A League Australian Football

There is a famous British film out in theaters called "Slumdog Millionaire." Many of you probably are familiar with this movie.

If not, I'll provide it to you in a nutshell: it is the heartening tale of Jamal Malik, a man from Mumbai who, out of the depths of poverty, is able to use his experience from meeting the faces of adversity to win the game show of his life.

This year, "Slumdog Millionaire" scored a coup at the Kodak Theatre on Feb. 22, winning eight Academy Awards. One of those is for Best Original Song.

That song is "Jai Ho," penned by A.R. Rahman and Gulzan. "Jai Ho," in Hindi, means "Be Victorious."

On Feb. 28, at the Telstra Dome, the Melbourne Victory, the dominant force throughout the pre-season and regular season, had the persevering spirit typical of Malik.

Ernie Merrick's club overcame injuries, a red card, and solid defending from a spirited Adelaide United side to win 1-0 in the 2008-09 Hyundai A-League Grand Final.

Tom Pondeljak, acquired from the Central Coast Mariners, was the hero for the Victory. His goal in the 59th minute, a low shot from 20 yards out, eluded Eugene Galekovic (once the backup keeper to Michael Theoklitos, and who frustrated the Melbourne counterattacking scheme for the bulk of the match) and found the net.

For his effort, Pondeljak would receive the Joe Marston Medal, becoming the second Victory player (the first being Archie Thompson) to win it.

With the win, the Victory not only become the first team to win two A-League Championships, but also the first team to win the Australian Treble: the Preseason Cup, the Premiership Plate, and the Championship Ring, all in the same year.

The 1-0 scoreline, on paper, may look like a merciful change from the 6-0 onslaught two years ago.

But on the pitch, the emotions, the fouls and the officiating were anything BUT merciful.

Match official Matthew Breeze, who works as a local police officer, cuffed Cristiano of Adelaide in the 10th minute for an elbow which saw blood pour from Rodrigo Vargas's head.

Adelaide manager Aurelio Vidmar, in his striped red, white and black tie, could only watch helplessly as he walked to the showers. Robbie Slater of Fox Sports deemed the match "ruined" soon after.

Vargas had to spend the rest of the second half wearing a large bandage around his head before being treated to in the locker room at halftime.

In the 65th minute, the playing field became level when Victory's Danny Allsopp was entangled in a melee with a number of Adelaide players, and subsequently given his marching orders by Breeze.

And yellow cards were dished out left and right. Adelaide had four, while Melbourne had two.

Even the most unusual of substitutions came to fruition. Evan Berger, who substituted for Nick Ward in the 56th minute, was substituted by Jose Luis Lopez in the 89th minute for an ambitious airborne attempt to gain possession.

No doubt that one of the future stars for the Big V will look back at this game as a learning experience.

Theoklitos, who has been linked to see action in Europe later this year, was able to garner a couple of key saves: a free kick from Scott Jamieson from distance, and a close tap from United marquis player Paul Agostino.

As for Adelaide, the pain and frustration of being unable to win any piece of silverware continues to linger.

For the thousands who donned red and yellow from the land of the pie floater, the familiar sight of being on the short end of the stick beckoned.

But for the majority of the 53,273 at the Telstra Dome who witnessed the historic moment, the strains of that Best Original Song could not have been more true.

Jai Ho, Melbourne. Jai Ho.

For your Victory, once again, are the kings of Australian football.

The biggest day in Australian football is finally here. After a long and arduous A-League season, Melbourne will host Adelaide in the Grand Final tomorrow. This rivalry is as big as, if not bigger than, the Sydney FC vs. Melbourne rivalry, and no matter what happens, this Grand Final is bound to be a fiery encounter. 

The news is that Melbourne are the hot favourites, and rightly so, but Adelaide are more than capable of putting up a great contest.

Melbourne have had the wood on Adelaide this season. In the five games they’ve played each other, Melbourne have won each one and, to add insult to injury, Adelaide haven’t scored at the Telstra Dome.

The most recent match, in the major semi-final, Melbourne blew United off the park with a scintillating 4-0 display in an absolute mismatch. Their attacking weapons of Alsopp and Thompson gave Adelaide no chance.

Even more impressive was Costa Rican World Cup player Carlos Hernandez, who was pulling all the strings from midfield. He has been one of the major success stories for foreign players in the A-League.  It is little wonder than Melbourne is desperately trying to keep this little magician down under and extend his deal.

