The pedigree of foreign players is unprecedented and the football has at times been exhilarating, suggesting this season of the A-League could be the most entertaining yet.
It was no surprise to see foreign names on the scoresheet yesterday, as Dutch midfielder Wout Brama opened his account for the Central Coast Mariners, while Irish duo Andy Keogh and Roy O’Donovan were also on target for their respective clubs.
Keogh and O’Donovan both know the league well – the latter is now top of the goal-scoring charts and seemingly loving life at the Newcastle Jets – while Brama looks a real find for a Mariners side unlucky to have collected just a solitary point thus far.
If Spanish striker Asdrubal had managed to get on the end of a Kwabena Appiah cross early on for the Mariners in their 2-1 defeat to Perth Glory at nib Stadium, the complexion of the game would have looked very different.
Nevertheless, with Dutch midfielders Brama and Tom Hiariej joining a couple of Spaniards in Asdrubal and new skipper Alan Baro, Mariners coach Paul Okon looks to have got his recruitment of foreign signings spot on.
It’s the same across the board in an A-League suddenly brimming with high-quality foreign stars, with Adelaide midfielder Johan Absalonsen, Melbourne Victory’s exciting Leroy George and Western Sydney’s Spanish trio of Alvaro Cejudo, Raul Llorente and Oriol Riera all proving key for their new clubs so far.
And the quality of the foreign signings is having a knock-on effect and helping to lift the standards of the local talent, with the likes of Adam Taggart, Dimi Petratos and Mitch Austin all providing telling contributions in a genuinely enthralling round of football this weekend.
Both Taggart and Petratos scored superb winners for their respective outfits, and few could begrudge the likes of Perth and Newcastle enjoying their resurgence, with the two former National Soccer League clubs looking capable of mounting a serious finals challenge this time around.
The same can be said for Melbourne City – now the only team to have collected maximum points after three games, following their 1-0 win over Wellington Phoenix on Saturday afternoon.
They made hard work of it at times, before ultimately prevailing thanks to Ross McCormack’s clever free-kick, and the on-loan Scottish striker looks a class above the usual calibre of imports to pitch up on these shores.
That’s probably what you’d expect from a player who has scored almost a hundred goals in the Championship, but then undoubted talent hasn’t always translated to instant success in the A-League.
But McCormack looks like he’s going to settle in just fine at Melbourne City. Are they missing Bruno Fornaroli? Maybe not.
Yet perhaps the most overlooked foreign signings in the A-League is one of the biggest influences on his club – Sydney FC’s criminally underrated Brazilian striker Bobo.
I was at the Sydney derby on Saturday night and watched the Brazilian closely as he coolly converted a crucial penalty and set up Josh Brillante for the Sky Blues’ equaliser.
It isn’t just that Bobo always seems to deliver when his team needs him most – how badly would Graham Arnold have preferred the Brazilian to be on the end of that stoppage-time cross instead of Matt Simon? – it’s that he constantly drags defenders away from space and brings his teammates into play.
No wonder he excelled in the volatile confines of Turkish football. Yet Bobo will invariably be overshadowed by his more illustrious teammates Milos Ninkovic and Adrian Mierzejewski once again this season.
That’s not a major concern though. The simple fact is the A-League suddenly has a plethora of exciting foreign players spread across all ten clubs.
We should thank our lucky stars – and, of course, our scouting departments – that they’re here.
We want the A-League to be exciting. On the evidence of the first three rounds, that’s not going to be a problem this season.
Evan Askew
Guest
I disagree with the assertion that marquee players have to be superstars to raise the profile. If you compare the crowds g brisbane roar to what they were in 2009-10 to what they were from 2011-12 to the last season and you will see a massive and consistent increase. Brooch was a high quality import, possibly the best ever domestically, but he was not high profile. This shows that quality will Bring the crowds.
Evan Askew
Guest
It was very surprising that Perth glory of all clubs committed that recruiting abomination given their stellar record in the NSL
Cousin Claudio
Roar Guru
Every year the A-League just gets better and better.
Cousin Claudio
Roar Guru
The Hosewives of Montevideo, my favourite show.
Cousin Claudio
Roar Guru
Soccer is dying, it will be dead by the end of this year and Aussie Rules will conquer China and take over the world. Just you wait and see.
Cousin Claudio
Roar Guru
A-League ratings in Honduras tripled over the weekend.
Cameron
Roar Guru
I don't think she cares tbh.
Cameron
Roar Guru
Saul, I think Cousin is taking the...
Cameron
Roar Guru
Cousin, tv ratings are actually down. That article you shared is from last season.
Midfielder
Guest
Looks like he is staying
saul
Guest
The A league is a favourite of Uruguayan housewives
saul
Guest
Really the Sydney Morning Herald had an article saying the opposite today.
saul
Guest
The A league has improved a lot, the passing game and skill level is quite decent to watch now. Rebecca Wilson would be turning in her grave.
Cousin Claudio
Roar Guru
https://www.myfootball.com.au/news/hyundai-a-league-201718-season-goes-truly-global Over 10 million people across the world watch the A-League every week. You can even watch the A-League on your Ocean cruise.
Cousin Claudio
Roar Guru
A-League attendance avge 2017/18 so far – 16,528 A-League attendance avge 2016/17 – 12,294, includes finals series. Increase over last season +34.45%.
Cousin Claudio
Roar Guru
Drama, goals and high-quality football has seen a huge spike in TV ratings for the Hyundai A-League 2017/18 Season. Viewing numbers on Fox Sports are up an impressive 50% on last season after three complete rounds. Seven of the 15 matches played so far this campaign have smashed through the 100,000 viewers barrier. And figures are also up by 37% for night matches on free-to-air network ONE TV. “It’s early days but we wanted to start the season with a bang and the numbers so far support that,” FFA CEO David Gallop told the Daily Telegraph. “There are a number of reasons for increased numbers but most importantly the quality of the games and the skill of the players has been impressive.” The sensational viewing figures continues a remarkable start to the new season with many pundits believing the standard is at an all-time high. And this has been underlined with massive crowds at the Sydney and Melbourne Derbies which both witnessed a glut of goals and excitement. Meanwhile, membership numbers smashed through the 100,000 mark earlier this month on the way to a new high.
Kenny
Guest
Bums on seats equals name on back of shirt .player in question Del Piero .biggest draw card ever for Sydney fc .even I drove from Melbourne to Sydney to watch him .
Nemesis
Guest
MUST SEE TV Ange Postecoglou is the featured personality on Australian Story tonight. Time: 8:00 p.m. "End Game" Will he stay or will he go? http://www.abc.net.au/austory/end-game/9072104
Josh
Guest
You aren't the only one, ever since Santalab turned him inside out to score and win the derby I have wondered what he brings.
Lionheart
Guest
I'm only guessing really - Rado was involved at Cav Rd football program when Dario was there, and same Brattan and a few others including Gorry and others in the W League. I've heard young players acknowledge Rado, but Ken Stead is credited with establishing Roar's youth program so deserves a nod. The period I'm thinking about is before they were recruited by Roar. Many came through QSAC and there's a number from the Goldie too. Their new concept looks good.