2009–10 Adelaide United FC season

Adelaide United FC
Industry	Professional football club
Founded	2003
Headquarters	Adelaide, Australia
Key people	Aurelio Vidmar (Head Coach), Phil Stubbins (Assistant Coach), Carl Veart (Specialist Coach), Peter Blazincic (Goalkeeper Coach), Joe Mullen (Youth Team Coach)
Products	Football team competing in A-League and AFC Champions League

The 2009–10 Adelaide United FC season represented the club's fifth participation in the A-League. After a strong performance the previous year, Adelaide began their pre-season without a financial backer, as Nick Bianco relinquished the A-League licence back to Football Federation Australia (FFA). The FFA committed to supporting recruitment and operational expenses while actively searching for new ownership. Leading sponsors for this term included Modern Solar alongside Jim's Plumbing.

Significant exits following the 2008–09 campaign involved seasoned players such as Angelo Costanzo, Jonas Salley, and Jason Spagnuolo. Among notable transfers were Diego Walsh's move to Wellington Phoenix and Saša Ognenovski's transfer to K-League team Seongnam Ilhwa. Retirements during this period included Michael Valkanis, Daniel Beltrame, and Paul Agostino.

In an effort to strengthen the squad, Adelaide acquired former Sydney FC defenders Iain Fyfe and Mark Rudan, South Korean talent Inseob Shin, midfielder Adam Hughes from Drogheda United, and experienced Ghanaian striker Lloyd Owusu, who had played for Cheltenham Town and Brentford. Youth players promoted to the senior squad included Francesco Monterosso, Michael Marrone, and Joe Costa.

Despite a sluggish start to the season, Adelaide secured promising winger Mathew Leckie from Bulleen Lions prior to Round 5; he swiftly emerged as a key player by contributing early goals. Later in the season, Argentine playmaker Marcos Flores joined as an injury replacement for Cristiano dos Santos Rodrigues, playing a pivotal role in consecutive victories that concluded the campaign. Nevertheless, Adelaide finished at the bottom of the A-League standings—their worst outcome so far.

Adelaide earned qualification for the 2010 AFC Champions League by finishing second in the 2008–09 A-League regular season and as runners-up in the Finals series behind Melbourne Victory. Placed in Group H alongside Pohang Steelers (2009 Asian Champions), Shandong Luneng, and Sanfrecce Hiroshima (Emperor's Cup finalists), Adelaide led the group with important wins including a home triumph over Pohang Steelers thanks to a goal from Leckie.

Progressing to the Round of 16, Adelaide was narrowly knocked out by Jeonbuk Motors in a closely contested match decided during extra time despite two comebacks by Adelaide.

This season highlighted issues related to ownership uncertainty but also demonstrated effective recruitment strategies and competitive performances on Asia’s continental stage for Adelaide United.

First Team

In

Name	Position	From	Fee
Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Iain Fyfe	Defender	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Sydney FC	TBA
Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Michael Marrone	Defender	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Adelaide United Youth	–
Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Adam Hughes	Midfielder	Template:Country data IRE Template:Namespace detect showall Drogheda United	Free
Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Joe Costa	Midfielder	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Adelaide United Youth	–
Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Francesco Monterosso	Striker	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Adelaide United Youth	–
Template:Country data GHA Template:Namespace detect showall Lloyd Owusu	Striker	Template:Country data ENG Template:Namespace detect showall Cheltenham Town	TBA
South Korea Inseob Shin	Midfielder	South Korea Konkuk University	Free
Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Mark Rudan	Defender	Template:Country data LIE Template:Namespace detect showall FC Vaduz	Free
Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Mathew Leckie	Midfielder	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Bulleen Lions	Free
Template:Country data ARG Template:Namespace detect showall Marcos Flores	Midfielder	Template:Country data CHI Template:Namespace detect showall Curicó Unido	Free * Injury replacement for Cristiano

Out

Name	Position	To	Fee
Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Angelo Costanzo	Defender	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Newcastle Jets	–
Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Jonas Salley	Midfielder	Template:Country data CHN Template:Namespace detect showall Shaanxi Neo-China Chanba F.C.	–
Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Jason Spagnuolo	Midfielder	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall North Queensland Fury	–
Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Michael Valkanis	Defender	Retired	–
Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Paul Agostino	Striker	Retired	–
Template:Country data BRA Template:Namespace detect showall Diego	Midfielder	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Wellington Phoenix FC	TBA
Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Saša Ognenovski	Defender	Template:Country data KOR Template:Namespace detect showall Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma	TBA
Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Robert Younis	Striker	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall APIA Leichhardt	–
Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Isyan Erdogan	Defender	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Hume City FC	–
Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Daniel Beltrame	Goalkeeper	Retired	–

