# 2009–10 Melbourne Victory FC season

The Melbourne Victory 2009–10 season was Melbourne Victory's fifth A-League season.

## Season summary

From the 2009–10 season, Greek gambling giant Intralot became the Melbourne Victory's new major sponsor to replace Samsung in a two-year deal valued at $2 million. Their logo subsequently featured on the front of Melbourne Victory's strip.
The Victory made some off-season changes by releasing Steve Pantelidis and Michael Thwaite to Gold Coast United, Sebastian Ryall was transferred to Sydney FC, and veteran goalkeeper Michael Theoklitos ended his contract and later joined Norwich City F.C. Moreover, José Luis López Ramírez's loan spell was terminated from Deportivo Saprissa and Daniel Allsopp moved to Al Rayyan.
Several new signings were made, bringing New Zealand international goalkeeper Glen Moss from Wellington Phoenix, Thai midfielder Surat Sukha from Chonburi FC, the promotion of Mathew Theodore and Matthew Foschini from the youth squad and the permanent signing of veteran Carlos Hernández from L.D. Alajuelense for three years (after his two-year loan).
Meanwhile, Mate Dugandžić was signed from Melbourne Knights, Robbie Kruse from Brisbane Roar, Marvin Angulo from Club Sport Herediano and Sutee Suksomkit was signed as a nine match guest player.
On 1 December 2009, it was announced that Ney Fabiano was leaving Melbourne and had signed a contract with Thai Premier League team Bangkok Glass FC for the 2010 season.
The Victory finished second to Sydney FC on the ladder and lost the 2010 A-League Grand Final to Sydney 4–2 on penalties.
Melbourne Victory were drawn into Group E in the 2010 AFC Champions League along with Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma, Beijing Guoan and Kawasaki Frontale. With key players Archie Thompson, Matthew Kemp and Billy Celeski sidelined for long term injuries, Victory finished bottom of Group E.

## Players
### First team squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | AUS | Mitchell Langerak |
| 2 | DF | AUS | Kevin Muscat (Captain) |
| 3 | MF | AUS | Mate Dugandžić (Youth) |
| 5 | DF | THA | Surat Sukha |
| 6 | MF | AUS | Leigh Broxham |
| 7 | DF | AUS | Matthew Kemp |
| 8 | MF | SCO | Grant Brebner |
| 10 | FW | AUS | Archie Thompson (Marquee) |
| 11 | MF | CRC | Marvin Angulo |
| 12 | DF | AUS | Rodrigo Vargas (Vice-Captain) |
| 13 | FW | AUS | Nathan Elasi (Youth) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 14 | MF | AUS | Billy Celeski |
| 15 | MF | AUS | Tom Pondeljak |
| 16 | MF | CRC | Carlos Hernández |
| 17 | DF | AUS | Matthew Foschini (Youth) |
| 18 | MF | ENG | Chris Windsor |
| 19 | DF | AUS | Evan Berger |
| 20 | GK | NZL | Glen Moss |
| 21 | FW | AUS | Robbie Kruse |
| 22 | MF | AUS | Nick Ward |
| 23 | DF | AUS | Adrian Leijer |
| 29 | FW | AUS | Nik Mrdja (Injury replacement player) |

