Despite sixteen out of the twenty-six player squad being unavailable, Sydney FC proved their ability to adapt on Sunday, coach Slaveski expressing pride in their performance considering the circumstances.
“In terms of what we ask of the girls, their performance and what they put in, I couldn’t be prouder – they were excellent,” he said.
“We had a number of opportunities to kill it off, but didn’t take our chance, and obviously at the end we gave away a corner.
“It is what it is and we deal with it – we come away with a point and move on to next week.”
Despite a number of players coming into the preseason injured, the focus remains on their rehabilitation and ensuring they are fit and firing at the back end of the season.
“For us the focus is more on getting through this period, and once we do, making sure we’re conservative with the players in terms of rehabilitation,” Slaveski said.
“We want them available come round twenty, and don’t want to bring them back too soon to where we risk further injury and everything that comes with that.”
Sydney FC welcomed several new signings during the pre-season, the Sky Blues quickly adapting and integrating their skills to showcase their threat ahead of the upcoming season.
“We are really pleased with all of the recruits we’ve brought in with how they’re moving forward and tracking,” Slaveski said.
“From day one we’ve made a real conscious effort to have a certain environment here at the club culturally, and from day one the players have been exceptional. You can see there’s a real connection within the group, and a real belief in what we’re trying to do.”
“I’m really proud of Asha Sutton, scoring a goal on debut and Megan Mifsud as well, who I thought played excellent coming on when she did.
“Riley Cohn scored a really nice goal with her weak foot, Kiley Delaney was exceptional playing out of position, and Kenzie Roling is a really good athlete that gives us a good balance on the left side of the pitch.
“We’re also so happy to have Maddie Caspers back, who had a bit of a rough ride last season with injury, and I think with her as time goes on, she’ll get more game time under her belt, will start to progress even more and be a real threat for us.
“When we start to get the rest of our troops back in as well, I think we are going to be a really dangerous football side, and I think we’ve shown today that we are.”
Looking forward to the rest of the season, Slaveski says the Sky Blues are ready for whoever they come up against.
“Next week will be a different challenge than today, with Melbourne City having different weapons and strengths, but we’re not afraid of anyone,” he said.
“We are, in my opinion, the biggest club in the country, and whoever we come up against, we’re on the front foot and we go for it.”
With the double header on Sunday, Slaveski’s squad has another chance to prove its fierce competitiveness against Melbourne City, an atmosphere like no other with Cortnee Vine making her return to Sky Blue.
Match Details
ALM Sydney FC v Adelaide United & ALW Sydney FC v Melbourne City
Isuzu A-League Men & Ninja A-League Women
Sunday 25 October 2026
Allianz Stadium, Moore Park, NSW
ALM Kick Off: 3:00 pm AEDT ALW Kick Off: 5:45 pm AEDT
Gates Open: 2:00 pm AEDT
Broadcast Live: Paramount+, Channel 10
Tickets: Click Here
