Historic clash coming on Wednesday
2007-05-21 01:44:48 / News
+Reds - Sydney FC+
23/5(Wed) 19:30 /ACL Matchday6 /Saitama Stadium
Only 2 days until the historic clash.
Sydney FC are already in Japan and they seem to so excited that they repeat that it is the most important game in Australian club football history.
But they had better remember it's also one of the most important game in our history.
Saitama Stadium is gonna be red hell for the blue Aussies.
We'll be right on our big night, says Rudan
SEASONED Sydney FC captain Mark Rudan will offer his teammates one-on-one meetings if they have concerns before playing the biggest match of their careers and possibly the most important game in Australian club history.
The team arrived in Japan yesterday to prepare for the Asian Champions League showdown with Urawa Reds on Wednesday night. It's a game they must win to qualify for the giant tournament's final eight.
They will play in front of a crowd of 60,000 and millions of television viewers. Rudan urged the Australian public to support his side and said he would do all he could to ensure his players were not overawed.
"I've played in a couple of local derbies in Germany in front of big crowds," the 31-year-old said. "But this will be a full house with a lot riding on it. For Sydney FC - a club I hold dear to my heart, being a Sydney boy - it is probably the biggest game I've been part of.
"It's massive, not just for me but for the team, the club, the fans and everyone associated with football in Australia."
Rudan said it was his duty as captain to make sure his players were calm and prepared for the match.
"Games like this are a bit of an unknown and that's why I have to step up a bit and have more of a leadership role," he said.
"I'll talk to some of the players who may not have experienced a game like this before. I'll work through it with them and let them know what's required without putting too much pressure on them.
"We've also got players who have played in big games, which will help. There's a lot of experience and you need that in games like this."
The game clashes with rugby league's showpiece - State of Origin - and although Rudan accepts that the league might be more appealing to most Sydneysiders, he believes people are aware of the magnitude of the Urawa match.
"It's still early days in terms of the A-League and football in Australia," he said.
"I'd love to be sitting here in five years and we're in a position where we're in line with rugby league, or topping them at some stage.
"But we know there's a lot more work to be done in this country. I also know that at the grassroots level it's a fantastic start and we have to work into that and keep building the A-League.
"If we didn't have the numbers in the juniors, you wouldn't think there's much of a future for the game, but it is the No.1 participation sport in the country and we really do have to work hard in the football fraternity to keep pushing ahead.
"The game on Wednesday is on at the same time as the State of Origin, which has been around for 20-odd years. It would be stupid of us to try to compete with that right now.
"But I hope people understand - and I think they do now - that our participating in the Asian club championship is big.
"It's not an easy championship. We're experiencing some good and bad points along the way. But what it gives, as opposed to rugby league and other codes, is a real international flavour at club level."
Source: The Sun-Herald
It's put up or shut up time, Culina tells Sydney
The Sydney squad left for Tokyo last night, 30 hours earlier than originally planned, to give themselves the best possible preparation ahead of Wednesday's ACL decider at Saitama Stadium, where Urawa will be backed by a massed gallery of some of the most passionate fans in the world.
Sydney need a win to progress to the knockout phase, while the Japanese champions can afford to draw. But whatever happens, Culina believes the experience will help define his team ahead of the 2007-08 A-League season, when Sydney will be under enormous pressure to get back on track after the trials of last term.
"It's going to be an unbelievable experience no matter what, and I can't think of anyone apart from Bimbi [Steve Corica] and Zdrilla [David Zdrilic] who would have played in a game as big as this before," Culina said.
"We all wanted to be in this position before the campaign began, and it's pretty exciting to think we've got this far. Now it's about sorting out the men from the boys. I want to see who the big-game players are, who I can really depend on when the going gets tough next season. It's a great test for the players, and for me, as well. We're all going to learn a hell of a lot from the experience."
Injury concerns surrounding veterans Mark Rudan and Ufuk Talay, and midfielder Mark Milligan - who failed to train yesterday - have forced a re-think on the composition of the squad, with short-term signings Noel Spencer and Luka Glavas travelling as cover after being left out of the initial
party. The contracts of both Spencer and Glavas expire immediately after the match.
Also joining the touring
party will be chief executive George Perry, who wants to convert talk about closer ties with Asia into actions. "That's the purpose of me going, to try and make something happen," he said. "Our expansion into Asia has created a lot of interest in Sydney FC, and Australian football in general, and we need to capitalise on that.
"I'll be talking to some companies while I'm there who may be interested in making an investment in the club, while I'll also meet the Urawa manager to go over their footballing set-up, and see what we can learn.
"I'll also be discussing friendly matches between our two clubs down the track, because we do want to create sister club relationships around the world - and we'd like Urawa Red Diamonds to be one of them."
Meanwhile, plans for Culina and his staff to attend Urawa's away match against Nagoya Grampus Eight today have been foiled by logistical difficulties, and the brains trust will have to rely on DVDs of Urawa's recent games instead. The Reds welcome back striker Washington and defender Tulio Tanaka from suspension, and are expected to have a full squad at their disposal.