Everything points to Melbourne, their form, their home crowd advantage, and their ability to play well against Adelaide. Adelaide fans don’t need to be reminded of the 2007 Grand Final where they were humiliated 6-0 at the Telstra Dome. Although strong, I don’t think Melbourne will repeat that sort of a result, but they will be favourites nonetheless.

So where does all of this leave Adelaide? Well, it doesn’t look good, but we must remember that they are in the Grand Final for a reason, and they are still a quality side.

After the 4-0 thrashing they received from Melbourne last time, Adelaide coach Aurelio Vidmar blamed internal “politics” for the result and said that if this wasn’t removed that Adelaide would “never win anything.” This seemed to fire the Adelaide players up, and the team went into the Grand Final qualifier against Queensland as underdogs, yet got the result with a spectacular goal.

Can the coach still challenge the players and fire them up even more? He’s already said that they’d “never win anything,” but here’s a golden chance for them to win something. If they did win, Adelaide would no longer be the “pissant town” as Vidmar described them in that infamous post-match rant. There is more than enough motivation there.

Also, I don’t believe any team can lose to the same team five times in a single season and not learn anything from it. Adelaide should know Melbourne like the back of their hands now, and should know what they need to do to win. I think they’ll need to defend well and play on the break due to Melbourne’s potent attacking weapons, who will be difficult to shut down on their home turf.

I think Melbourne will probably win, but if Adelaide can play to a plan and have a little bit of luck, an upset cannot be ruled out. Either way I can’t wait for a great final.

As Melbourne prepares for the Hyundai A-League Final between Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United (and the Australian Grand Prix taking place by the shores of Lake Albert on March 29), a single question lingers in the air above Telstra Dome.

Whitewash Way or Route of Re-Ignition. Which road will you follow?

The outcome of the contest at the end of February can only go one of two paths. The first path is the Whitewash Way. That path can only be trod if the Melbourne Victory dominate like they have all season.

For the sake of argument, the Preseason Cup contest (in which Adelaide won 2-1) will not count.

Through veterans like captain Kevin Muscat, veterans Archie Thompson and Danny Allsopp, the keeping heroics of Michael Theoklitos, and imports Ney Fabiano and Carlos Hernandez, the Victory have been unscathed throughout the regular season and Major Semi-Final.

Scorelines like 1-0, 3-2, 1-0, 2-0 and 4-0 have made it painfully clear who the dominate side have been.

For many who have seen the carnage that comes from witnessing the play of a team built on consistency and attacking football, it will surprise no one if Ernie Merrick and the Big V complete the Australian Treble before another packed Telstra Dome crowd of more than 50,000 strong.

Then there is the other road, the Route of Re-Ignition. As in re-igniting the rivalry that has trumped Central Coast vs. Newcastle or Melbourne vs. Sydney. The geographical rivalry in terms of sport goes back to another code of football: the Australian rules variety.

In 1879, the first interstate match between South Australia and Victoria took place. But the seeds of hostilities took place when the Australia Football League shortchanged clubs in South Australia in favor of  those from Victoria.

In 1996, the premier of Victoria, Jeff Kennett, moved the Australian Grand Prix from Adelaide to Melbourne, stoking further the flames of arrogance.

The rivalry between Adelaide United and Melbourne Victory picked up steam with then-United coach John Kosmina grabbing Kevin Muscat's throat on October 14, 2006, in Round Eight of the 2006-07 season.

In that match, Adelaide defeated Melbourne 1-0. Victory would proceed to win three out of the four remaining contests they had, including the 6-0 Grand Final.

Two Saturdays ago, at a press conference following Adelaide's 4-0 defeat in the second leg of the Major Semi-Final, Aurelio Vidmar lamented the effort by his players, labeling the city a "piss-ant" town while rambling about claims of discontent from many within the club.

One of those players, Fabian Barbiero, took it to heart and helped the Reds redeem themselves with a crisp volley into the top left corner past Queensland Roar's Liam Reddy in the 25th minute of the Preliminary Final.

The Hindmarsh Stadium crowd was in raptures, and a sense of redemption and relief crept across Vidmar's face as he was lifted into the heavens.

If the usually-exemplary Vidmar and AUFC had not finished runner-up to Gamba Osaka in the 2008 AFC Champions League as well fifth place at the FIFA Club World Cup, there's no telling how the penalty, which is just a suspended $2,000 fine through Round 9 of the 2009-10 season, could have been for him.

