2006–07 Melbourne Victory FC season

The Melbourne Victory A-League 2006–07 season was their most successful A-League season. They defeated Adelaide United 6–0 in their first Grand Final, winning the Championship, Premiership and qualifying for the AFC Champions League 2008.

Melbourne Victory

2006–07 season
Manager	Ernie Merrick
A-League	1st
Pre-Season Challenge Cup	5th
Top goalscorer	Archie Thompson (15)
Highest home attendance	56,636 vs Adelaide United (18 February 2007)
Lowest home attendance	15,563 vs New Zealand Knights (17 December 2006)
Average home league attendance	27,928
← 2005–06 2007–08 →

Season summary

Melbourne Victory celebrating their A-League Grand Final victory.

Melbourne began the 2006–07 Hyundai A-League season hoping to vastly improve on their 7th place in the inaugural season. Coach Ernie Merrick had made a number of off-season signings to bolster the squad with skill and experience including 3 Brazilians Alessandro, Claudinho, Fred along with Scottish Premier League player Grant Brebner. After a hugely successful Round 2 fixture against Sydney FC at the Telstra Dome (now the Etihad Stadium) in front of a crowd of 39,730,^[1] Melbourne Victory announced that they would move all but one match from Olympic Park to Telstra Dome.^[2] Melbourne became the first team to complete the A-League double in the history of the competition; clinching the premiership against the New Zealand Knights 4–0 at Olympic Park with 4 rounds of the A-League season remaining,^[3] then beating Adelaide United 6–0 in the Grand Final at a sold out Telstra Dome to take the championship.^[4] Melbourne also qualified for the 2008 AFC Champions League as A-League Champions.

Players

First team squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  AUS Michael Theoklitos 2 MF  AUS Kevin Muscat (captain) 3 DF  AUS Daniel Piorkowski 4 DF  AUS Mark Byrnes 5 DF  BEL Geoffrey Claeys 6 DF  AUS Steve Pantelidis 7 FW  AUS Michael Ferrante 8 MF  BRA Fred 9 FW  AUS Daniel Allsopp 10 FW  AUS Archie Thompson 11 MF  AUS Vince Lia 12 DF  AUS Rodrigo Vargas

No. Pos. Nation Player 13 MF  AUS Kristian Sarkies 14 MF  AUS Adrian Caceres 15 DF  AUS Adrian Leijer 16 DF  AUS Simon Storey 17 MF  SCO Grant Brebner 18 MF  BRA Alessandro 19 FW  BRA Claudinho 20 GK  AUS Eugene Galeković 21 FW  ENG James Robinson 22 MF  AUS Leigh Broxham 23 MF  AUS Antun Kovacic 30 GK  AUS Peter Gavalas

Transfers

In

Player	From	Country/State & League From	Date
Adrian Caceres	Perth Glory	A-League	13 February 2006
Alessandro	Sport Club Internacional	Brazil Serie A	July 2006
Claudinho	Atlético Paranaense	Brazil Serie A	24 May 2006
Fred	Guarani	Brazil Serie B	24 May 2006
Rodrigo Vargas	Green Gully Cavaliers	VPL	July 2006
Grant Brebner	Dundee United	Scottish Premier League	July 2006
James Robinson	Richmond SC	VPL	23 November 2006

Out

Player	To	Country/State & League From	Date
Chris Tadrosse	Released (KFC Uerdingen)	Oberliga Nordrhein	24 January 2006
Richard Kitzbichler	Released (Red Bull Salzburg)	Austrian Bundesliga	31 January 2006
Ricky Diaco	Released (Bulleen Zebras)	VPL	15 February 2006
Carl Recchia	Released (Fawkner-Whittlesea Blues) (Club Disabanded)	VPL	15 February 2006
Andy Vlahos	Released (Heidelberg United)	VPL	-
Geoffrey Claeys	Melbourne Victory retired	A-League	21 November 2006
Claudinho	Released		17 December 2006

Matches

Pre-season friendlies

Melbourne started their 2006-07 pre-season with a number of practise matches against Victorian Premier League clubs. These included a laboured 1–0 win over Richmond SC, a 2–2 draw against Bulleen Zebras, a 4–0 victory against Green Gully, a 7–0 victory of Kingston City FC and 3-0 victories over Altona Magic and Oakleigh Cannons.

Victory also won the QNI North Queensland Trophy by beating leading Chinese Super League team Changchun Yatai 6–1 in the final. Michael Ferrante scored twice early on and then-trialist Grant Brebner added a spectacular thirty-yard free-kick to make it 3–0 at half-time, while Danny Allsopp scored three times in the second half to seal the win. The competition featured fellow A-League side Central Coast Mariners (Victory won 4–2 on penalties), the Young Socceroos (Victory lost 5–6 on penalties), and Changchun Yatai (Victory won 3–1 in the first meeting).

