Who stood out from the Australians both here and overseas in a busy week of the world game?
Goalkeeper – Mathew Ryan- 3-0 win for AZ Alkmaar against NEC Nijmegen. Full game played, clean sheet, 6 saves, .95 goals saved, 28/44 passing.
Ryan played well as AZ Alkmaar all but confirm their status as a Europa League team next season. With two magnificent tips over the bar, Ryan had another good game, further puzzling AZ fans as to why he is seemingly being shoved out of the club.
Left Back – Ryan Kitto- 4-3 win for Adelaide United against Brisbane Roar. Full game played, 1 assist, 3 key passes, 1 big chance created, 3 tackles, 6 clearances, 1 interception, 5 duels won, 37/43 passing, 1 dribble.
An admirable performance for Adelaide’s captain in their penultimate game of the season. Giving a wonderful cross fur Ibusuki’s go-ahead goal, Kitto played well, and hopefully this is a sign of things to come from left-back, as he has copped a fair amount of criticism from Reds fans this season.
Centre Back – Jake Girdwood-Reich- 7-1 win for Sydney FC against Perth Glory. Full game played, 1 clearance, 2 interceptions, 2 tackles, 7 duels won, 62/72 passing.
One half of Sydney’s teenage centre back duo with Hayden Matthews, Girdwood-Reich was rock solid in the Sky Blues demolition of Perth Glory. With a home final against Macarthur coming up, Sydney FC look to be in a good position to reverse the result of their previous meeting.
Centre Back – Kyle Rowles. 0-0 draw for Hearts against Kilmarnock- Full game played, 2 tackles, 9 clearances, 2 tackles, 6 duels won, 62/81 passing, 1 dribble.
Rowles, capped 20 times for the Socceroos’, played well as Hearts drew with Kilmarnock. Now assured of third place and a Europa league playoff spot, this Hearts team with Rowles, Cameron Devlin, Nathaniel Atkinson and Calum Nieuwenhof is full of potential Socceroos and could be competing against clubs like Ajax, Athletic Club, and Porto for a spot in next season’s Europa League.
Right Back – Fran Karacic- 2-0 loss for NK Rudes against Varazdin. Full game played, 1 clearance, 3 tackles, 11 duels won, 3 dribbles, 1 key pass, 1 big chance created.
Karacic performed well in another loss as NK Rudes’ woeful season continues. Karacic clearly has the ability to be a Socceroo but needs to move away from Rudes in order to play a meaningful role in the set-up.
Central Midfielder – Oscar Priestmann- 4-3 win for Western Sydney Wanderers against Melbourne Victory. Full game played, 1 goal, 51/56 passing, 1 key pass, 1 dribble, 9 duels won, 7 tackles.
Priestmann, formerly a Sydney FC junior, played excellently in the Western Sydney’s final game of the season. Along with a masterful feint and finish to win the game, Priestmann controlled the game well. He will hope to follow Baccus and Nieuwenhof as Wanderer midfielders to become seriously good players.
Central Midfielder – Corey Hollman- 7-1 win for Sydney FC against Perth Glory. 85 mins played, 1 assist, 59/67 passing, 2 key passes, 1 big chance created, 1 dribble, 6 duels won, 2 tackles, 2 interceptions.
Between a special through-ball assist, defensive dominance, and great game-control, Hollman had a marvellous game in Sydney FC’s huge win. Hollman, another Sky-Blue academy project, has developed nicely this season, growing into a starter in a side that has the potential to go all the way.
Central Midfielder – Jackson Irvine- 1-0 win for St. Pauli against Hansa Rostock. Full game played, 1 goal, 19/26 passing, 1 key pass, 1 big chance created, 1 dribble, 6 duels won, 2 tackles.
Now atop the 2. Bundesliga, St.Pauli grinded out a result against relegation candidates Hansa Rostock. Irvine, as he seems to do so often, came through when needed and scored the winner. It is beyond cool to see an Australian like Irvine be adopted by a true cult club and become a pivotal figure in their return to top-flight football. I cannot wait to see Irvine, probably the best performing Australian in the world right now, play elite European football.
Jackson Irvine celebrates with Kye Rowles of Australia (Photo by Mohamed Farag/Getty Images)
Left Winger – Dimitri Petratos- 2-1 loss for Mohun Bagan Super Giant against Odisha. 1 assist, 2 key passes, 1 big chance created, 1 dribble, 2 duels won.
Petratos played well in both legs of Mohun Bagan’s semi-final win. Along with Jason Cummings, who scored in the second leg, Petratos is proving to be a key figure in Mohun Bagan’s quest to win a second straight ISL Cup.
Striker – Henry Hore- 4-3 loss for Brisbane Roar against Adelaide United. Full game played, 2 goals, 1 key pass, 5 duels won, 2 tackles.
With a scintillating cut-in finish and deft back post run, Hore scored twice in Brisbane’s final game of the season. With a career-high 7 league goals for Brisbane this year, Hore has firmly announced himself as a dangerous A-League attacker this season.
Right Winger – Daniel Arzani- 4-3 loss for Melbourne Victory against Western Sydney Wanderers. 72 mins played, 2 goals, 3 key passes, 1 big chance created, 1 dribble, 4 duels won, 1 tackle.
Arzani continued his strong form with 2 very nice goals, both good finishes from distance. Arzani will be crucial as the Victory attempt to take down Melbourne City. Arzani is the type of player, if in form, that could win you a premiership.
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Morocco is not the only nation to find success with a large contingent of foreign-developed players - and the Socceroos can join that list.
Cameron Burgess scored the winner to confirm Ipswich’s status as a Premier League club.
Socceroo Cameron Burgess has put Ipswich within touching distance of the Premier League after a 2-1 win over Coventry in the English Championship. Kieffer…
Even though St.Pauli ultimately lost a high-scoring affair, Jackson Irvine was a standout, as well as scoring a late goal.
What if we celebrated all of the achievements big and small, and weeded out those hell-bent on bringing down a game that is doing a hell of a lot right?
