2021–22 Western United FC season

The 2021–22 season will be Western United's third season. This will be Western United's third season in the A-League. In addition to the domestic league, Western United will also participate in the FFA Cup.

Western United
2021–22 season
ChairmanJason Sourasis
ManagerJohn Aloisi
StadiumGMHBA Stadium
Mars Stadium
FFA CupRound 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.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  ENG Jamie Young
4 DF   SUI Léo Lacroix
5 DF  AUS Dylan Pierias
6 DF  JPN Tomoki Imai
8 FW  AUS Lachlan Wales
9 FW  AUS Dylan Wenzel-Halls
10 MF  AUS Steven Lustica
11 FW  AUS Connor Pain
12 DF  AUS Dalibor Markovic
13 DF  AUS Ivan Vujica
16 MF  SVN Rene Krhin
17 DF  AUS Ben Garuccio
19 DF  AUS Josh Risdon (vice-captain)
21 MF  AUS Sebastian Pasquali
23 MF  ITA Alessandro Diamanti (captain)
No. Pos. Nation Player
24 FW  AUS Ayom Majok (scholarship)
25 MF  AUS Luke Duzel
26 MF  AUS Nicolas Milanovic (scholarship)
27 MF  AUS Jerry Skotadis
31 MF  AUS Adisu Bayew (scholarship)
34 MF  AUS Christian Theoharous (scholarship)
36 DF  AUS Ajak Deu (scholarship)
37 GK  AUS Ryan Scott
38 FW  AUS Noah Botic
42 MF  AUS Rhys Bozinovski (scholarship)
44 DF  AUS Nikolai Topor-Stanley
88 MF  AUS Neil Kilkenny
99 FW  SRB Aleksandar Prijović
— DF  AUS Ben Collins (scholarship)

Transfers

Transfers in
No. Position Player Transferred from Type/fee Contract length Date Ref
9FW Dylan Wenzel-Halls Brisbane Roar Free transfer 3 years 21 June 2021 [2]
17DF Ben Garuccio Melbourne City Free transfer 2 years 18 July 2021 [3]
44DF Nikolai Topor-Stanley Unattached Free transfer 1 year 29 July 2021 [4]
1GK Jamie Young Brisbane Roar Free transfer 2 years 2 August 2021 [5][6]
38FW Noah Botic Hoffenheim Free transfer 2 years 2 August 2021 [7]
88MF Neil Kilkenny Unattached Free transfer 27 August 2021 [8]
4DF Léo Lacroix Sion Undisclosed 1 year 1 September 2021 [9]
16MF Rene Krhin Unattached Free transfer 26 September 2021 [10]
99FW Aleksandar Prijović Unattached Free transfer Multi-year 15 October 2021 [11]
34MF Christian Theoharous Unattached Scholarship 2 years 1 November 2021 [12]

From youth squad
N
 Pos.
 Nat.
 Name
 Age
 Notes
31 MF Adisu Bayew19 2 year scholarship contract[13]
36 DF Ajak Deu20 2 year scholarship contract[13]
42 MF Rhys Bozinovski17 2 year scholarship contract[14]
DF Ben Collins21 1 year scholarship contract[15]

Transfers out
No. Position Player Transferred to Type/fee Date Ref
14MF Max Burgess Sydney FC Free transfer 23 May 2021 [16][17]
4DF Andrew Durante Retired 5 June 2021 [18]
1GK Filip Kurto Unattached End of contract 18 June 2021 [19]
2DF Aaron Calver Unattached End of contract 18 June 2021 [19]
9FW Kaine Sheppard Unattached End of contract 18 June 2021 [19]
17MF Brad Inman ATK Mohun Bagan End of loan 18 June 2021 [19]
22DF Tomislav Uskok Unattached End of contract 18 June 2021 [19]
34FW Iker Guarrotxena Unattached End of contract 18 June 2021 [19]
7FW Besart Berisha Unattached End of contract 18 July 2021 [20]
3DF Brendan Hamill Melbourne Victory End of contract 26 July 2021 [21][22]
20MF Víctor Sánchez Unattached Mutual contract termination 7 September 2021 [23]