Youth Squad

Arrivals

Departures

Player	Role	Destination	Transfer Fee
Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Michael Marrone	Defender	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Adelaide United FC	–
Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Osama Malik	Midfielder	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Northern Fury FC	–
Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Joe Costa	Midfielder	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Adelaide United FC	–
Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Francesco Monterosso	Forward	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Adelaide United FC	–

Coaching Personnel

Role	Individual
Head Coach	Australia Aurelio Vidmar
Assistant Coach	Australia Phil Stubbins
Specialist Coach	Australia Carl Veart
Goalkeeper Coach	Australia Peter Blazincic
Youth Team Coach	Australia Joe Mullen

Player Statistics

... [table continues with consistent formatting, omitted for brevity] ...

No.	Position	Player	A-League		A-League Finals		Overall		Disciplinary Record
No.	Position	Player	Appearances	Goals	Appearances	Goals	Appearances	Goals
1	GK	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Eugene Galeković	27	0	0	0	27	0	3	0
2	DF	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Robert Cornthwaite	19	0	0	0	19	0	4	0
3	DF	Template:Country data BRA Template:Namespace detect showall Alemão	16	1	0	0	16	1	0	0
4	DF	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Iain Fyfe	26	1	0	0	26	1	4	0^†
5	DF	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Daniel Mullen	13	0	0	0	13	0	1	0
6	DF	Template:Country data BRA Template:Namespace detect showall Cássio	19	2	0	0	19	2	2	0
7	MF	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Lucas Pantelis	23	5	0	0	23	5	2	1
8	MF	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Kristian Sarkies	11	0	0	0	11	0	1	0
9	FW	Template:Country data BRA Template:Namespace detect showall Cristiano	24	3	0	0	24	3	1	0
10	DF	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Adam Hughes	26	1	0	0	26	1	6	0

^† The red card issued to Iain Fyfe in Round 19 was subsequently overturned by the Match Review Panel.

Scorers List

Total	Player		Goals by Round
Total	Player		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27
5	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall	Lucas Pantelis					2				1					style= "background:#e0ffe0;" \|1
4	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall	Travis Dodd	1											style= "background:#e0ffe0;" \|1		1
3	Template:Country data BRA Template:Namespace detect showall	Cristiano dos Santos Rodrigues				style= "background:#e0ffe0;" \|2			style= "background:#e0ffe0;" \|1
	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall	Mathew Leckie				style= "background:#e0ffe0;" \|1			style= "background:#e0ffe0;" \|1					style= "background:#e0ffe0;" \|1 \|
	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall	Fabian Barbiero										style= "background:#e0ffe0;" \|1					style= "background:#e0ffe0;" \|1 style= "background:#e0ffe0;" \|1 \|
2	Template:Country data BRA Template:Namespace detect showall	Cássio José de Abreu Oliveira				style= "background:#e0ffe0;" \|1		1
1	Template:Country data GHA Template:Namespace detect showall	Lloyd Owusu			1
	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall	Iain Fyfe				style= "background:#e0ffe0;" \|1
	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall	Adam Hughes				style= "background:#e0ffe0;" \|1
	Template:Country data BRA Template:Namespace detect showall	Alemão				style= "background:#e0ffe0;" \|1

A goal was converted from a penalty kick

|

Two goals were scored from penalty kicks

|}

Home Game Attendance

Round	Date	Opponent	Score Template:Center	Attendance	Weekday
1	7 August 2009	Perth Glory	1–0	13,847	Friday
3	21 August 2009	Gold Coast United	0–2	12,741	Friday
4	28 August 2009	North Queensland Fury	3–3	10,773	Friday
6	11 September 2009	Central Coast Mariners	1–0	10,262	Friday
7	18 September 2009	Melbourne Victory	0–2	15,038	Friday
9	5 October 2009	Newcastle Jets	1–1	12,090	Monday
11	16 October 2009	Sydney FC	2–1	10,291	Friday
14	6 November 2009	Brisbane Roar	0–2	11,209	Friday
15	20 November 2009	Gold Coast United	1–1	9,578	Friday
17	4 December 2009	Newcastle Jets	0–2	8,502	Friday
19	19 January 2010	Perth Glory	2–3	8,904	Tuesday
20	18 December 2009	Wellington Phoenix	1–1	9,070	Friday
23	15 January 2010	Central Coast Mariners	1–1	10,156	Friday
26	6 February 2010	Brisbane Roar	2–0	8,244	Saturday

