Getting to know the young defender breaking through the ranks.

It might surprise you to learn that Antony Barbic – a versatile defender from our Academy set up, played most of his youth football as an attacking midfielder.

He is not the first player to undergo a big positional change, legendary defender Carles Puyol
famously used to be a striker, but it is not common for a player to undergo a massive shift at the age of 17, which is when Barbic joined the Wanderers.

Barbic says there was a key reason as to why his coaches decided to remodel him as a key
defender.

“I had a massive growth spurt just before I joined the Wanderers, I grew about 10 centimetres.
So they looked at me and said ‘we can use your height at the back.”

“[They said] you can keep your attacking qualities, help start the attack from back there, and
then they just taught me how to defend a bit.”

The logic behind the move makes sense; modern defenders need to know how to play with the
ball at their feet, so a player with the right physicality who can play out the back is almost the
ideal defender for coach Andrew Christiansen.

However sometimes it is easier said than done when learning the important principles of
defending quickly in an environment where you are going up against top attackers, but Barbic
feels Christiansen and the Wanderers coaching staff helped make the transition smoother.

“At the end of last year they experimented with me at centre back, and I don’t think it took me
too long [to adjust]. Before you know it [there were] trial matches against Sydney Olympic and
Rockalde within a month [of changing position].”

“I think Christo and Richie [assistant coach Richie Cardozo] really drilled into me ‘win your
duels’, they helped me big time with my confidence and everything.”

“I found that extremely helpful for me, building up my confidence, teaching me little tips and
tricks like staying light on your feet, staying side on, and it really helped me transform my game.”

It marks a quick rise to the first grade level for Barbic, who started last year in the U18s side and also made three appearances for the U20s team.

He made his first grade debut in the opening match of the season against Sutherland off the
bench, and has played 11 games for the NPL NSW side, with six of those being starts.
Whilst he is enjoying a good run in the side at the moment, he knows in a talented Wanderers
team this will not always be the case, and he says this season is teaching him to focus on
controlling the aspects of the game he can control.

“It’s just little things. Every day during training you get there a bit earlier, do what you need to do to get yourself ready. Make sure you’re 100% during training and [do] a little bit extra afterwards in the gym.”

“Just make sure you’re doing everything you can on the field and off the field. Give yourself a
little bit extra chance to be involved in the starting lineup, and even when you’re not, don’t drop your head, because in the end it’s not going to be the case every week.”

This attitude can only serve Barbic well, and as a childhood Wanderers fan, his goal is to push
himself closer to the A-League side.

“[I’d like to] get a few train-on’s with the A-League side, and we build into that training with the
A-League team, that’d be one of my main goals.”

“[I] supported the Wanderers from a young age as well, so it would be a dream come true.

The post Academy Spotlight: Antony Barbic appeared first on Western Sydney Wanderers.

A hat-trick from Nathaneal Blair has helped lead our NPL NSW side to a 4-1 victory over NWS Spirit on Saturday night.

Despite the game being tied up at 1-1 with just seven minutes to go, the Wanderers scored three goals in 11 minutes to sink Spirit, who finished the game with 10 men.

The Wanderers started the game strongly, with Blair blazing a shot over the bar in the fifth minute, before Aydan Hammond and Anthony Pantazopoulos had great chances, but were denied by the crossbar and a goal-line clearance respectively.

They wouldn’t be denied in the 21st minute when Blair was fouled in the box by Spirit defender Grant Cornwell; Blair stepped up and converted the spot kick to put the Wanderers in front.

Hammond had another great chance soon after, with his effort well saved by Christopher Marques, before Spirit levelled the game just before the break through Luiz Lobo.

The second half was a tighter affair as fouls from both sides meant the game struggled to get into a rhythm.

The game exploded back into life in the 83rd minute, when Alex Badolato’s strong shot was initially parried by Marques, but Adam Bugarija was on the spot to smash the rebound home and give the Wanderers the lead.

Spirit then had Ante Bakmaz sent off for two yellow cards in three minutes soon after, and their resistance fell apart, as Marques and Cornwell collided whilst trying to clear a Ryley Hollingdale long ball; Blair was able to latch onto the loose ball and clinically converted the chance into an almost empty goal.

Blair then scored his third for the night with almost the final kick of the game, when he got on the end of another long ball and finished coolly through the legs of Marques to put an exclamation mark on what was a strong performance and victory for the Wanderers.

Western Sydney now sit fourth on the NPL NSW table, but have a game in hand on the three teams above them; they have a clash in the Sydney Derby on Friday.

