Source: AAPSydney FC have named a host of A-League debutants for Sunday's clash against the Perth Glory, as Sydney struggle to cover for key players missing through injury or international duty.
Sydney, who have just one point from two home games in the opening two rounds, registered three players from the state league and the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) this week.
Goalkeeper Michael Herbert (Sydney Olympic), Robbie Cattanach (Manly United) and Matthew Jurman (AIS) have been called up and will travel to Western Australia.
Marquee singing Juninho is out for up to eight weeks with a shoulder injury while captain Tony Popovic remains in doubt with a bad back.
Goalkeeper Clint Bolton and Alex Brosque are in the Socceroos squad to take on Argentina on Tuesday night while Mark Milligan and Ruben Zadkovich will tackle North Korea in an Olympic qualifier in Newcastle on Saturday.
"We're doing it tough because these guys are unavailable," coach Branko Culina said after training.
"(But) we'll get through this because I know when we've got everyone back we're going to be an awesome team.
"When you've got your Brosques and Milligans and Boltons and Juninhos and Popovics in the team and training and playing together, (along with) Zadkovich, Casey, Timpano - who we haven't even seen - that's an awesome side."
Popvic didn't train at Macquarie University but may still fly to Perth.
"I'm one of those people that believes that if you don't train during the week it's very difficult to get picked on the weekend," Culina said.
"But we may be forced to take a risk (with Popovic) because we don't have a great deal of depth.
"If Popa thinks he can be even close we'll risk taking him.
"Whether we play him, that's another matter."
Culina renewed call for the sport's governing body to ensure future international fixtures didn't clash with the A-League season.
"Not only will we miss four of our very best players through international duty ... but you're also talking about three players from Perth Glory that will miss," he said.
"That's seven out of 22 players.
"You've got to take into consideration the playing public and the people watching the game at home."
Attacking midfielder Steve Corica said his gut feeling was that Popovic would play.
"He's a tough boy so hopefully he'll be right," Corica said.
"He's our captain and it'd be great to have him out there leading us."
Sydney FC have never lost to Perth Glory in the A-League's short history. Perth have kicked off this season with two draws in the opening rounds.
Interesting Update, We had alot of NSWPL Players being Used in the Team this Year due to the INJURIES.hmm luke filan will be playing this weekend... his first game since the PL
Source: Sportal.com.auSydney FC veteran Steve Corica will shoulder much of the attacking burden when an under strength Sydney FC take on the Perth Glory on Sunday.
In the absence of his newfound 'partner in crime' Juninho, who faces up to eight weeks on the sideline with a damaged shoulder, Corica is charged with filling the void left by the Brazilian maestro.
But despite the club's long list of absentees through injury and representative commitments, Corica remains focused on the task at hand.
"We have to get on with it; no use complaining about it," Corica said. "We've got a tough game on Sunday (and) we'd like to have picked up more points in the first two games so now we need three points."
"It's obviously difficult especially for the manager to pick a team when you've got so many changes like that but life goes on." Corica said.
Speaking at Sydney FC's Thursday training session, Corica speculated on what role he would fill against the Glory.
"Last game we (himself and Juninho) both played behind the striker, we were roving so whichever side he was I was on the other side, we pretty much worked together in that way," Corica said.
"Obviously with him gone now I'll have to probably play in that role behind the strikers but we haven't discussed that yet with Branko."
Corica has been impressed by Juninho's on-field exploits and like the man himself, is eagerly awaiting his return to action.
"He was looking good, his touches are brilliant and it's unfortunate for him … (but) he's very positive put it that way, he's looking to be back in a couple of weeks so if that's the case that's a benefit for our team," Corica said.
"He's one of those players that wants to play all the time and obviously coming to a new club he wants to impress and do the best for the team, so he's a little disappointed but hopefully we'll have him back soon."
Despite their pedestrian start to the Hyundai A-League season, Corica knows a win this week will elevate Sydney FC towards the top of the standings, following slow beginnings from rival clubs.
"We've been lucky I think, all the other results have gone our way with draws and only Central Coast have got two wins under their belt so it's all to play for in this next round," Corica said
"We've just got to improve all over the park; I think we're making just silly mistakes all over the park and if we can eliminate them we've got a good chance of winning."
Yeah, Not a Good Start for FC we'll just have to improve...:uptight:its ashame but with their roster i can only c them getting the spoon
Article from: Herald SunSYDNEY FC's Juninho is set to make an early return from an injury that threatened to sideline him for six weeks. He played for a Brazilian World Cup-winning side.
The Brazilian damaged a tendon and ligaments in his shoulder against Adelaide in Round 2.
However Juninho said yesterday he could return for the Round 5 game against Queensland.
"It's better than I expected. I just thought I hurt muscle, but it was tendons and ligaments," he said.
Source: The Sydney Morining HearldA DEPLETED Sydney FC will almost certainly be without Tony Popovic for today's clash with Perth Glory at Members Equity Stadium, after the captain showed little sign of recovering from a back injury.
Coach Branko Culina yesterday said Popovic was "very doubtful" to start the game, but he would make a final decision on his availability this morning.
If Popovic is ruled out, it is likely that 18-year-old Matthew Jurman will make his debut.
The team is already without goalkeeper Clint Bolton, striker Alex Brosque and defenders Mark Milligan and Ruben Zadkovich, who are away with either the Socceroos or the Olyroos. Juninho, meanwhile, heads the side's casualty list.