Pre-season

Match	Date	Home team	Score	Away team	Attendance	Stadium
1	2 June 2009	Para Hills Knights	0 – 1 Cristiano Template:Goal	Adelaide United	N/A	The Paddocks
2	9 June 2009	North Eastern MetroStars	1 – 1 Sarkies Template:Goal	Adelaide United	N/A	TK Shutter Reserve
3	16 June 2009	Adelaide Raiders	1 – 4 Sarkies Template:Goal Cornthwaite Template:Goal Marrone Template:Goal Dodd Template:Goal	Adelaide United	N/A	Croatian Sports Centre
4	26 June 2009	Adelaide United	1 – 0 Dodd Template:Goal	Perth Glory	1,961	Hindmarsh Stadium
5	2 July 2009	North Queensland Fury	3 – 2 Costa Template:Goal Alemão Template:Goal	Adelaide United	2,547	Darwin Football Stadium
6	8 July 2009	Adelaide United	4 – 0 Monterosso Template:Goal Hughes Template:Goal, Template:Goal Jamieson Template:Goal	South Australian State Team	N/A	Hindmarsh Stadium
7	26 July 2009	Melbourne Victory	2 – 1 Cássio Template:Goal	Adelaide United	6,257	Aurora Stadium

Fixtures

Round	Date	Host team	Result	Visiting team	Crowd	Venue	Match report
1	7 August 2009	Adelaide United	1 – 0 Dodd Template:Goal	Perth Glory	13,847	Hindmarsh Stadium	Report Summary
2	16 August 2009	Sydney FC	1 – 0	Adelaide United	14,924	Sydney Football Stadium	Report Summary
3	21 August 2009	Adelaide United	0 – 2	Gold Coast United	12,741	Hindmarsh Stadium	Report Summary
4	28 August 2009	Adelaide United	3 – 3 Pantelis Template:Goal Owusu Template:Goal	North Queensland Fury	10,773	Hindmarsh Stadium	Report Summary
5	4 September 2009	Wellington Phoenix	1 – 1 Fyfe Template:Goal	Adelaide United	7,523	Westpac Stadium	Report Summary
6	11 September 2009	Adelaide United	1 – 0 Cássio Template:Goal	Central Coast Mariners	10,262	Hindmarsh Stadium	Report Summary
7	18 September 2009	Adelaide United	0 – 2	Melbourne Victory	15,038	Hindmarsh Stadium	Report Summary
8	27 September 2009	North Queensland Fury	0 – 2 Pantelis Template:Goal Leckie Template:Goal	Adelaide United	6,745	Dairy Farmers Stadium	Report Summary
9	5 October 2009	Adelaide United	1 – 1 Cássio Template:Goal	Newcastle Jets	12,090	Hindmarsh Stadium	Report Summary
10	9 October 2009	Perth Glory	1 – 0	Adelaide United	9,482	Members Equity Stadium	Report Summary
11	16 October 2009	Adelaide United	2 – 1 Cristiano Template:Goal	Sydney FC	10,291	Hindmarsh Stadium	Report Summary
12	24 October 2009	Melbourne Victory	3 – 1 Hughes Template:Goal	Adelaide United	21,182	Etihad Stadium	Report Summary
13	31 October 2009	Central Coast Mariners	0–0	AdelaideUnited	5,437	CanberraStadium	[ https :// web . archive . org / web /20 110412113125 / http :// www . adelaid e united . com . au / default . aspx ? s = news display & id =30387 ]Report < br > [ https :// archive . today /20 121208123623 / http :// www . a - league . com . au / Score board _ HAL /0000420103 / score board . html ]Summary ]
14	6 November 2009	AdelaideUnited	0–2	BrisbaneRoar	11,209	HindmarshStadium	[ https :// web . archive . org / web /20 1104121132900 / http :// www . adelaid e united . com . au / default . aspx ? s = news display & id =30537 ]Report < br > [ https :// archive . today /20 121210103117 / http :// www . a - league . com . au / Score board _ HAL /0000420108 / score board . html ]Summary ]
15	20 November 2009	AdelaideUnited	1–1< br /> Leckie Template:Goal	Gold CoastUnited	9,578	HindmarshStadium	[ https :// web . archive . org / web /20 1104121131914 / http :// www . adelaid e united . com . au / default . aspx ? s = news display & id =30836 ]Report < br > [ https :// archive . today /20 121207041006 / http :// www . a - league . com . au / Score board _ HAL /0000420113 / score board . html ]Summary ]