The post NPL 1 WRAP: BLAIR GUIDES WANDERERS TO VICTORY OVER NWS SPIRIT appeared first on Western Sydney Wanderers.

The Wanderers Isuzu UTE A-League Men team will be in action on Tuesday night when they take on Melbourne City at AAMI Park.

Match Details
Melbourne City v Western Sydney Wanderers
Tuesday 12 March 2024, 7:00pm
AAMI Park

HOW TO WATCH

Paramount+

Catch all the action this season with a mountain of football on Paramount+. Stream every game and every round of the A-Leagues, along with the Socceroos, CommBank Matildas, Emirates FA Cup, AFC Champions League and more, live and on-demand. 

Paramount+ is available at www.paramountplus.com or by downloading the Paramount+ app on your Apple iOS or Android mobile/tablet device, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Fetch TV, Sony Bravia, Telstra TV and Amazon Fire TV or you can cast Paramount+ via Google Chromecast.

See full list of compatible devices here. 

Sign up to Paramount+ HERE.

Channel 10 (10 Play, 10 Bold)

Watch the A-Leagues for FREE this year with a huge variety of games scheduled across the network. 

Each weekend the top Isuzu UTE A-League Men matches will be broadcast live and free on 10 Bold at 7.45pm AEDT on Saturday, and every Sunday at 5:00pm AEDT. Fans can also watch every Liberty A-League game, across all 22 rounds on 10 Play.

10 Play will also feature highlights of every Isuzu UTE A-League Men matches and full match replays for all the games broadcast on 10 BOLD.

Click HERE for more information on how to watch the A-Leagues for FREE on Network10.

The post HOW TO WATCH: MELBOURNE CITY V WANDERERS appeared first on Western Sydney Wanderers.

The A-Leagues and EA SPORTS have come together to launch the new E-League presented by Nivea Men 2024 season with a raft of new and exciting changes.

This year, the revamped competition will consist of a new five-week regular season format followed by two packed weekends of playoffs, beginning on March 11 and 12 featuring two divisions and 24 players. 

The E-League, the top division, will see 12 of the best local competitors go head-to-head live on Twitch each week in collaboration with our broadcast partner, Lowkii, with the top 8 competitors progressing to the E-League 2024 Playoffs. The E-League begins March 12, 2024.

E-League Challengers is our new secondary division where an additional 12 players will clash for the chance at a miracle run through the Gauntlet – a brand new do-or-die playoff bracket that will see the bottom 4 E-League players face off against the top 4 Challengers for the final two playoffs spots. The E-League Challengers kick off on March 11, 2024.

With a total of 10 players remaining, the E-League 2024 Playoffs will see the top two ranked players from the E-League regular season seeded directly into the upper semi finals. A double elimination bracket and best-of-one match format will leave a combined 8 remaining players after the first day.

From here, the final 8 players will battle it out for their share of the $10,000AUD prize pool and E-League Championship on April 27 and 28, 2024. The 2024 E-League champion will receive a direct seat in the EA SPORTS FC Pro World Championships later this year and will represent Oceania and their A-League club on the international stage.

Speaking on the new season, A-Leagues Chief Fan Officer, Jack Mesley said: “Year after year, we have seen the E-League continue to grow around Australia with more people engaging with the competition than ever before.

“With this new and exciting format, we look forward to our clubs being projected to more E-League fans, with the eventual winner earning the chance to represent their club on a global stage.” 

E-League Commissioner Josh Swift said: “In a time where there are more barriers for Oceanic esports to compete at international events than ever before, we couldn’t be prouder to be part of the new FC Pro program and are excited to confirm our E-League champion will receive a direct seat in the EA SPORTS FC Pro World Championships.

“We look forward to what will no doubt be our most exciting season to date as the E-League continues to grow in stature worldwide.” 

This season, fans will be able watch every E-League match live on Twitch or via aleagues.com.au/e-league.

Key Tournament dates:

The post E-League returns in 2024 with a brand new format and $10k prize pool appeared first on Western Sydney Wanderers.

A dazzling second-half display from Daniel Penha inspired Western United to a come-from-behind 3-1 win over Western Sydney Wanderers at CommBank Stadium on Friday night.

The Wanderers led 1-0 through Nicolas Milanovic but Penha’s dinked assist to Matthew Grimaldi saw United equal the ledger.

Penha put his side ahead with a clinical finish in the 77th minute before teeing up Socceroos striker Nikita Rukavytsya to complete the turnaround and confirm back-to-back wins for the visitors for the first time this season.