With a return to the AFC Champions League in 2010, bygones might as well be bygones.

And what better way for Adelaide to re-ignite the animosities and the rivalry against Melbourne Victory than with a victory in the Grand Final at the Telstra Dome? If there was a time where all things would come full circle, February 28, 2009 would be it.

Two teams.

Two states.

One A-League Championship Ring, and two roads to choose.

Will it be the Whitewash Way that this year's Grand Final will walk on? Or is the Route of Re-Ignition that awaits the winner?

When it's 7:30 PM at Telstra Dome (or 8:30 GMT), gentlemen...start your engines.

More than 34,000 in attendance had the [un]enviable honor of watching Adelaide United get smashed. Again. To the sound of six to nil on aggregate.

6-0. A cherry to a goose egg.

Adelaide United supporters should be lucky that Melbourne Victory did not reprise the shellacking they hadd two seasons ago. They only lost 4-0 in the second leg on February 14.

But they remember that day very well. Maybe too well. Painfully well.

Archie Thompson, one of my favorite footballers alongside Landon Donovan and Marta (only because she is playing for the LA Sol this year; let's see if she can deliver the goods this season in the inaugural Women's Professional Soccer season), scored five of those six goals.

Ouch. It's deja blue all over again.

In front of a record crowd for attendance at an A-League match, to boost an average home attendance that could pass for an average in Europe or with the Premier League (the lower teams, at least) in 2007, Melbourne Victory are on the cusp of another milestone in 2009.

The Big V, captained by Kevin Muscat, are one Grand Final victory away from not only winning their second A-League Championship Ring, but also becoming the first team to win the Australian Treble: the Preseason Challenge Cup, the Premiership Plate, and the Championship Ring, all in one season.

They already are the first team to have won all three trophies by defeating Wellington Phoenix on penalties in the 2008 Preseason Cup. The regular season saw Victory edge Adelaide on most goals scored after being tied on points.

But during the Major Semi-Final, Ernie Merrick's Victory proved to be too good for Aurelio Vidmar's United side.

After a second place finish in the 2008 AFC Champions League and a fifth place finish at the FIFA Club World Cup last December, the Reds were reduced to roadkill from goals by Thompson, Carlos Hernandez (who came back from international duty for Costa Rica), Danny Allsopp and Tom Pondeljak on Saturday.

While the Victory prepare for another crowd of over 50,000 at Telstra Dome on February 28, Adelaide are left to wonder if they have the strength to regroup against the resurgent Queensland Roar, in the hopes of one final shot against Melbourne, whom they have yet to beat since their match in the Preseason Cup.

Led by manager Frank Farina and captained by Craig Moore, the Roar marooned Lawrie McKinna's Central Coast Mariners 4-1 on aggregate.

Unlike Adelaide United, the Roar know how to beat Victory at the Dome. They proved it through a 2-0 win in Round 6 on Sept. 28, 2008. Melbourne got their revenge with a 2-1 win on January 2.

A win by the Roar over Adelaide will not only set the stage for a tantalizing Grand Final but send Queensland to its very first AFC Champions League. A victory for United at Hindmarsh Stadium could be the spark they need to reignite the rivalry between them and their Victorian neighbors.

There is a lot to play for, and even the boys in blue will want to take notice while Melbourne prepares for another weekend of championship football at the Dome.

Recently I was able to attend a game football at a big modern ground with a reasonable fan base and watch a team that had played a bit of good football at times in the games previous to the one I witnessed.

I had been visiting Wellington, the capital of New Zealand at the time I attended the fixture, and had been there for a few days hanging out looking at how structured and orderly the city had become in comparison to previous incarnations of culture I had seen there. It was strange at times but strangely comfortable.

We had planned to go to the football for weeks and had previously decided we must ready ourselves for the yelling and cheering by imbibing large amounts of liquid refreshment in a lovely old bar near the Beehive.

After all sorts of theorising football around the tables as we did our best to entertain each other we made our way to the ground.

There may have been herbs in the air on the way to the ground and I was perhaps under the influence of an intoxicating substance other than the alcohol when I arrived at the gates to procure the tickets.

The people were all caricatures of themselves, there was a hum of anticipation but it was not buzzing. This was something which was quite an important factor in the events to follow.

