2007–08 Sydney FC season

October 2015 April 2020 Sydney FC 2007–2008 Branko Čulina;John Kosmina George Perry;Andrew Kemeny A-League 3rd (League)Semi-finals (Finals) A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup 7th Pan-Pacific Championship 4th Alex Brosque (8 goals) Alex Brosque (11 goals) League: 33,458 (20 January 2008, vs Melbourne);All: 80,295 (27 November 2007 vs Los Angeles Galaxy) 10,732 (7 December 2007, vs Newcastle Jets) _blue_reebok_spikes 000066 85b1e1 000066 000066 85b1e1 _shouldersonwhite 85b1e1 FFFFFF 85b1e1 85b1e1 FFFFFF 2006–07 2008–09 The 2007–08 season is Sydney FC's third season of football (soccer) in Australia. The club finished seventh in the A-League Pre-season Challenge Cup and competed in the 2007–08 A-League season. After a disappointing start to the season, the club sacked coach Branko Čulina in October,http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item&id=19834 Club and Culina part by mutual consent sydneyfc.com 22 October 2007 22 October 2007 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20070914171832/http://sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item 14 September 2007 dmy and appointed John Kosmina. The team recovered from its poor start to finish third on the league table, securing a place in the finals series but being eliminated in the semi-final by Queensland Roar. The club represented Australia at the Pan-Pacific Championship in February 2008 and finished fourth after losing to American MLS sides Houston Dynamo and Los Angeles Galaxy. Player details Sydney FC#Current squads Squad Players included in a Sydney FC squad in the 2007–08 season: 1 Australia Clint Bolton GK 2 Australia Iain Fyfe DF 3 Australia Nikolas Tsattalios DF 4 Australia Mark Rudan DF 5 Australia Ryan Walsh DF 6 Australia Tony Popović DF captain 7 Australia Robbie Middleby MF 8 Australia Ruben Zadkovich MF 9 Australia David Zdrilic FW 10 Australia Steve Corica MF 11 Australia Brendon Santalab FW 12 Brazil Patrick da Silva FW 13 Australia Ben Vidaic FW 14 Australia Alex Brosque FW 15 Northern Ireland Terry McFlynn MF 16 Australia Mark Milligan DF 17 Australia Jacob Timpano DF 18 Australia Adam Casey FW 19 USA Michael Enfield MF 20 Australia Ivan Necevski GK 21 Australia Adam Biddle MF 22 Brazil Juninho MF 23 Australia Ufuk Talay MF 24 Australia Robbie Cattanach FW 25 Australia Matthew Jurman MF 25 Australia Cameron Watson DF 25 Australia Daniel Severino FW 26 Australia Brendan Renaud MF 27 Australia Shannon Cole MF 28 Australia Chris Nunes MF 28 England Michael Bridges FW 29 Australia Mark Robertson MF 30 Australia Matthew Nash GK 40 France Michael Herbet GK Transfers With Branko Culina installed at the helm, he sought to reconstruct the Sydney squad which had been plagued by injuries and financial constraints the previous year. Nikolai Topor-Stanley and Noel Spencer left for other A-League sides at the end of the Asian Champions League, but defender Nikolas Tsattalios was rewarded with a longer term contract. New signings from foreign leagues were unveiled in American Michael Enfield, Brendon Santalab and World Cup Socceroo Tony Popović. Popović's expected role in the club was further reinforced by being handed the captaincy for the A-League season.2 August 2007 Popovic appointed new club captain sydneyfc.com http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item&id=18684 dead 2 August 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070914182818/http://sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item&id=18684 14 September 2007 The club also fulfilled their youth player quota, signing Joey striker Ben Vidaic and winger Adam Biddle. The club also sought to find a new marquee player as they had been unable to land a household-name since the departure of Dwight Yorke at the start of the previous season. The club unsuccessfully courted a number of high-profile internationals including Philip Cocu, Robbie Fowler,20 July 2007 Fowler turns Sydney down Smithies, T. http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22105123-5001023,00.html 2 August 2007October 2026 medicmedic Hakan Şükür,1 May 2007 Sydney's Şükür punch plan Smithies, T. & Davutovic, D. http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21647760-5006068,00.html 2 August 2007October 2026 medicmedic Christian Vieri,20 May 2007 Vieri to Sydney FC... maybe http://www.footballnews.