# 2010–11 Adelaide United FC season

The 2010–11 Adelaide United FC season was the club's sixth A-League season. It includes the 2010–11 A-League season as well as any other competitions of the 2010–11 football season, including the 2010 AFC Champions League. Adelaide United competed in the continental competition for its third time, making the club the most successful Australian club in Asia.

## Overview

For the first time in the club's history, the Adelaide United will be managed by an international manager in Rini Coolen, moving away from the Adelaide United tradition of local coaches seen in its prior seasons.
As of 9 September 2010, Adelaide United has made Australian football history by becoming the first team to climb from the bottom of the table to the top, whilst the 2009–10 premiers and champions, Sydney FC, remain rooted at the bottom. Adelaide United also claimed the record for longest undefeated streak in A-League history with their win over Wellington Phoenix in Week 11 of the league, consisting of thirteen games stretching back to the penultimate round of the 2009–10 A-League season. This surpasses Central Coast Mariners's previous record of twelve games undefeated set back in the 2005–06 A-League season. Unfortunately for Adelaide United, Brisbane Roar surpassed this newly set record, when the Roar comprehensively won their Week 16 fixture against Central Coast Mariners at Bluetongue Stadium.
Following 18 months under Football Federation Australia (FFA) financial administration, it was announced on 8 November 2010 that a South Australian consortium had taken over ownership of the club with a ten-year licence. New co-owner Greg Griffin stepped in as Chairman of the club, whilst North Adelaide Football Club CEO, Glenn Elliott replaced Sam Ciccarello, who then took up a role at the FFA.
During the January 2011 transfer window, Coolen made a move to strengthen United's squad by signing former Uruguayan youth international Francisco Usúcar, and former Dutch international Andwélé Slory. Both have signed until the end of the season and have replaced former imports Lloyd Owusu and Inseob Shin, whose contracts were mutually terminated to allow the transfers to occur early in the year. Cameron Watson was also signed on as a mainstay squad member after his injury replacement contract expired at the end of December. Iain Fyfe, arguably Adelaide's most consistent defender in the season transferred to K-League outfit Busan I'Park for an undisclosed transfer fee, where he will join up with former teammate Shin. As a replacement, Coolen brought in former Croatian youth international Dario Bodrušić to cover in defensive duties.
On 9 January 2011, Adelaide broke its longest winless streak against its rival club Melbourne Victory by posting a 4–1 away win in Melbourne at AAMI Park. Adelaide United then went on to make A-League history by recording the highest winning margin in the league's history with an 8–1 win over North Queensland Fury on 21 January 2011. This also marked the first time two players from the same side scored hat-tricks in one game (Sergio van Dijk and Marcos Flores), and matched the all-time highest match aggregate score of 9 goals scored in one match.
After a form slump in the second half of the season, United saw itself lose 10 of its last 19 games, but rebounded well in the final week of competition by winning 2–1 at Adelaide Oval against Melbourne Victory in front of 21,038 spectators – the club's largest crowd of the season. This ensured the club third place in overall standings at the end of the season, and hosting rights for at least the first week of the knock-out Finals series.
Adelaide United went on to defeat Wellington Phoenix in the first week of the Finals under torrential rain, but succumbed to Gold Coast United in the second week and were knocked out of the competition on the back of a 2–3 home loss.

### Awards and recognition

At the end of the season A-League Awards night, Adelaide midfielder Marcos Flores was awarded the league's most prestigious award, the Johnny Warren Medal. Striker Sergio van Dijk was awarded the league's Golden Boot award, with a total of 17 goals in the season.
Club awards were also presented at the end of the season with defender Cássio awarded his second Club Champion award, edging out teammates Marcos Flores and Sergio van Dijk.

