National Premier League’s South Australia Match Preview
Round 5 – proudly presented by Adelaide Fence Co
Cover Image: 80kms
Para Hills Knights vs Adelaide United FC, Saturday 3pm at The Paddocks
Words contributed by Gianluca Filosi (AdelaideUnited.com.au)
Carlo Armiento is optimistic Adelaide United Youth can carry the momentum from their win over West Adelaide into their clash with Para Hills Knights at The Paddocks on Saturday.
The Young Reds returned to form after a 4-2 victory over West at the weekend.
Paul Pezos’ side had a healthy three-goal lead just after the interval before conceding twice in quick succession. However, Pacifique Niyongabire provided an angled finish to seal what was a rather dominant display.
Armiento, who set up United’s third goal with a beautifully driven cross into the box, said the win came at the perfect time.
“We thought we played pretty well against Adelaide City but we were just disappointed with the result,” Armiento said, as they lost 2-0 to City back in Round 3.
“So I think going out and beating West Adelaide was a good confidence booster for the team.”
Para Hills are still searching for their first win of the campaign, having suffered two defeats and collected two draws.
The 19-year-old expected nothing less than a difficult encounter.
“I think Para Hills is always a team that’s always going to fight even if they’re losing,” he said.
“So it’s going to be a hard game especially away from home.”
Para Hills Knights: Para Hills Knights line-up: 1. Tim Ramsey, 3. Peter Eleftherakis, 4. Kieran Mcnally, 5. Tyson Herraman, 7. Chester Castellaw, 9. Michael Ndjekompte, 10. Luke Colalancia, 11. Andrew Butler, 12. Paul Reilly (GK), 15. Pierce Stephens, 16. Kyle Crout, 17. Mohammad Sumaoro, 18. Pietro Piantedosi, 20. Charlie Devereux, 21. Isaac Mullen, 22. Hirofumi Kochi, 23. Tyler Bailey
Coaches: Barney Smith, Paul Crout, Jamie Ocego-Kingsley, Matthew Bates
Team Staff: Geoff Sullivan, Dwayne Hall
Adelaide United FC: 1. Cameron Cook, 2. Cooper Nunn, 5. Noah Smith, 6. Ryan Yates, 7. Taras Gomulka, 8. Jai King, 11. Carlo Armiento, 12. Yared Abetew, 17. Aladin Irabona, 19. Alhassan Toure, 21. Domenic Costanzo, 24. Pacifique Niyongabire, 27. Louis D’Arrigo, 28. Kristin Konstandopoulos, 30. Isaac Richards (GK), 33. Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, 44. Jared Clark
Coaches: Paul Pezos, Joshua Smith, Mario Karlovic
Team Staff: William Cutts, Julian Urlings
Croydon Kings vs MetroStars, Saturday 3 pm at Polonia Reserve
Words contributed by Jason Cavey (MetroStars.com)
It’s 2nd v 3rd at Polonia Reserve on Saturday afternoon in what hopes to be an excellent battle of two in-form teams.
An unbeaten Croydon Kings are coming off a 1-1 draw to top of the table Adelaide Olympic but can be encouraged by their performance after a positive start to the season. They are currently 3rd on the ladder with 8 points.
The home side will be extremely comfortable with their underdog's title after surprising the NPL faithful with a really positive start to the 2019 campaign.
MetroStars are coming off a brilliant 4-1 win over Adelaide Comets last Saturday night (highlights here) and will be hopeful of a positive result to put pressure on the top of the table.
Comets started the better of the two sides and opened the scoring on 4 minutes through their Afghan-international Omid Popalzay. Comets continued to press but poor finishing prevented them from going 2 or 3 up. Metro then got themselves back into the game on 27 minutes when Scott Nagel followed through on Rocky Callisto in the box. Christian Esposito converted the resulting penalty and we went into the break at 1-1.
