Australia Cup 2025

[RB]

The draw for the Round of 32 for the Australia Cup for 2025 has been conducted.

A mixed draw for South Australian sides. Adelaide United are away against A-League opposition in the Jets. Metrostars, who are flying in the league, travel to take on Canberra Croatia. I'd say Metro would start favourites. Croatia, who are making their debut in the Round of 32 of the comp, will be playing Newcastle team Cooks Hill United, venue TBA but in Adelaide.

The all-A-League match-ups are:
Newcastle Utd. v Adelaide United
Western (Vic.) v Sydney
Perth v Wellington

The A-League-local club matches are:
Southern Districts Raiders* (NSW) v Macarthur
Gold Coast Knights v Auckland
Olympic Kingsway (WA) v Melbourne Victory
APIA Leichhardt (NSW) v Melbourne City
Peninsula Power (Qld.) v Western Sydney

The all-local club matches are:
Adelaide Croatia v Cooks Hill Utd. (Nth. NSW)
Heidelberg Utd. (Vic.) v Weston Bears (Nth. NSW)
Avondale (Vic.) v Stirling Macedonia (WA)
Brisbane City v Brisbane Olympic
Darwin Olympic v Nunawading City** (Vic.)
Canberra Croatia v Metrostars (SA)
South Hobart v South Melbourne
Northern Tigers* (NSW) v Sydney United

* = from the second tier in state soccer
** = from the third tier in state soccer

Melbourne City, Newcastle and obviously cup debutants Auckland are the only A-League teams not to have been knocked out by a local side thus far.

The Round of 32 will be played in late-July.

[RB]

Wanderers were the first A-League side through to the Round of 16 following a 3-0 win that included a missed penalty. They've been joined by Wellington, who knocked out Perth via penalty kicks in pouring rain (the Phoenix recovering after missing their first kick), Sydney, Macarthur, and Auckland who won their first ever Cup match.

Adelaide Croatia looked like they would do it comfortably against Newcastle team Cooks Hill, taking an early lead via a comical own goal, before Cooks Hill equalised from the spot. The visitors then scored two goals in quick succession in the second half. Croatia bundled a late one in, then looked to have equalised before the lineman's flag went up. Cooks Hills coming away with an unlikely 3-2 win. The chevaps and Ozujsko were a highlight up at Gepps X.

Kobe Kemp scored one of the best goals in the history of the competition for South Hobart in their loss to South Melbourne, while the lowest-ranked side Nunawading City enjoyed their trip to Darwin, winning against Darwin Olympic by a competition-proper record 9-0 scoreline.

The first 'cupset' of the season came last night, when Melbourne Victory went down 4-3 at Olympic Kingsway, who became the first WA state league side to knock out an A-League team. Victory had a man sent off with 15 minutes to play and the scoreline 2-2. Piscopo looked to have earned them a late winner, before Cup record career goalscorer Liam Boland cooly slotted an equaliser in the dying seconds. He extended his record to 15 goals (he has never played for an A-League side) from the spot in extra time.

The results so far are as follows:

Avondale (Vic.) 5-1 Stirling Macedonia (WA) - crowd 855
Darwin Olympic 0-9 Nunawading City** (Vic.) - crowd 756
Peninsula Power (Qld.) 0-3 Western Sydney - crowd 1,839
South Hobart 1-2 South Melbourne - crowd 2,077
Northern Tigers* (NSW) 0-1 Sydney United - crowd 1,161
Adelaide Croatia 2-3 Cooks Hill Utd. (Nth. NSW) - crowd 650
Heidelberg Utd. (Vic.) 2-0 Weston Bears (Nth. NSW) - crowd 525
Perth 1-1 Wellington (AET - Wellington won 8-7 on pens) - crowd 1,141
Western 0-1 Sydney - crowd 1,347
Southern Districts Raiders* (NSW) 0-5 Macarthur - crowd 2,716
Gold Coast Knights 0-4 Auckland - crowd 1,517
Olympic Kingsway (WA) 4-3 Melbourne Victory (AET) - crowd 3,033

* = from the second tier in state soccer
** = from the third tier in state soccer

Adelaide United and Metrostars are on at 7 p.m. tonight on Tenplay or YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YejDPKvQ8l4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib0XQCTaEv4

[RB]

The Round of 32 concluded tonight. Adelaide United put in a truly uninspiring effort against a Jets side who probably won’t be world-beaters this year. Metrostars on the other hand did it reasonably comfortably over 10-man Canberra Croatia.

Meanwhile, Melbourne City have taken the piss and fielded their B-team, and deservedly gone down to a state league club for the first time, with APIA Leichhardt becoming the first three-time giant killers in the history of the competition.

Tonight’s results:

Newcastle United 2-1 Adelaide United - crowd 2,793
Canberra Croatia 0-4 Metrostars (SA) - crowd 1,286
APIA Leichhardt (NSW) 2-0 Melbourne City - crowd 2,167
Brisbane City 1-0 Brisbane Olympic - crowd 2,271

The draw for the remainder of the tournament is as follows (with winners of adjacent Round of 16 matches playing each other in the quarters, etc.):

South Melbourne v Auckland
Sydney United v Sydney
Nunawading City** (Vic.) v Wellington
Heidelberg United (Vic.) v Western Sydney
Cooks Hill Utd. (Nth. NSW) v Newcastle United
Metrostars (SA) v Macarthur
Avondale (Vic.) v APIA Leichhart (NSW)
Brisbane City v Olympic Kingsway (WA)

** = from the third tier in state soccer

Cup debutants Auckland (who will play South Melbourne in front of a large crowd at Lakeside) and Newcastle (drawn against local rivals Cooks Hill) will both be looking to keep their record of never having been beaten by local sides alive. Sydney United against Sydney will hopefully crack five figures after drawing over 8,000 when they met in the Round of 16 in 2014. Wellington travel to Nunawading who are from the third tier in Victoria. I can't recall an A-League team taking on opposition three tiers below them in this competition.

Meanwhile, Metrostars will be playing, presumably at Klemzig, against Macarthur, which should be interesting.

The Round of 16 will be played in mid-August.

[Jim05]

Not a lot of interest in the Cup this year personally. Don’t really like any that are remaining