Sydney have recruited, for one match only, goalkeeper Michael Herbert to back up reserve goalkeeper Matthew Nash, while defender Jurman and striker Robbie Cattanach will cover the other losses.
"We will miss some key players, but I've told the guys that this is an opportunity to get a result probably against the odds," Culina said. "Also, if these guys think they should have a starting spot in the team, this is their chance to show what they've got."
Meanwhile, weather conditions in Perth yesterday were atrocious. Remarkably, the field on which today's game is to be played hosted a rugby match yesterday.
Thankfully for Sydney, the Glory are also having personnel problems. They are without the injured Hayden Foxe and David Tarka, and international call-ups have taken away Simon Colosimo, Nikolai Topor-Stanley, Billy Celeski and Tando Velaphi.
The Glory have yet to score a goal in their two matches so far this season.
Source: The Sydney Morning HeraldTHE weather cleared, but the gloom hasn't. Who would have thought it, Sydney FC anchored to the bottom of the league?
Wellington Phoenix, courtesy of some Samba magic, won the war of attrition, while Sydney's Samba star, Juninho, watched forlornly from the stands. Four rounds, no wins, and the natives are getting restless.
Branko Culina had some anxious moments in the old NSL, but this could well be the toughest week of his coaching career.
Losing to a team from New Zealand is not unprecedented. In fact it happened the last time there was a trans-Tasman encounter at the Sydney Football Stadium. On that occasion Terry Butcher bore the brunt. For Culina, the recriminations are likely to be just as fierce.
For the first time this season, the coach had almost a full deck at his disposal. But the returning Olyroos looked jaded, while Alex Brosque might have been denied an equaliser, but again he flattered to deceive.
Painful as the defeat was, however, it's way too early for panic. Cool heads, and calm hands, are needed to steer Sydney away from troubled waters. But there's no doubt there is a lot of work to do.
As the interval approached, Juninho - in the chairman's lounge with his wife - had sensed the worst. With good reason. Sydney's first-half effort hadn't been bad, but Wellington's had been better. And losing, at home, to the Kiwis wasn't part of the master plan.
It might have been better if Juninho had stripped to play, but the miracle recovery from his shoulder injury didn't materialise. Some suggested it was a cynical ploy to drum up publicity and sell tickets. Looking at the empty seats, if it was a hoax, it wasn't a very successful one. That said, the turnout (11,491) wasn't as dire as some had predicted.
Those that did show got plenty to ponder. After last weekend's dreary fare - just four goals, all from set pieces, in the entire round - there was a fear that the A-League had lost its sparkle. The first eight minutes, thankfully, put those concerns to rest.
Culina, who prides himself on his reputation as an attacking coach, made his intentions clear from the outset. Pace was back in the side with the return of Brosque, Mark Milligan and Ruben Zadkovich, and with Adam Casey and Patrick joining Brosque in a front three, there was much-needed mobility as well. But it was at the other end where Culina had set his stall - a nominal back four was more like a back two.
Zadkovich and Iain Fyfe pressed forward, leaving the old warhorses Mark Rudan and Tony Popovic to guard the back door. With the Phoenix playing Shane Smeltz up front and Felipe in behind, at times it was virtually man-on-man. Goals were the inevitable result.
Article from: AAP(Source: The Herald Sun)SYDNEY FC coach Branko Culina admits his A-League side has a lot to do before it can even be considered a "good team" this season.
The A-League's glamour club, labelled the Manchester United of the Australian game by Culina pre-season, slumped to last on the table after a 2-1 home loss to Wellington on Friday night.
Despite playing three of their first four matches at home, Sydney have only managed two draws and two losses to start the 2007/08 campaign.
Culina was in no mood for excuses after the loss, saying the team simply wasn't good enough, and warned changes would be made to get Sydney's season back on course.
The biggest disappointment for Culina was Sydney surrendering their lead after making the perfect start with an Adam Casey goal in the sixth minute.
"At the end of the day, good teams don't allow those sort of things to happen," Culina said.
"The good teams are the ones that will be desperate and the good teams are the ones that fight to the bitter end and we're not doing that at the moment, so therefore we're not a good team at the moment.
"That's not to say that we won't be a good team, but obviously we need to change a few things before that can happen. That was terribly, terribly disappointing."
Another major concern for Culina was the fact he had a near full-strength side on the park, minus former Brazilian international Juninho still recovering from a shoulder injury.
Culina was confident during the week, saying "we won't have to worry too much about Wellington" with key men Mark Milligan, Alex Brosque, Clint Bolton and Ruben Zadkovich returning to the fold.
"It's not the end of the world, there's still plenty of quality there but maybe we have to change things around a little bit because obviously something's not right and that's something we need to look at," he said.
"It's not a matter of pointing a figure at anyone, we've all got to have a good look at ourselves, including myself, and say 'what can we do better and what should we be doing that we're not doing at the moment?'
"There's obviously a few things, otherwise we would not be where we are."
Culina urged his players to remain positive if they were to turn it around quickly.
"It's about character building and believing in each other when the chips are down and they are down - we're at the bottom of the table," he said.
"I know it's only four rounds but it's unacceptable.
"I do believe in this team and I will continue to believe in this team, I just wish the players believed in themselves and backed it up as much as I believe in them."