16	28 November 2009	NorthQueenslandFury	2–1< br /> Cristiano Template:Goal	AdelaideUnited	5,356	DairyFarmersStadium	[ https :// web . archive . org / web /20 1104121130847 / http :// www . adelaid e united . com . au / default . aspx ? s = news display & id =31033 ]Report < br > [ https :// archive . today /20 121206025655 / http :// www . a - league . com . au / Score board _ HAL /0000420120 / score board . html ]Summary ]
17	4 December 2009	AdelaideUnited	0–2	NewcastleJets	8,502	HindmarshStadium	[http :// www. adelaid e united. com. au/default. aspx?s=aufc_newsdisplay&id=31185 Report]Template:Fix/category^{[dead link]} [https :// archive. today //20... ]Summary]
18	12 December 2009	BrisbaneRoar	0–1< br /> Barbiero Template:Goal	AdelaideUnited	5,801	SuncorpStadium	[http :// www. adelaid e united. com. au/default. aspx?s=aufc_newsdisplay&id=31381 Report]Template:Fix/category^{[dead link]} [https :// archive. today //20... ]Summary]
19	19 January 2010	AdelaideUnited	2–3< br /> Pantelis Template:Goal< br /> Dodd Template:Goal	PerthGlory	8,904	HindmarshStadium	[ https :// web. archive. org/web //20... ]Report [ https :// archive. today //20... ]Summary]
20	18 December 2009	AdelaideUnited	1–1< br /> Alemão Template:Goal	WellingtonPhoenix	9,070	HindmarshStadium	[ https :// web.archive.org/web //20... ]Report [ https :// archive.today //20... ]Summary]
21		27 December 2009	SydneyFC	1–0	AdelaideUnited	11,741	SydneyFootballStadium (1988)	[ https :// web.archive.org/web //20... ]Report [ https :// archive.today //20... ]Summary]
22		9 January 2010	GoldCoastUnited	1–1< br /> Dodd Template:Goal	AdelaideUnited	4,505	SkilledPark	[ https :// web.archive.org/web //20... ]Report [ https :// archive.today //20... ]Summary]
23		15 January 2010	AdelaideUnited	1–1< br /> Dodd Template:Goal	CentralCoastMariners	10,156	HindmarshStadium	[ https :// web.archive.org/web //20... ]Report [ https :// archive.today //20... ]Summary]
24		23 January 2010	MelbourneVictory	2–0	AdelaideUnited	20,361	EtihadStadium	[ https :// web.archive.org/web //20... ]Report [ https :// archive.today //20... ]Summary]
25		30 January 2010	WellingtonPhoenix	1–0	AdelaideUnited	19,258	AMIStadium	[ https :// web.archive.org/web //20... ]Report [ https :// archive.today //20... ]Summary]
26	6 February 2009	AdelaideUnited	2–0 Barbiero Template:Goal Pantelis Template:Goal	BrisbaneRoar	8,244\|\| HindmarshStadium	[ https :// web.archive.org/web //20... ]Report [ https :// archive.today //20... ]Summary	- bgcolor="#ddffdd"	27	12 February 2009\|\| NewcastleJets	1–2 Barbiero Template:Goal Leckie Template:Goal	AdelaideUnited	6,880\|\| EnergyAustraliaStadium	[ http :// www.adelaid e united. com. au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&id=32558 ]ReportTemplate:Deadlink [ https :// archive.today //20... ]Summary

Group Stage

{{football box collapsible round = Matchday 5 date = 13 April 2010 time = 20:00 ACST team1 = Pohang Steelers score = 0–0 report = team2 = Adelaide United goals1 = goals2 = location = Pohang, South Korea stadium = attendance = referee = result = }}

{{football box collapsible round = date = time = team1 = score = report = team2 = goals1 = goals2 = location = stadium = attendance = referee = result = }}

Round of 16 {{football box collapsible round = date = time = team1 = score = report = team2 = goals1 = goals2 = location = stadium = attendance = referee = result = }}

External links

Official website