Melbourne Victory Season 2006-07
Encyclopedia
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.
Out
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.
>
First team squad
Transfers
In| Player | From | Country/State & League From | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
 Adrian CaceresAdrian Caceres Claudio Adrian Caceres is an Argentine-Australian football player who currently is playing for Real Mataram.-Club career:... |
Perth Glory Perth Glory FC Perth Glory Football Club is a professional football club in Perth, Western Australia, Australia, competing in Australia's top football competition the A-League. Perth Glory is one of only three clubs to survive from the now defunct National Soccer League... |
A-League A-League The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company... |
13 February 2006 |
 AlessandroAlessandro Viana da Silva Alessandro Viana da Silva is a Brazilian football player.Born in Recife, Brazil, he has previously played for Brazilian clubs sides Internacional Porto Alegre, ADAP and Angra dos Reis. Alessandro is a lightning-quick left-back who possesses a fine technique and an attacking attitude to the position... |
Sport Club Internacional Sport Club Internacional Sport Club Internacional is a Brazilian football team and multi-sport club from Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, founded on April 4, 1909, and are one of the only five clubs to have never been relegated, along with Santos, São Paulo, Flamengo and Cruzeiro. They play in red shirts, white shorts and... |
Brazil Serie A Campeonato Brasileiro Série A The Campeonato Brasileiro de Clubes da Série A , popularly known as the Brasileirão , is a professional football league at the top of the Brazilian football league system held annually since 1959. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates a system of promotion and relegation with the Série B... |
July 2006 |
| Claudinho Claudinho Cláudio André Santos Assis, better known as Claudinho is a football player from Brazil.-Biography:After playing for RC Strasbourg as a junior, he went on to Atlético Paranaense before being signed by Australian A-League club Melbourne Victory for the 2006-07 season.Despite arriving in Australia... |
Atlético Paranaense Clube Atlético Paranaense Clube Atlético Paranaense is a Brazilian football team from Curitiba in Paraná, founded on March 26, 1924. The club won the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A in 2001.-History:... |
Brazil Serie A Campeonato Brasileiro Série A The Campeonato Brasileiro de Clubes da Série A , popularly known as the Brasileirão , is a professional football league at the top of the Brazilian football league system held annually since 1959. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates a system of promotion and relegation with the Série B... |
24 May 2006 |
| Fred Helbert Frederico Carreiro da Silva Helbert Frederico Carreiro da Silva, commonly known as Fred is a Brazilian footballer who currently plays for A-League club Melbourne Heart, and is also the team captain.-Brazil:... |
Guarani Guarani Futebol Clube Guarani Futebol Clube is a Brazilian football club located in Campinas, São Paulo. Guarani is also known as Bugre, a popular term for an Indigenous Brazilian... |
Brazil Serie B Campeonato Brasileiro Série B The Série B is the second division of Brazilian football. It is played by 20 teams. However, the competition format has changed almost every year since it first occurred, in 1971. In some years, it was not played altogether... |
24 May 2006 |
| Rodrigo Vargas Rodrigo Vargas Rodrigo Alejandro "Roddy" Vargas is a Australian football player. He currently plays as a central defender for the Australian A-League club Melbourne Victory.-Club career:... |
Green Gully Cavaliers Green Gully Cavaliers Green Gully Soccer Club is a football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Green Gully is one of the biggest clubs in Melbourne, it participated in the old National Soccer League between 1984-1986.... |
.svg.png) Victorian Premier League The Victorian Premier League is the highest State level association football competition in Victoria, Australia, and second highest nationally after the A-League... |
July 2006 |
 Grant BrebnerGrant Brebner Grant Ian Brebner is a Scottish association football player, who currently plays for Australian A-League side Melbourne Victory. Born in Edinburgh, Brebner joined Manchester United as a 16-year-old in 1994, and although he was a member of the club's successful youth side, he failed to break into... |
Dundee United Dundee United F.C. Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923... |
Scottish Premier League Scottish Premier League The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland... |
July 2006 |
 James RobinsonJames Robinson (footballer born 1982) James Robinson is an English/ Australian professional footballer who currently plays for Oakleigh Cannons in the Victorian Premier League, as a Midfielder-England:... |
Richmond SC Richmond SC Richmond Soccer Club is an Australian association football club from Richmond, Victoria, an inner eastern suburb of Melbourne, Australia. They currently play in the Victorian Premier League.-History:... |
Victorian Premier League The Victorian Premier League is the highest State level association football competition in Victoria, Australia, and second highest nationally after the A-League... |
23 November 2006 |
Out
| Player | To | Country/State & League From | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Tadrosse Chris Tadrosse Chris Tadrosse is an Australian football player who is currently playing for Bonnyrigg White Eagles. He last played for North Queensland Fury and Borussia Mönchengladbach II in the German Oberliga Nordrhein.-Club career:... |
