And suddenly, they’re third!

All of a sudden, Queensland Roar are third! Thanks to their 2-1 win away to Perth Glory last Sunday, Roar moved from third last (or second last?) to third from the top of the A-League ladder. What a difference one week makes. What a difference one win can do to your team’s standing. Winless after the first 3 games (and I’ve whined about it in a previous post), they came from a goal down to beat Perth last week. Yes, Qld Roar did beat someone. Yes, they actually scored some goals – in last Sunday’s case, 1 more than other team did. So now, after 4 games, Qld Roar is third on the 8-team ladder. Amazing, isn’t it??

Considering their finishing inadequacies & old flaws from the previous games, it’s not bad to be sitting pretty on the table with only 2 teams in front. I mean, if they fumbled & laboured & somehow still managed to get to third spot, it must in theory bode well for the rest of the season that Qld Roar are looking to improve on their performances.

Anyway, that win in Perth sets us up nicely for this evening’s clash against Sydney FC at Suncorp Stadium. What a game it promises to be, & I’ve been looking forward to this for ages. Both teams played on the last day of the previous season, where Qld Roar needed a win to get to the A-League playoffs but could only manage a 1-1 draw, so Sydney FC got the last playoff spot instead. More than 31,000 turned out for that game. I would love it if there’s a similar turnout at this evening’s game.

And if you think Qld Roar have their problems, Sydney FC are having an even worse time, having started the season in a worse fashion than Qld Roar. They have not won a game so far this season, are actually last coming into this evening’s game. So they will be under more pressure to win than Qld Roar. But given the tightness of the A-League, a win for Sydney FC this evening will pull them level on points with Qld Roar. No one can write-off Sydney FC – they may have started the season badly, but a string of wins can do wonders for their standing & team confidence. Sydney FC will want to kick start their season this evening with a win, & Qld Roar will be keen to win in front of their fans. So I think both sides will have a go at each other, & it should be a cracker. Bring it on!!