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1541&highlight=&sid=5cc3a632e8b9f451202ea6191c0e3d94 2 August 2007 Jay-Jay Okocha14 May 2007 Okocha in Sydney FC talks BBC Sport http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/africa/6653999.stm 2 August 2007 and John Aloisi.26 July 2007 Sydney FC chases Socceroo hero Aloisi The Age Australia http://www.theage.com.au/news/Sport/Sydney-FC-chases-Socceroo-hero-Aloisi/2007/07/26/1185339156627.html 2 August 2007 On 3 August 2007 Sydney announced, (two days after media reports broke the storyhttp://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/57700,juninho-is-sydney-marquee.aspx Juninho is Sydney Marquee, 1 August 2007 2 August 2007 28 September 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070928020828/http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/57700,juninho-is-sydney-marquee.aspx dead ) that Brazilian international Juninho Paulista will be their marquee player on a one-year deal. This came the same time as David Carney agreed to move to English side Sheffield United following speculation of his departure following the 2007 AFC Asian Cup. Sydney finalised their squad by signing a second Brazilian in striker Patrick da Silva. With the season kicking off, new reserve goalkeeper Ivan Necevski suffered an injury in training expected to keep him out of action for up to two months. APIA Leichhardt custodian Matthew Nash impressed in his preseason trial to earn a short-term contract as cover. As first round matches were underway with Nash on the bench, Sydney agreed terms with veteran John Filan to join the club, having recently returned home after retiring at Wigan.28 August 2007 Oh what a Filan: Sydney get their hands on veteran keeper Sydney Morning Herald http://www.smh.com.au/news/a-league/oh-what-a-filan-sydney-get-their-hands-on-veteran-keeper/2007/08/27/1188067034886.html 28 August 2007 The short-term agreement fell through less than a week later, Filan citing outside issues. In PlayerFromLeagueFeeDate USA Michael Enfield Los Angeles Galaxy USA Major League Soccer Free 7 April 2007Sydney FC signs American attacker on two-year deal.September 2016 InternetArchiveBot yes 7 April 2007. Retrieved 30 April 2007. AUS Brendon Santalab Újpest FC Hungary Borsodi Liga Free 22 June 2007Sydney FC sign striker. https://web.archive.org/web/20070914171832/http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item&id=18148 14 September 2007 22 June 2007. Retrieved 22 June 2007. AUS Ivan Necevski Blacktown City Demons AUS NSW Premier League Free 22 June 2007Shot-stopping Sydneysider joins squad https://web.archive.org/web/20070914171832/http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item&id=18164 14 September 2007 25 June 2007. Retrieved 4 July 2007.AUS Nikolas Tsattalios Sydney FC (promoted from short-term deal) AUS A-League – 2 July 2007Cockerill Michael 14 February 2007 Culina granted audition as Sydney coach Sydney Morning Herald Melbourne http://www.theage.com.au/news/soccer/culina-poised-to-make-early-mark/2007/02/14/1171405294352.html 15 February 2007 AUS Tony Popović Al-Arabi QAT Qatari League Free 11 July 2007Socceroos World Cup hero signs deal https://web.archive.org/web/20070914171832/http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item&id=18422 14 September 2007 11 July 2007. Retrieved 11 July 2007. AUS Ben Vidaic Sydney United AUS NSW Premier League Free 31 July 200731 July 2007 Ben clocks on for two seasons http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item&id=18664 dead 31 July 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070914181407/http://sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item&id=18664 14 September 2007 dmy BRA Juninho Paulista Flamengo (free agent) BRA Brazilian Série A – 3 August 20073 August 2007 Juninho signs as new marquee player http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item&id=18698 dead 3 August 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20110716173419/http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item&id=18698 16 July 2011 dmy AUS Adam Biddle Blacktown City Demons AUS NSW Premier League Free 6 August 20072 August 2007 Biddle to link up following Grand Final http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item&id=18688 dead 2 August 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070914183406/http://sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item&id=18688 14 September 2007 BRA Patrick da Silva Nacional Atlético Clube (SP) BRA Campeonato Paulista Série A2 Free 18 August 200718 August 2007 Patrick doubles the Brazilian contingent sydneyfc.com http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item&id=18860 dead 21 August 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070914182651/http://sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item&id=18860 14 September 2007Australia Brendan Renaud