Adelaide United will host Sydney FC in the 2018 FFA Cup Final, but what does their semi-final defeat mean for the Western Sydney Wanderers?
Adelaide’s 2-0 win over Victorian state league side Bentleigh Greens was as predictable as it was entertaining, with last year’s FFA Cup runners-up ultimately having too much class for the battlers from Bentleigh.
It wasn’t as though Bentleigh didn’t have their chances, and had Matt Thurtell buried that volley with less three minutes on the clock, the complexion of the game might have looked very different.
By the time George Blackwood danced his way to the byline – having already missed a glorious chance of his own – the writing looked on the wall for the hosts.
Paul Izzo had already got down to make a smart save from Chris Lucas by the time Blackwood cut the ball back for an unmarked Ben Halloran to finish off his first goal in Adelaide colours.
And when Jordan Elsey side-footed home after Bentleigh goalkeeper Ryan Scott could only parry an Isaias free-kick into the defender’s path, the Reds were home and hosed.
(AAP Image/David Crosling)
It was a routine win from a side making a name for themselves as cup specialists, and the fact that the final will be played at Coopers Stadium in Adelaide is an obvious advantage for the Reds.
Having been denied the right to host last year’s final, it would have been a travesty if the decider was hosted in Sydney for the second year in a row – even if this year the location was decided by a draw instead of on a whim.
The fact is that Coopers Stadium will be packed for the visit of the defending champions, although the Tuesday night kick-off makes it difficult for away fans to attend what is intended to be a showpiece occasion.
That’s half the problem with the FFA Cup.
It’s supposed to be this prestigious event modelled on historic competitions like the FA Cup, yet a lot of the decision-making behind it – from playing in midweek to forcing lower-league sides to host games in neutral venues – lend it the air of glorified park football.
At any rate, the final will be a fiercely contested clash between two sides with little regard for each other – but what do we make of Western Sydney’s performance?
Just as in the first semi-final, had Oriol Riera chosen to shoot instead of square the ball to Roly Bonevacia early on – allowing Rhyan Grant to make a goal-saving tackle – the game might have panned out very differently for the Wanderers.
(AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)
And not for the first time, one-time Wanderers goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne looked determined to keep his former club at bay.
But if the Wanderers looked impressive enough in the first half, their second half was nothing short of a disaster.
If Sydney FC midfielder Siem de Jong can stay fit throughout the campaign, he will have the same sort of impact Adrian Mierzejewski had last season.
But while Western Sydney’s German import Alexander Baumjohann huffed and puffed for the Wanderers at a well-attended Penrith Stadium, he didn’t quite have the same influence on the game as his Dutch counterpart.
Perhaps things would have been different if Josh Risdon hadn’t butchered a one-on-one with Redmayne on the hour mark.
But when de Jong curled a stunning free-kick over the wall and beyond a flailing Danijel Nizic, it was game over.
Does that spell problems for new Wanderers coach Markus Babbel? His club – and in particular skipper Brendan Hamill – talked a big game in the build-up to the derby.
Are the Wanderers any better this season than they were last year? Time will tell.
But there’s little doubt it’s not the start to the season Babbel was hoping for.
It’s how they end it that really counts – but it won’t be with an FFA Cup trophy.
Cousin Claudio
Roar Guru
The Wanderers look broken without Poppa and don't seem to have the same attitude and team spirit. They seem to have forgotten how to convert chances and win games. Will be an interesting start for them this season when Perth take on the Wanderers and Poppa now the manager of Perth FC playing against his former A-League club. Ah well, at least Perth is a lot closer to Europe, if things don't work out for either manager.
WSW
Guest
injured keeper injured cb and backup cbs Lack of quality DM 170000 unnecessary wingers (mostly injured)
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
Prospecting is never about stating the obvious. It's all about impending glory, and no club has a better future at ruling the Australian sporting landscape than the mighty WSW.
Buddy
Roar Rookie
I’m confused over whether I am dealing with irony, sarcasm or straight humour? Generally I agree about pre season form but Saturday night’s game was something very different. Whilst the FFA Cup is similar to the English league cup in that “ if you are in it its fun. If you are out, you don’t care” there was fr more at stake on Saturdy night and nobody is going to convince me that WSW didn’t give it their all and fell well short. I don’t believe the squad is strong enough defensively nor is the attack enterprising enough. I look forward to being proved totally wrong as I go along regardless and that includes a fair number of away games which will ruin some fun weekends if we really are at the current level.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
Shouldn't they win a championship before being touted as a dominant club? As for the Mariners, well yes, my bet to be the first team relegated when P&R is introduced.
