other matters. In just under a fortnight, Vidmar’s team will take to the pitch at the National Stadium in Tokyo, as Adelaide United get set to clash with the might of world football in the FIFA Club World Cup.
The Reds qualified despite a 5-0 aggregate hammering at the hands of Gamba Osaka in the two-legged Asian Champions League final, and standing in Adelaide’s way of a rematch with the Osakans are Oceania champions Waitakere United.
The Kiwis will be battle hardened after their participation in last year’s tournament, where they were beaten by Iranian side Sepahan in a play-off to decide who would go through to the quarter-finals.
One post-match remark proved just how much of an unknown quantity the New Zealand side were, with a member of the Japanese press suggesting to Waitekere captain Danny Hay that his team had lost because Tokyo was “too cold” for them!
It’s not quite the same as a trip to Iceland, but the National Stadium – or “Kokuritsu” as it is affectionately known in Japan – is certainly a cold place to be in mid-December.
United’s Brazilian quartet had best pack their favourite pair of gloves, and with only 25,000 fans turning out in the Japanese capital to watch the same qualifying play-off last year, they should also prepare to play in front of a half-empty stadium at the cavernous home of the 1964 Summer Olympics.
There will be more fans in attendance at Toyota Stadium on December 14, with Adelaide hoping to book another showdown with Gamba Osaka at one of Japan’s most stunning sporting arenas.
There’s no doubt that the South Australians were outclassed in the Asian Champions League final, but they could face a Gamba side on the brink of exhaustion.
Akira Nishino’s men started their season at the Pan Pacific Championships in Hawaii back in February – Gamba won that friendly tournament – and since then they’ve featured in the J. League, the Champions League, the League Cup and the Emperor’s Cup, as well as hosting the inaugural Suruga Bank Championship in July.
Last year Nishino complained that young defender Michihiro Yasuda returned from the mid-season FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Canada suffering from fatigue, and key man Yasuhito Endo is a high-profile sufferer of Hepatitis C, leaving the mercurial midfielder at constant risk of exhaustion.
Fellow midfielder Takahiro Futagawa is racing against the clock to be fit for the Club World Cup, and with Gamba facing an Emperor’s Cup quarter-final clash against Nagoya Grampus on Christmas Day – knowing that the winners of the cup earn a place in next season’s Asian Champions League – the Osakans could be ripe for the picking in Toyota.
Adelaide United are not the first Australian team to take part in FIFA’s intercontinental jamboree, after NSL club South Melbourne represented Oceania at what was then known as the FIFA Club World Championship in Brazil in 2000.
More recently Sydney FC were narrowly beaten 1-0 by Costa Rican side Deportivo Saprissa at Toyota Stadium in the 2005 edition, before turning in one of the best ever performances by an Australian club side to beat Egyptian giants Al-Ahly 2-1 in the 5/6 play-off in Tokyo.
Adelaide United would dearly love to register at least one win at the FIFA Club World Cup, although United fans will hope that the tournament does not derail their current A-League campaign.
If United fans thought their potential quarter-final opponent looked daunting, they should spare a thought for Aurelio Vidmar and his coaching staff.
Should the Reds beat not only Waitakere United, but also Gamba Osaka, they will then run out in front of 70,000 fans at Yokohama International Stadium on December 18.
And who will stand in their way in the historic port city?
None other than Sir Alex Ferguson, Cristiano Ronaldo and a certain Manchester United.