Pretty much since the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated cash-crunch re-wrote the dynamics of A-League Men squad composition, bringing with it hitherto unprecedented levels of opportunity (and necessity) for young players to see the field, it's felt like the league has thrown up a new wonderkid for the Australian football public to attach all its hopes and dreams to.
The likes of Alou Kuol, Garang Kuol, Nestory Irankunda and Adrian Segecic have wowed A-League audiences with their skill and youthful exuberance before heading off to test their mettle in Europe.
This season, the search for this new face of the league's aspirations will invariably take on an even greater impetus with a FIFA World Cup looming; the hype not just over a youngster's rise and a possible move, but also if they'll do enough to earn a spot on the plane to next year's tournament as a Sokkahroos Boltah™. This goes doubly so if they have a good game with Australia boss Tony Popovic in the stands.
And just two rounds into the A-League season, candidates are already emerging to fill this role, none more so than Newcastle Jets flyer Alex Badolato, who followed up his round one rocket against the Central Coast Mariners with a match-winning hat trick against his former side Melbourne Victory. But there's also Max Caputo, who made it four goals in eight days with a brace against a hapless Perth Glory, or maybe even a Jonny Yull, who shone despite Adelaide United's 2-1 loss to Macarthur FC.
Adelaide United
Stocks Up: After long being touted as a potential breakout star for Adelaide and with his former youth coach Airton Andrioli now in charge of the senior team, Jonny Yull's back-to-back starts hopefully augur the kind of extended run of minutes any young player needs to properly make the leap in their development. Netting his second career goal in Adelaide's loss to Macarthur on Monday, the 20-year-old was consistently getting into areas on the pitch, both with and without the ball, where he could look to hurt the Bulls and, alongside Yaya Dukuly, led his team in shots. Having said that...
Stocks Down: Seemingly sparked to life by Liam Rose's opener, the Adelaide spent vast stretches of Monday's loss firmly in control, and while they were eventually rewarded with an equaliser through Yull, there were a number of further opportunities that Luka Jovanovic, Dukuly, and Yull all spurned. Those missed opportunities ultimately came back to bite the Reds when Dong-Won Ji netted his debut A-League goal and secured Macarthur the win. Wayward finishing is perhaps the price you pay for rolling with the kind of youthful sides that Adelaide will field this season We've already seen enough from these kids to know that it's probably worth the short-term inconsistency, but the lack of a clinical striker cost the Reds on Monday.
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Auckland FC
Stocks Up: Steve Corica mused that he was looking forward to getting back home for round two, and Saturday's 1-0 win over Western Sydney -- where neither side did that much -- validated his hopes. No side proved more difficult to beat at home last season than Auckland and the one team that did manage to knock them off in the regular season, Western United, is in "hibernation" for 2025-26. If Corica's side can maintain the fortress that is Mount Smart Stadium this season, it will go a long way towards having the Black Knights up the table's pointy end once again.
Stocks Down: Undefeated and sitting close to the table's summit as they may be, Auckland's sputtering attack haven't exactly set the world on fire across the season's opening two weeks, with Jesse Randall's goal against the Wanderers the only time that they've found the back of the net this campaign. On Saturday, the hosts were only able to produce 0.62 expected goals (xG) from 18 shots, indicative of a side producing a volume of chances but not particularly good ones. New signing Sam Cosgrove has struggled to impose himself on games early in the season, and while it needs to be acknowledged that he'll still be adapting to the A-League and Kiwi conditions, he will need to improve in the weeks ahead.
Brisbane Roar
Stocks Up: Physical, industrious and with a point to prove, Justin Vidic seems to typify the type of player that Michael Valkanis has wanted to bring to the club -- putting the roar back in Brisbane Roar, as the new coach has put it -- and he was rewarded for his endeavour with a goal on his starting debut against Wellington. The manner that he did it, too, muscling past Manjrekar James to latch on to a ball played over the Nix's high line before finishing calmly, should bode well for his chances of getting further minutes in the months ahead.