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
Never let the truth get in the way of a good story. Parra is a dump. Don't limit yourself to the slums of the world. The WSW will soon take over the entirety of Sydney. However, bring a riot shield in the interim if you're afraid, the police certainly do. Sure enough, they will become the Manchester United of the Asian Champions League, except, they'll actually win it more often than not. Everyone wins via brand recognition as the WSW single-handedly raise the profile of the A-League throughout Asia. Leave that backwater you call the Central Coast and join a real team, in a real city and start living the dream.
Midfielder
Roar Guru
Rick I see its catching, you know, this Trump speak, i.e. just keep lying no matter the evidence to hand . As for Parra being the greatest city of them all. Well maybe when Parra can get past Lithgow we can start the conversation.
Brian
Guest
Final on a nothing Tuesday night is shocking they need to give it a permanent home, maybe some suggestions Australia Day, New Years Day, Melbourne Cup Night, or at least first saturday night in December etc. Anything is better then the current timeslot
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
You fail to acknowledge one important fact about the Glory: They are useless!
Waz
Roar Rookie
“Once my boys are entrenched at WSS next season, they’ll completely take over the west” ... good luck taking over Perth. Even Glory can’t do that.
Waz
Roar Rookie
One game yes, I’d go with that. But preseason form in general for wanderers looks naff. Scraping past federation sides, shipping goals in friendlies, losing regularly. It’s all unknown until the season gets going of course but based on available data it’s not looking too pretty.
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
Nobody cares about pre-season half-baked competitions. Nobody! To draw some magical conclusion from it is more a reflection of boredom than anything else. The WSW will once again be a beacon of hope in perilous times. The only club with the potential to become World Class in the greatest city of them all. Sydney FC can enjoy their moment in the sun. Hopefully, they won't be playing that bat$$!t boring game style they call football again this year (for their 50 fans) now that Arnold has moved on. Once my boys are entrenched at WSS next season, they'll completely take over the west, along with everything else. GO WSW!
Midfielder
Roar Guru
My reading of the Tea Leafs, when added to the feeling in my bones... is this game should not be considered as a form guide for the season... The Tea Leafs, tell me, the Drive Bys will do better than they showed in this game and the Flying Circus won't do as well.
Waz
Roar Rookie
Tend to agree but the question is why though? There seems to be enough quality there??
Mister Football
Roar Guru
Early evidence is that Babbel will need nothing short of a miracle this season, he'll need to speak in tongues to get something out of the Wanderers.
Waz
Roar Rookie
Hammil is an odd choice. Not just for captain but even as a first-pick starter. The coach (or players?) must see something in him.
Buddy
Roar Rookie
The only thing Wanderers did well on Saturday was to have the game hosted at Penrith in a rectangular stadium. All the fans wanted was to see the team competitive against crosstown rivals and that simply wasn’t the case. The first half may have been full of “should have and could have” and what might have been but the second half saw SFC step up a gear and their new signings looked to be worth coming to see. Hammil is no club captain imo, he wouldn’t make the starting XI in most A League sides and Risdon continues to surprise us all with his inclusion in the national team where admittedly he has been reasonable. However, Saturday night, not only was he thoroughly inept in a one on one, he lacked a cohesive passing game, couldn’t read the play down the Sydney left and did not appear to know when to tackle and when to cover. Riera looked a lonely figure up front and there was precious little creativity behind him although young Baccus showed he was fleet of foot and lively. Can’t see it being anything more than a repeat of the past few seasons at Homebush. The most exciting thing is that this is the last year playing there. The question to ask the club is what will be the final price of having made the decision to play there for three years?
Waz
Roar Rookie
* Darned lack of edit after you’ve posted. “It’s hard to see them [Sydney] outside the top 4 this season”, a wayward “not” got in there lol.
Waz
Roar Rookie
Both Wanderers and Adelaide have been unimpressive this pre-season and it’s hard to make a case for either of them to challenge for the title this year although both will be difficult to beat. Adelaide desperately need an answer to their striker issues and while wanderers seem to have all the jigsaw pieces they’re struggling to make a coherent picture, even against lower league opponents in the Cup. SFC look similar but not quite the same as last year but reaching the cup final will relax a few folk and it’s hard not to see them outside the top 4 this season, unless the ACL disrupts their season with injury (not something that’s been an issue since the introduction of split rounds)