People milled about, talking, smoking, shuffling along in strange lines that went through areas where everyone could quite comfortably walk without lining up.

We made our way to our seats, with refreshment. The ground was a picture when we went in, and the stadium looked contained as a structure, well constructed.

The game started and it was, unfortunately for the crowd, played very unimaginatively by both teams. There was no doubt they were both reasonable sides because both had played some good football in games previous.

The crowd had been influenced to a large extent by the weather and many had stayed away. The crowd that did show were visibly impaired by the weather, restricted by large coats, hats, and bags with supplies.

I enjoy playing football and watching the game played to a reasonable level of competency. The game had all that, but because of the apathy of the crowd, the team's never really got going enough to really play any really good attacking football.

Something almost started a few times but then it would fizz out like the atmosphere did after the opposition scored. The Phoenix were trailing soon after the half and chasing the game. The half was reasonably stale until a few chances near the end and one particular chance that was missed right on the whistle.

The crowd were nonplussed. It was strange leaving the ground, the disappointment and swirling of colour and sound. I was in a slight state when I left the game, I think I had accidentally drunk some sort of strange concoction.

The city rolled before me like a living thing, the crowd's chanting slowly quieting in my head. Football was the winner on the day, I forgot to say.

We walked through the city to Ghuznee St and had some beers.

90 minutes….90 emotions is the slogan of this years Hyundai A-League and it looks like it is shaping up to be just that.

In just its fourth season, the A-League promises even more than it has delivered in the past, and that is a mouth watering prospect.

The league has developed year after year and is slowly becoming stronger, not only as a result of “marquee” players like Dwight Yorke and Romario but also due to homegrown talent with players like Kevin Muscat, John Aloisi, Ross Aloisi, Danny Tiatto and Mark Bosnich, all of which have had careers in Europe and have returned home to finish their careers.

The flow of play can be a little stop start at times but you have to keep in mind that this is still a fledgling league not far from its embryonic state of a few years back. Eight teams currently compete in the A-League with the addition of two more in the next season or so.

The plusses are there for all to see though, older, wiser players with the experience to guide their teams and raw young talent which is the undoubted future of not only the A-League but the national team as well.

There are however one or two bones of contention I have with the progression of the A-League though, one is undoubtedly the standard of refereeing.

A-League referees, despite being the best we can produce, seem to fail on a regular basis to call fouls that would be blown up straight away in Europe or anywhere else. This has a small upside in that the instances of diving are few and far between but bone-crunching tackles only occasionally receive a yellow card and numerous fouls are waved on as if they never occurred.

The vision of the officials seems to be lacking as well, a case in point, during the game last night between Perth Glory and the Newcastle Jets. Newcastle striker, Joel Griffiths was fouled a good couple of yards outside the box, with the linesman in clear view yet was awarded a penalty! The foul was there for all to see but just as obvious was the fact he was nowhere near being inside the penalty box.

In the professional game, mistakes like these are really unacceptable and this is one area that definitely needs improvement.

The other area that the A-League falls down in is the retention of good, young talent. Local clubs produce some very high quality youngsters who go on to sign with A-League clubs.

The problem becomes, once they perform well in the course of a season, they are whisked away overseas by the promise of fame and fortune and A-League clubs can do very little to hold on to them due to the salary cap imposed on clubs and the general lack of big dollars in the A-League.

I think the league is definitely headed in the right direction and is looking better every season. If the standard of refereeing could improve and we could hold on to some of the talented youngsters coming through to blend with the experience of the old heads it could become something quite outstanding.

    After a string of friendly matches which yielded less-than-ideal results, the familiar refrain began to be heard again: "The US will never be a soccer powerhouse because our best athletes don't choose soccer." The argument runs that because a young Kobe Bryant or a young Ray Lewis can make infinitely more money down the line playing an American game like basketball or football, sports like soccer are left with second-tier athletes with which to make do. It's also complete rubbish.

    People are always asking "Can you imagine if we could put Allen Iverson in the midfield? His quickness would take over the game!" or "Imagine if Dwayne Wade played goalkeeper: with his size and athleticism he'd be a wall!" But it's a two-way street: who's to say that Oguchi Onyewu couldn't line up at defensive end and have an impact? Why couldn't Tim Howard be a great power forward?