Stocks Down: Valkanis, alongside a refreshed communications strategy, has brought a new sense of spirit and optimism back to the Roar heading into this campaign. However, for all their improvements, the Queenslanders haven't presented much going forward so far, having 36% of the ball in both of their games. And while dominating possession doesn't always mean success -- in the A-League, it actually often correlates with the opposite -- the Roar have also only managed to produce three shots on target. More than half of the xG they've created across two games has come from Jay O'Shea's penalty in round one and Sam Klein's ninth-minute header from a free kick against Wellington.
Central Coast Mariners
Stocks Up: For certain, Sydney FC was wasteful and lacked composure in their 2-0 win over the Mariners on Saturday evening. But that doesn't mean that the ageless Andrew Redmayne, fresh off last week's heroics in the F3 Derby, didn't play a role in making sure that the Sky Blues were forced to wait until almost the hour mark for their breakthrough goal or from piling on from there.
Stocks Down: Saturday night's performance was probably closer to what was expected from the Mariners after a challenging offseason, with stand-in skipper Nathan Paull candidly telling Paramount after the loss that CCM "just weren't up for it -- not good enough from us." Illustratively, it took until the 80th minute, by which point they were down a goal and easily could have been down a few more, for Abdelelah Faisal to produce their first shot on target, which was easily denied by Harrison Devenish-Meares. That proved to be their only shot on target all game.
Macarthur FC
Stocks Up: The Bulls' rally to beat the Reds featured a consistent ability to get the ball out wide and then find towering strikers Ji, who netted his first goal, and Harrison Sawyer, who was unlucky not to open his account for the campaign. Mile Sterjovski's side, however, would never have been in a position to take the lead had it not been for the top goalkeeping from Filip Kurto, who produced a series of excellent saves throughout the contest. Making a remarkable seven stops, Kurto faced a massive 4.38 xG on target, per FotMob, and was credited with preventing 3.38 goals throughout the contest.
Stocks Down: Missing multiple key contributors due to gastro, the Bulls were always going to be up against it on Monday evening, but Rose's cracking opening goal in just the 11th minute did provide something to build on in what had to then been a back-and-forth opening stanza. However, Macarthur were almost immediately pegged back from that point as the Reds would have eight of the nine remaining shots across the opening half and 13 of the next 14 overall. The broadcast reported that Sterjovski was telling his assistants that his side was sitting far too deep, and it's difficult to really argue with him: on another night, the Bulls would have been repeatedly punished with the volume of chances they gave up.
Melbourne City
Stocks Up: With his side's opening two goals in their 4-0 win over Perth, that's now four goals in three games in the span of eight days for Max Caputo. With the benefit of a full preseason, the big-bodied 20-year-old looks set for what could be a big campaign in 2025-26, and though a Socceroos cap before the World Cup is probably an unfair expectation, the presence of Australia's under-23 national team staff at AAMI Park on Saturday means a major role for the Olyroos ahead of next year's AFC Under-23 Asian Cup is on the cards. "With strikers, there's always a massive expectation on those guys to keep scoring goals, but we don't put that pressure on him," City boss Aurelio Vidmar said after the match. "What we love about Max is, even after the game, he goes, 'I've had a s--- game.'
"I wouldn't mind having a crap game as well, scoring two goals."
Stocks Down: Already without several players last week, the loss of Samuel Souprayen and Elbasan Rashani to soft-tissue injuries during the club's midweek Asian Champions League Elite win over Buriram United, combined with their horror run with injuries last season, looks set to trigger a review of Melbourne City's sports science department. "We're looking into it because we're obviously not doing something right in the program somewhere," Vidmar said. "We have to put our hand up and we can't put our heads in the sand -- we've got to have a deep dive into it."