Blacktown City Demons Australia NSW Premier League Free 12 December 2007Gatt, R 12 December 2007 Now it's double Dutch for Socceroos staff The Australian http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22909332-5003460,00.html dead 22 December 2007 https://archive.today/20121215170430/http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22909332-5003460,00.html 15 December 2012 Out PlayerToLeagueFeeDate Australia Nikolai Topor-Stanley Perth Glory AUS A-League – 24 May 2007 .Topor-Stanley joins Perth https://web.archive.org/web/20071011085209/http://www.theworldgame.com.au/transfer/index.php?pid=st&cid=85830 11 October 2007 theworldgame.com.au. 1 April 2007. Retrieved 13 April 2007.Topor-Stanley now a Glory boy 2 April 2007 The Daily Telegraph 25 April 2007 http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21487523-5006068,00.html https://web.archive.org/web/20080315152937/http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21487523-5006068,00.html dead 15 March 2008 AUS Justin Pasfield Sydney United (released) AUS NSW Premier League – 24 May 2007Who's Going Where in the Hyundai A-League https://web.archive.org/web/20070914182005/http://sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item&id=16025 14 September 2007, 13 June 2007. Retrieved 4 July 2007. AUS Noel Spencer Newcastle United Jets AUS A-League – 24 May 200729 June 2007 Jets To Unleash "Excitement Machine" A.Ormond http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/84994,jets-to-unleash-excitement-machine.aspx 1 August 2007 1 April 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120401231022/http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/84994,jets-to-unleash-excitement-machine.aspx dead AUS Luka Glavas Heidelberg United (released) AUS Victorian Premier League – 24 May 2007May 2007 Bergers Sign Perth Glory Striker http://www.heidelbergunitedsc.com.au/home.php dead 12 July 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070629230659/http://www.heidelbergunitedsc.com.au/home.php 29 June 2007 dmy AUS Dean Bouzanis Liverpool F.C. (loan terminated – delisted) ENG Premier League – June 200725 June 2007 Necevski eyes Bolton's spot http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/54825,ivan-eyes-clints-spot.aspx dead 12 July 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070708033918/http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/54825%2Civan-eyes-clints-spot.aspx 8 July 2007 dmy AUS David Carney Sheffield United ENG Premier League A$125,000 4 August 20072 August 2007 Carney Joins the Blades http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22175606-2883,00.html dead 4 August 2007 https://archive.today/20070728091913/http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22175606-2883,00.html 28 July 20074 August 2007 Carney sold... for just $125K http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/58025,carney-soldfor-just-125k.aspx dead 5 August 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070928021505/http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/58025%2Ccarney-soldfor-just-125k.aspx 28 September 2007 dmy AUS Mark Rudan Avispa Fukuoka JPN J. League Div 2 A$100,000 17 December 200710 December 2007 Rudan leaves Sydney FC for Japan The Sydney Morning Herald http://www.smh.com.au/news/a-league/rudan-leaves-sydney-fc-for-japan/2007/12/10/1197135329694.html 11 December 2007Davutovic, D 11 December 2007 Rudan leaves Sydney FC for Japan on good terms The Daily Telegraph UK http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22901644-5006068,00.html https://web.archive.org/web/20071213224511/http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22901644-5006068,00.html dead 13 December 2007 14 December 2007 AUS Brendan Renaud Retired – – 23 February 2008 Short-term signings PlayerFromStart dateEnd dateReasonAustralia Matthew NashAustralia APIA Leichhardt23 August 200710 October 2007Injury cover for Ivan Necevski23 August 2007 Hyundai A-League 2007/08 – Round 1 Preview http://www.footballnews.com.au/article.php?id=1658 24 August 2007 29 August 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070829200013/http://www.footballnews.com.au/article.php?id=1658 dead 21 December 200724 December 2007Injury cover for Clint Bolton21 December 2007 Kosmina backs Sydney FC despite injuries sydneyfc.com http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item&id=20791 dead 22 December 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070914171832/http://sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item 14 September 2007France Michael HerbetAustralia Waverley Old Boys6 September 200712 September 