This Saturday evening, both the Sky Blue Women and Men will face-off our cross-city rivals, the Western Sydney Wanderers for the iconic Sydney Derby at Commbank Stadium.
With a combined 59 Sydney Derby appearances across the Liberty and Isuzu UTE A-League competitions, we took a trip down memory lane to reminisce our top five players who excelled during a derby showdown.
Adrian Mierzejewski:
In December 2017, centre midfield player Adrian Mierzejewski, played a crucial role in Sydney FC’s dominate performance against the Wanderers. In their 17th match-up, the Sky Blues and Wanderers went head-to-head in front of 36,000 people.
The Wanderers held majority of possession sitting at 57.4{98698ff7ed92b99d4e0cecdfdc9e4dccf4922e0a04ff9db373daf4aa83b73fe2}. However, an opening goal in the 14th minute from Mierzejewski established powerful momentum for the Sky Blue squad. Mierzejewski made it a double before the half time whistle and was followed by goals from Alex Brosque, Lachlan Scott OG and Brandon O’Neill. The score ended 5-0 and marked Sydney FC’s largest winning margin over their arch rivals.
In 2018, Mierzejewski drew blood once again after netting another double against the Wanderers. His Sydney Derby success continued until his departure from the club in 2018.
Caitlin Foord:
The Matildas representative had a hand in two of the women’s most successful wins against the Western Sydney Wanderers. In particular, their 14th match-up in 2019 saw the Sky Blues control the entire 90 minutes.
After a starting goal from Sofia Huerta, Foord was close behind to net the second and the Sky Blues kept their rivals scoreless for the duration of the match, allowing Foord to find the net again from the spot.
Alex Brosque:
The former Sydney FC captain has had an incredible record in the Sydney Derby. Brosque is the all-time top goal scorer in the Sydney Derby, netting six times against the arch rivals.
Brosque has scored in two of Sydney FC’s most successful derbies which saw them dominate the Western Sydney Wanderers 5-0 and 4-0.
In 2014, Brosque lead the Sky Blues to another derby victory after the score was level at 2-2. During the 79th minute, Brosque scored in front of The Cove, beating their rivals by one goal. Brosque’s record is yet to be broken.
Jodie Taylor:
The English striker had an average 73.3{98698ff7ed92b99d4e0cecdfdc9e4dccf4922e0a04ff9db373daf4aa83b73fe2} successful goal rate during her 15 appearances in a Sky Blue jersey during the 2013/2014 season. In this time, Taylor scored in two different Sydney Derby matches. In March 2014, Taylor netted two goals against the Western Sydney Wanderers after Leena Khamis scored the opening goal. This marked Taylor’s tenth goal for Sydney FC and her 22nd in her A-League career.
Adam Le Fondre:
The current equal second all-time top goal scorer in a Sydney Derby has had great success against the cross-city rivals. In 2018, the striker scored a crucial penalty in the Australia Cup at Penrith Stadium. The efforts displayed by Le Fondre saw the Sky Blues enter the Australia Cup Finals for that season.
Five years later, the now 36 year-old scored the winning goal in the first ever Sydney Derby showdown that took place during an A-League Finals game. Sydney FC progressed through the semi-finals with a 2-1 win at CommBank Stadium.
You can cheer on your Sydney FC heroes at CommBank Stadium this Saturday evening or broadcast via Paramount+. All match details for the Liberty A-League and Isuzu-UTE A-League are listed below.
Match Details: Women
Western Sydney Wanderers v Sydney FC
Liberty A-League Round 19
Saturday 2nd of March, 2024
CommBank Stadium, Sydney, NSW
Kick Off: 5:00PM
Broadcast Live: Paramount + and 10Play
Tickets: Click Here
Match Details: Men
Western Sydney Wanderers v Sydney FC
Isuzu-UTE A-League Round 19
Saturday 2nd of March, 2024
CommBank Stadium, Sydney, NSW
Kick Off: 7:45 PM
Broadcast Live: 10 Bold, Paramount + and 10Play
Tickets: Click Here