Melbourne Victory
Stocks Up: Another game, another strong performance from Denis Genreau, who, alongside Keegan Jelacic, was one of the very few lights in what was an otherwise bleak 5-2 loss to Newcastle. Pouncing on the rebound from a Jason Davidson shot to open the scoring and then setting up Jelacic for the second -- both goals cutting the deficit to one -- the midfielder was a consistent creative spark for the visitors and did his bit to help lead the press, too. Given his multiple years in Europe and previous experience in Socceroos squads, Genreau fits the profile of the kind of player that Popovic may be inclined to look at before next year's World Cup, and, if he can maintain this form, he's doing his hopes no damage.
Stocks Down: Coach Arthur Diles talked about Victory's ongoing mission to build defensive solidarity ahead of their visit to face the Jets, but once the opening whistle blew, that was all blown away by the fierceness of the Jets' counter-press and quick, attacking movement. Absent skipper Roderick Miranda for the second-straight week -- who will have something to prove himself after coming back, after making several errors last campaign -- Victory were the victims of some very clinical finishing in the Hunter, but also gave up far too much time and space before several of the Jets' goals and too often turned the ball over inside their own half.
Newcastle Jets
Stocks Up: It can't be anything other than Alex Badolato's cracking hat trick; the youngster now leading the A-League Golden Boot race with four goals from just two rounds. While the space that Victory afforded him on all three of his goals -- two long-range blasts and one a finish from a Will Dobson cutback -- isn't something he'll be able to rely on, the 20-year-old is clearly playing with a ton of confidence right now, in a system that suits him, and under a coach that backs him. It's just two weeks in, and he's not going to be able to maintain this insane pace over the course of the long campaign, but just how consistently he's going to be a major force up top could prove pivotal in the Jets' season.
Stocks Down: After the kind of win that the Jets had over Victory, where Mark Milligan's young side looked like they were toying with their well-credentialled foes, it's a bit difficult to find an out-and-out negative. If one were being churlish, however, one could note that while their clinical finishing has allowed them to bang out goals, scoring seven off an xG of 4.9 across 180 minutes, they've also shipped five goals across their opening games, with both the Mariners and Victory able to find gaps they could punish in the opening fortnight.
Perth Glory
Stocks Up: Ummm. There wasn't much, if anything, that Glory fans could hang their hats on coming out of their 4-0 surrender to Melbourne City on Saturday. Three games into his A-League career, and after starting both games of the current campaign, 19-year-old Sebastian Despotovski -- the son of Glory legend Bobby -- at least, looks like he's capable of playing at this level, coming as close as anyone wearing purple did to finding the net on an afternoon to forget in Melbourne. Simply because they weren't associated with the result, Tom Lawrence, Luke Amos, and Sam Sutton's stocks also look better in comparison.
Stocks Down: Now here's where there's plenty of Glory material to work with. Two of his errors leading to goals, Brian Kaltak had a horror day against City, Jaiden Kucharski was forced off after just over half an hour with a groin injury, and Adam Taggart lasted just over an hour after carrying a sore heel into the game. But now in his second season, with his first delivering a wooden spoon, David Zdrilic is already on thin ice with the Glory supporter base. The way that his side was so casually beaten by City, who never really got out of, or needed to get out of third gear, was stark.
Sydney FC
Stocks Up: After their dour loss to the Reds to open the season, Saturday night's win over the Mariners was much more like it for Ufuk Talay and Co., particularly for Paul Okon-Engstler. Looking entrenched in the Sky Blue midfield, the 20-year-old's vision, calmness on the ball, and ability to drop a pass right where it needed to be were on show in the contest, with the latter ability particularly key in helping to set the table for Víctor Campuzano's opener. Plaudits, from a television viewing perspective, at least, also need to go to Leichardt Oval, which looked fantastic in its first game serving as a temporary home for Sydney while surface works take place at the Sydney Football Stadium.