2007Cover for Clint Bolton while on international duty6 September 2007 Trio registered to cover call ups sydneyfc.com http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item&id=19152 dead 7 September 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070914171832/http://sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item 14 September 2007Australia Matthew JurmanAustralia AIS6 September 200712 September 2007Cover for Mark Milligan/Ruben Zadkovich while on international dutyAustralia Robbie CattanachAustralia Manly United FC6 September 200712 September 2007Cover for Alex Brosque while on international dutyEngland Michael BridgesEngland Hull City (loan)17 October 200721 January 2008Injury cover for Michael Enfield17 October 2007 English striker Bridges signs on loan sydneyfc.com http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item&id=19770 dead 17 October 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070914171832/http://sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item 14 September 2007 dmyHenderson, P 21 January 2008 Bridges jets out of Sydney Fox Sports http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,23085694-23215,00.html 22 January 2008Australia Mark RobertsonHungary FC Sopron13 December 200724 February 2008Injury cover for Adam Casey13 December 2007 Sydney FC signs midfielder Mark Robertson sydneyfc.com http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item&id=20687 dead 13 December 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20110718121718/http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item&id=20687 18 July 2011 dmyAustralia Ryan WalshAustralia Blacktown City Demons20 February 200824 February 2008Injury cover for Robbie Middleby at Pan-Pacific Championship Pre-season AFC Champions League As 2005–06 A-League Champions, Sydney qualified for the 2007 AFC Champions League as one of the two teams representing Australia along with 2005–06 League Premiers, Adelaide United. Group matches were played from March to May 2007, during the A-League off-season. Sydney finished second in their group after two wins, three draws and one loss, a point behind Urawa Reds who progressed to the next stage of competition. Squad preparation For the new season, Sydney have established an agreement with Macquarie University to use the Sport and Aquatic Centre as a training baseTraining HQ at Macquarie University http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item&id=18243 2 July 2007 4 July 2007 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20070914171832/http://sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item 14 September 2007 and also establishing an off-field relationship offering educational, corporate and research linkages.Sydney find training home http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/58434,sydney-find-training-home.aspx FourFourTwo Australia 8 August 2007 8 August 2007 28 September 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070928021354/http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/58434,sydney-find-training-home.aspx dead Unique relationship with Macquarie Uni http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_newsdisplay&id=18773 9 August 2007 9 August 2007 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20070915041049/http://sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_newsdisplay 15 September 2007 As part of preparations, the club staged a training camp on the Sunshine Coast with a match against a team of local players in the lead up to their opening Pre-season Cup match.Pre-season camp on Sunshine Coast http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item&id=18402 9 July 2007 11 July 2007 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20070914171832/http://sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item 14 September 2007 Sydney will also play a series of friendly matches against NSW Premier League and State League sides, to engage with the Sydney football community.Friendlies in the north, south and west http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item&id=18400 9 July 2007 11 July 2007 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20070914171832/http://sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item 14 September 2007 These friendlies and Pre-season Cup matches also provided experience for trialling players Ben Vidaic, Cameron Watson, Daniel Severino, Robbie Cattanach, Shannon Cole, Chris Nunes, former short-term Sydney player Tolgay Özbey and goalkeepers Vendram Janjetovic and Matthew Nash. Friendly matches 11 July 2007 1–2 Report Sunshine Coast Select XI Tyson Holmes Sydney FC Ufuk Talay Maroochydore Regional Football Complex Sunshine Coast W18 July 2007 0–3 Report Sydney Uni SFC Sydney FC David Zdrilic 25 Marko Rudan 44Ben Vidaic 80 Valentine Sports Park Sydney W8 August 2007 2–3 Report Manly United Andrew Mailer 20 Brad Groves 77 Sydney FC Adam Biddle 15 Michael Enfield 40 Ufuk Talay 75 Cromer Park Sydney W17 August 2007 2–1 Report Penrith Nepean United Mitchell Long 44 Ben Gough approx. 