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As much as many around the country were enjoying seeing Steve Corica’s men battling away outside the top six through the first half of the season, the momentum has shifted and a few further wins across the next month will see Sydney challenging for a top-four position come season’s end.
After wins in two Big Blues and the Sydney Derby, along with an additional four points taken against Brisbane and Central Coast, Sydney FC are lurking with intent. They will also be loving the fact that others are twitching in their pants and nervous of missing out on finals play thanks to the presence of the mightiest team in A-League history.
And you know what? Bring it on.
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Sydney’s resurgence is exactly what the league needs. For every fairy tale that emerges, whether it be another Mariners run at the finals or Adelaide showing its normal grit and resilience to be there or thereabouts more often than not, the broader nation loves to death knell Sydney FC, or hate them immensely when dominant.
(Photo by Scott Gardiner/Getty Images)
In fact, it probably extends far beyond the city’s football team.
I’ve lived in Sydney for the majority of my life, work commitments have necessitated that, yet its cesspool-like nature escapes few, even its residents. The nation’s most populated city is a heartless, soulless behemoth that eats people up and spits them out on their last breath.
It lacks Adelaide’s class, Melbourne’s culture, Brisbane’s free-spiritedness, Hobart’s innocence and Perth’s individualism, yet does contain an elitist, latte set that never fails to astonish.
Sydney is a means to an end, rather than a place building or working towards anything. Thus, its sporting teams reflect the same psychology.
Sydney FC came to life in the opening season of the A-League, it built a deep roster with which to work, won immediately and has done so frequently ever since, despite a few speed bumps along the way.
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No matter those challenges, the corporate dollar and the importance of success in Australia’s biggest market has seen the club rebound briskly each time and compete soon after a lull.
So well managed is the corporate image of Sydney’s dominant team, that Wanderers fans still sing passionately and crudely of their hatred for “East Sydney”.
People around the nation call out perceived bias in A-League refereeing decisions that they claim always seem to help out Corica’s side and the “east-coast conspiracy” was born of the widespread belief that the powers-that-be were determined to always have a team in Sky Blue competing deep into the season.
Others can debate the myth or factuality behind such commentary, yet the one thing that is certain this season, is that the appearance of Sydney FC in sixth spot on the ladder as we enter the final seven rounds of the competition will cause many fans to long for others to steal a finals spot away from them.
With Victory now a spent force and last year’s champs Western United also now unlikely to feature across the final month, fans finally have what they wanted – bar the classy Melbourne City, who continue to loom as the potential Celtic or Juventus of the A-League.
The Reds are well in the hunt, Central Coast are not done just yet, Western Sydney will be hoping for the benefit of a Sydney grand final certainty, and Wellington continue to win and push for the top four.
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Realistically, Sydney appear to need a miracle to go all the way this season, yet most fans will still be cheering on the Jets and Bulls in the hope they eliminate Sydney FC from the finals.
And as much as you might like or dislike the above line of thinking, that passion and intense dislike for opposition teams is exactly what football is all about. Remove it and we have nothing.
So Sydney FC, keep winning and opposition fans, keep hating. It is what makes football great.
