A-Leagues adventures in Asia (ACL & AFC Cup thread)
CCM also pay later tonight
For the 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫, two A-Leagues sides are set to face off in Asia! 🌏🔥
— Isuzu UTE A-League (@aleaguemen) February 13, 2024
Next Thursday, @mfcbulls will host @CCMariners in the AFC Cup Zone Final 🙌 Bring it on!
Tickets go on sale from 2pm on Wednesday. 🎟️
📰 Details: https://t.co/Z0DJcDTsdW pic.twitter.com/vv5R3i9IKQ
As Australia only has two Asian slots next season, finals results are irrelevant for continental berths.
— Joey Lynch (@joeylynchy) February 19, 2024
https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2024/02/22/asia/afc-cup/south-west-united/central-coast-mariners-fc/4294656/
Winner hosts Roy Krishna's ISL club Odisha on 7th March (1st leg), and then travels to India for the 2nd leg 14th March.
Unfortunately Nix don't play either Bulls or Mariners around those dates. Nix have benefited from recently playing both those sides, coming off shorter turnarounds. CCM playing Welly in Waitangi Day, a few days after blitzing Adelaide. Then MAC playing Sabah in AFC Cup midweek before hosting the Nix.
Going to be different playing the Glory who stay at home, having had a week off.
Davila with MAC's first goal. Lewis off at 71 mins (0-0). Tony Smith on at 90 mins (1-1). Storm Roux off at HT for the Mariners.
Keep an eye out for CCM hosting Odisha on 7th March.
Be very interesting to see how Krishna looks against ALM opposition these days. Though he maybe a bit of a lone ranger without much support from his team mates. A bit like when he plays for Fiji.
Spicy 🌶️ #MACvCCM pic.twitter.com/tkmEbfGMqg
— Joe Kay (@joekayfootball) February 22, 2024
CCM having to deal with Asia helps us. Playing 120 mins isn't ideal with them playing Victory on Sunday tho.
https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2024/03/07/asia/afc-cup/central-coast-mariners-fc/delhi-dynamos/4294521/
Here's hoping for a good Mariners win, to take on the 30 hour trip to India next week for 2nd leg. Odisha do have the benefit of no ISL game this weekend, whilst CCM have to juggle a game verus Macarthur, before flying out.
Wonder if Roy is still looking to play for Auckland AFC?
On the other side of the AFC Cup draw, Abdysh-Ata (Kyrgyzstan) beat Taichung Futuro from Taiwan 5-0 in their first leg overnight. So if the Mariners get past Odisha, it would then next likely be a 2 leg tie against the Kyrgyz club in April. All good news for the Nix!
Doka converts the pen for 3-0.
Get past that and it's into the AFC Cup final.
Prizemoney $USD750K for losing finalist & $USD1.5M the winners. But zero prize for winning ALM Championship or Grand Final!!
Given the Mariners won the ALM GF very recently last season, it wouldn't surprise in Gosford if they behind closed doors, decide the AFC Cup is now the priority.
Presumably CCM would get Australia's sole spot in the next edition of AFC Champions League (ACL - which is due to start in Sept 2024) - if they were 2nd behind the not eligible Nix. So Mariners main ALM driver may now be finish at least 2nd, rather than 1st, ie making sure no Aussie club like SFC overtakes them.
The revamped ACL comp (AFC Champions League Elite) for Sept 2024, has had the winning prize money increased by factor 3x. The winners will now get a whopping $USD12M!! So the Aussie clubs will be desperate for a slice, and getting the sole Australian spot. More watching each other maybe than the Nix in first!
https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/asian-confederation-boosts-prize-fund-revamped-club-competition-2024-2023-08-14/
They get past Odisha and the next 2 legged playoff is against Abdysh-Ata from Kyrgyzstan (8-1 winners in their 2 legged playoff). 1st leg in Kyrgyzstan 17th April, and 2nd leg likely at Gosford 24th April.
Mariners get past the Kyrgz club, and it's a min $USD750K payday for making AFC Cup final ($USD1.5M the winners).
Anyway CCM are facing a congested match calendar now, with some long travel. They host the Nix 6th April in a biggie. Nix need just a draw against SFC this weekend to stay atop the ALM, until 30th March when it resumes after the international break.
https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2024/03/14/asia/afc-cup/delhi-dynamos/central-coast-mariners-fc/4294522/
Probably other clubs figuring they’d rather the money go to the league than to City?
Just three games stand between @ccmariners and AFC Cup glory 🏆👀
— Isuzu UTE A-League (@aleaguemen) March 14, 2024
This is the path Mark Jackson’s side have to take to lift silverware and secure $2.3 million in prize money, starting with an Inter-Zone Playoff final against Kyrgyzstan side Abdysh-Ata FC.
📰 Details:… pic.twitter.com/fTEBNvSk2l
.@CCMariners have had two @aleaguemen matches on the back of midweek action overseas in Asia this season – they lost one and drew the other 👀 https://t.co/dtaUqGwxFr
— Andrew Voerman (@andrewvoerman) April 17, 2024
With min $USD750K at stake, any loss tonight makes next week's return AFC Cup 2nd leg the most important game of their season to date.
Remembering you get nothing for winning the ALM, and they have already qualified for this year's richer AFC Elite Champions League as Australia's representative, ie finishing 1st on the ALM ladder doesn't give them any more dosh.
Our team to take on Abdysh-Ata Kant tonight! 📋#CCMFC #TakeUsToTheTop pic.twitter.com/kAJQWVqi6Y
— Central Coast Mariners (@CCMariners) April 17, 2024
1 - 1
1 - 1
Kaltak put them ahead late but CCM conceded in added time.
https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2024/04/16/asia/afc-cup/al-ahed-beirut/al-nahda/4294654/
Note the AFC Cup final will be hosted by the West Zone winner, so in either Oman or Lebanon/Iraq. Final is scheduled for 5th May, weekend of ALM Elimination finals. So hopefully that weekend it's the Nix players feet up resting, whilst the Mariners fly all the way to the Middle East.
If CCM can pull off double of winning ALM Grand final & AFC Cup - much respect it won't have been an easy journey!
The Kyrgyz FA are certainly helping their opponents Abdysh-Ata. They ain't playing any Kyrgyz league games during this 2 legged H&A AFC Cup tie. So keeping rested. Meanwhile the Mariners are playing 2 ALM games in the same period.
Ideal scenario for the Nix, Mariners win & then have to travel to Oman or Lebanon (more likely Iraq given Lebanon unsafe currently) for the AFC Cup final. Al Ahed from Lebanon hosted Al Nahda from Oman, in Karbala, Iraq last week in their 1st leg. 2nd leg tomorrow in Oman
https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2024/04/24/asia/afc-cup/central-coast-mariners-fc/fk-abdish-ata-kant/4294658/
As somone else pointed out, if the Mariners make the AFC Cup final with it's long haul to the Middle East, they will be higher chance of losing their 2 legged ALM semi series. And if CCM finish 1st ahead of the Nix, we want them to lose their semi final series, so that if the Nix win theirs, it's a ALM Final in Welly as top ranked finalists.
Given they held the 1st leg (Al Ahed home game) at a neutral venue in Karbala, Iraq - it's going to be an interesting trip to the Middle East for Central Coast for the May 5th (next Sunday our time) Final. That's if the Mariners get past Abdish Ata tonight, which they are favourites to do.
Before any AFC Final of course CCM play Newcastle this Saturday, and Adelaide next Wednesday.
Al Ahed with a Syrian coach & 3 Syrian starters last night
https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2024/04/23/asia/afc-cup/al-nahda/al-ahed-beirut/4294655/