The second half belonged to MetroStars who won the individual battles all the over the park. We took the lead on 59 minutes as Lachlan Barr finished off a Hamish Gow corner. Half time substitute Fabian Barbiero rolled back with the years with a fabulous effort reminiscent of his A-League days on 71 minutes to give Metro a 3-1 lead. Rocky Callisto continued his brilliant run of form and notched up Metro's 4th goal on 81 minutes. It was a delightful cross from Stefan Cali at the far post and Callisto headed home with precision.
MetroStars Coach Robbie Saraceno will be expecting more of the same from his players this Saturday night. Antony Solagna is doubtful as he recovers from the knee injury that forced him out of our win over Comets. Tim Henderson is still on the long term injury list.
Croydon Kings: 1. Gianni Tramontin, 2. John Panagaris, 3. James Polli, 4. Alexander Sunasky, 5. James Skeffington, 6. Kerrin Stokes, 7. Kristos Stefanopoulos, 8. Andrew Maio, 9. Nathan Munro, 10. Luke Klimek (C), 11. Antoni Trimboli, 12. Christopher Vivian, 13. Guy Miller, 14. Peter Mercurio, 15. Jo Ichiguchi, 16. Adam Martinello, 17. Alex Demasi, 18. Jarrod Brazzale, 19. John Papapetros, 20. Zade Heinicke, 21. John Hall (GK), 23. Patrick Caraccia
Coaches: Angelo Costanzo, Maurice Natale, Latham Byfield, Robert Matosevic
Team Staff: Mario Catalano, Joshua Avery
MetroStars: 1. Isaac Carmody (GK), 2. Nicholas Menechella, 3. Cohan Morris, 4. Justin Davis, 6. Lachlan Barr, 7. Michael Daloisio (C), 8. Rocky Callisto, 9. Thomas Strain, 10. Anthony Solagna, 11. Matthew Charalambous, 12. Benjamin Head, 14. Dylan Smith, 16. Alexander Jakob, 17. Matthew Dawber, 18. Fabian Barbiero, 19. Cooper O’Donnell, 20. Cameron O'Doherty, 22. Hamish Gow, 23. Christian Esposito, 25. Jackson O’Donnell, 26. Stefan Cali
Coaches: Robert Saraceno, Travis Dodd, Konstandinos Antoniou
Team Staff: Giorgio Capoccia, Leonardo Cali, Joseph Polisena, Peter Terminello
South Adelaide vs Adelaide Comets, Saturday3 pm at O’Sullivans Beach
Panthers will be desperate to take advantage of the coaching shakeup at Adelaide Comets this week as the two sides face off down at O’Sullivans Beach.
The southern-based side will be looking to shake up their defensive structure after a 5-1 drubbing at NPL champions Campbelltown City last Saturday. The Panthers have leaked in fifteen goals in just four games with only four goals hitting the back of the net at the other end.
Adelaide Comets were victims of the first coaching casualty of the season after their SA FFA Cup-winning coach Theo Tsiounis resigned following his sides 4-1 home loss to MetroStars.
In a statement, Comets said, “Due to increased work commitments, Theo does not feel that he is able to provide the time and dedication to the Senior group that is required for the remainder of the season.”
Tony Galanopoulos will lead the team for tomorrow’s match.
