2021–22 Western United FC season
The 2021–22 season is Western United's third season, and their third season in the A-League. In addition to the domestic league, Western United also participated in the FFA Cup for the first time.
| 2021–22 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Jason Sourasis | ||
| Manager | John Aloisi | ||
| Stadium | GMHBA Stadium Mars Stadium | ||
| FFA Cup | Round of 32 | ||
|
| |||
Review
Background
Western United's 2020–21 campaign had seen an eight-game losing streak and a lack of creativity lead to a disappointing tenth-place finish in the league, the club's lowest in their history forcing them to play in the 2021 FFA Cup seventh preliminary round against Newcastle Jets. Three days after their league finish on 8 June 2021, the club parted ways with their head coach Mark Rudan who was their manager since their first season in 2019–20.[1]
Players
First team squad
- As of 11 September 2021
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Transfers
Transfers in
| No. | Position | Player | Transferred from | Type/fee | Contract length | Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | FW | Dylan Wenzel-Halls | Brisbane Roar | Free transfer | 3 years | 21 June 2021 | [2] |
| 17 | DF | Ben Garuccio | Melbourne City | Free transfer | 2 years | 18 July 2021 | [3] |
| 44 | DF | Nikolai Topor-Stanley | Unattached | Free transfer | 1 year | 29 July 2021 | [4] |
| 1 | GK |  Jamie Young |
Brisbane Roar | Free transfer | 2 years | 2 August 2021 | [5][6] |
| 38 | FW | Noah Botic |  Hoffenheim |
Free transfer | 2 years | 2 August 2021 | [7] |
| 88 | MF | Neil Kilkenny | Unattached | Free transfer | 27 August 2021 | [8] | |
| 4 | DF |  Léo Lacroix |
Sion |
Undisclosed | 1 year | 1 September 2021 | [9] |
| 16 | MF |  Rene Krhin |
Unattached | Free transfer | 26 September 2021 | [10] | |
| 99 | FW |  Aleksandar Prijović |
Unattached | Free transfer | Multi-year | 15 October 2021 | [11] |
| 34 | MF | Christian Theoharous | Unattached | Scholarship | 2 years | 1 November 2021 | [12] |
From youth squad
| N |
Pos. |
Nat. |
Name |
Age |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | MF | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} |
Adisu Bayew | 19 | 2 year scholarship contract[13] |
| 36 | DF | |
Ajak Deu | 20 | 2 year scholarship contract[13] |
| 42 | MF | |
Rhys Bozinovski | 17 | 2 year scholarship contract[14] |
| 33 | DF | |
Ben Collins | 21 | 1 year scholarship contract[15] |
Transfers out
| No. | Position | Player | Transferred to | Type/fee | Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | MF | Max Burgess | Sydney FC | Free transfer | 23 May 2021 | [16][17] |
| 4 | DF |  Andrew Durante |
Retired | 5 June 2021 | [18] | |
| 1 | GK |  Filip Kurto |
Unattached | End of contract | 18 June 2021 | [19] |
| 2 | DF | Aaron Calver | Unattached | End of contract | 18 June 2021 | [19] |
| 9 | FW | Kaine Sheppard |
Unattached | End of contract | 18 June 2021 | [19] |
| 17 | MF | Brad Inman |  ATK Mohun Bagan |
End of loan | 18 June 2021 | [19] |
| 22 | DF | Tomislav Uskok | Unattached | End of contract | 18 June 2021 | [19] |
| 34 | FW |  Iker Guarrotxena |
Unattached | End of contract | 18 June 2021 | [19] |
| 7 | FW |  Besart Berisha |
Unattached | End of contract | 18 July 2021 | [20] |
| 3 | DF | Brendan Hamill | Melbourne Victory | End of contract | 26 July 2021 | [21][22] |
| 20 | MF | Víctor Sánchez |
Unattached | Mutual contract termination | 7 September 2021 | [23] |
| 24 | FW | Ayom Majok | Unattached | Mutual contract termination | 9 February 2022 | [24] |
Contract extensions
| No. | Name | Position | Duration | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Luke Duzel | Midfielder | 2 years | 23 June 2021 | [25] |
| 6 |  Tomoki Imai | Defender | 3 years | 2 July 2021 | [26] |
| 19 | Josh Risdon | Right-back | 1 year | 10 November 2021 | [27] |
| 10 | Steven Lustica | Central midfielder | 1 year | [28][29] | |
| 19 | Josh Risdon | Right-back | 2 years | 6 December 2021 | [30] |
| 10 | Steven Lustica | Central midfielder | 1 year | 18 February 2022 | [31] |