75 pen. Sydney FC Mark Milligan 27 CUA Stadium Sydney 5,000 L27 November 2007 Hyundai Club Challenge 5–3 Report Sydney FC AUS Brosque 5 25Zadkovich 29Middleby 53Fyfe 87 USA Los Angeles Galaxy Beckham 45Buddle 49Donovan 90 Telstra Stadium Sydney 80,295 Mark Shield W 2007 A-League Pre-season Cup 2007 A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup The Pre-season Cup competition consists of two groups of four teams, each team to play each other once. All teams then progress to a playoff stage with opponents based on group position, followed by finals series to determine the cup winner. Sydney finished the group stage bottom of Group B behind Central Coast Mariners, Queensland Roar and Wellington Phoenix. After a loss and a win in the final placings matches, they were ranked seventh. Group stage Group B SFC14 July 2007 19:00 AEST 1 0–0 Report Queensland Roar Sydney FC Maroochydore Regional Football Complex Sunshine Coast 4,892 Chris Beath D22 July 2007 14:00 NZST 2 3–0 Report Wellington Phoenix Shane Smeltz 13 89Marko Rudan 14 o.g. Sydney FC Westpac Stadium Wellington 6,039 Peter O'Leary L29 July 2007 15:00 AEST 3 0–3 Report Sydney FC Central Coast Mariners Matthew Osman 36Adam Kwasnik 44Andre Gumprecht 51 Canberra Stadium Canberra 5,735 Ben Williams L Playoffs 4 August 2007 19:30 AEST 2–3 Report Sydney FC Ruben Zadkovich 79 Newcastle Jets Joel Griffiths 5 76 Parramatta Stadium Sydney 2,611 Peter Green L11 August 2007 19:30 AEST Seventh place play-off 0–1 Report Melbourne Victory Sydney FC Alex Brosque 34 Olympic Park Melbourne 3,400 Simon Przydacz W 2007–08 A-League 2007-08 A-League On 5 August, David Carney was transferred for A$125,000 to English Championship side, Sheffield United. The former Sydney player signed a three-year deal with the club which has been reported to earn him around A$1.25 million a year.http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/58038,carney-makes-blades-parade.aspx Carney Makes Blades Parade, 5 August 2007 14 April 2008 5 May 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080505011036/http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/58038,carney-makes-blades-parade.aspx dead New players including former Socceroos regular Tony Popovic and former LA Galaxy Attacking Midfielder, Michael Enfield have signed with Sydney for the upcoming season. On 3 August 2007 Brazilian international Juninho Paulista, formerly of Celtic and Middlesbrough, signed with Sydney FC as their marquee player.Juninho signs as marquee player, 3 August 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20110716173419/http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item&id=18698 16 July 2011 Sydney have also announced the signings of youth players Ben Vidaic and Adam Biddle. Former Socceroos Tony Popovic has been named the new skipper alongside current Socceroos Mark Milligan as vice-captain for the coming 2007–08 season.http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/58297,millsy-gets-vice-captain-callup.aspx Millsy Gets Vice Captain, 7 August 2007 14 April 2008 5 May 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080505011839/http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/58297,millsy-gets-vice-captain-callup.aspx dead On 15 October 2007 Michael Bridges was signed on a loan with Sydney FC, until the end of the 2007–08 season of the Hyundai A-League as a replacement for long-term casualty Michael Enfield, who has been ruled out for several months after sustaining a serious knee injury. On 22 October 2007, it was announced that Branko Culina would be sacked from the club following disappointing results. It was announced on 23 October, that former Adelaide United coach John Kosmina will take the role as the new head coach of Sydney FC. Kosmina got the side of to a flying start under his tenure, his first match in charge, a clash with then table-topping rivals Central Coast, a thrilling 3–2 victory in front of a crowd of nearly 18,000 at the SFS, a sign of bigger things to come for the Blues. This was followed by an impressive 1–0 away victory over Newcastle Jets; with former England junior Michael Bridges recording his first goal for Sydney FC. An entertaining 0–0 draw at the