South Adelaide: Jake Carmichael, Michael Goode, Brayden Micallef, 01. Con Zacharopoulos (GK), 3. Masahiro Haruoka, 04. Robert Parker, 05. Jordan Watson, 06. Liam Wooding, 07. Nicholas Harpas, 08. Sam Carmichael (C), 09. Harley Gepp, 10. Donovan Pollock, 11. Jayden Lobasso, 13. Jai Conroy, 15. Christopher Ashwood, 17. Joel Smith
Coaches: Benjamin Dale, Dave Lee, Matthew Huntley, Fraser Mc Lean
Team Staff: Kym Goode, Lucy Boseley, Connor Fagan
Adelaide Comets: 1. Julian Torresan (GK), 2. Harry Keramidas, 4. Tom Dittmar, 5. Adam Le Cornu, 6. Jack Bladen, 7. Lewis Farquhar, 8. Connor Gollan, 9. Andreas Wiens, 10. Christopher Pepe, 11. Anthony Mavrolambados, 12. Lansana Smith, 13. Jon Aurtenetxe Borde, 14. Nathan Andijanto, 15. Omid Popalzay, 16. Stephan Travaglione, 17. Franz Pjetri, 18. Stefan Simic, 22. Allan Welsh (C), 23. Scott Nagel, 40. Zak Collingwood
Coaches: Antonios Galanopoulos, Chris Simpson
Team Staff: Evangelo Katsambis, Elsie Kenny, Bridget Siviour, Phillip Rillotta
West Adelaide vs Raiders, Saturday 5 pm at VALO Football Centre
A struggling West Adelaide is still looking for its first win of the 2019 NPL Season as they welcome a newly promoted Raiders side who has their tails wagging.
Steve Di Giovanniello’s side has lost three out of their last four matches and find themselves being sucked into an early relegation dog fight.
West Adelaide can take something from last week’s 4-2 loss with Adelaide United, with signs of Carrusca creeping into the form we are all expecting. The former Adelaide United FC star produced the assist of the season with a sumptuous flick for Ryutu Hamanatsu to slide home.
The Raiders come into the game on the back of a thrilling 2-2 draw with Adelaide City last Friday night. Terrence Carter produced a best on ground performance and hammered home the Goal of the Round with a delicious volley.
West Adelaide: 1. Lewis Moss (GK), 3. Matthew Di Matteo, 5. Gatlat Tongyik, 6. Ryuta Hamamatsu, 7. Perry Mitris (C), 8. Kosta Mantis, 9. Theo Balomenos, 10. Marcelo Carrusca, 11. Ibrahima Kamara, 12. Matthew Bouraee, 13. Matthew Bouzalas, 15. Alex Hristodoulopoulos, 17. Athanasios Morakis, 19. Jaiden Diamantis, 20. Nahuel Bonada, 22. Michael Alexandrou
Coaches: Steven De Giovanniello, Stavros Gelekis
Team Staff: Aaron Kaselouris, Charlie Larosa
Raiders: Vasilios Tryfopoulos, Justin Bralic, 3. Kalilou Kamara, 4. Paul Blefari (C), 5. Adam Van Dommele, 7. Jackson Walls, 8. Rocco Visconte, 9. Scott Tunbridge, 10. Terence Carter, 13. Nicholas Munro (GK), 14. Oliver Zafiridis, 18. Joshua Mori, 21. Jake Monaco, 33. Thilo Wilke, 91. Yasmin Sudic, 99. Emanuel Philip
Coaches: Nikica Kuzman, Larry Piscioneri, Michael Paleka
Team Staff: Antonio Vella, Lisa Feleppa, An-Phong Nguyen
Adelaide City vs Campbelltown City, Saturday 7 pm at Adelaide City Park
In a repeat of last years NPL Grand Final, Adelaide City and Campbelltown City lock horns at Oakden under the lights on Saturday evening.
City, who are just one win from their opening four games, will be hungry after they felt two points dropped.
City midfielder Nic Bucco is looking forward to the challenge on Saturday night after Saturday’s draw.
“We were very happy with our reaction after going 2-1 down and we had the chances to win the game late on. That is something to build on for the tough games ahead.”
“I am very excited as it’s one of the biggest games of the season for both clubs. The rivalry has been very good over the years so it’s always one to look forward to.”
“All the boys are confident we can get the three points at home and prove ourselves as a top team in 2019.”
The Red Devils though are slowly starting to show signs of the form they showed last season, coming in from a resounding 5-1 demolition over a winless Panthers at Steve Woodcock Sports Centre last week.
Alex Mullen and Joes Allwright both bagged double braces, while Lui DiTroia returned to the scoresheet with a wonderful curled finish from outside the box, his first goal since returning from a horrific arm injury sustained at the end of last season.
