2008–09 Adelaide United FC season

The 2008–09 Adelaide United FC season was the club's fourth A-League season since the inception in the Australian football league since it first started in 2005. The club competed in the 2008–09 A-League, 2008 AFC Champions League and 2008 FIFA Club World Cup.

Adelaide United
2008–09 season
ManagerAurelio Vidmar Chairman Mel Patzwald
A-League2nd
Pre-Season Cup2nd
AFC Champions LeagueRunners-up
Top goalscorerLeague: Cristiano (8)
All: Cristiano (10)
Highest home attendance23,002 (vs Sydney FC, 3 January 2009)
Lowest home attendance7,832 (vs Wellington Phoenix, 30 August 2008)
Average home league attendance12,500

For the 2008–09 season, Adelaide United made some significant signings to strengthen the squad, most notably striker Cristiano from Willem II for two years on a free transfer. Another key signing to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Richie Alagich was Alemão formerly of CA Juventus. Saša Ognenovski joined the club from Queensland Roar to help shore up the defence, midfielder Paul Reid joined from Brighton & Hove Albion F.C., while promising youngsters Scott Jamieson, Daniel Mullen, Mark Birighitti and Robert Younis also signed. Bobby Petta, Shaun Ontong, Milan Susak, Dez Giraldi and Robert Bajic were all released, Bruce Djite was sold for an A-League record of A$850,000 to Genclerbirligi, whilst Nathan Burns also transferred to pursue his European dreams, joining Greek first division outfit AEK Athens[1] for A$500,000.[2] Kristian Sarkies, Lucas Pantelis and Fabian Barbiero all had their contracts renewed.

This season, Adelaide United passed the one millionth spectator milestone of total crowds since the inception of the A-League. They reached this achievement when their 7,052nd fan passed through the gate, for the Round 3 match against Wellington. Adelaide United are only the third A-League club to do so thus far, the other two being Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC.[3]

The round 18 A-League match against Sydney FC at the Adelaide Oval saw $23,002 donated to the Starlight Foundation as $1 from every ticket sold for the match went to the charity.[4]

By the end of round 27, Adelaide had drawn level for first, equalling Melbourne's 38 points on the ladder, having needed to win 2–0 against the Central Coast Mariners away to win the premiership and only securing a 1–0 win. Adelaide was pushed down to second because of goal difference. The Reds, along with Melbourne, the Queensland Roar and Central Coast, proceeded to the finals where they lost 1–0 against Melbourne Victory in the grand final at Etihad Stadium, Melbourne.

An early highlight for the season was Adelaide's run to the final of the AFC Champions League against Gamba Osaka.[5][6] Because of this performance, Adelaide participated in the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup. They played in the play-off round against Waitakere United on 11 December, defeating them 2–1.[7][8] The Reds' next game was played against AFC Champions League rivals, Gamba Osaka, in the quarterfinal round on 14 December in Toyota, Japan. This match, despite Adelaide's grown skill since their first meeting with ACL champions, was won by Gamba Osaka 0–1.[9][10] Adelaide's last appearance in the Club World Cup was against Al Ahly, from Egypt, to determine the fifth-placed club. The match was played on 18 December, and Adelaide defeated Al-Ahly 0–1.[11][12]

This season also saw the introduction of the Adelaide United W-League team and the A-League National Youth League team. Former Adelaide player Richie Alagich, along with Michael Barnett and former Socceroos Tony Vidmar and Joe Mullen joined the coaching staff of these teams.

Players

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Squad information

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First Team roster

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   AUS Daniel Beltrame
2 DF   AUS Robert Cornthwaite
3 DF   BRA Alemão
4 DF   AUS Angelo Costanzo
5 DF   AUS Michael Valkanis
6 DF   BRA Cássio
7 MF   AUS Lucas Pantelis
8 MF   AUS Kristian Sarkies
9 FW   AUS Paul Agostino
10 FW   BRA Cristiano
13 MF   AUS Travis Dodd (captain)
14 DF   AUS Scott Jamieson
No. Pos. Nation Player
15 MF   CIV Jonas Salley
16 DF   AUS Daniel Mullen
17 DF   AUS Isyan Erdoğan
18 MF   AUS Fabian Barbiero
19 DF   AUS Saša Ognenovski
20 GK   AUS Eugene Galeković
21 MF   AUS Jason Spagnuolo
22 MF   BRA Diego
24 MF   AUS Paul Reid
25 FW   AUS Robert Younis
28 MF   AUS Rostyn Griffiths
30 GK   AUS Mark Birighitti