## Players
### Squad information
#### First Team

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 | Eugene Galeković |
| 2 | DF | AUS | Robert Cornthwaite |
| 3 | DF | AUS | Nigel Boogaard |
| 4 | DF | AUS | Iain Fyfe |
| 5 | DF | AUS | Daniel Mullen (Youth) |
| 6 | DF | BRA | Cássio |
| 7 | MF | AUS | Lucas Pantelis |
| 8 | MF | AUS | Adam Hughes |
| 9 | FW | IDN | Sergio van Dijk |
| 10 | MF | ARG | Marcos Flores |
| 11 | MF | NED | Andwélé Slory (Guest player) |
| 12 | MF | AUS | Paul Reid |
| 13 | MF | AUS | Travis Dodd (Captain) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 14 | MF | AUS | Cameron Watson |
| 15 | FW | AUS | Francesco Monterosso (Youth) |
| 16 | DF | CRO | Dario Bodrušić |
| 17 | MF | PHI | Iain Ramsay |
| 18 | MF | AUS | Fabian Barbiero |
| 19 | MF | AUS | Mathew Leckie (Youth) |
| 20 | GK | AUS | Mark Birighitti (Youth) |
| 21 | MF | URU | Francisco Usúcar |
| 22 | MF | AUS | Osama Malik |
| 23 | MF | AUS | Joe Costa (Youth) |
| 26 | MF | ENG | Joseph Keenan (Injury replacement player) |
| 29 | MF | AUS | Bradley Norton (Youth) |
* Squad list current as of 19 January 2011

### Players in / out

| Name | Position | Duration | Contract Expiry |
| Robert Cornthwaite | Defender | 3 years | 2013 |
| Eugene Galeković | Goalkeeper | 4 years | 2014 |
| Mark Birighitti | Goalkeeper | 2 years | 2012 |
| Lucas Pantelis | Midfielder | 2 years | 2012 |
| Name | Position | Moving from | Notes |
| Nigel Boogaard | Defender | Central Coast Mariners | - 2-year contract |
| Marcos Flores | Midfielder | Curicó Unido | - 2-year contract |
| Sergio van Dijk | Striker | Brisbane Roar | - 6-month contract for ACL - 3-year contract extension |
| Iain Ramsay | Midfielder | Sydney Olympic | - 1-year contract |
| Cameron Watson | Midfielder | Oakleigh Cannons | - Injury replacement for Barbiero - Injury replacement for D. Mullen |
| Joseph Keenan | Midfielder | South Melbourne | - Injury replacement for Boogaard - 4-week contract - Short-term contract extension to 15 October 2010 - 6-week injury replacement contract for Leckie |
| Bradley Norton | Midfielder | Northcote City | - 1 year youth contract - 2-year senior contract |
| Francisco Usúcar | Midfielder | Central Español | - Initial 6-month contract, with an option for a 1-year extension |
| Andwélé Slory | Midfielder | Levski Sofia | - Guest player contract for a maximum of 10 games; including Finals. |
| Osama Malik | Midfielder | North Queensland Fury | - Secured early release to transfer in January 2011 |
| Dario Bodrušić | Defender | Rudeš | - Contract until end of season starting January 2011 |
| Name | Position | Moving to | Notes |
| Kristian Sarkies | Midfielder | Melbourne Heart | |
| Michael Marrone | Defender | Melbourne Heart | |
| Mark Rudan | Defender | Released | |
| Cristiano | Striker | Released | |
| Alemão | Defender | Released | |
| Scott Jamieson | Defender | Sydney FC | |
| Lloyd Owusu | Striker | Released | - Mutual termination of contract as of 1 January 2011 |
| Inseob Shin | Midfielder | Busan I'Park | - Drafted into the K-League side as of 1 January 2011 |
| Iain Fyfe | Defender | Busan I'Park | - Transferred during January transfer period - Reported transfer fee of $300,000 |