Adelaide City: 1. Ryan Veitch, 3. Bradley Corbo, 4. Elliot Green, 5. Zakariah Waters, 6. Dominic Matricciani, 8. Joseph Costa, 9. Anthony Costa, 10. Evan Kostopoulos, 11. Nicholas Bucco, 12. Kouakou Kouadio, 17. Stefan Casalbore, 18. Paul Radice, 20. Luke Ostbye, 22. Haris Vuckic, 45. Tomas Maricic, 48. Marcos Flores (C)
Coaches: Michael Matricciani, Oliver Totani, Geoff Hargreaves, Joe Verringer
Team Staff: Fabian Garuccio, Peter Romeo, Kevin Doan
Campbelltown City: 1. Jamie Signorello, 2. Shaun Harvey, 4. Iain Fyfe (C), 5. Matthew Mullen, 7. Joel Allwright, 8. Alexander Mullen, 10. Luigi Ditroia, 11. Anthony Ture, 12. Jacob Williams, 14. Adam Piscioneri, 15. Antony Piscioneri, 16. Daniel Mullen, 17. Brandon Centofanti, 20. Nicholas Harpas (GK), 22. Yohei Matsumoto, 23. Jake Halliday
Coaches: Joseph Mullen, Philip Stubbins, Leslie Pogliacomi
Team Staff: Panfilo Ciccocioppo, David Cavaiuolo, Elio Bria
Adelaide Olympic vs Adelaide Blue Eagles, Saturday 7 pm at VALO Football Centre
Two of the three undefeated teams will do battle at VALO Football Centre on Saturday night as Olympic welcomes newly promoted Blue Eagles.
The two sides are in a rich vein of form with Olympic opening up a two-point gap at the top of the tree after a hard-fought 1-1 draw at Croydon Kings last week.
Ricardo Da Silva stroke home to give Olympic a point at Polonia.
Hamish McCabe, currently top of the ladder in the Triple M Player of the Year votes, will be looking carry on his form.
Italian import Testardi got off the mark for on Monday night, slipping home a delightful finish from outside the box in a 4-1 drubbing against Para Hills. Testardi linking excellently with the Blue Eagles forward line showing signs of his Serie-A experience.
However, with Christos Pounendis and Ricardo Da Silva in goalscoring form, the game promises to be an open and attacking spectacle.
Adelaide Olympic: 1. Daniel Vaughan (GK), 2. Jacob Butler-Bowdon, 3. Matthew Halliday, 4. Thomas Brown, 5. David Makridis, 6. Elias Vlassis, 7. John Karatzas, 8. Manni Katopodis, 9. Christos Pounendis, 10. Ricardo Da Silva (C), 11. Alexandros Koutoulogenis, 12. Dimitri Toumazos, 13. Paul Espina, 14. Fausto Erba, 15. John Tsimopoulos, 16. Julio Abadia, 17. Mamadi Kamara, 19. Tito Bontor, 20. Jack Chivers, 21. Nikolas Harpas, 23. Andrea Dallera
Coaches: George Tsonis, Tony Sacca, Ali Sadick
Team Staff: Caroline Riemelmoser, Michael Malandris, Alex Abela
Adelaide Blue Eagles: 1. Benjamin Jackson, 5. Christopher Annicchiarico (C), 6. Brylon Nthoane, 7. Shekubah Hutton-Addy, 8. Damien Crettenden, 9. Emanuele Testardi, 10. Alemayo Kebede, 11. Evan Kounavelis, 12. Zac Vannucci, 14. Stefan Gluscevic, 15. Christian D'Angelo, 16. Hamish McCabe, 17. Liam McCabe, 18. Lucas Candeloro, 20. Chante Mayol, 21. Ivan D'Adamo, 23. Antoni Panagoulias, 24. Adrian Barone, 26. Richard Goss
Coaches: Vojislav Gluscevic, Danny Barone
Team Staff: Remo Gagliardi, Bhavik Dadia, Cale Amos, Jackson Howie