Contract extensions
No.NamePositionDurationDateNotes
25Luke DuzelMidfielder2 years23 June 2021[24]
6 Tomoki ImaiDefender3 years2 July 2021[25]
19Josh RisdonRight-back1 year10 November 2021[26]
10Steven LusticaCentral midfielder[27][28]
19Josh RisdonRight-back2 years6 December 2021[29]

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

Overview
Competition First match Last match Starting round Record
Pld W D L GF GA GD Win %
A-League TBD TBD Matchday 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 !—
FFA Cup 13 November 2021 TBD Playoff round 2 1 0 1 2 2 +0 050.00
Total 2 1 0 1 2 2 +0 050.00

Last updated: 7 December 2021
Source: Competitions

A-League
Main article: 2021–22 A-League

League table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Macarthur FC 4 3 1 0 5 1 +4 10 Qualification to Finals series, 2022 FFA Cup round of 32,
and 2023 AFC Champions League group stage
2 Melbourne Victory 4 3 0 1 6 4 +2 9 Qualification to Finals series, 2022 FFA Cup round of 32,
and 2023 AFC Cup group stage[lower-alpha 1]
3 Western United 4 3 0 1 3 1 +2 9 Qualification to Finals series and 2022 FFA Cup round of 32[lower-alpha 1]
4 Melbourne City 4 2 1 1 5 4 +1 7
5 Central Coast Mariners 4 2 0 2 5 4 +1 6
Updated to match(es) played on 12 December 2021. Source: A-League Men
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Least red cards; 5) Least yellow cards; 6) Toss of a coin in an event of a tie of two clubs.
Notes:
  1. 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
OverallHomeAway
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsWDLGFGAGDWDLGFGAGD
1 0 0 1 0 1  −1 0 0 0 1 0 1  −1 0 0 0 0 0  0

Last updated: 11 June 2021.
Source: Ultimate A-League

Results by round
Round123456
GroundHHAHHA
ResultL
Position12
Updated to match(es) played on 23 September 2021. Source: Ultimate A-League
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

The league fixtures were announced on 23 September 2021.[30]

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 Report
Stadium: AAMI Park
Attendance: 7,019
Referee: Alex King
11 December 2021 4 Western United 1–0 Brisbane Roar Geelong
17:05 AEDT Pain  50' Stadium: GMHBA Stadium
Attendance: 2,845
Referee: Jonathon Barreiro
17 December 2021 5 Western United v Adelaide United Melbourne
19:45 AEDT Stadium: AAMI Park
26 December 2021 6 Melbourne Victory v Western United Melbourne
19:45 AEDT Stadium: AAMI Park
1 January 2022 7 Western Sydney Wanderers v Western United Sydney
19:45 AEDT Stadium: CommBank Stadium
7 January 2022 9 Western United v Sydney FC Melbourne
19:45 AEDT Stadium: AAMI Park
14 January 2022 10 Macarthur FC v Western United Campbelltown
19:45 AEDT Stadium: Campbelltown Stadium
19 January 2022 8 Newcastle Jets v Western United Newcastle
17:25 AEDT Stadium: McDonald Jones Stadium
TBC 11 Western United v Wellington Phoenix Melbourne
TBC Stadium: AAMI Park
29 January 2022 12 Western United v Melbourne City Melbourne
19:45 AEDT Stadium: AAMI Park
5 February 2022 13 Melbourne Victory v Western United Melbourne
19:45 AEDT Stadium: AAMI Park
12 February 2022 14 Sydney FC v Western United Sydney
19:45 AEDT Stadium: Netstrata Jubilee Stadium
20 February 2022 15 Western United v Western Sydney Wanderers TBC
16:05 AEDT Stadium: TBC
26 February 2022 16 Perth Glory v Western United Perth
19:05 AWST Stadium: HBF Park
5 March 2022 17 Western United v Newcastle Jets Perth
15:05 AEDT Stadium: HBF Park
12 March 2022 18 Sydney FC v Western United Sydney
15:05 AEDT Stadium: Leichhardt Oval
19 March 2022 19 Western United v Melbourne City Melbourne
19:45 AEDT Stadium: AAMI Park
26 March 2022 20 Brisbane Roar v Western United Kippa-Ring
16:05 AEST Stadium: Moreton Daily Stadium
2 April 2022 21 Western United v Central Coast Mariners Ballarat
16:05 AEDT Stadium: Eureka Stadium
9 April 2022 23 Wellington Phoenix v Western United Ballarat
16:05 AEDT Stadium: Eureka Stadium
16 April 2022 24 Western United v Perth Glory Launceston
17:05 AEST Stadium: UTAS Stadium
19 April 2022 22 Western United v Macarthur FC Launceston
17:05 AEST Stadium: UTAS Stadium
23 April 2022 25 Adelaide United v Western United Adelaide
19:15 ACST Stadium: Coopers Stadium
30 April 2022 26 Central Coast Mariners v Western United Gosford
17:05 ACST Stadium: Central Coast Stadium