## Player statistics
### Squad stats

| | | | | Total | Total | Total | Total | AFC Champions League | AFC Champions League | A-League | A-League | A-League Finals | A-League Finals | |
| N | Pos. | Name | Nat. | GS | App | Gls | Min | App | Gls | App | Gls | App | Gls | Notes |
| 1 | GK | Galeković | | 36 | 36 | -44 | 3090 | 7 | -7 | 27 | -34 | 2 | -3 | (−) means goals conceded |
| 2 | DF | Cornthwaite | | 23 | 33 | 3 | 2271 | 8 | 2 | 23 | 1 | 2 | | |
| 3 | DF | Boogaard | | 12 | 14 | | 1115 | 2 | | 10 | | 2 | | |
| 5 | DF | D. Mullen | | 15 | 19 | 1 | 1381 | 6 | | 13 | 1 | | | |
| 6 | DF | Cássio | | 33 | 36 | 1 | 2985 | 6 | 1 | 28 | | 2 | | |
| 7 | MF | Pantelis | | 24 | 33 | | 2045 | 6 | | 26 | | 1 | | |
| 8 | MF | Hughes | | 30 | 35 | | 2667 | 4 | | 29 | | 2 | | |
| 9 | FW | van Dijk | | 36 | 37 | 19 | 3107 | 7 | 2 | 28 | 16 | 2 | 1 | |
| 10 | MF | Flores | | 36 | 36 | 8 | 2945 | 7 | | 27 | 8 | 2 | | |
| 11 | MF | Slory | | 3 | 5 | | 193 | | | 3 | | 2 | | |
| 12 | MF | Reid | | 27 | 32 | 2 | 2424 | 2 | | 29 | 2 | 1 | | |
| 13 | MF | Dodd | | 22 | 29 | 7 | 2149 | 7 | 1 | 20 | 5 | 2 | 1 | |
| 14 | MF | Watson | | 18 | 28 | | 1725 | | | 26 | | 2 | | |
| 15 | FW | Monterosso | | | 3 | | 66 | 1 | | 2 | | | | |
| 16 | DF | Bodrušić | | 4 | 4 | | 294 | | | 2 | | 2 | | |
| 17 | MF | Ramsay | | 14 | 31 | 3 | 1600 | | | 30 | 3 | 1 | | |
| 18 | MF | Barbiero | | 11 | 22 | 1 | 1057 | 6 | | 16 | 1 | | | |
| 19 | MF | Leckie | | 16 | 21 | 7 | 1252 | 6 | 2 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 1 | |
| 20 | GK | Birighitti | | 3 | 3 | -2 | 270 | | | 3 | -2 | | | (−) means goals conceded |
| 21 | MF | Usúcar | | 7 | 7 | | 586 | | | 6 | | 1 | | |
| 22 | MF | Malik | | | 1 | | 61 | | | 1 | | | | |
| 23 | MF | Costa | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 25 | MF | M. Mullen | | | 1 | | 27 | | | 1 | | | | |
| 29 | MF | Norton | | | 2 | | 9 | | | 2 | | | | |

#### Delisted players

| | | | | Total | Total | Total | Total | AFC Champions League | AFC Champions League | A-League | A-League | A-League Finals | A-League Finals | |
| N | Pos. | Name | Nat. | GS | App | Gls | Min | App | Gls | App | Gls | App | Gls | Notes |
| | DF | Jamieson | | 5 | 6 | | 450 | 6 | | | | | | Transferred to Sydney FC after ACL 2010 |
| | DF | Marrone | | 6 | 7 | | 558 | 7 | | | | | | Transferred to Melbourne Heart after ACL 2010 |
| | DF | Griffiths | | 2 | 3 | | 238 | 3 | | | | | | Released after ACL 2010 |
| | MF | Shin | | 2 | 8 | | 193 | | | 8 | | | | Released in January 2011 transfer window |
| | DF | Fyfe | | 31 | 33 | 4 | 2891 | 7 | | 26 | 4 | | | Released in January 2011 transfer window |
| | MF | Keenan | | 10 | 17 | 1 | 986 | | | 17 | 1 | | | Short term contract ended |

