Since 2006 Australia has moved to Asian zone or AFC so that this country can appear in world cup for main reason. Therefore, the Australian clubs from A-League (the top flight of Australian football) are allowed to compete in highest inter-Asia football clubs competition, AFC Champions league in next year. The A-Leagues sides are entered to ASEAN zone and play in group of east. This is a group where they will face a strongest club from 3 East Asian countries (Japan, Korea, and China) and middle even lower class from ASEAN such as from Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, and Vietnam for the rest. The A-League sides have been given an exclusive right by the AFC maybe caused by the socerroos performance. The sides (2) are direct to compete in AFC Champions League without through a playoff series.
This condition has increased the competition’s atmosphere in Asia. The A-League sides has felt a new situation that they will face many strongest clubs in Asia than in the past zone, Oceania and all people have known about it. And this situation has been felt by Asian too. For the AFC there is a beneficial effect that Australia joins to the AFC. Thanks this country AFC Champions League can be promoted in many other English channels like CNN and Fox Sport, 2 great media channels in the world which broadcast A-League for the recent time.
And now how about the A-League sides journey their self in this top flight competition?
There are 5 A-League sides which have join and compete. Adelaide United, Gold Coast Mariners, Melbourne Victory, Newcastle Jets, and Sydney FC are the A-Leagues sides which are mentioned in this competition. Adelaide has 3 times to compete and this appearance is similar with Melbourne Victory. Sydney FC 2 and Gold Coast and the last Newcastle have one for that.
By achievement side only Adelaide United could be said as A-League’s pride. They had reached the final in 2008 in the second appearance of A-League sides although defeated by the Japanese side, Gamba Osaka in two appointments. This is only one A-League side which has ever done and until present there are not others can do that.
After 2008 only Newcastle Jets, one of 2 new A-League side that has could passed from the group stage and then only could reached the second phase before the Korean Side, Pohang Steelers defeated 6-0.
In 2010 Adelaide United has tried to turning back for the glory but their journey has been stopped by the other Korean Side, Jeonbuk Motors in extra time.
And in this 2011 AFC Champions League the A-League has sent 2 best sides to compete with other Asian clubs. They are Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory. Both of them are seem to be familiar with this event because have ever appearance in AFC Champions League and of course they want to show their best performance from the experiences that they ever had. But if we see that they are placed in group with the main strongest team in Asia, we have to think could they pass from there? (Sydney FC is placed with Kashima Antlers, Shanghai Shenhua, and Suwon Samsung Blue Wings. Melbourne Victory with Jeju United Gamba Osaka, and Tianjin Teda).
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