Telstra Dome, with rivals Melbourne, followed, with Sydney FC still undefeated under Kosmina. Sydney FC suffered their first loss under John Kosmina on 15 December losing 4–2 to bottom side Perth Glory. Sydney goals were scored by Steve Corica and Michael Bridges. On 22 December, a crucial match against the Central Coast Mariners resulted in a 5–4 victory in favour of Sydney. The match, held at Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium, was described by critics as the best game ever to come from the A-League.http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22966795-2722,00.html It was the best A-League game ever The Australian 24 December 2007 24 December 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20080505114709/http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22966795-2722,00.html 5 May 2008 dead dmy-all The crucial win moved Sydney FC up by 3 points to 4th place on the ladder, overtaking Adelaide United. The win was especially savoured after Sydney were down 2–0 after 15 minutes. The controversial sending-off of Mariners goalkeeper Danny Vukovic in the 16th minute turned the match in favour of Sydney, who scored their 5th goal via an Ufuk Taly penalty with the final kick of the match in stoppage time. On Friday 28 December 2007, Sydney FC came from behind for the second time in two weeks to defeat a 10-man Adelaide United 3–1 and keep its unbeaten away record intact in front of a record crowd of 25,039 in Adelaide. This result forced Adelaide down to 5th on the ladder. With 3rd place Newcastle Jets unable to secure a victory over Wellington Phoenix in Round 18, Sydney leap-frogged the Jets into 3rd place, with only 3 points behind the tied leaders. A week later Sydney travelled across the Tasman to face Wellington Phoenix at Westpac Stadium. Sydney came out of this match once again victorious winning 2–0 with goals from Northern Ireland superstar Terry McFlynn and current leading goalscorer for Sydney, Alex Brosque. This kept them in 3rd position on the A-League ladder and in good contention for a finals berth. This win also ensured that the Phoenix would not reach the finals. As of 30 December 2007 rumours suggesting that Sydney had signed Simon Colosimo from the Perth Glory and Newcastle Jets striker Mark Bridge for the 2008/09 Season. Although these rumours have been proved true, no statements have officially been released as neither player wanted to cause trouble at their present clubs. On Sunday 13 January 2008 Sydney flew up to Brisbane to play the Queensland Roar at Suncorp Stadium. The game finished 0–0, with both sides taking a point. Sydney only needed a draw to secure their place for a 3rd consecutive finals appearance. The draw means that the top 4 teams (Sydney, Queensland Roar, Central Coast Mariners, Newcastle Jets) are all on 31 points each, although Queensland are on top due to goal difference. Both teams had excellent chances to open the scoring for their club, but good keeping and failure to capitalise on good opportunities meant that many goals went begging. In the end the 32,000 strong crowd at Suncorp Stadium went home feeling disappointed that they didn't get their money's worth for this State of Origin Match. The final game of the regular season saw Sydney's largest crowd of the season, it drew a large crowd of 33,458 people. Sydney needed to win by at least 2 goals, and they got off to a flying start, with Steve Corica scoring in the 3rd minute. For the rest of the half Melbourne looked shellshocked, and never really recovered from to shock early goal. But they hit back 25 seconds after the break, with Sydney's minds still back in the dressing room, Melbourne midfielder Nick Ward flew down the right wing and took a shot, which ended up rebounding into Sydney defender Mark Milligan, ending up as an own goal. With 15 minutes left in the game Alex Brosque scored, making the score 2–1. But 5 Minutes later Danny Allsopp scored for Melbourne, leaving the final score 2–2. Sydney failed to claim the minor premiership which ended up going to the Central Coast Mariners with their 2–0 victory over the Wellington Phoenix at Gosford. Sydney will now play Queensland Roar in the Semi-Final which is to be held at the Sydney Football Stadium. On Friday 26 January Sydney played their first leg home final against the Queensland Roar in front of a crowd of 23,450 at the Sydney Football Stadium. The match which was supposed to be played up at Queensland's home ground Suncorp Stadium but it was moved to Sydney because of a concert by the '80s band The Police. Recent matches against the Roar, had all been mostly uneventful