    At the highest level of any sport, the players are all top-tier athletes. On a one-to-one basis, the US mens' national team is no more or less athletic than the LA Lakers or the Dallas Cowboys. Nor are they more or less athletic than the English mens' national team or the Spanish mens' national team. Any results that we earn on the soccer pitch have more to do with our skill level and tactics than our athletic abilities.

    The problem is that soccer is a game which is much more subtle about it's degree of difficulty than are American mainstream games. When LaDanian Tomlinson busts through the line for a 40-yard touchdown run, it's easy to be amazed by his explosiveness and speed. When DeMarcus Beasley beats an opponent to a loose ball on the touchline, holds off a defender and makes a pass to the forwards, that's not as spectacular. Since goals are a much rarer occurrence than a home run or a touchdown is, there are fewer easily discernible moments of individual ability in soccer than in other sports. For the casual fan, a Gilbert Arenas tomahawk dunk is much more impressive than Tim Howard tipping a free kick around the post, regardless of which actually takes more athletic ability.

    Soccer is also much more of a team game than basketball or football. While a tremendous point guard or a star running back can throw the team on his shoulders and carry the load for stretches of a game, it's nearly impossible for one soccer player to take over a game. No matter how good one player is, no matter how much skill or athleticism he possesses, he's still dependent on his teammates for much of what he does. David Beckham has astounding footskills and is deadly with a dead-ball situation or a cross from the wing. But he's just another winger with average pace if his teammates can't win and get him the ball in dangerous positions. Even the most brilliant cross just turns into a goal kick without a forward making a run onto the end of it. Even with a crappy offensive line, Willis McGahee can take the ball, make three defenders miss, and break a big run. Chris Paul can bring the ball up the court and create his own shot. Beckham can't.

    The claim about American sports being more conducive to future wealth is also bogus. It is true that the average NFL or NBA contract is for more than the average soccer contract. With that being said, however, there are many more opportunities to play professional soccer than there are professional football or basketball. Even for a player of (relatively) average ability, there are job opportunities abound.

    There's the MLS. The Australian A-League, a league of similar age and skill level to MLS, is starting to take off in the land down under. The J-League in Japan attracts the finest players Japan and much of Asia has to offer. The Russian Premier League offers outstanding pay and facilities for those who don't mind the ferocious winters. The Mexican Primera Division gives decent opportunities to those players who might want to stay a little bit closer to home. The Coca-Cola Championship in England, the second division,

    And of course, the English Premiership, German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A, and Spanish Liga Primera are available for those players who have the ability to play with the world's best, and want to be compensated for it. In fact, the increased presence of Americans in these leagues has been a huge boon to the development of the national team.

    So to those who say that American soccer is impeded by a lack of top-level athletes, I say: Don't confuse athleticism with skill. The United States might not be the most skilled soccer nation (yet!). But we do have the athleticism and the resources needed to compete with the best in the world. In time, we can hope that results such as our recent draw with Argentina (#1 in the world) will become accepted as commonplace, rather than heroic.

Being an English football fan living in Australia can be a frustrating experience. 

The subtle nuances of a sterile 0-0 match are often lost on a sporting public thirsty for big points, big hits and big home-grown stars. 

But the 2006 World Cup began a shift in the public psyche, and in 2007 football became front page news. 

The arrival of David Beckham's LA Galaxy side was the catalyst.  Blanket media coverage was present in the week leading up to the game.  An 80,000 sell out in Sydney, live network television coverage and an 8-goal thriller was the result.  Football had truly arrived.

But the biggest indicator that something really is happening here in the land of cricket, rugby and Aussie Rules occurred long after Becks had left the country. 

Just a few days before Christmas, Central Coast and Sydney, two domestic teams in the local A-League, played out one of the most amazing game's you'll see anywhere in the world. 

Sydney triumphed 5-4 in a match that contained two red cards, stunning strikes, a record crowd and more drama than an episode of "Without a Trace."  I know this for a fact, as Anthony La Paglia, a Sydney shareholder, raced onto the pitch to hug his players with glee at the final whistle, with a look of sheer wonderment in his eyes.

On a weekend bereft of any other other sporting contests, people were enthralled.  The re-runs on Pay-TV were pored over as word of mouth made the game’s original audience double, then treble.  All across bars in the run up to Christmas, the talk was, "Did you see the A-League last night?" 

Football culture has finally become popular culture.  And that’s the best Christmas present football fans like me could ever have wished for.