United knocked out of the Waratah Cup
United has been knocked out of the Waratah Cup after a disappointing and frustrating 1-0 loss at home to Blacktown. United dominated for large periods of the game but were unable to find the back of the net before a late penalty sealed the win for Blacktown.
After a relatively even first half the boys were able to carve out a number of opportunities in the second but a goal eluded them.
The boys are now left to concentrate on the league with a crucial stretch of games ahead of them. We hit the road over the next 3 weeks with games away to Rockdale, APIA and Blacktown Spartans. We're back at home on the 10th of June for the big local derby against Marconi.
United returns to the winners' circle
After a tough few weeks on the pitch the boys bounced back with a huge win against the previously undefeated Bonnyrigg. Elsid made his first appearance of the season after a long term injury and was on the scoresheet within a minute of coming on for Ante Tomic.
The first half was all United as we peppered Bonnyrigg's goal in the search for the opener. Mitchell Speers had two long range efforts pushed away for corners while Glavas thought he had scored as McNamara pushed his chip away very close to the line. Young Daniel Barac also saw his header hit the crossbar from a United corner.
The second half was a more even affair and it wasn't until the 67th minute that a breakthrough was made. Elsid had only been on the pitch for a few moments before he rounded the 'keeper and scored with only his second touch - cue pandemonium in the stands as Elsid and the boys ran off to celebrate with the United faithful.
The boys held on for the final 20 minutes to hand Bonnyrigg their first loss of the season and secure a vital 3 points after recent results.
Next up we have Manly United at home at the Sydney United Sports Centre. First grade is at 4pm, 20s at 2pm and PDP teams will play in the lead up.
Sydney United vs Bonnyrigg
This weekend's home game against Bonnyrigg is only open to members of Sydney United and King Tomislav. The match will be limited to 500 members. If you plan on attending, please bring your membership card and ID to the ticket booth on game day.
Sydney United vs Bonnyrigg - 12.30pm kick off @ Sydney United Sports Centre.
Tough two weeks for United
It has been a tough couple of weeks for the boys with only 1 point out of a possible 6 picked up. The first game was a frustrating 2-1 loss at home to South Coast Wolves which saw United dominate for large periods of the match only to concede a goal very late on to leave the side empty handed. There was controversy in the second half as both Cindric and Glavas had goals ruled out, before South Coast took the lead late on with a screamer from outside the box.
On Saturday, we travelled away to Sutherland hoping to get back to winning ways. Ben Vidaic made sure we got off on the right foot with an early goal. The boys held out Sutherland for 70 minutes with the help of the vocal visiting supporters only for Nikas to finally find a way past the outstanding Janjetovic with 10 minutes to go.
This brings us to this Sunday's game against Bonnyrigg. The boys will be fired up to get back to winning ways and bring Bonnyrigg's unbeaten run to an end.
Last minute heart-break in Blacktown
A 96th minute equaliser from Blacktown's Japanese import, Yuchi Yamauchi, crushed United players and fans just as it looked like the boys had done enough to make it 3 wins from 3 games. It was a tense finish as Blacktown's ten men threw everything at Vedran and his defence in what seemed like an infinite amount of injury time at the end of the 90 minutes. The pressure eventually paid off as Yamauchi was put through one-on-one and was able to slot it past Janjetovic who had been immaculate all afternoon.
Blacktown hit United on the counter on a number of occasions during the first half but a combination of great goalkeeping and desperate defending maintained our clean-sheet. At the other end, Daniel Rezo fired off a couple of great free-kicks - the first, from about 30m out, was headed for the top corner before Crane palmed it away for the corner. The second beat Crane but found the post instead of the back of the net.
The boys came out in the second half and had a lot more of the ball. With 12 minutes to go, Glavas latched onto a fantastic ball from young Paric and drilled the ball into the top right-hand corner. It was chaos in the stands and on the pitch as Luka celebrated his 68th goal for the club.