affairs, including a 0–0 draw a couple of weeks beforehand, and it was the same again. Both sides had few chances during the 1st half, but Queensland's Brazilian import Reinaldo missed a golden opportunity when he air-swinged a cross in the opening 10 minutes. Sydney's best chance came in the 2nd half when Alex Brosque made a break, got around defender Andrew Packer and only had to slot the ball past the keeper but ended up booting the ball over the crossbar, and into the disappointed 'cove' supporters. Late in the 2nd half Sydney suffered a blow when midfielder Robbie Middleby was fouled heavily by Roar defender Sasa Ognenovski and injured his hamstring. Middleby is now expected to miss the next leg up in Brisbane, and possibly the Grand Final. Sydney had to chance to get a double late in the game when Brendon Santalab and Patrick missed golden opportunities. Sydney and Queensland will now play the second leg of the minor semi-final at Suncorp Stadium on 8 February 2008. Two weeks later Sydney were up in Brisbane to face off in the second leg of the preliminary final. They had suffered a knock-back the day before they flew up with Marquee player Juninho ruled out with a knee injury that he picked up in training. Ruben Zadkovich was announced as his replacement. Sydney started the match well but with many poor decisions by referee Mark Shield including the sending off of Midfielder Robbie Middleby for a tackle, which did not even deserve a yellow. Queensland scored in the 14th minute through their Brazilian import Reinaldo and Sydney never looked like coming back after that. Referee Shield made another poor call when Sydney captain Tony Popović allegedly shoved Roar striker Tahj Minniecon in the penalty box, and Sasa Ognenovski converted the penalty past keeper Clint Bolton. Many Sydney fans were disgusted at the poor display shown by referee Mark Shield, as most games refereed under him have turned out to be fair challenges, and as a result the small Sydney group that had travelled across the border booed him off. League table Standings SFC Matches 24 August 2007 20:00 AEST 1 0–1 ReportSummary Sydney FC Central Coast Mariners Petrovski 7 Sydney Football Stadium Sydney 18,457 Peter Green L1 September 2007 17:00 AEST 2 2–2 Reporthttps://archive.today/20121230114820/http://www.a-league.com.au/Scoreboard_HAL/0000780027/scoreboard.html Summary Sydney FC Talay13Brosque 74 Adelaide United Alagich 9Burns 76 Sydney Football Stadium Sydney 14,233 Mark Shield D9 September 2007 15:00 AWST 3 0–0 ReportSummary Perth Glory Sydney FC Members Equity Stadium Perth 7,907 Craig Zetter D14 September 2007 20:00 AEST 4 1–2 ReportSummary Sydney FC Casey 6 Wellington Phoenix Felipè 8Daniel 29 pen. Sydney Football Stadium Sydney 11,491 Matthew Breeze L22 September 2007 19:00 AEST 5 0–1 ReportSummary Queensland Roar Sydney FC Patrick 69 Suncorp Stadium Brisbane 16,582 Mark Shield W29 September 2007 19:00 AEST 6 1–0 ReportSummary Sydney FC Brosque 36 Newcastle Jets Sydney Football Stadium Sydney 13,755 Craig Zetter W6 October 2007 19:00 AEST 7 0–1 ReportSummary Sydney FC Melbourne Victory Allsopp 82 Sydney Football Stadium Sydney 18,436 Mark Shield L12 October 2007 20:00 AWST 8 3–3 ReportSummary Perth Glory Harnwell 53Robinson 59Prentice 69 Sydney FC Brosque 40 90+3Patrick 72 Members Equity Stadium Perth 6,876 Matthew Breeze D20 October 2007 19:00 AEST 9 0–1 Reporthttps://archive.today/20121230145606/http://www.a-league.com.au/Scoreboard_HAL/0000380008/scoreboard.html Summary Sydney FC Adelaide United Pantelis 53 Sydney Football Stadium Sydney 12,922 Matthew Breeze L28 October 2007 15:00 AEST 10 3–2 Report Summary Sydney FC Brosque 16 26 Popovic 32 Central Coast Mariners Hutchinson 27 56 Sydney Football Stadium Sydney 17,652 Mark Shield W3 November 2007 19:00 AEDT 11 0–1 ReportSummary Newcastle Jets Sydney FC Bridges 69 EnergyAustralia Stadium Newcastle 16,433 Matthew Breeze W10 November 2007 19:00 AEDT 12 0–0 ReportSummary Melbourne Victory Sydney FC Telstra Dome Melbourne 31,884 Mark Shield D17 November 2007 19:00 NZST 13 1–1 ReportSummary Wellington Phoenix R.Aloisi 29 Sydney FC Talay 90+3 pen. Westpac Stadium Wellington 8,062 Peter Green D25 November 2007 19:00 AEDT 14 0–0 ReportSummary Sydney FC Queensland Roar Sydney Football Stadium Sydney 16,569 Matthew Breeze D7 December 2007 20:00 AEDT 16 1–0 ReportSummary Sydney FC Corica 90+3 Newcastle Jets Sydney Football Stadium Sydney 10,732 Matthew Breeze W15 December 2007 19:00 AEDT 17 2–4 ReportSummary Sydney FC Corica 50Bridges 90 Perth Glory Celeski 34 35 77 pen.Bertos 49 Sydney Football Stadium Sydney 12,402 Michael Hester L22 December 2007 