### Disciplinary records
#### A-League

| N | Pos. | Name | | | | Notes |
| 1 | GK | Galeković | 3 | | | |
| 2 | DF | Cornthwaite | 4 | | 1 | One match suspension for Round 22 |
| 3 | DF | Boogaard | 1 | | | |
| 4 | DF | Fyfe | 4 | | | |
| 5 | DF | D. Mullen | 1 | | | |
| 6 | DF | Cássio | | 1 | | One match suspension for Round 8 |
| 7 | MF | Pantelis | 1 | | | |
| 8 | MF | Hughes | 6 | 1 | | One match suspension for Round 3 |
| 9 | FW | van Dijk | 1 | | | |
| 10 | MF | Flores | 5 | | | |
| 12 | MF | Reid | 5 | | | One match suspension for Round 16 Straight red card from Round 28 rescinded by FFA |
| 13 | MF | Dodd | 2 | | | Straight red card from Round 18 rescinded by FFA |
| 16 | DF | Bodrušić | 1 | | | |
| 17 | MF | Ramsay | 2 | | | |
| 18 | MF | Barbiero | 3 | | | |
| 19 | MF | Leckie | 1 | | | |
| 21 | MF | Usúcar | 1 | | | |
| 26 | MF | Keenan | 1 | | | |
Last updated: 11 February 2011 Source: Competitive matches Only competitive matches = Number of bookings; = Number of sending offs after a second yellow card; = Number of sending offs by a direct red card.

#### AFC Champions League

| N | Pos. | Name | | | Notes |
| 2 | DF | Cornthwaite | 1 | | |
| 3 | DF | Boogaard | 1 | | |
| 4 | DF | Fyfe | 2 | | One match suspension for Match Day 5 of ACL 2010 |
| 5 | DF | D. Mullen | 2 | | One match suspension for Match Day 6 of ACL 2010 |
| 6 | DF | Cássio | 1 | 1 | |
| 7 | MF | Pantelis | 2 | | One match suspension for Match Day 6 of ACL 2010 |
| 9 | FW | van Dijk | 1 | | |
| 10 | MF | Hughes | 2 | | One match suspension for Match Day 6 of ACL 2010 |
| 13 | MF | Dodd | 2 | | |
| 14 | DF | Jamieson | 1 | | Transferred to Sydney FC after ACL 2010 |
| 17 | DF | Marrone | 1 | | Transferred to Melbourne Heart after ACL 2010 |
| 19 | MF | Leckie | 2 | | One match suspension for Round of 16 match of ACL 2010 |
| 27 | DF | Griffiths | 1 | | Released after ACL 2010 |
Last updated: 28 June 2010 Source: Competitive matches Only competitive matches = Number of bookings; = Number of sending offs after a second yellow card; = Number of sending offs by a direct red card.

### Scorers
#### A-League

| 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 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| 16 | | Sergio van Dijk | | | | | 2 | | | 2 | | | 1 | | | 1 | | | | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | | 1 | | 2 | 3 | | | | |
| 8 | | Marcos Flores | | | | 1 | | 1 | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | 1 | 3 | | | | |
| 5 | | Travis Dodd | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | | | 1 | 1 | | | 1 |
| 4 | | Mathew Leckie | | | 1 | | 1 | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | | Iain Fyfe | | 1 | | | | | | | | | | 1 | | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | | Iain Ramsay | | | 2 | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | |
| 2 | | Paul Reid | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 |
| 1 | | Daniel Mullen | | | | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1 | | Robert Cornthwaite | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1 | | Joseph Keenan | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | | | |
| 1 | | Fabian Barbiero | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | |
* A goal was scored from a penalty kick
* Two goals were scored from penalty kicks

#### AFC Champions League

| Total | Player | Player | Goals per Round | Goals per Round | Goals per Round | Goals per Round | Goals per Round | Goals per Round | Goals per Round |
| Total | Player | Player | MD1 | MD2 | MD3 | MD4 | MD5 | MD6 | R16 |
| 2 | | Mathew Leckie | 1 | 1 | | | | | |
| 2 | | Sergio van Dijk | | 1 | | | | | 1 |
| 2 | | Robert Cornthwaite | | | 1 | | | | 1 |
| 1 | | Travis Dodd | | | 1 | | | | |
| 1 | | Cássio | | | 1 | | | | |
* A goal was scored from a penalty kick
* Two goals were scored from penalty kicks

## Club
### Coaching staff

| Position | Staff |
| Manager (Head Coach) | Rini Coolen |
| Assistant coach | Phil Stubbins |
| Specialist coach | Carl Veart |
| Goalkeeper coach | Peter Blazincic |
Last updated: 5 July 2010 Source: Adelaide United FC