Stocks Down: As dominant as they were throughout the contest, the Sky Blues would have been out of sight of the Mariners if they'd proven more clinical, and Al Hassan Touré had the toughest night of any of them in front of goal. The 25-year-old fluffed multiple chances to find the net for his side, and it was only Campuzano's rapid reaction to collect the ball and backheel it home that spared him the blushes of his golden missed opportunity seconds prior. The hope Touré will be that it was just an off night at the office and that as the season continues, he'll find his rhythm, but with Abel Walatee waiting in the wings, he can't afford to take too long.
Wellington Phoenix
Stocks Up: It's two games against his former sides and two goals for Carlo Armiento this season, with his 96th-minute sweetly taken, left-footed laser against Brisbane on Sunday afternoon to secure Giancarlo Italiano's side their first three points of the campaign. "He's probably one of the most promising signings I've ever made," Italiano had remarked before the game. "He's a great kid, and he works so hard. We're working on his defensive side because he's playing as a wingback, but the reason why I put him in that position is because I want him to score goals."
It's early, but a goal a game is certainly a good start to life for Armiento in Aotearoa.
Stocks Down: ESPN's A-League Men stocks up, stocks down acknowledges it hasn't done its refereeing badges, but it's difficult to figure out how striker Ifeanyi Eze was allowed to stay on the park after an off-the ball incident with Youstin Salas in the 59th minute, one in which replays showed seemingly showed him lashing out at the Costa Rica international's head. "There's no VAR ... is there no VAR?" Roar coach Valkanis asked post-game. "Because when I look at it on the screen now, and what I saw from the ground, yeah, that's a red card."
Further, that it took until the 62nd minute mark, at home and down a goal at that point, for the Nix to actually put a shot on target isn't positive, especially given it followed a particularly turgid opening stanza.
Western Sydney Wanderers
Stocks Up: It was a largely forgettable trip across the Ditch for the Wanderers, struggling to create much in the way of attacking impetus and making it far too easy for Auckland to have the game played on their terms in the early exchanges. Substitutes Alou Kuol, Aydan Hammond, and Dylan Scicluna were introduced in the second half and did help stage something of a late push, with the former two both having chances to equalise late. It did suggest that the Wanderers have some quality in reserve to call upon.
Stocks Down: The Wanderers have been unfortunate enough to come up against arguably the two strongest sides in the competition across the opening fortnight, so it's far too early to declare any kind of major emergency just yet. Nonetheless, there has not been much to get excited about watching them in possession across their opening fixtures, with the midfield especially still needing to click and generate more impetus. These challenges also ensure that when there are errors, such as Lawrence Thomas' giveaway ahead of Auckland's first goal over the weekend, there's less of a margin for error.
Socceroos World Cup bolter watch
Stocks Up: For the first time in 195 days, Jackson Irvine played a competitive football match over the weekend, coming on as a late substitute in St. Pauli's 2-0 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt. After spending over half a year on the shelf with a foot injury and a quad issue picked up in the warm-up of his first attempt to get back on the pitch, Irvine's return comes at an important time for the Socceroos, whose ideal midfield composition remains a key focus heading into next year's World Cup. With another camp coming up in November, getting Irvine in to see how he fits into this group -- especially how he meshes with emerging options such as Max Balard or Cammy Devlin -- makes sense. However, we've also seen that Popovic doesn't always feel the need to call in players he knows he can trust -- Maty Ryan missing September and Aziz Behich the last two windows, as examples -- so Irvine could also be given time to properly work his way back into his Bundesliga team, too.
Stocks Down: Admittedly, playing in some pretty bad Perth Glory teams in recent years hasn't stopped Adam Taggart from getting call-ups to the Socceroos. However, with a bevy of young strikers, including the likes of Mo Toure, Noah Botic and Zac Sapsford, emerging to challenge him for places, as well as more veteran figures such as Mitchell Duke and Nicholas D'Agostino finding some form with their clubs, how much Taggart's international aspirations will be able to withstand any kind of extended Glory struggles is a major question.
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