Friday night’s loss was Western Sydney’s second disappointing result in succession after Round 19’s 4-1 defeat to Sydney FC.

A stop-start first half featured more spot fires than genuine chances on goal.

Ben Garuccio lost a tooth, Angus Thurgate took Brandon Borrello’s boot to the face in an accidental collision and Tomoki Imai sent Milanovic tumbling over the pitchside broadcast camera after a shoulder-to-shoulder at the halfway line.

Lachlan Brook’s 13th-minute shot from outside the box fizzed just wide of the bottom-right corner in what was the best opportunity for either side in the first half.

The Wanderers had six first half shots to United’s four, with the visitors putting the only shot on target before the break.

The contest was in need of a moment of quality to spark it into life after the break – and Milanovic duly obliged with a rasping strike which rattled the post on its way past Matthew Sutton to break the deadlock.

Milanovic took the ball on the left wing, played it between the legs of United full-back Josh Risdon and dribbled around Thurgate before a one-two with Brandon Borrello on the edge of the area that gave the young Wanderers forward space to strike.

The away side almost struck back instantly and the equalising goal almost came direct from Penha’s corner delivery. The Brazilian swung the ball toward the front post and Marcelo headed the ball off the woodwork; the rebound fell to Thurgate whose strike deflected off Milanovic and out for another corner.

United ramped up the pressure and Michael Ruhs should have made it 1-1 but failed to turn a dangerous cross off the left wing on target from inside the six-yard box.

But the equaliser was soon to come. Grimaldi bagged his second Isuzu UTE A-League goal after a combination of Josh Risdon’s bravery and Penha’s magic in the build-up to the young midfielder’s tight-angled finish.

Ruhs was presented with another glorious chance and this time it was to put his side on top at CommBank Stadium, but his header off Garuccio’s cross lacked direction as Daniel Margush made a comfortable save in the centre of goal.

Penha showed no such inefficiency when presented the chance to put United on top. After assisting Grimaldi’s equaliser, Penha pounced on a loose touch from Aidan Simmons and lasered the ball into the bottom-right corner.

Rukavytsya emerged off the bench in the 78th minute and took just three minutes to find the back of the net and put United out of sight. Penha played the assist, feeding the Socceroo in for a one-on-one with Margush and a simple finish.

The post Wanderers succumb to Penha-inspired defeat by Western United appeared first on Western Sydney Wanderers.

Subway Olyroos’ Head Coach, Tony Vidmar has named an extended 26-man squad for the fifth edition of the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) U-23 Championship – Saudi Arabia 2024.

The Championship – played out of Al Hofuf, Saudi Arabia from 18 to 26 March – will feature Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Korea Republic, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The Championship format sees the eight participating teams broken up into four groups, who will each play three matches throughout the window, with opponents beyond the first match dependent on results.

The Subway Olyroos have been drawn into Group D alongside Iraq and will then face either Egypt or UAE, before the match schedule opens up ahead of their final fixture.

It will be the last opportunity for the Subway Olyroos to assemble prior to Vidmar selecting his 23-man squad for the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024 in early-April.

The WAFF Championship squad is brimming with Isuzu UTE A-League talent including Lachlan Brook (Western Sydney Wanderers FC), Jacob Farrell (Central Coast Mariners FC), Ryan Teague (Melbourne Victory FC), and brothers Corey Hollman (Sydney FC) and Jake Hollman (Macarthur FC).

Patrick Yazbek (Viking FK) is part of a contingent of European-based players including Louis D’Arrigio (Lechia Gdansk), Jacob Italiano (Borussia Monchengladbach II), Garang Kuol (FC Volendam) and Adrian Segecic (FC Dordrecht) who will feature in Saudi Arabia.

Subway Olyroos’ Head Coach, Tony Vidmar said his side’s participation for the WAFF Championship was geared towards the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024 starting in just over a month’s time (15 April – 3 May).

“This window is an extremely important part of our preparation for the Asian Cup and with the extra game than we’d usually have, we’re able to provide ample opportunity across the squad ahead of selecting our final 23,” Vidmar said.

“We’re facing quality opposition in similar conditions to what we’ll see in Qatar, so in terms of acclimatising for the Asian Cup it covers a lot of important bases.

“As a group we’ve set clear expectations about what we want to achieve over the next six months, and this is the first step in that journey.”

In relation to the rationale for selections in March, Vidmar added that players who would not be available for the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024 were not considered during this window.