Released (KFC Uerdingen KFC Uerdingen 05 KFC Uerdingen 05 is a German association football club in the Uerdingen district of the city of Krefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia. The one time Bundesliga side enjoyed its greatest successes in the 1980s, but most recently has been part of fifth and sixth tier competition.-History:The club was... ) |
 Oberliga NordrheinOberliga Nordrhein The Oberliga Nordrhein was the highest Football League in the region of Nordrhein which is part of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia from 1978 to 2008. In its last season, it was one of nine Oberligas in German Football, the 4th tier of the German football league system... |
24 January 2006 |
 Richard KitzbichlerRichard Kitzbichler Richard Kitzbichler is an Austrian football player.-Career:Richard Kitzbichler started his career in 1992 with FC Wacker Innsbruck in the Austrian Bundesliga. In 1997 Kitzbichler signed a contract with SV Austria Salzburg and stayed there until 2002... |
Released (Red Bull Salzburg) | Austrian Bundesliga |
31 January 2006 |
| Ricky Diaco Ricky Diaco Ricky Diaco is an Australian football player who played as a striker for the Melbourne Victory in the inaugural season of the A-League.... |
Released (Bulleen Zebras Bulleen Zebras Whittlesea Zebras is an Australian association football club based in Epping, Melbourne. The Zebras play in the Victorian Premier League.... ) |
Victorian Premier League The Victorian Premier League is the highest State level association football competition in Victoria, Australia, and second highest nationally after the A-League... |
15 February 2006 |
| Carl Recchia Carl Recchia Carl Recchia is an Australian football player who played as a central midfielder for the Melbourne Victory in the inaugural season of the Hyundai A-League... |
Released (Fawkner-Whittlesea Blues Fawkner-Whittlesea Blues Fawkner-Whittlesea Blues is a former Australian association football club based in Epping, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. The club was formed towards the end of 2004 from a merger of the senior teams of the Fawkner Blues and Whittlesea Stallions , and played in the 2005 and 2006... ) (Club Disabanded) |
Victorian Premier League The Victorian Premier League is the highest State level association football competition in Victoria, Australia, and second highest nationally after the A-League... |
15 February 2006 |
| Andy Vlahos Andy Vlahos Andrew Vlahos is an Australian-Greek football , who currently plays and coaches for Hume City in the Victorian Premier League.... |
Released (Heidelberg United Heidelberg United Heidelberg United Football Club is a football club based in the northern Melbourne suburb of Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia... ) |
Victorian Premier League The Victorian Premier League is the highest State level association football competition in Victoria, Australia, and second highest nationally after the A-League... |
- |
 Geoffrey ClaeysGeoffrey Claeys Geoffrey Claeys is a football player who last played for Melbourne Victory in the A-League as a central Defender.... |
Melbourne Victory Melbourne Victory Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, that plays in the A-League.... retired |
A-League A-League The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company... |
21 November 2006 |
| Claudinho Claudinho Cláudio André Santos Assis, better known as Claudinho is a football player from Brazil.-Biography:After playing for RC Strasbourg as a junior, he went on to Atlético Paranaense before being signed by Australian A-League club Melbourne Victory for the 2006-07 season.Despite arriving in Australia... |
Released | 17 December 2006 |
Pre-season friendlies
Melbourne started their 2006-07 pre-season with a number of practise matches against Victorian Premier LeagueVictorian Premier League
The Victorian Premier League is the highest State level association football competition in Victoria, Australia, and second highest nationally after the A-League...
clubs. These included a laboured 1-0 win over Richmond SC
Richmond SC
Richmond Soccer Club is an Australian association football club from Richmond, Victoria, an inner eastern suburb of Melbourne, Australia. They currently play in the Victorian Premier League.-History:...
, a 2-2 draw against Bulleen Zebras
Bulleen Zebras
Whittlesea Zebras is an Australian association football club based in Epping, Melbourne. The Zebras play in the Victorian Premier League....
, a 4-0 victory against Green Gully
Green Gully Cavaliers
Green Gully Soccer Club is a football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Green Gully is one of the biggest clubs in Melbourne, it participated in the old National Soccer League between 1984-1986....
, a 7-0 victory of Kingston City FC
Kingston City FC
Kingston City Football Club is an Australian Association football club from Clayton South, Victoria, a suburb within the municipality of Kingston, Victoria. They are currently managed by Con Nitsikas . The club won the Victorian State League Division 3 South East in 2011...
and 3-0 victories over Altona Magic
Altona Magic
Altona Magic Soccer Club is a football team based in Altona North, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. They currently play in the Victorian State League Division 1.-History:...
and Oakleigh Cannons
Oakleigh Cannons
Oakleigh Cannons Football Club is a football club based in the south-east Melbourne suburb of Oakleigh, Victoria, Australia. The club was formed in 1972 as the South Oakleigh Soccer Club by members of Oakleigh's Greek Australian community...
.