Pre-season and friendlies
| 10 September 2021 | Melbourne City | 2–1 | Western United | Melbourne, Australia |
| 11:00 AEST | Report |
|
Stadium: City Vista Pavilion and Sports Field |
| 1 November 2021 | Melbourne City | 1–1 | Western United | Melbourne, Australia |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Casey Fields Attendance: 0 (behind closed doors) |
| 5 November 2021 | Western United | 1–3 | Melbourne City | Geelong, Australia |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: GMHBA Stadium Attendance: 0 (behind closed doors) | |
| Note: The match was played over 135 minutes | ||||
Competitions
Win Draw Loss Cancelled or postponed
Overview
| Competition | First match | Last match | Starting round | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | ||||
| A-League | TBD | TBD | Matchday 1 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 62.50 |
| FFA Cup | 13 November 2021 | TBD | Playoff round | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | +0 | 50.00 |
| Total | 10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 60.00 | |||
Last updated: 29 January 2022
Source: Competitions
A-League
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melbourne City (F) | 24 | 13 | 7 | 4 | 53 | 30 | +23 | 46 | Qualification to Finals series, 2022 Australia Cup round of 32, and 2023–24 AFC Champions League group stage[lower-alpha 1] |
| 2 | Melbourne Victory (F) | 25 | 12 | 9 | 4 | 38 | 24 | +14 | 45 | Qualification to Finals series, 2022 Australia Cup round of 32, and 2023–24 AFC Cup group stage[lower-alpha 1] |
| 3 | Western United (F) | 24 | 13 | 5 | 6 | 38 | 27 | +11 | 44 | Qualification to Finals series and 2022 Australia Cup round of 32[lower-alpha 1] |
| 4 | Adelaide United (X) | 25 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 36 | 30 | +6 | 40 | |
| 5 | Central Coast Mariners (X) | 24 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 45 | 35 | +10 | 36 |
Updated to match(es) played on 1 May 2022. Source: A-League Men
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Points per game; 5) Least red cards; 6) Least yellow cards; 7) Toss of a coin in an event of a tie of two clubs.
(F) Assured of the Finals series, and only teams who can now qualify for AFC competitions; (X) Assured of at least Australia Cup round of 32
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Points per game; 5) Least red cards; 6) Least yellow cards; 7) Toss of a coin in an event of a tie of two clubs.
(F) Assured of the Finals series, and only teams who can now qualify for AFC competitions; (X) Assured of at least Australia Cup round of 32
Notes:
- The top two teams enter the Finals series at the semi-finals, while the teams ranked third to sixth enter the Finals series at the elimination-finals.
Results summary
| Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −2 |
Last updated: 29 January 2022.
Source: Ultimate A-League
Results by round
Updated to match(es) played on 5 February 2022. Source: Ultimate A-League
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss
Matches
The league fixtures were announced on 23 September 2021.[32]
| 20 November 2021 1 | Western United | 0–1 | Melbourne Victory | Geelong |
| 19:45 AEDT | Report | Miranda  75' |
Stadium: GMHBA Stadium Attendance: 8,120 Referee: Lachlan Keevers |
| 26 November 2021 2 | Western United | 1–0 | Perth Glory | Melbourne |
| 19:45 AEDT | Wenzel-Halls 78' |
Report | Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 3,013 Referee: Jonathon Barreiro |
| 4 December 2021 3 | Melbourne City | 0–1 | Western United | Melbourne |
| 19:45 AEDT |
|
Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 7,019 Referee: Alex King |
| 11 December 2021 4 | Western United | 1–0 | Brisbane Roar | Geelong |
| 17:05 AEDT |
|
Stadium: GMHBA Stadium Attendance: 2,845 Referee: Jonathon Barreiro |
| 17 December 2021 5 | Western United | 1–0 | Adelaide United | Melbourne |
| 19:45 AEDT |
|
Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 2,353 Referee: Kurt Ams |
| 26 December 2021 6 | Melbourne Victory | 3–1 | Western United | Melbourne |