“Unfortunately, the Asian Cup falls outside of a designated FIFA Window, which presents challenges in players seeking releases from their respective clubs to join us in Qatar,” Vidmar added.

“It’s certainly disappointing not to have access to all those who are eligible for the Asian Cup, and on a personal level, I feel for those players who won’t have the opportunity to experience the tournament and reap the benefits in terms of their continued development.

“It was something we always knew would be a possibility, so there has been a lot of planning that has gone into our preparation over the last 12 months, built on the understanding of the circumstances we could face regarding Asian Cup selection.

“We’ve been able to create some great depth across the program, while maintaining continuity within the squad through a core group of key players. This situation now provides the opportunity for a couple of new faces to come in for this window and show how they can integrate within our team culture and style of play,” Vidmar concluded.

The Subway Olyroos are one of 16 teams who have qualified for the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024, should they finish in the top three they will automatically qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics as the AFC representatives, while the fourth-best team will play an AFC-CAF play-off match for the final qualification spot.

SUBWAY OLYROOS SQUAD | INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLIES, SAUDI ARABIA | MARCH 18-26

SUBWAY OLYROOS SQUAD | MATCH SCHEDULE | WAFF U-23 CHAMPIONSHIP

Australia U-23 v Iraq U-23
Thursday, 21 March 2024
Kick-off: 8.00pm AST / 4am AEDT (Friday, 22 March)
Prince Saud Bin Jalawi Stadium, Saudi Arabia

Australia U-23 v TBC
Saturday, 23 March 2024
Kick-off: TBC
Prince Saud Bin Jalawi Stadium, Saudi Arabia

Australia U-23 v TBC
Tuesday, 26 March 2024
Kick-off: TBC
Prince Saud Bin Jalawi Stadium, Saudi Arabia

The post Brook and Milanovic named in Subway Olyroos’ squad for WAFF U-23 Championship confirmed appeared first on Western Sydney Wanderers.

Dear Wanderers members and fans,

Following on from my letter earlier in the week, I wanted to provide an update on the incident at the Sydney Derby last Saturday night.

We have now met with senior representatives from NSW Police and Venues NSW to discuss issues around match day, as well as their response to our request in overturning several bans from our passionate active supporter group.

Following this meeting, we can confirm that three of the bans have been suspended by Venues NSW, while the two remaining bans will be subject to further review after written submissions are received.

As a further outcome, we have committed along with NSW Police and Venues NSW to ongoing discussions around all aspects of our match day operations, and we would like to acknowledge the constructive conversations that have taken place so far. 

Whilst this is a step in the right direction, there is still a lot of work to be done in ensuring that our members and fans have a safe matchday experience. 

Rest assured, we will continue to stand in solidarity with our members and fans on this issue. 

We will provide further updates when we have more information to share. 

Scott Hudson
Western Sydney Wanderers CEO

The post Update from CEO Scott Hudson on Sydney Derby incident appeared first on Western Sydney Wanderers.

The Wanderers will look to return to winning ways when they host Western United at CommBank Stadium on Friday night.

They will look to move on quickly from a disappointing night in the Sydney Derby over the weekend, where they suffered defeat.

Despite Zac Sapsford being able to create an own goal by Jake Girdwood-Reich in the second half, the goal ended up being in vain as the Wanderers fell to a 4-1 defeat.

The side did have chances to add to their tally, with Brandon Borrello getting closer to his dangerous best after his injury lay off, and he will hope to bag his first goal of the season against Western United.

The Wanderers will be looking to complete a clean sweep of their opponents for the first time ever, having won the other two fixtures between the sides this season.

The first game – coming at CommBank Stadium in round two – saw arguably the best first half performance from the Red and Black under Marko Rudan, as they scored five first half goals to secure a 5-0 win, their equal biggest in club history.

It was truly a relentless performance as Nicolas Milanovic bagged a double against his old club, whilst Lachie Brook also secured a brace, with captain Marcelo also getting a goal from a corner.

Their next fixture came in Tasmania at the end of January, and was a much closer and tense affair.

The Wanderers had to contend with an early injury to Alex Bonetig and a red card for Aidan Simmons, but thanks to a wonderful strike by Brook, they were able to secure an important 1-0 win.

Despite the last few weeks seeing the club deal with challenges forced by player availability issues, the side still remains in the top six, and has a game in hand on many of the teams above them, and on the Brisbane Roar who are below them in seventh.

With only eight games to go, the stakes are getting higher and the challenges aren’t getting easier, as the upcoming match at home is the first of three games in eight days for the Wanderers, which include trips to Melbourne and Perth.