An extended period of extra time gave Blacktown a number of opportunities to grab a point but Vedran was always on hand to clean up. Just as the game was winding down, one final hopeful long-ball was sent up from Blacktown's defence. Monie managed to flick it on into the path of Yamauchi who scored with what was basically the last kick of the match.
The boys will have a week to put the disappointment behind them with the visit of South Coast Wolves next Sunday at Edensor Park. Come down and support them as they look to return to the winner's circle.
First grade - 4pm kick off
20s - 2pm kick off
PDP - from 9am
For a full match report click here
Correction on Arnie's goalscoring record
Our trusty historians inform us that Arnie scored 68 NSL goals for the club. He also scored 16 State League goals for Sydney Croatia which brings his total to 84. Apologies Arnie, you can hold on to that one for a bit longer! We're sure that Luka is confident that he can hit that target this season.
No matter what the outcome, we can all agree that both will go down in the history books as club legends.
Glavas closes in on Graham Arnold's record
A double from Luka Glavas was enough to secure the 3 points in the Grand Final replay at Edensor Park. Luka's goals take him to within 1 goal of equalling Graham Arnold's longstanding club record of 68 goals in the red, white and blue.
It was a nervy start for the boys as Olympic took the lead 10 minutes into the match via David Gullo. This was the wake up call JP's men needed and 15 minutes later we were 2-1 up thanks to the ever-reliable goalscoring boots of Luka Glavas.
For the remainder of the game, Vedran Janjetovic and his defence stood firm and did not allow Olympic any clear cut opportunities as they resorted to long range efforts. Mitchell Stamatellis, in particular, was very impressive against his former club. At the other end, chances fell to Glavas, Hayes and Lum to put the game beyond doubt but the score was to remain 2-1 at full team maintaining our perfect start to the season.
Next week we are off to Lily Homes stadium to face the Blacktown Demons. The Demons are a side who always give us a tough time so an entertaining match is expected. The match will be slightly tougher with Hayes being suspended after receiving two yellows against Olympic.
Come down and support the boys as they look to make it 3 from 3 while the unstoppable Luka Glavas aims to become the club's all-time leading scorer.
You can read a full match report here
Image courtesy of Football NSW
Sydney United and the Prime Minister
The club was invited to join FNSW at today's press conference announcing a $3 million investment into the redevelopment of the Valentine Sports Park. Jared Lum attended as the club's representative alongside representatives from other clubs and Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Jared had the opportunity to meet the Prime Minister and hopefully invited her to Monday's blockbuster against Sydney Olympic.
Image courtesy of Football NSW
To read more about the details surrounding the press conference click here
Next match - Sydney United 58 vs Sydney Olympic
Memberships on sale this week
The Sydney United office will be open from 7pm-9pm on 03/04 and 04/04 for those who would like to grab their membership before the first home game of the season.
The office will also be open before kick-off on 09/04.
2012 season kicks off with 3 points
Our season got underway at Melita Stadium on Sunday with a 1-0 win over Parramatta FC courtesy of a fantastic goal from Ante Tomic.
Read the full match report here
Image courtesy of Football NSW
Going "one better" in 2012
After a long off-season the NSW Premier League makes its long awaited return this weekend. The club has worked hard in the off-season to ensure that we are well set up for another assault on the title.
We caught up with Jean-Paul De Marigny to discuss the pre-season, this weekend’s game and his views on the competition.
Pre-season
The pre-season trials have thrown up some mixed results for the boys with impressive wins over Rockdale (3-1) and the Melbourne Knights (2-1) alongside a disappointing 3-0 loss to Blacktown. Overall, JP has been happy with the squad’s preparations and form in pre-season. He was especially happy with the younger boys who had played major roles in the trials – the likes of 16 year old Mark Cindric, Daniel Barac and Stjepan Paric. It’s definitely not the last we’ll see of these exciting talents this season.
There were other trials against Bankstown (3-1 win), Hills Brumbies (2-0 win), Sydney Olympic (1-1 draw) but the highlight was the Friendship Cup win over the Melbourne Knights which brought the club its first piece of silverware for the 2012 season – something that the squad is keen to build on.
