Sydney FC season 2007-08

Infobox Football club season
club = Sydney FC

season = 2007-2008
manager = Branko Čulina; John Kosmina
chairman = George Perry; Andrew Kemeny
league = A-League
league result = 3rd (league) 4th (finals)
cup1 = A-League Preseason Challenge Cup
cup1 result = 7th
cup2 = Pan-Pacific Championship
cup2 result = 4th
league topscorer = Alex Brosque (8 goals)
season topscorer = Alex Brosque (11 goals)
highest attendance = League: 33,458 (20 January 2008, vs Melbourne); All: 80,295 (27 November 2007 vs LA Galaxy)
lowest attendance = 10,732 (7 December 2007, vs Newcastle Jets)

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 A-League 2007-08 season.

After a disappointing start to the season, the club sacked coach Branko Čulina in October, [citenews|url=http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item&id=19834 |title=Club and Culina part by mutual consent |publisher=sydneyfc.com |date=2007-10-22|accessdate=2007-10-22] 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 ALeague QR.

The club represented Australia at the Pan-Pacific Championship in February 2008, finishing fourth after losing to American MLS sides Houston Dynamo and LA Galaxy.

Pre-season

AFC Champions League

As A-League 2005-06 Champions, Sydney qualified for the 2007 AFC Champions League as one of the two teams representing Australia along with 2005-06 League Premiers, ALeague AU. 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.

quad preparation

For the new season, Sydney have established an agreement with Macquarie University to use the Sport and Aquatic Centre as a training base [citenews|title=Training HQ at Macquarie University |url=http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item&id=18243 |date=2007-07-02 |accessdate=2007-07-04] and also establishing an off-field relationship offering educational, corporate and research linkages. [citenews|title=Sydney find training home |url=http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/58434,sydney-find-training-home.aspx |work=FourFourTwo Australia |date=2007-08-08 |accessdate=2007-08-08] [citenews|title=Unique relationship with Macquarie Uni |url=http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_newsdisplay&id=18773 |date=2007-08-09 |accessdate=2007-08-09] 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. [citenews|title=Pre-season camp on Sunshine Coast |url=http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item&id=18402 |date=2007-07-09 |accessdate=2007-07-11] Sydney will also play a series of friendly matches against NSW Premier League and State League sides, to engage with the Sydney football community. [citenews|title=Friendlies in the north, south and west |url=http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item&id=18400 |date=2007-07-09 |accessdate=2007-07-11] 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

footballbox |date = 11 July 2007 |team1 = Sunshine Coast Select XI
score = 1–2 |report = [http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item&id=18431 Report] |team2 = ALeague SFC |goals1 = Tyson Holmes goal |goals2 = Ufuk Talay goal|goal| |stadium = Maroochydore Regional Football Complex, Sunshine Coast |attendance = |referee = --------footballbox |date = 8 August 2007 |team1 = Manly United FC
score = 2–3 |report = [http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_newsdisplay&id=18755 Report] |team2 = ALeague SFC |goals1 = Andrew Mailer goal|20
Brad Groves goal|77|goals2 = Adam Biddle goal|15
Michael Enfield goal|40
Ufuk Talay goal|75 |stadium = Cromer Park, Sydney |attendance = 1,900 |referee = ----footballbox |date = 17 August 2007 |team1 = Penrith Nepean United
score = 2–1 |report = [http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item&id=18855 Report] |team2 = ALeague SFC |goals1 = Mitchell Long goal|44
Ben Gough goal|??|pen. |goals2 = Mark Milligan goal|27
|stadium = CUA Stadium, Sydney |attendance = 5,000|referee =

2007 A-League Pre-season 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 ALeague CCM, ALeague QR and ALeague WP. After a loss and a win in the final placings matches, they were ranked seventh.

Fixtures

Group Stage

score = 0–0 |report = [http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item&id=18466 Report] |team2 = ALeague SFC |goals1 = Danny Tiatto yel|43 |goals2 = Ufuk Talay yel|13 Terry McFlynn yel|66 |stadium = Maroochydore Regional Football Complex, Sunshine Coast |attendance = 4,892 |referee = Chris Beath ---- --------

Group B Table

Out

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) [http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=sydfc_news_item&id=21672]

References