They are still in with a great shout of qualifying for the top four and a home final, and they are close to having their full complement of players back available for selection.

Their opponents have had a difficult season, with just four wins and 15 points on the board.

After an opening round win over Melbourne City, John Aloisi’s men went on an awful run of just one victory in 14 matches.

Their form has improved slightly, with two wins and a draw in their last four matches, including last weekend against an in-form Perth Glory.

It was far from a spectacular clash, but Noah Botic’s strike just after half-time was enough for an important 1-0 win.

Western United’s attack has been a huge concern – with just 19 goals in as many games – and they have conceded four or more goals on three occasion’s this season.

They do have dangerous threats, with goalscorer Botic and star attacker Daniel Penha showing bits of brilliance throughout the season, and they have the ability to punish any defence.

After the derby, Marcelo and the rest of the defence will be desperate to keep an eighth clean sheet of the season, which they hope will be the backbone to a crucial victory that can kickstart a strong run at the business end of the season.

The Wanderers’ two wins this season against United mean the head-to-head record is even, with each side having five wins, plus one draw; the Wanderers have also won their last three clashes against Western United without conceding a goal.

The post Match Preview: Wanderers v Western United appeared first on Western Sydney Wanderers.

Dear Wanderers members and fans,

I wanted to provide you all with an update following the recent incident at the Sydney Derby.

Following the club’s review of footage from Saturday night’s Sydney Derby, we have immediately requested the overturning of the bans on several passionate supporters from the club’s active supporter base.

Venues NSW has committed to providing the club and its banned supporters with a response on the overturning prior to the Wanderers next match at CommBank Stadium on Friday night.

We are very disturbed by the feedback we have received from various parts of the stadium regarding their experience last Saturday night.

There is clearly a broader issue and we stand in solidarity with our members and fans.

Firstly, we have taken the initial steps of a full review of operational procedures and planning around match day.

To be clear, the TIFO banner at Saturday night’s Sydney Derby was approved prior to the match day by all relevant stakeholders.

Furthermore, we are urgently seeking a meeting with senior representatives from NSW Police and Venues NSW to discuss these issues.

With consideration to recent incidents in football around the country, the Wanderers are calling for an All of Game response to current processes and safety procedures.

The Wanderers are seeking a National Response from all football stakeholders to ensure that venues all around the country are safe for supporters to support their team, no matter where you are in the stadium. 

We will be keeping you updated with further progress of these discussions and thank you for your ongoing support of your football club.

Scott Hudson
Western Sydney Wanderers CEO

The post Letter from CEO Scott Hudson regarding the Sydney Derby incident appeared first on Western Sydney Wanderers.

Our NPL NSW side have fallen short at home against Rockdale Ilinden FC, losing 3-2 despite a late fightback.

Goals from Zac Sapsford and Nathaneal Blair’s third goal of the season weren’t enough for the Young Wanderers, as three first half goals for the visitors was enough for them to claim victory.

With the Wanderers sitting on top of the table heading into the round, coach Andrew Christiansen named a strong side, including many players backing up after playing in the Sydney Derby the previous night.

On a hot afternoon in Rooty Hill, the visitors had more of the ball to begin with, and had an early goal disallowed for offside.

They wouldn’t be denied in the 17th minute though as Olayinka Sunmola was able to score from close range into the corner.
Adam Bugarija, goalscorer in the win over Hills United, went close to making amends almost instantly, but his fierce shot from range was well saved by goalkeeper Harrison Devenish-Meares.

The miss was punished in the 26th minute when Dean Pelekanos scored from a strong shot on the edge of the box.

Rockdale had another goal disallowed for offside, before Sapsford halved the deficit in the 42nd minute, as he cut inside and finished brilliantly past Devenish-Meares.

The Wanderers hopes of going into the break only down by one were dashed by a brilliant goal from Alec Urosevski on the cusp of half-time.

Marcus Younis was introduced from the bench after the break, and he helped create a good chance for Bugarija before having a good header himself in the 65th minute.

He eventually got the assist for our second goal in stoppage time, as he broke down the right and sent a perfectly weighted ball into the path of Blair, who showed great composure to chip the ball over the onrushing Devenish-Meares and into the goal.

The Wanderers pushed players forward for a dramatic equaliser, but Rockdale put men behind the ball and were able to hold on for victory.

The post NPL 1 Wrap: Late fightback not enough against Rockdale appeared first on Western Sydney Wanderers.