The competition
When asked who he believed were our major threats in the title race, JP pointed to the usual suspects in Olympic, Blacktown and Bonnyrigg. Having seen Blacktown first hand he believes that their mobility will be their biggest strength. Marconi is a squad who have improved heavily in the off-season and they can be expected to challenge again after a disappointing 2011. We asked if there was anybody flying under the radar this season and he replied with “Manly, they have the potential to surprise a few teams, I‘d pick them as my darkhorses for this season”
First game
We kick off our season at Melita Stadium, the scene of a dramatic match from last season which dented our Premiership hopes. The boys will be keen to get the season off on the right foot.
JP- “We’re looking forward to getting the season underway. We expect Parramatta to set up a counter-attacking game so we will require a lot of patience if we are to break them down. The first game of the season is always tough but we’re hoping to come away with the 3 points”.
We asked JP to give us any final thoughts on the upcoming season, he only had one thing on his mind- “Our motto for this season is very simple – ONE BETTER”. We couldn’t agree more!
Come out to Melita Stadium this weekend and support the boys in their quest to go “one better” in 2102. Kick-off times for all age groups are listed below – come and support the future stars of United as well as the current ones.
2012 SEASON KICK OFF - Round 1
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Sydney United 58 FC will start the 2012 campaign as visitors, taking on the Parramatta Eagles at Melita Stadium. After a good weekend of trial games at home with Rockdale , the teams are ready for the season proper. We wish all the players and coaches the best of luck for the season.
Venue: Melita Stadium
Saturday 31st of March
U13 - 9:00am
U14 - 10:15am
U 15 - 11:40am
U 16 - 1:00pm
U18 - 3:00pm
Sunday 1st of April
U20 - 1:00pm
1st grade - 3:00pm
MEMBERSHIP PACKAGES ANNOUNCED FOR 2012
The club is pleased to present this year's packages which provide a variety of options for those interested in becoming a member for this season. For further information please click on the "MEMBERSHIPS" link on the left hand menu. Support your football club by buying a membership today!
2XU Ordering Portal now open – BUY AND WIN
Looking for compression products for the upcoming season? FNSW's new partner 2XU is giving you a chance to win a pack worth $300 if you puchase their product before the 13th of April by clicking the below ad. Not only will you have a chance to win, you'll also be helping your club as they will provide the nominated club with a rebate when a supporter makes a purchase. Just select Sydney United from the dropdown menu when you put your order through!
Sydney United 58 Season Launch - Celebrating our Longevity
Sydney United 58 officially kicked off the season with its season launch for 2012 taking place at the King Tomislav Croatian Club on Saturday 17th of March.
The theme of the night, and for the upcoming season, was “Celebrating our Longevity”, as the club looks to celebrate a long and proud history in Australian football. This is the club’s 54th straight competitive season, many of which have been spent in the highest level of state or national football. To usher in this new era, the club unveiled a new logo which pays homage to our proud history.
The 2012 squad was then presented with their new Nike kits as coach Jean-Paul de Marigny, striker Luka Glavas and captain Ivo Bosnar were given the chance to give the crowd their thoughts on the upcoming season.
Jean-Paul was keen to point to the stability in the squad and the fact that the core has been retained, while also praising the younger members of the team. Bosnar and Glavas were confident that the squad had the quality to mount another title challenge. The desire for the club to go one step further after the disappointment of last year’s Grand Final loss was evident.
Glavas has extra motivation this season as he attempts to rewrite the history books by overtaking club legend Graham Arnold as the club’s all-time leading scorer.
It was a fitting way to kick off a promising season for the club as it looks to make large strides on and off the pitch.
2012 Kits
New logo
The squad for 2012
Luka entertaining the crowd
Mens Premier League 2012 Season DRAW
Sydney United will kick off the 2012 Premier League season on 1/04/2012 with an away match against Parramatta at Melita Stadium. Our first home game is the grand final replay with our old rivals Sydney Olympic Sunday 9/04/2012. click here for full draw.
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