Melbourne kicked off their A-League Pre-Season Cup campaign with a disappointing 1–0 loss to Adelaide United at Launceston's Aurora Stadium in front of 6,834 spectators. The second match saw them play out a 1–1 draw away to Perth Glory, with Daniel Allsopp scoring Melbourne's only goal. Back at Olympic Park for the final group match, they were soundly beaten 3-1 by the Central Coast Mariners, ending the club's hopes of progressing to the next round of the competition. A "bonus round" match finished off the group stage, with the Melbourne defeating Newcastle Jets 3–2.

In the first match of a rather meaningless playoff section involving the lower placed teams of the group stage, Victory defeated the Queensland Roar 4–2 on penalties, having been locked at 0-0 after 120 minutes of play. The match was held at Epping Stadium in the outer north of Melbourne. The final match of the pre-season cup saw the Victory defeat Perth Glory 1–0 at Olympic Park in front of 2,215 loyal fans, and finish the competition in 5th place.

2006-07 Hyundai A-League fixtures

Melbourne Victory v Adelaide United

25 August 2006 Round 1	Melbourne Victory	2 : 0	Adelaide United	Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+10	Muscat 29' (pen) Claudinho 78'			Attendance: 15,781 Referee: Matthew Breeze

Melbourne Victory v Sydney FC

2 September 2006 Round 2	Melbourne Victory	3 : 2	Sydney FC	Telstra Dome, Melbourne
19:00 UTC+10	Allsopp 8' Muscat 11' (pen) Allsopp 51'		Fyfe 18' Vargas 83' (OG) Rudan  13'	Attendance: 39,730 Referee: Mark Shield

New Zealand Knights v Melbourne Victory

9 September 2006 Round 3	New Zealand Knights	0 : 3	Melbourne Victory	North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
19:30 UTC+9:30			Allsopp 9' Thompson 22' Muscat 35'	Attendance: 2,107 Referee: Matthew Breeze

Melbourne Victory v Central Coast Mariners

17 September 2006 Round 4	Melbourne Victory	1 : 0	Central Coast Mariners	Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne
15:00 UTC+10	Thompson 51'			Attendance: 17,617 Referee: Angelo Nardi

Perth Glory v Melbourne Victory

24 September 2006 Round 5	Perth Glory	1 : 2	Melbourne Victory	Members Equity Stadium, Perth
17:00 UTC+10	Tarka 90'		Caceres 55' Muscat 72' (pen)	Attendance: 7,983 Referee: Peter Green

Melbourne Victory v Queensland Roar

1 October 2006 Round 6	Melbourne Victory	4 : 1	Queensland Roar	Telstra Dome, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+10	Fred 11' Muscat 22' (pen) Muscat 57' (pen) Allsopp 82'		Milicic 16'	Attendance: 25,921 Referee: Simon Przydacz

Newcastle Jets v Melbourne Victory

8 October 2006 Round 7	Newcastle Jets	0 : 2	Melbourne Victory	EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
19:00 UTC+10			Allsopp 69' Allsopp 89'	Attendance: 4,635 Referee: Peter Green

Melbourne Victory v Adelaide United

14 October 2006 Round 8	Melbourne Victory	0 : 1	Adelaide United	Telstra Dome, Melbourne
13:00 UTC+10			Owens 83'	Attendance: 32,368 Referee: Matthew Breeze

Sydney FC v Melbourne Victory

21 October 2006 Round 9	Sydney FC	1 : 2	Melbourne Victory	Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
20:00UTC+10	Corica 8'		Thompson 50' Thompson 73'	Attendance: 20,881 Referee: Mark Shield

New Zealand Knights v Melbourne Victory

27 October 2006 Round 10	New Zealand Knights	0 : 4	Melbourne Victory	North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
20:00 UTC+10			Fred 5' Thompson 57' Caceres 59' Allsopp 72' Caceres  87'	Attendance: 2,357 Referee: Simon Przydacz

Melbourne Victory v Central Coast Mariners

3 November 2006 Round 11	Melbourne Victory	3 : 3	Central Coast Mariners	Telstra Dome, Melbourne
19:00 UTC+11	Allsopp 5' Thompson 11' Allsopp 86' Vargas  23' Muscat  45'		McMaster 7' Petrie 12' Kwasnik 23' (pen)	Attendance: 28,118 Referee: Peter Green

Melbourne Victory v Perth Glory

9 November 2006 Round 12	Melbourne Victory	1 : 0	Perth Glory	Telstra Dome, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+11	Brebner 89'			Attendance: 22,890 Referee: Craig Zetter

Queensland Roar v Melbourne Victory

17 November 2006 Round 13	Queensland Roar	0 : 2	Melbourne Victory	Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
19:00 UTC+11			Parker 18' (OG) Thompson 47'	Attendance: 14,797 Referee: Simon Przydacz

Melbourne Victory v Newcastle Jets

25 November 2006 Round 14	Melbourne Victory	0 : 1	Newcastle Jets	Telstra Dome, Melbourne
17:00 UTC+11			Rodriguez 61'	Attendance: 27,753 Referee: Matthew Breeze

Adelaide United v Melbourne Victory

1 December 2006 Round 15	Adelaide United	1 : 3	Melbourne Victory	Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
19:00 UTC+11	Fernando 43' Bajic  13'		Muscat 16' (pen) Allsopp 62' Fred 86' Brebner  21'	Attendance: 16,378 Referee: Mark Shield

Melbourne Victory v Sydney FC

8 December 2006 Round 16	Melbourne Victory	0 : 0	Sydney FC	Telstra Dome, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+11				Attendance: 50,333 Referee: Mark Shield

Melbourne Victory v New Zealand Knights

17 December 2006 Round 17	Melbourne Victory	4 : 0	New Zealand Knights	Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+11	Allsopp 34' Caceres 39' Allsopp 44' Thompson 45'			Attendance: 15,563 Referee: Angelo Nardi

Central Coast Mariners v Melbourne Victory

30 December 2006 Round 18	Central Coast Mariners	1 : 2	Melbourne Victory	Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
17:00 UTC+11	Kwasnik 53'		Fred 23' Thompson 27'	Attendance: 15,404 Referee: Simon Przydacz

Perth Glory v Melbourne Victory

7 January 2007 Round 19	Perth Glory	2 : 2	Melbourne Victory	Members Equity Stadium, Perth
17:00 UTC+11	Harnwell 29' Byrnes 43' (OG)		Sarkies 59' Sarkies 76' Ferrante  75'	Attendance: 6,462 Referee: Peter Green

Melbourne Victory v Queensland Roar

12 January 2007 Round 20	Melbourne Victory	1 : 2	Queensland Roar	Telstra Dome, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+11	Thompson 80'		Mori 18' Vidosic 90'	Attendance: 28,937 Referee: Mark Shield

Newcastle Jets v Melbourne Victory

19 January 2007 Round 21	Newcastle Jets	4 : 0	Melbourne Victory	EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
17:00 UTC+11	Bridge 36' Bridge 48' Coveny 51' Griffiths 73'			Attendance: 19,601 Referee: Matthew Breeze

2006–07 Finals series

Adelaide United v Melbourne Victory

27 January 2007 Major Semi Final Leg 1	Adelaide United	0 : 0	Melbourne Victory	Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
16:30 UTC+11				Attendance: 15,575 Referee: Simon Przydacz

Melbourne Victory v Adelaide United

4 February 2007 Major Semi Final Leg 2	Melbourne Victory	2 : 1	Adelaide United	Telstra Dome, Melbourne
17:00 UTC+11	Allsopp 48' Robinson 90'		Dodd 4'	Attendance: 47,413 Referee: Mark Shield

Melbourne Victory v Adelaide United

18 February 2007 Grand Final	Melbourne Victory	6 : 0	Adelaide United	Telstra Dome, Melbourne
16:00 UTC+11	Thompson 21', 29', 40', 56', 73' Sarkies 90'		Aloisi  34'	Attendance: 55,436 Referee: Mark Shield

Ladder

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Melbourne Victory (C)	21	14	3	4	41	20	+21	45	Qualification for 2008 AFC Champions League group stage and Finals series
2	Adelaide United	21	10	3	8	32	27	+5	33
3	Newcastle Jets	21	8	6	7	32	30	+2	30	Qualification for Finals series
4	Sydney FC	21	8	8	5	29	19	+10	29[a]
5	Queensland Roar	21	8	5	8	25	27	−2	29
6	Central Coast Mariners	21	6	6	9	22	26	−4	24
7	Perth Glory	21	5	5	11	24	30	−6	20
8	New Zealand Knights[b]	21	5	4	12	13	39	−26	19	Disbanded at end of season

Source: ultimatealeague.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions
Notes:

1. Sydney FC were penalised three competition points following round 18 due to salary cap breaches which occurred during the 2005–06 season
2. New Zealand Knights cannot qualify for the AFC Champions League as they are not recognised as an AFC club.

2006–07 awards

• Victory Medal
  • Kevin Muscat and Danny Allsopp
• Players' Player of the Year
  • Danny Allsopp
• Clubman of the Year
  • Fred
• Golden Boot
  • Archie Thompson