With more than 90,000 members signing up to the A-League, the 10th season is set to be the biggest and most colourful.
Thanks to World Cup hysteria, the FFA Cup magic, the NPL rollout and the impending Asian Cup, there has been no better time to get to the A-League.
Starting on Friday with a blockbuster Melbourne Victory and Western Sydney Wanderers match, the league won’t disappoint.
There’s a new look Melbourne Heart, ready to show off their Manchester ties with football superstar David Villa on the pitch.
Sydney FC might be without Alessandro Del Piero, but it has claimed A-League coach superstar Graham Arnold to transition the team so it can stand on its own two feet.
Melbourne Victory has snapped up Roar’s goal machine, Besart Berisha, and has already shown he’s worth the investment in a fantastic pre-season.
Last season’s champion Brisbane Roar showed it are more than capable of making it two championships in a row when it left Greek sponsored club Olympic FC absolutely shell shocked last week.
The Queensland NPL finalists were demolished 10-0 by the Roar.
Albanian striker Mensur Kurtishi scored a whopping five goals for the club, while Youth Player of the Year nominee and Greek Australian, Dimitri Petratos scored two. It will have to be without goalie Michael Theo for a couple of matches as the player recuperates from a FFA Cup match injury.
Season runners-up Western Sydney Wanderers stand on the brink of creating Australian sporting history after booking their spot in the Asian Champions League final with a 2-0 win over FC Seoul on Wednesday.
It’s another huge milestone for the youngest club in the League. The club has reached back-to-back A-League grand finals and won the Premier’s Plate in two years.
Wanderers coach Tony Popovic sees this milestone as the best the club has achieved.
“This is the best. Nothing beats this,” he said.
“We’ve had a lot of special nights but tonight just tops off a fantastic campaign.
“We don’t want it to end. We don’t want to just make the final, we want to win the final.”
Adelaide United have coach Josep Gombau to thank for their resurgence last year and now enter this season with head raised high.
Gombau has assembled a strong squad, targeting key areas that were missing last season, bringing in Victory’s Jimmy Jengo and Dylan McGowan for the midfield, while also grabbing local Craig Goodwin to fill their left back hole after Michael Zullo left.
But of course, most of the fans will be craning to see what a new look Melbourne Heart, now called Melbourne City, will offer this season.
The completely new look team will hopefully make fans forget the abysmal season that saw them finish last.
Despite a surge near the end, it wasn’t enough for the team to avoid a heart attack.
Now with an injection of money and very useful connections, City is harbouring one of the league’s highest profile players, even if it’s on a short loan basis.
Spanish superstar David Villa, who’s won the Champions League, two Copa del Rey titles, three La Liga championships and the World Cup will fill the celebrity role this season.
But it won’t be easy sailing for him, Aussie great Harry Kewell says.
“Everyone that comes over here thinks it’s going to be easy, and I think they get a rude awakening straight away,” Kewell said to Fox Sports.
“It’s a tough and physical league and that’s what I was impressed with.
“Let’s just hope he can put on a great show.”
David Villa, who arrived yesterday will be available for selection in City’s opening match against Sydney FC.
At least he says he’s aware of the heightened expectations.
“From what I have heard, my arrival has generated a lot of high expectations for the club and I hope that I can meet them,” he said.
Taking on Sydney FC might become a bit of a grudge match, after City claimed the sky blue colours for themselves, leaving Sydney FC and its fans in uproar.
At least it’s up for the task. Sydney FC drew 1-1 on the weekend in a match against Melbourne Victory in Tasmania, and has had a faultless FFA Cup campaign.
Perth Glory’s season opener is one of the toughest, having to travel all the way to New Zealand to play Wellington Phoenix.
Yet, its FFA Cup participation has shown it’s up for the task. It’s one of five remaining clubs to pay in the semi finals in late October.
The Phoenix has had two poor seasons in a row, and now needs to get the crowds back.
Coach Ernie Merrick has overhauled a large portion of his squad, but hasn’t done much to fill its defence problems, signing only one new defender, Tom Doyle.
Newcastle Jets might have lost breakout star Adam Taggart, but have signed Melbourne Victory’s Marco Flores.
Whether it’ll be a litmus test for the season or a chance to rub off the pre-season, the opening matches this season will have fans in raptures.