Socceroos

Given very little separated Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory throughout the regular and post seasons, it was perhaps fitting last night’s A-League championship decider went to penalties, and perhaps even more fitting it went to the team that finished first past the post.
A hundred and twenty minutes of attritional, confrontational, energy sapping football ultimately couldn’t [...]

Melbourne Victory coach Ernie Merrick was left frustrated that Sydney FC were not penalised more heavily for a string of “blatant professional fouls” in Saturday night’s A-League grand final.
The Sky Blues won a epic match 4-2 in a penalty shootout at Etihad Stadium after the teams were locked 1-1 at the end of extra time.
Merrick [...]

Melbourne Victory’s star striker Archie Thompson is facing up to 12 months on the sidelines after a serious knee injury destroyed his, and the club’s, A-League grand final.
Thompson was stretchered off after 12 minutes following a challenge from Sydney FC defender Simon Colosimo – a strong but fair tackle after which the striker landed awkwardly [...]

Let me be clear: while Sydney might be the traditional soul of Australian football, these days Melbourne is its home. On November 16th 2005 history was made at Sydney’s ANZ stadium when the Socceroos qualified for the 2006 World Cup.
Yet, football only truly arrived on the domestic stage 18 months later with Melbourne’s hosting [...]

The World Cup in South Africa has helped FIFA’s revenues past the billion dollar mark for the first time, football’s governing body said on Friday.
“We are very confident, not only confident but very proud, that we can deliver the World Cup to Africa and that Africa can deliver the World Cup to the world,” Blatter [...]

FIFA said on Friday that Indonesian bid leaders missed a deadline to produce the required government guarantees to back the project.
FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke says “Indonesia is not any more a candidate for 2022.”
Indonesia was always considered the outsider of the 11 original candidates which applied to host the tournament in 2018 or 2022.
Indonesia [...]

Melbourne Victory coach Ernie Merrick has issued a grand final eve plea to skipper Kevin Muscat – play on for one more A-League season.
Muscat may be headed into his last A-League appearance in Saturday night’s grand final against Sydney FC at Etihad Stadium.
The 36-year-old is weighing up whether to go on for another year, or [...]

Sydney FC look set to reward young defender Sebastian Ryall and start him against the club he won a championship with last year in this season’s A-League grand final.
Ryall looks increasingly likely to keep his starting 11 place ahead of fit-again Socceroo Shannon Cole at right-back for the clash with Melbourne Victory at Etihad Stadium.
Ryall [...]

Socceroos great Mark Viduka is considering playing in the A-League, saying he is “in two minds” about whether to return to the game.
Viduka has not played in 10 months, walking away from several European offers at the start of this season and the Socceroos’ World Cup campaign for a hiatus from the sport.
But the 34-year-old [...]

With both Asian Champions League places for the 2011 tournament sewn up for Australia’s participants, there has been much debate surrounding the worth of an A-League Grand Final with virtually ‘nothing’ at stake.
However, in this fledgling young competition that is Australia’s A-League, a Grand Final is essential. It provides the sport with a showcase, a [...]