### Transfers

In
| Player | From | League | Fee | Date |
| Glen Moss | Wellington Phoenix | A-League | Free | March 2009 |
| Mathew Theodore | Melbourne Victory | A-League National Youth League | Free | April 2009 |
| Carlos Hernández | L.D. Alajuelense | Primera División de Costa Rica | Not Disclosed | May 2009 |
| Surat Sukha | Chonburi | Thai Premier League | $57,000 | May 2009 |
| Matthew Foschini | Melbourne Victory | A-League National Youth League | Free | August 2009 |
| Adrian Leijer | Fulham | Premier League | Not Disclosed | August 2009 |
| Robbie Kruse | Brisbane Roar | A-League | Not Disclosed | September 2009 |
| Mate Dugandzic | Melbourne Knights FC | Victorian Premier League | Not Disclosed | September 2009 |
| Sutee Suksomkit | Tampines Rovers | S-League | Guest Contract | September 2009 |
Out
| Player | To | League | Fee | Date |
| Steve Pantelidis | Gold Coast United | A-League | Free | March 2009 |
| Michael Thwaite | Gold Coast United | A-League | Free | March 2009 |
| Sebastian Ryall | Sydney FC | A-League | Free | March 2009 |
| Michael Theoklitos | Norwich City | Football League One | End of Contract | June 2009 |
| José Luis López | Deportivo Saprissa | Primera División de Costa Rica | Contract Terminated | June 2009 |
| Daniel Vasilevski | South Melbourne FC | Victorian Premier League | Contract Terminated | August 2009 |
| Daniel Allsopp | Al-Rayyan Sports Club | Qatari League | Not Disclosed | September 2009 |
| Ney Fabiano | Bangkok Glass | Thai Premier League | Contract Terminated | December 2009 |
| Sutee Suksomkit | Bangkok Glass | Thai Premier League | End of Contract | December 2009 |

## Statistics
### Goals

| Total | Player | Player | Goals per Round | Goals per Round | Goals per Round | Goals per Round | Goals per Round | Goals per Round | Goals per Round | Goals per Round | Goals per Round | Goals per Round | Goals per Round | Goals per Round | Goals per Round | Goals per Round | Goals per Round | Goals per Round | Goals per Round | Goals per Round | Goals per Round | Goals per Round | Goals per Round | Goals per Round | Goals per Round | Goals per Round | Goals per Round | Goals per Round | Goals per Round | Goals per Round | Goals per Round | Goals per Round |
| Total | Player | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | SF1 | SF2 | GF |
| 13 | | Carlos Hernández | | 2 | | | | 1 | | 1 | | | 1 | | 1 | | | | | 1 | 1 | | | 1 | 1 | | | 2 | | 1 | | |
| 11 | | Archie Thompson | | | 1 | 1 | 1 | | | 1 | | | 1 | | | | 1 | 2 | | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | | | 1 | |
| 5 | | Robbie Kruse | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | 3 | | | | | | 1 | |
| 4 | | Kevin Muscat | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | 1 | 1 | | | | | | |
| 3 | | Adrian Leijer | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 |
| 2 | | Mate Dugandžić | | | | | | | | | | | | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 2 | | Nick Ward | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 2 | | Tom Pondeljak | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | |
| 2 | | Matthew Kemp | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1 | | Danny Allsopp | | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1 | | Grant Brebner | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1 | | Ney Fabiano | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1 | | Rodrigo Vargas | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1 | | Nik Mrdja | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | | |

## Ladder

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Sydney FC (C) | 27 | 15 | 3 | 9 | 35 | 23 | +12 | 48 | Qualification for 2011 AFC Champions League group stage and Finals series |
| 2 | Melbourne Victory | 27 | 14 | 5 | 8 | 47 | 32 | +15 | 47 | Qualification for 2011 AFC Champions League group stage and Finals series |
| 3 | Gold Coast United | 27 | 13 | 5 | 9 | 39 | 35 | +4 | 44 | Qualification for Finals series |
| 4 | Wellington Phoenix | 27 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 37 | 29 | +8 | 40 | Qualification for Finals series |
| 5 | Perth Glory | 27 | 11 | 6 | 10 | 40 | 34 | +6 | 39 | Qualification for Finals series |
| 6 | Newcastle Jets | 27 | 10 | 4 | 13 | 33 | 45 | −12 | 34 | Qualification for Finals series |
| 7 | North Queensland Fury | 27 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 29 | 46 | −17 | 32 | |
| 8 | Central Coast Mariners | 27 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 32 | 29 | +3 | 30 | |
| 9 | Brisbane Roar | 27 | 8 | 6 | 13 | 32 | 42 | −10 | 30 | |
| 10 | Adelaide United | 27 | 7 | 8 | 12 | 24 | 33 | −9 | 29 | |