FFA Cup
Main article: 2021 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 20 November 2021
No. Pos. Nat. Name A-League Men FFA Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
1 GK Jamie Young 101020
4 DF Léo Lacroix 101020
5 DF Dylan Pierias 0(1)00(1)020
6 DF Tomoki Imai 101020
8 FW Lachlan Wales 101121
9 FW Dylan Wenzel-Halls 101020
10 MF Steven Lustica 101020
11 MF Connor Pain 101020
17 DF Ben Garuccio 101020
19 DF Josh Risdon 101020
23 MF Alessandro Diamanti 101020
27 MF Jerry Skotadis 000(1)010
88 MF Neil Kilkenny 101020
99 FW Aleksandar Prijović 0(1)00(1)121

See also

References
  1. "Western United and Mark Rudan have mutually agreed to part ways". Western United FC. Football Australia. 8 June 2021.
  2. "Striker Dylan Wenzel-Halls joins Western United". Western United. 21 June 2021.
  3. "Western United bolster squad with Ben Garuccio signing". Western United. 18 July 2021.
  4. "Western United strengthen defence with Topor-Stanley capture". Western United. 29 July 2021.
  5. 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.
  6. "Jamie Young joins Western United goalkeeping union". Western United. 4 August 2021.
  7. "Western United signs talented youngster Noah Botic". Western United. 2 August 2021.
  8. "Western United confirms Neil Kilkenny capture". Western United. 27 August 2021.
  9. "Swiss star Leo Lacroix signs with Western United". Western United. 1 September 2021.
  10. "Western United signs Slovenian midfielder Rene Krhin". Western United. 26 September 2021.
  11. "Western United sign Serbian striker Aleksandar Prijovic". Western United. 15 October 2021.
  12. "Western United confirms Christian Theoharous signing". Western United. 1 November 2021.
  13. "Western United announces new scholarship contracts". Western United. 21 July 2021.
  14. "Rhys Bozinovski puts pen to paper on scholarship contract". Western United. 5 August 2021.
  15. "Ben Collins signs scholarship deal with Western United". Western United. 16 November 2021.
  16. Lewis, Dave (23 May 2021). "Burgess heads back to Sydney FC on two-year deal". The World Game. SBS.
  17. "Max Burgess Returns To Sky Blue". Sydney FC. 6 July 2021.
  18. "A-League's highest appearance-maker Andrew Durante announces retirement from football". A-League. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  19. "Western United farewell departing players". Western United FC. Football Australia. 18 June 2021.
  20. "Western United bids farewell to Besart Berisha". Western United. 18 July 2021.
  21. "Brendan Hamill departs Western United". Western United. 26 July 2021.
  22. "Melbourne Victory signs Brendan Hamill". Melbourne Victory. 26 July 2021.
  23. "Victor Sanchez to depart Western United". Western United. 7 September 2021.
  24. "Western United re-sign young talent Luke Duzel". Western United. 23 June 2021.
  25. "Tomoki Imai commits to Western United until 2024". Western United. 2 July 2021.
  26. "Alessandro Diamanti and Josh Risdon to lead Western United this season". Western United. 10 November 2021.
  27. Polkinghorne, David (17 July 2021). "Lustica backs Aloisi to return Western United to A-League finals". Western United.
  28. "Isuzu UTE A-League: Your club's ins, outs and full squad". Keep Up. 15 November 2021.
  29. "Josh Risdon signs multi-year extension". Western United. 6 December 2021.
  30. "Western United to host opening round of 2021/22 A-League Season". Western United FC. 23 September 2021.
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