Having been one of the foundation clubs of the Isuzu UTE A-League, Sydney FC will play their 500th A-League match this Saturday when they take on Adelaide United.
We take a look back at the previous milestone matches and who stands out during that time in terms of goals and appearances.
Match 1 – Sydney FC 1-1 Melbourne Victory | 28th August 2005 – Aussie Stadium, Sydney
In the very first A-League match of the Sky Blues, Dwight Yorke popped up with the goal in front of The Cove against Melbourne Victory. Archie Thompson equalised for the Victorians and the Big Blue rivalry was born.
Match 100 – Sydney FC 1-0 Central Coast Mariners | 5th October 2009 – Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Terry McFlynn celebrated his return from injury and the birth of his first child in perfect fashion on Labour Day Monday, claiming a 21st minute header that secured an entertaining 1-nil win over the Central Coast Mariners and returned Sydney FC to the summit of the A-League table.
The Northern Irishman’s clinical top-corner finish capped off a magical week for the crowd favourite, who welcomed daughter, Olivia to the world on the Thursday prior. It was his first match in a month, and the midfield dynamo looked like he was making up for lost time in a jack-in-the-box performance.
Match 200 – Sydney FC 2-1 Brisbane Roar | 10th February 2013 – Allianz Stadium, Sydney
A thunderbolt goal from Sydney FC youngster Peter Triantis secured a dominant 2-1 win over Brisbane Roar and sent the Sky Blues into the top six at Allianz Stadium.
A fourth consecutive home win in front of 14,589 passionate fans was the result of a brilliant midfield performance led by Triantis, Alessandro Del Piero and Rhyan Grant.
Del Piero etched his name into the Sydney FC history books, as his seventh minute strike not only gave Sydney a fabulous start, but secured his position as the highest goal scorer in a single season for the Sky Blues.
A Besart Berisha penalty on the cusp of half time led to a few nerves amongst the home faithful before Triantis’ strike released the shackles on a nervy crowd.
Match 300 – Newcastle Jets 0-2 Sydney FC | 29th October 2016 – McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle
Sydney FC moved six points clear at the top of the A-League ladder following a 2-0 win over the Newcastle Jets at McDonald Jones Stadium.
The Sky Blues dominated the game and hit the woodwork twice among their numerous chances.
Milos Ninkovic and Alex Brosque hit the target for the Sky Blues with two well taken goals in Newcastle.
Match 400 – Melbourne City 2-0 Sydney FC | 1st August 2020 – ANZ Stadium, Sydney
During the COVID induced lockdowns, Sydney FC and Melbourne City met at ANZ Stadium in the Sky Blues’ 400th A-League match.
Sydney had struggled since the competition restart after COVID and they found the going tough against City with Craig Noone and Jamie Maclaren netting two second half goals to sink Steve Corica’s side.
They would of course go on to lify the Championship trophy that season.
Milestones
Across the previous 499 matches, the Sky Blues have won 232, drawn 117 and lost 150, making them the most successful side across the period. Only Adelaide United have played more matches than the Sky Blues (503) but have only 204 wins.
The most common opponent has been Melbourne Victory of who the SKy Blues have met 63 times. In comparison, they only met the New Zealand Knights and North Queensland Fury six times each.
Sydney FC have also kept the most clean sheets at 144 with Melbourne Victory coming in second on 131.
In terms of the goalscoring department, the Sky Blues haven’t been shy across the 499 previous matches, scoring 788, only bettered by Melbourne Victory on 794. They have also conceded the less per game during this time, with an average of 1.24 goals against per 90 minutes.
As for club goalscorers go, you can’t look past Alex Brosque who leads the Sky Blues with 67 goals across his 22 matches. Rhyan Grant is the only player to have more appearances in the A-League for Sydney FC, currently sitting on 272.
Across the seasons, there have been 16 players to only make one league appearance for the Sky Blues, with Matthew Scarcella the only one still actively with the club who can change that stat.
Of course, the previous 499 matches have brought plenty of success with Sydney FC lifting four premierships (2009/10, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2019/20), five championships (2005/06, 2009/10, 2016/17, 2018/19, 2019/20) and countless of memories along the way.
Bring on the next 500.