| 19:45 AEDT |
|
|
Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 13,186 Referee: Shaun Evans |
| 21 January 2022 11 | Wellington Phoenix | 2–1 | Western United | Wollongong |
| 19:45 AEDT | Report |
|
Stadium: WIN Stadium Attendance: 586 Referee: Shaun Evans |
| 29 January 2022 12 | Western United | 1–0 | Melbourne City | Melbourne |
| 19:45 AEDT |
|
Report | Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 4,740 Referee: Ben Abraham |
| 2 February 2022 10 | Macarthur FC | 2–2 | Western United | Sydney |
| 19:45 AEDT | Report | Stadium: Campbelltown Stadium Attendance: 2,002 Referee: Tim Danaskos |
| 5 February 2022 7 | Western Sydney Wanderers | 0–1 | Western United | Sydney |
| 17:05 AEDT | Report |
|
Stadium: CommBank Stadium Attendance: 5,987 Referee: Jack Morgan |
| 12 February 2022 14 | Sydney FC | 1–1 | Western United | Sydney |
| 19:45 AEST |
|
|
Stadium: Netstrata Jubilee Stadium Attendance: 4,228 Referee: Shaun Evans |
| 20 February 2022 15 | Western United | 3–2 | Western Sydney Wanderers | Melbourne |
| 18:35 AEDT | Report | Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 3,200 Referee: Ben Abraham |
| 23 February 2022 9 | Western United | 3–0[lower-alpha 1] | Sydney FC | Melbourne |
| 17:45 AEDT |
|
Report | Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 1,850 Referee: Alex King |
| 27 February 2022 16 | Perth Glory | 0–2 | Western United | Launceston |
| 19:05 AWST | Report | Stadium: UTAS Stadium Attendance: 1,552 Referee: Jonathon Barreiro |
| 5 March 2022 17 | Western United | 2–1 | Newcastle Jets | Ballarat |
| 15:05 AEDT |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Mars Stadium Attendance: 2,674 Referee: Lachlan Keevers |
| 19 March 2022 19 | Western United | 2–2 | Melbourne City | Melbourne |
| 19:45 AEDT | Report | Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 8,127 Referee: Alireza Faghani |
| 19 March 2022 18 | Sydney FC | 3–0 | Western United | Sydney |
| 19:45 AEDT | Report | Stadium: Netstrata Jubilee Stadium Attendance: 3,269 Referee: Daniel Elder |
| 23 March 2022 13 | Melbourne Victory | 1–1 | Western United | Melbourne |
| 19:05 AEDT |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 5,022 Referee: Alireza Faghani |
| 26 March 2022 20 | Brisbane Roar | 2–3 | Western United | Brisbane |
| 16:05 AEST | Report | Stadium: Moreton Daily Stadium Attendance: 4,935 Referee: Adam Kersey |
| 2 April 2022 21 | Western United | 2–2 | Central Coast Mariners | Ballarat |
| 16:05 AEDT | Report |
|
Stadium: Mars Stadium Attendance: 1,423 Referee: Lachlan Keevers |
| 9 April 2022 23 | Western United | 1–4 | Wellington Phoenix | Ballarat |
| 14:05 AEST |
|
Report | Stadium: Morshead Park Attendance: 1,423 Referee: Daniel Elder |
| 16 April 2022 24 | Western United | 6–0 | Perth Glory | Launceston |
| 17:05 AEST |
|
Report | Stadium: UTAS Stadium Attendance: 2,231 Referee: Ben Abraham |
| 19 April 2022 22 | Western United | 2–0 | Macarthur FC | Launceston |
| 17:05 AEST | Report | Stadium: UTAS Stadium Attendance: 1,569 Referee: Alex King |
| 30 April 2022 26 | Central Coast Mariners | 1–0 | Western United | Gosford |
| 16:05 AEST | Kuol 81' |
Report | Stadium: Central Coast Stadium |
| 4 May 2022 8 | Newcastle Jets | v | Western United | Newcastle |
| 19:05 AEST | Stadium: McDonald Jones Stadium |
| 8 May 2022 25 | Adelaide United | v | Western United | Adelaide |
| 18:20 ACST | Stadium: Coopers Stadium |
Notes:
- Awarded score. Original score 1–0 to Western United; result was changed after Australian Professional Leagues determined there were insufficient players on the match list for Sydney FC below a certain age.[33]
FFA Cup
| 13 November 2021 Play-off | Western United | 2–1 | Newcastle Jets | Geelong |
| 19:00 AEDT | Report |
|
Stadium: GMHBA Stadium Attendance: 1,127 Referee: Jonathan Barreiro |
| 7 December 2021 Round of 32 | Western United | 0–1 | Wellington Phoenix | Geelong |
| 19:30 AEDT | Report |
|
Stadium: GMHBA Stadium Attendance: 1,217 Referee: Jack Morgan |
Squad statistics
Appearances and goals
Players with no appearances not included in the list.