Red Diamonds fans will help Sydney FC: Rudan
Sydney FC captain Mark Rudan has turned up the heat for next decisive Asian Champions League group match in Japan, claiming the Urawa Red Diamonds may be burdened by their feverish hometown support.
The Blues fly out for Tokyo expecting to be greeted by a sea of red shirts at the 63,000-capacity Saitama Stadium on Wednesday.
It looms as the most intimidating of assignments for Sydney, who must beat the Japanese champions to seal a berth in the competition quarter-finals.
But far from expecting the vocal support to lift Urawa, Rudan believes the anticipated sell-out crowd may instead add a further load to the already heavy weight of expectation surrounding the home side.
"We really go into this game knowing that the pressure is not on us," Rudan said.
"They're at home, they're the ones that have to at least draw the game (to advance to the quarters), so everything is on them, the onus is on them to do well.
"Obviously we're playing second fiddle, we're the outsiders in this, and we know we can go there without the burden of having 65,000 people behind us, and the pressure that brings.
"It's obviously going to be extremely vocal, from what we understand it's a sell out over there, but it's going to be a fantastic experience."
With only the top team from each pool progressing to the knockout stages, group E leaders Urawa need only draw to advance.
Sydney must win.
But they will go into the game confident of upsetting the club considered "the Manchester United of Asian football" after a 2-2 draw with Urawa in their previous meeting at Aussie Stadium in March - a match in which Sydney led 2-0 early on.
"There's a lot of self belief in this team knowing that we can do the job," Rudan said.
"We were 2-0 up against them in the first 25 minutes... I just think its important that the players go in there with the right frame of mind, knowing we can win the game, and not hoping we can win the game, with the pressure being on them and not on us."
Sydney warmed up for their Japan jaunt with a comfortable 2-0 victory over the Malaysian national team at Edensor Park on Wednesday.
Noel Spencer and David Zdrilic each scored in the first half with both goals set up by midfielder David Carney.
Most importantly, Sydney got through the game injury free, with Olyroos Mark Milligan and Nikolai Topor-Stanley also emerging unscathed from Australia's 3-1 victory over Iran in Wednesday's Olympic qualifier in Adelaide.
With Robbie Middleby out suspended, coach Branko Culina's only significant injury concern is midfielder Ufuk Talay (calf).
Talay was rested from the Malaysian game, but Culina is confident he will be fit.
Off the pitch, Sydney are hopeful of securing a marquee player for the 2007-08 A-League season soon with Dutch star Philip Cocu to make a decision on the Blues' offer in the coming days.
Cocu remains Culina's first-choice for the role, although reports today claimed Socceroos hero John Aloisi was close to agreeing to a deal.
Aloisi turned down an offer of about $300,000 per season from Queensland Roar, but it is understood Sydney can afford substantially more.
Nigerian Jay Jay Okocha also remains in the picture.
"It would be nice to solve that (marquee player) situation so we can then tie up a few positions that are available," Culina said.
AAP
Sydney glory bound
IT is death or glory for Sydney FC who last night left for the biggest challenge in their brief but illustrious history when they tackle Japanese giants Urawa Red Diamonds for a spot in the Asian Champions League quarter-finals.
Sydney FC's entire squad boarded the Tokyo-bound flight with two of their passengers under injury clouds, skipper Mark Rudan (calf) and influential midfielder Ufuk Talay (hamstring).
Coach Branko Culina rates the pair only a 60-40 chance to come up against the Reds. "If a player doesn't train all week you worry about him,'' Culina said. "But it's the biggest game in Australian club football history, not just for Sydney FC.''
The travelling
party includes suspended winger Robbie Middleby and injured defender Jacob Timpano. "This is preparation for next season as well so we've decided to take the whole team, and the club has been good about it,'' Culina said
Culina prepared for Urawa test
Sydney coach Branko Culina has labelled Wednesday's crunch meeting with Urawa Reds as the “biggest challenge” in the A-League side’s brief history.
The inaugural A-League champions must beat the defending J.League champions at the Saitama Stadium to advance to the knockout stage in a thrilling climax to Group E.
The J.League outfit currently hold a one-point lead over Culina’s side after Sydney were held to a disappointing goalless draw by Shanghai Shenhua at the Aussie Stadium in the last round of fixtures, while Urawa shared a thrilling 3-3 draw with Persik Kediri.
“Trying to beat Urawa Reds in Japan is the biggest challenge that Sydney FC has encountered in its short history," Culina told the club’s official website.
“For Sydney FC to qualify for the last eight of the AFC Champions League in its first season would be an enormous achievement.
“We are far more comfortable when we are allowed to express ourselves and play our attacking football.
“I think the pressure will be on Urawa Reds who, like us, like to attack. All of a sudden they will be required to sit back and hold on to a result. That may not suit them.”
http://blog.goo.ne.jp
Asia's FC Champions league-23.05.2007
.GIF "Thumb(1)")
, how about u Rockin ? 