Youth Team roster

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
GK   AUS Lucas Andreucci
GK   AUS Luke Ostybe
DF   AUS Michael Doyle
DF   AUS Michael Marrone
DF   AUS Alex Sunasky
DF   AUS Scott Weidnebach
MF   AUS Joel Allwright
MF   AUS Travis Anderson
MF   AUS Andrew Ciarla
No. Pos. Nation Player
MF   AUS Joe Costa
MF   AUS Osama Malik
MF   AUS Matthew Mullen
MF   AUS Ivan Pavlak
FW   AUS Angelo Arambatsis
FW   AUS Michael De Bono
FW   AUS Francesco Monterosso
FW   AUS Shane Tobias

Transfers

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First Team

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Youth Team

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Technical staff

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Position Name
Head coach   Aurelio Vidmar
Assistant coach   Phil Stubbins
Specialist coach   Carl Veart
Goalkeeping coach   Peter Blazincic
Youth Team Coach   Joe Mullen
Youth Team Assistant Coach   Tony Vidmar
Women's Team Coach   Michael Barnett
Women's Team Assistant Coach   Richie Alagich

Statistics

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Squad statistics

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No. Pos. Name A-League A-League
Finals
Pre-Season Cup ACL CWC Total Discipline
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals    
1 GK   Daniel Beltrame 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 DF   Robert Cornthwaite 17 2 3 0 3 0 10 21 3 0 35 41 10 0
3 DF   Alemão 18 2 2 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 25 2 2 0
4 DF   Angelo Costanzo 12 0 0 0 3 0 10 0 1 0 26 0 8 0
5 DF   Michael Valkanis 5 0 1 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 10 0 2 0
6 DF   Cássio 14 4 2 0 3 0 10 0 1 0 29 4 6 1
7 MF   Lucas Pantelis 10 2 4 0 2 0 11 1 0 0 26 3 2 0
8 MF   Kristian Sarkies 10 1 1 0 0 0 7 0 2 0 20 1 1 0
9 FW   Paul Agostino 7 0 3 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 13 0 0 0
10 FW   Cristiano 21 8 4 0 3 2 6 1 3 1 36 12 4 0
11 MF   Osama Malik** 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 0
13 MF   Travis Dodd 20 7 4 0 3 0 12 3 2 1 40 11 6 0
14 DF   Scott Jamieson 21 2 2 0 3 0 6 0 3 0 36 0 7 0
15 MF   Jonas Salley 17 0 2 0 3 0 5 0 1 0 27 0 2 1
16 DF   Daniel Mullen 9 0 4 0 2 0 3 0 3 1 20 1 1 0
17 DF   Isyan Erdogan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
18 MF   Fabian Barbiero 15 1 4 1 3 0 6 1 2 0 29 3 6 0
19 DF   Saša Ognenovski 20 3 4 0 1 0 9 0 2 0 35 3 12 0
20 GK   Eugene Galekovic 18 0 4 0 3 0 11 0 3 0 38 0 2 0
21 MF   Jason Spagnuolo 10 0 0 0 3 0 9 0 1 0 23 0 2 0
22 MF   Diego 8 0 0 0 1 0 11 4 2 0 22 4 3 0
23 DF   Michael Marrone 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 0
24 MF   Paul Reid 18 1 4 0 0 0 5 0 3 0 29 1 3 0
25 FW   Robert Younis 12 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 3 0 17 0 1 0
26 MF   Matthew Mullen 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
28 MF   Rostyn Griffiths 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0
30 GK   Mark Birighitti 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 4 0 1 0
—— DF   Richie Alagich* 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 1 0 0 6 1 1 0
—— FW   Bruce Djite* 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 3 1 0 0
—— DF   Milan Susak* 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
—— FW   Nathan Burns* 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 6 0 0 0
—— FW   Dez Giraldi* 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 5 0 0 0
—— MF   Shaun Ontong* 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0

1 – does not include own goal(s)
* – player(s) who competed in the ACL but not in the 2008–09 A-League season or the CWC
** – player(s) who competed in the CWC but not in the 2008–09 A-League season or the ACL