- As of 5 February 2022
| No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name | A-League Men | FFA Cup | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| 1 | GK | |
Jamie Young | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | |
Léo Lacroix | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | |
Dylan Pierias | 2(8) | 0 | 1(1) | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | |
Tomoki Imai | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 8 | FW | |
Lachlan Wales | 9(1) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 1 |
| 9 | FW | |
Dylan Wenzel-Halls | 6(3) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 2 |
| 10 | MF | |
Steven Lustica | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 2 |
| 11 | MF | |
Connor Pain | 9(1) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 2 |
| 12 | DF | |
Dalibor Markovic | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | |
Rene Krhin | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 17 | DF | |
Ben Garuccio | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 19 | DF | |
Josh Risdon | 9(1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| 23 | MF |  |
Alessandro Diamanti | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 25 | MF | |
Luke Duzel | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 26 | FW | |
Nicolas Milanovic | 1(4) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| 27 | MF | |
Jerry Skotadis | 1(2) | 0 | 1(1) | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 31 | MF | |
Adisu Bayew | 0(3) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 33 | DF | |
Ben Collins | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 34 | FW | |
Christian Theoharous | 1(2) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 37 | GK | |
Ryan Scott | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 39 | MF | |
Sabit James | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 44 | DF | |
Nikolai Topor-Stanley | 6(2) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 55 | DF | |
Daniel Di Francesco | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 88 | MF | |
Neil Kilkenny | 9(1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| 99 | FW | |
Aleksandar Prijović | 4(3) | 4 | 0(1) | 1 | 8 | 4 |
References
- "Western United and Mark Rudan have mutually agreed to part ways". Western United FC. Football Australia. 8 June 2021.
- "Striker Dylan Wenzel-Halls joins Western United". Western United. 21 June 2021.
- "Western United bolster squad with Ben Garuccio signing". Western United. 18 July 2021.
- "Western United strengthen defence with Topor-Stanley capture". Western United. 29 July 2021.
- Monteverde, Marco (2 August 2021). "Socceroos: Football Australia officials hopeful of securing travel bubble for clash against China in Sydney". The Daily Telegraph.
United have also secured the services of former A-League goalkeeper of the year Jamie Young following his departure from Brisbane Roar.
- "Jamie Young joins Western United goalkeeping union". Western United. 4 August 2021.
- "Western United signs talented youngster Noah Botic". Western United. 2 August 2021.
- "Western United confirms Neil Kilkenny capture". Western United. 27 August 2021.
- "Swiss star Leo Lacroix signs with Western United". Western United. 1 September 2021.
- "Western United signs Slovenian midfielder Rene Krhin". Western United. 26 September 2021.
- "Western United sign Serbian striker Aleksandar Prijovic". Western United. 15 October 2021.
- "Western United confirms Christian Theoharous signing". Western United. 1 November 2021.
- "Western United announces new scholarship contracts". Western United. 21 July 2021.
- "Rhys Bozinovski puts pen to paper on scholarship contract". Western United. 5 August 2021.
- "Ben Collins signs scholarship deal with Western United". Western United. 16 November 2021.
- Lewis, Dave (23 May 2021). "Burgess heads back to Sydney FC on two-year deal". The World Game. SBS.
- "Max Burgess Returns To Sky Blue". Sydney FC. 6 July 2021.
- "A-League's highest appearance-maker Andrew Durante announces retirement from football". A-League. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- "Western United farewell departing players". Western United FC. Football Australia. 18 June 2021.
- "Western United bids farewell to Besart Berisha". Western United. 18 July 2021.
- "Brendan Hamill departs Western United". Western United. 26 July 2021.
- "Melbourne Victory signs Brendan Hamill". Melbourne Victory. 26 July 2021.
- "Victor Sanchez to depart Western United". Western United. 7 September 2021.
- "Western United agrees mutual termination with Ayom Majok Ayom". Western United. 9 February 2022.
- "Western United re-sign young talent Luke Duzel". Western United. 23 June 2021.
- "Tomoki Imai commits to Western United until 2024". Western United. 2 July 2021.
- "Alessandro Diamanti and Josh Risdon to lead Western United this season". Western United. 10 November 2021.
- Polkinghorne, David (17 July 2021). "Lustica backs Aloisi to return Western United to A-League finals". Western United.
- "Isuzu UTE A-League: Your club's ins, outs and full squad". Keep Up. 15 November 2021.
- "Josh Risdon signs multi-year extension". Western United. 6 December 2021.
- "Steven Lustica signs one-year extension at Western United". Western United. 18 February 2022.
- "Western United to host opening round of 2021/22 A-League Season". Western United FC. 23 September 2021.
- "Sydney FC penalised for repeatedly breaching youth requirements". ABC News. 14 April 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
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