19:00 AEDT 15 4–5 ReportSummary Central Coast Mariners Jedinak 3J.Aloisi 16 Owens 63 pen.Kwasnik 86 Sydney FC Fyfe 33McFlynn 50Biddle 71Santalab 76Talay 90+5 pen. Bluetongue Stadium Gosford 17,514 Matthew Breeze Match postponed due to heavy rain affecting pitch conditions. W28 December 2007 19:30 ACST 18 1–3 Reporthttps://archive.today/20121230104107/http://www.a-league.com.au/Scoreboard_HAL/0000780090/scoreboard.html Summary Adelaide United Sarkies 20 Sydney FC Santalab 44Corica 54Middleby 66 Adelaide Oval Adelaide 25,039 Matthew Breeze W4 January 2008 19:30 NZST 19 0–2 ReportSummary Wellington Phoenix Sydney FC McFlynn 79Brosque 83 Westpac Stadium Wellington 14,288 Ben Williams W13 January 2008 18:00 UTC+10 20 0–0 ReportSummary Queensland Roar Sydney FC Suncorp Stadium Brisbane 31,933 Mark Shield D20 January 2008 17:00 UTC+11 21 2–2 ReportSummary Sydney FC Corica 4 Brosque 62 Melbourne Victory Milligan 46 o.g. Allsopp 76 Sydney Football Stadium Sydney 33,458 Peter O'Leary D Semi-finals 25 January 2008 20:00 UTC+11 First Leg 0–0 ReportSummary Sydney FC Queensland Roar Sydney Football Stadium Sydney 23,450 Mark Shield D8 February 2008 20:07 AEST Second Leg 2–0 ReportSummary Queensland Roar * Reinaldo 13 S. Ognenovski 84 pen. Sydney FC Suncorp Stadium Brisbane 36,221 Mark Shield 2–0 L 2008 Pan-Pacific Championship 2008 Pan-Pacific Championship Sydney represented Australia in the inaugural Pan-Pacific Championship held in Hawaii.http://www.ppchampionship.net/news/index.php?code=1202506459 Sydney FC to represent Australia at the PPC Pan-Pacific Championship 8 February 2008 11 February 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080217175911/http://www.ppchampionship.net/news/index.php?code=1202506459 17 February 2008 dead They placed fourth overall after losing both matches, first to MLS champions Houston Dynamo and then Los Angeles Galaxy in the third place playoff.20 February 2008 Semi-final 3–0 Report Houston Dynamo USA De Rosario 28Holden 29Wondolowski 43 AUS Sydney FC Aloha Stadium Honolulu, United States 15,128 Alex Prus (United States) L23 February 2008 Third place play-off 2–1 Report Los Angeles Galaxy USA Allen 3Tudela 45 AUS Sydney FC Renaud 43 Aloha Stadium Honolulu, United States 23,087 Brian Hall (United States) L Home attendance #OpponentRoundAttendanceResult1 Central Coast Mariners 1 18,457 L 1–02 Adelaide United 2 14,233 D 2–23 Wellington Phoenix 4 11,491 L 1–24 Newcastle United Jets 6 13,755 W 1–05 Melbourne Victory 7 18,436 L 0–16 Adelaide United 9 12,922 L 0–17 Central Coast Mariners 10 17,652 W 3–28 Queensland Roar 14 16,659 D 0–09 Los Angeles Galaxy Exhibition 80,295 W 5–310 Newcastle United Jets 16 10,732 W 1–011 Perth Glory 17 12,402 L 2–412 Melbourne Victory 21 33,458 D 2–213 Queensland Roar Semi-final 23,450 D 0–0 A-League Regular Season Total: 180,197 A-League Regular Season Average: 16,382 Season Total: 283,942 Team kit For the third A-League season, all clubs released new playing strip supplied by sponsor Reebok. Sydney FC retained the established colours in a new design, a sky blue home shirt with navy blue and orange secondary colours, and a white away shirt with sky blue trim.http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/58279,sydney-gets-plugged-in.aspx Sydney gets plugged in Young, Richie 7 August 2007 14 September 2007 1 April 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120401231117/http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/58279,sydney-gets-plugged-in.aspx dead Sydney also signed new sponsorships with Sydney-based electronics retailer Bing Lee and electronic brand JVC. The home strip will feature Bing Lee as the main shirt sponsor with JVC on the shorts, while the away shirt will feature JVC prominently and Bing Lee on the shorts. A second shirt sponsorship was secured with HBA Health Insurance, that will appear on the back of the shirt below the player number. none center _blue_reebok_spikes 000066 85b1e1 000066 000066 85b1e1 2007–08 home colours none center _shouldersonwhite 85b1e1 FFFFFF 85b1e1 85b1e1 FFFFFF 2007–08 away colours none center 000000 000000 000000 000000 000000 2007–08 goalkeeper Awards Sydney FC Players Player Award: Alex Brosque SMH Members Player of the Year Award: Steve Corica Chairman Award: John Kosmina Forward of the Year: Alex Brosque Midfielder of the Year: Steve Corica Defender of the Year: Tony Popovic Young Player of the Year Award: Adam Biddle Golden Boot: Alex Brosque Fans Goal of the Year Award: Brendon Santalab (Goal v Adelaide United Round 18) References 2007–08 Category:2007–08 A-League by team Category:2007 in sport in Sydney Category:2008 in sport in Sydney