Victory also won the QNI North Queensland Trophy
QNI North Queensland Trophy
The QNI North Queensland Challenge Trophy was a football friendly tournament the summer of 2006, hosted in Townsville.- Overview :The tournament was intended to warm up the Young Socceroos for the 2007 U-20 World Cup. The Young Socceroos were automatically invited to the tournament as hosts...
by beating leading Chinese Super League
Chinese Super League
The Chinese Football Association Super League , commonly known as Chinese Super League or CSL, currently known as the Pirelli Chinese Football Association Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest tier of professional association football in China, operating under the auspices of the...
team Changchun Yatai
Changchun Yatai
Changchun Yatai is a Chinese football team. It was founded on June 6, 1996 by Jilin Yatai Group at Changchun, Jilin. Their manager is Shen Xiangfu....
6-1 in the final. Michael Ferrante
Michael Ferrante
Michael Ferrante is an Australian football player plays for Richmond.-Biography:He attended St. Joseph's College Melbourne from years 1992-1997 being a star week in week out for his school side. He came through the ranks at the Australian Institute of Sport and from there he moved on to the youth...
scored twice early on and then-trialist Grant Brebner
Grant Brebner
Grant Ian Brebner is a Scottish association football player, who currently plays for Australian A-League side Melbourne Victory. Born in Edinburgh, Brebner joined Manchester United as a 16-year-old in 1994, and although he was a member of the club's successful youth side, he failed to break into...
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
Central Coast Mariners FC
Central Coast Mariners Football Club is a professional football club based on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia. They participate in the A-League and are one of three teams from the state of New South Wales playing in the competition...
(Victory won 4-2 on penalties), the Young Socceroos
Australia national under-20 football team
The Australia national under-20 association football team, more commonly known as the Young Socceroos, is controlled by Football Federation Australia and represents Australia in international Under 20 or youth football competitions....
(Victory lost 5-6 on penalties), and Changchun Yatai
Changchun Yatai
Changchun Yatai is a Chinese football team. It was founded on June 6, 1996 by Jilin Yatai Group at Changchun, Jilin. Their manager is Shen Xiangfu....
(Victory won 3-1 in the first meeting).
Melbourne kicked off their A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
Pre-Season Cup campaign with a disappointing 1-0 loss to Adelaide United at Launceston
Launceston, Tasmania
Launceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia at the junction of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River. Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania after the state capital Hobart...
's Aurora Stadium
Aurora Stadium
York Park is a sports ground in the Inveresk and York Park Precinct, Launceston, Australia. Holding 20,000 people—more than any other stadium in Tasmania—York Park has been known as Aurora Stadium under a six-year naming rights agreement signed with Aurora Energy in 2004...
in front of 6,834 spectators. The second match saw them play out a 1-1 draw away to Perth Glory
Perth Glory FC
Perth Glory Football Club is a professional football club in Perth, Western Australia, Australia, competing in Australia's top football competition the A-League. Perth Glory is one of only three clubs to survive from the now defunct National Soccer League...
, with Daniel Allsopp
Daniel Allsopp
Daniel Lee "Danny" Allsopp is an Australian professional football player.He is a full international for the Australia national football team, and is Melbourne Victory's second highest, and the A-League's third highest all-time goalscorer, behind teammate Archie Thompson and Shane Smeltz.-Club...
scoring Melbourne's only goal. Back at Olympic Park
Olympic Park
An Olympic Park is a sports campus for hosting the Olympic Games. Typically it contains the Olympic Stadium and the International Broadcast Centre. It may also contain the Olympic Village or some of the other sports venues, such as the aquatics complex in the case of the summer games, or the main...
for the final group match, they were soundly beaten 3-1 by the Central Coast Mariners
Central Coast Mariners FC
Central Coast Mariners Football Club is a professional football club based on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia. They participate in the A-League and are one of three teams from the state of New South Wales playing in the competition...
, 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
Epping, Victoria
Epping is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 22 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Whittlesea...
Stadium in the outer north of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. The final match of the pre-season cup saw the Victory defeat Perth Glory
Perth Glory FC
Perth Glory Football Club is a professional football club in Perth, Western Australia, Australia, competing in Australia's top football competition the A-League. Perth Glory is one of only three clubs to survive from the now defunct National Soccer League...
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
2006-07 Finals series
Ladder
2006-07 Awards
- Victory Medal
- Kevin MuscatKevin MuscatKevin Muscat is an Australian football player who currently plays for Victorian State League Division 1 side Sunshine George Cross and is assistant coach of Melbourne Victory...
and Danny Allsopp
- Kevin Muscat
- Players' Player of the Year
- Danny Allsopp
- Clubman of the Year
- FredHelbert Frederico Carreiro da SilvaHelbert Frederico Carreiro da Silva, commonly known as Fred is a Brazilian footballer who currently plays for A-League club Melbourne Heart, and is also the team captain.-Brazil:...
- Fred
- Golden Boot
- Archie ThompsonArchie ThompsonArchibald Gerald Thompson is a New Zealand-born Australian professional football player, currently playing for Melbourne Victory in the Hyundai A-League, where he holds the League all time scoring record...
- Archie Thompson