Goal scorers

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Total Player Goals per Round
 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
8   Cristiano 2 2 1 2 1
7   Travis Dodd 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
4   Cássio 1 2 1
3   Saša Ognenovski 1 1 1
2   Robert Cornthwaite 1 1
2   Alemão 1 1
2   Lucas Pantelis 1 1
1   Kristian Sarkies 1
1   Fabian Barbiero 1
1   Paul Reid 1
A goal was scored from a penalty kick
Two goals were scored from penalty kicks

Attendance at home games

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Round Date Opponent Score
AUFC – Away
Attendance Weekday
1 17 August 2008 Perth Glory 1–0 10,510 Sunday
3 30 August 2008 Wellington Phoenix 3–0 7,832 Saturday
6 27 September 2008 Newcastle Jets 2–0 8,111 Saturday
7 3 October 2008 Central Coast Mariners 3–3 9,074 Friday
9 26 October 2008 Perth Glory 2–1 10,126 Sunday
10 31 October 2008 Melbourne Victory 2–3 13,191 Friday
12 22 November 2008 Sydney FC 2–0 9,509 Saturday
14 5 December 2008 Wellington Phoenix 6–1 9,442 Friday
16 14 January 2009 Queensland Roar 0–0 14,450 Wednesday
18 3 January 2009 Sydney FC 2–0 23,002 Saturday
19 9 January 2009 Newcastle Jets 2–0 13,585 Friday
SF1 7 February 2009 Melbourne Victory 0–2 14,119 Saturday
PF 21 February 2009 Queensland Roar 1–0 8,472 Saturday

Competitions

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Pre-season

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Round Date Home team Score Away team Attendance Stadium
1 20 July 2008 Melbourne Victory 1–2
Cristiano   33',   90'
Adelaide United 4,720 Aurora Stadium
2 26 July 2008 Newcastle Jets 0–0 Adelaide United 2,756 Baddeley Park
3 2 August 2008 Adelaide United 0–0 Perth Glory 3,000 Vansittart Park

A-League

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League table

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Melbourne Victory (C) 21 12 2 7 39 27 +12 38 Qualification for 2010 AFC Champions League group stage and Finals series
2 Adelaide United 21 11 5 5 31 19 +12 38
3 Queensland Roar 21 10 6 5 36 25 +11 36 Qualification for Finals series
4 Central Coast Mariners 21 7 7 7 35 32 +3 28
5 Sydney FC 21 7 5 9 33 32 +1 26
6 Wellington Phoenix 21 7 5 9 23 31 −8 26
7 Perth Glory 21 6 4 11 31 44 −13 22
8 Newcastle Jets 21 4 6 11 21 39 −18 18
Source: ultimatealeague.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions

Matches

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Round Date Home team Score Away team Attendance Stadium
1 17 August 2008 Adelaide United 1–0
Dodd   41'
Perth Glory 10,510 Hindmarsh Stadium
2 24 August 2008 Queensland Roar 1–1
Dodd   8' (pen)
Adelaide United 12,761 Suncorp Stadium
3 30 August 2008 Adelaide United 3 -0
Pantelis   15'
Cristiano   49',   60'
Wellington Phoenix 7,832 Hindmarsh Stadium
4 12 September 2008 Melbourne Victory 1–0 Adelaide United 24,812 Telstra Dome
5 20 September 2008 Sydney FC 3–0 Adelaide United 12,462 Sydney Football Stadium
6 27 September 2008 Adelaide United 2–0
Cristiano   72',   60'
Newcastle Jets 8,111 Hindmarsh Stadium
7 3 October 2008 Adelaide United 3–3
Dodd   7' (pen)
Cornthwaite   19'
Cristiano   50'
Central Coast Mariners 9,074 Hindmarsh Stadium
8 17 October 2008 Queensland Roar 0–1
Cornthwaite   60'
Adelaide United 11,117 Suncorp Stadium
9 26 October 2008 Adelaide United 2–1
Alemão   80'
Dodd   82' (pen)
Perth Glory 10,126 Hindmarsh Stadium
10 31 October 2008 Adelaide United 2–3
Dodd   28' (pen)
Cássio   67'
Melbourne Victory 13,191 Hindmarsh Stadium
11 15 November 2008 Central Coast Mariners 3–0 Adelaide United 7,865 Bluetongue Stadium
12 22 November 2008 Adelaide United 2–0
Ognenovski   45+2'
Dodd   78'
Sydney FC 9,509 Hindmarsh Stadium
13 30 November 2008 Newcastle Jets 1–1
Ognenovski   90+4'
Adelaide United 7,136 Energy Australia Stadium
14 5 December 2008 Adelaide United 6–1
Ognenovski   21'
Cristiano   43',   74'
Cassio   47',   70'
Dodd   90+1'
Wellington Phoenix 9,442 Hindmarsh Stadium
15 6 January 2009[13] Melbourne Victory 1–0 Adelaide United 27,196 Telstra Dome
16 14 January 2009[13] Adelaide United 0–0 Queensland Roar 14,450 Hindmarsh Stadium
17 26 December 2008 Perth Glory 0–1
Sarkies   40'
Adelaide United 12,581 Members Equity Stadium
18 3 January 2009 Adelaide United 2–0
Cassio   45'
Alemão   82'
Sydney FC 23,002 Adelaide Oval
19 9 January 2009 Adelaide United 2–0
Barbiero   23'
Pantelis   74'
Newcastle Jets 13,585 Hindmarsh Stadium
20 18 January 2009 Wellington Phoenix 1–1
Reid   9'
Adelaide United 8,241 Westpac Stadium
21 25 January 2009 Central Coast Mariners 0–1
Cristiano   82'
Adelaide United 12,351 Bluetongue Stadium

Finals series

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Final Date Home team Score Away team Attendance Stadium
Semi (1) 7 February 2009 Adelaide United 0–2 Melbourne Victory 14,119 Hindmarsh Stadium
Semi (2) 14 February 2009 Melbourne Victory 4–0 Adelaide United 34,736 Telstra Dome
Preliminary 21 February 2009 Adelaide United 1–0 Queensland Roar 8,472 Hindmarsh Stadium
Grand 28 February 2009 Melbourne Victory 1–0 Adelaide United 53,273 Telstra Dome

FIFA Club World Cup

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Final Date Team 1 Score Team 2 Attendance Stadium
Play-off 11 December 2008 Adelaide United 2–1
Mullen   39'
Dodd   83'
Waitakere United 19,777 National Stadium, Tokyo
Quarter 14 December 2008 Adelaide United 0–1 Gamba Osaka 38,141 Toyota Stadium, Toyota
Fifth Place 18 December 2008 Al Ahly 0–1
Cristiano   7'
Adelaide United 35,154 International Stadium Yokohama

References

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  1. ^ Burns is Athens bound Archived 21 September 2012 at the Wayback MachineRetrieved on 11 June 2008
  2. ^ "Rivaldo Inspires Burns", Adelaide Advertiser, Friday 13 June 2008, p118
  3. ^ Adelaide United set to reach magic million Archived 28 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Adelaide regains top spot with win over Sydney FC". Adelaide United. 3 January 2009. Archived from the original on 14 April 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2009.
  5. ^ "AFC Champions League 2008 Final (First Leg) Summary" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation. 5 November 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 January 2009. Retrieved 14 January 2009.
  6. ^ "AFC Champions League 2008 Final (Second Leg) Summary" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation. 12 November 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 January 2009. Retrieved 14 January 2009.
  7. ^ "Adelaide United – Waitakere United Match Report". FIFA. 11 December 2008. Archived from the original on 20 December 2008. Retrieved 14 January 2009.
  8. ^ "Travis makes Adelaide sing". FIFA. 11 December 2008. Archived from the original on 14 December 2008. Retrieved 14 January 2009.
  9. ^ "Adelaide United – Gamba Osaka Match Report". FIFA. 14 December 2008. Archived from the original on 30 January 2009. Retrieved 14 January 2009.
  10. ^ "Endo the road for Adelaide". FIFA. 14 December 2008. Archived from the original on 2 February 2009. Retrieved 14 January 2009.
  11. ^ "Al-Ahly – Adelaide United Match Report". FIFA. 18 December 2008. Archived from the original on 21 December 2008. Retrieved 14 January 2009.
  12. ^ "Adelaide's high five". FIFA. 18 December 2008. Archived from the original on 2 February 2009. Retrieved 14 January 2009.
  13. ^ a b Match rescheduled due to Adelaide's participation in FIFA Club World Cup
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