### Finals

| Elimination finals | Elimination finals | Elimination finals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Preliminary final | Preliminary final | Grand final | Grand final | Grand final |
| | | | 1 | Sydney FC | 1 | 2 | | | Melbourne Victory | Melbourne Victory | 1 (2) |
| | | | 2 | Melbourne Victory | 2 | 2 | | | Sydney FC (p.s.o.) | Sydney FC (p.s.o.) | 1 (4) |
| | | | | | | | Sydney FC | 4 | | |
| 3 | Gold Coast United | 0 (5) | | | | | Sydney FC | 4 | | |
| 3 | Gold Coast United | 0 (5) | | | | | Wellington Phoenix | Wellington Phoenix | 2 | | |
| 6 | Newcastle Jets (p.s.o.) | 0 (6) | | | | | Wellington Phoenix | Wellington Phoenix | 2 | | |
| 6 | Newcastle Jets (p.s.o.) | 0 (6) | Wellington Phoenix | Wellington Phoenix | Wellington Phoenix | 3 | | | | | |
| | | | Newcastle Jets | Newcastle Jets | Newcastle Jets | 1 | | | | | |
| 4 | Wellington Phoenix (p.s.o.) | 1 (4) | Newcastle Jets | Newcastle Jets | Newcastle Jets | 1 | | | | | |
| 5 | Perth Glory | 1 (2) | | | | | | | | | |

## AFC Champions League

| Round | Date | Home team | Score | Away team | Crowd | Stadium |
| Group Stage | 23 February 2010 | Beijing Guoan | 1-0 | Melbourne Victory | 31,000 | Workers Stadium |
| Group Stage | 9 March 2010 | Melbourne Victory | 0-2 | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 7,899 | Etihad Stadium |
| Group Stage | 23 March 2010 | Kawasaki Frontale | 4-0 | Melbourne Victory | 9,728 | Todoroki Athletics Stadium |
| Group Stage | 31 March 2010 | Melbourne Victory | 1-0 | Kawasaki Frontale | 6,011 | Etihad Stadium |
| Group Stage | 14 April 2010 | Melbourne Victory | 0-0 | Beijing Guoan | 6,394 | Etihad Stadium |
| Group Stage | 28 April 2010 | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 3-2 | Melbourne Victory | 502 | Tancheon Sports Complex |
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 6 | +5 | 15 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Beijing Guoan | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 10 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 3 | Kawasaki Frontale | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 6 | |
| 4 | Melbourne Victory | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 10 | −7 | 4 | |

## W-League
### 2009-10 Westfield W-League fixtures

Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
Round 8
Round 9
Round 10

### 2009-10 W-League fixtures

| Round | Date | Home team | Score | Away team | Stadium |
| 1 | 3 October 2009 | Melbourne Victory | 2-0 | Perth Glory FC | Etihad Stadium |
| 2 | 10 October 2009 | Melbourne Victory | 0-1 | Brisbane Roar | Epping Stadium |
| 3 | 17 October 2009 | Adelaide United | 0-2 | Melbourne Victory | Hindmarsh Stadium |
| 4 | 24 October 2009 | Canberra United | 2-0 | Melbourne Victory | McKellar Park, A.C.T. |
| 5 | 31 October 2009 | Melbourne Victory | 2 - 1 | Newcastle Jets | Veneto Club |
| 6 | 7 November 2009 | Melbourne Victory | 1 - 1 | Sydney FC | Deakin Reserve, Shepparton |
| 7 | 14 November 2009 | Brisbane Roar | 1 - 1 | Melbourne Victory | Ballymore Stadium |
| 8 | 21 November 2009 | Central Coast Mariners | 2 - 0 | Melbourne Victory | Leichhardt Oval |
| 9 | 28 November 2009 | Melbourne Victory | 1 - 0 | Canberra United | Bob Jane Stadium |
| 10 | 5 December 2008 | Perth Glory FC | 2 - 0 | Melbourne Victory | Clipsal Stadium, Ingelwood |