### Managerial Changes

| Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment | Table |
| Aurelio Vidmar | Promoted to Olyroos coach & Socceroos assistant coach | 3 June 2010 | 10th (09–10) | Rini Coolen | 5 July 2010 | Pre-season |

### Attendance at home games

| Round | Date | Opponent | Score AUFC – Away | Attendance | Weekday |
| 1 | 6 August 2010 | Newcastle Jets | 0–0 | 8,479 | Friday |
| 3 | 20 August 2010 | Melbourne Heart | 3–2 | 7,370 | Friday |
| 6 | 11 September 2010 | Newcastle Jets | 2–1 | 9,571 | Saturday |
| 8 | 24 September 2010 | Perth Glory | 2–0 | 13,310 | Friday |
| 11 | 22 October 2010 | Wellington Phoenix | 3–0 | 11,206 | Friday |
| 14 | 10 November 2010 | Perth Glory | 2–0 | 10,023 | Wednesday |
| 17 | 26 November 2010 | Gold Coast United | 2–1 | 12,005 | Friday |
| 19 | 10 December 2010 | North Queensland Fury | 2–0 | 8,786 | Friday |
| 20 | 17 December 2010 | Melbourne Heart | 1–2 | 10,011 | Friday |
| 23 | 29 December 2010 | Sydney FC | 2–0 | 16,429 | Wednesday |
| 24 | 2 January 2011 | Brisbane Roar | 0–1 | 14,420 | Sunday |
| 26 | 21 January 2011 | North Queensland Fury | 8–1 | 10,986 | Friday |
| 27 | 29 January 2011 | Central Coast Mariners | 1–2 | 12,109 | Saturday |
| 29 | 5 February 2011 | Wellington Phoenix | 0–1 | 7,498 | Saturday |
| 30 | 11 February 2011 | Melbourne Victory | 2–1 | 21,083 | Friday |

## Competitions
### A-League

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Brisbane Roar (C) | 30 | 18 | 11 | 1 | 58 | 26 | +32 | 65 | Qualification for 2012 AFC Champions League group stage and Finals series |
| 2 | Central Coast Mariners | 30 | 16 | 9 | 5 | 50 | 31 | +19 | 57 | Qualification for 2012 AFC Champions League group stage and Finals series |
| 3 | Adelaide United | 30 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 51 | 36 | +15 | 50 | Qualification for 2012 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off and Finals series |
| 4 | Gold Coast United | 30 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 40 | 32 | +8 | 46 | Qualification for Finals series |
| 5 | Melbourne Victory | 30 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 45 | 39 | +6 | 43 | Qualification for Finals series |
| 6 | Wellington Phoenix | 30 | 12 | 5 | 13 | 39 | 41 | −2 | 41 | Qualification for Finals series |
| 7 | Newcastle Jets | 30 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 29 | 33 | −4 | 35 | |
| 8 | Melbourne Heart | 30 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 32 | 42 | −10 | 35 | |
| 9 | Sydney FC | 30 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 35 | 40 | −5 | 34 | |
| 10 | Perth Glory | 30 | 5 | 8 | 17 | 27 | 54 | −27 | 23 | |
| 11 | North Queensland Fury | 30 | 4 | 7 | 19 | 28 | 60 | −32 | 19 | |
* ↑ First place qualifies for the 2012 AFC Champions League group stage. Winning the 2011 A-League Grand Final automatically earns qualification for the 2012 AFC Champions League group stage, unless first place are champions. Second place qualifies for the 2012 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off, unless they qualify for the 2011 A-League Grand Final alongside first place or become A-League Champions, subsequently third place then qualify for the 2012 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off.

#### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: 11 February 2011. Source: Competitive Matches

#### Results by round

| Round | 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 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| Ground | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | H | A | H | H |
| Result | D | D | W | W | W | W | D | W | W | D | W | L | L | W | L | W | W | L | W | L | L | L | W | L | W | W | L | D | L | W |
| Position | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |