2015–16 Sydney FC season

The 2015–16 Sydney FC season was the club's eleventh season since its establishment in 2004. The club participated in the A-League for the eleventh time, the FFA Cup for the second time, as well as the AFC Champions League for the third time.

Sydney FC

2015–16 season
Chairman	Scott Barlow
Manager	Graham Arnold
Stadium	Allianz Stadium, Sydney
A-League	7th
FFA Cup	Round of 16
AFC Champions League	Round of 16
Top goalscorer	League: Filip Hološko (10 goals) All: Filip Hološko (10 goals)
Highest home attendance	40,539 vs Western Sydney Wanderers (24 October 2015)
Lowest home attendance	8,717 vs Perth Glory (11 April 2016)
Average home league attendance	16,071
Home colours Away colours

Preview

Pre-season

Sydney FC began the pre-season with a 7–0 win over Earlwood Wanderers.[1] The club then announced the annual Macarthur Rams pre-season clash.[2] The match took place on 30 July 2015, with Sydney FC cruising to a comfortable 5–1 victory. For both games, Sydney FC fielded mainly youth players and trialist's, of which included Matt Simon and Alex Mullen who would later go on to sign for the club.[3] The club announced a third pre-season friendly against a team of Gold Coast Premier League All-stars for mid-August.[4] However, this match would be ultimately be cancelled as the venue did not meet one of the criteria for Football Federation Australia sanctioned friendlies.[5]

Transfers

Rumours throughout the end of the 2014–15 A-League season that Sydney FC had signed Newcastle Jets and Young Socceroo midfielder, Andrew Hoole were confirmed on 30 April 2015.[6] Following the Grand Final loss to Melbourne Victory key members of the team were still weighing up their options for the season. Initially it was thought the services of Golden Boot winner, Marc Janko would be secured[7] but after he left for Europe the day after the grand final to plan his wedding, rumours circled that he would not return.[8] This was confirmed a week later with the club citing the number of games Janko would miss throughout the season as the A-League does not stop during FIFA breaks a factor in the decision.[9] Janko expressed his displeasure of how things were handled through social media site, Twitter.[9][10] Senegalese cousins Mickaël Tavares and Jacques Faty were quick to re-sign with club, extending their contracts from injury replacement players to full contracts. The club confirmed the signings of Tavares for two years on 21 May 2015[11] and one year for Faty on 27 May 2015.[12][13] The club also announced a two-year deal for striker Shane Smeltz on the same day.[13]

Sydney FC had many places to fill during the off-season, after announcing only eighteen retained players on 3 June 2015.[14] Defender Zachary Anderson was reunited with mentor Graham Arnold, signing for the sky blues on 15 July 2015 for one year.[15] This was quickly followed by the announcement of the highly anticipated foreign marquee and visa spots of Filip Hološko[16] and Miloš Ninković.[17] This appeared to spell the end of the 2014–15 Sydney FC Player of the Year Miloš Dimitrijević's time with club. However, with the departure of Nikola Petković to Westerlo[18] there still remained one visa spot available, and on 28 July 2015, Sydney FC announced that he had re-signed for a further two years.[19] With two days remaining before the commencement of the 2015 FFA Cup, Sydney FC announced the services of another former student of Arnold's (during his time with the Central Coast Mariners), when the club signed Matt Simon.[20] The club then lost the services of talented Socceroos midfielder Terry Antonis when he was transferred to Greek powerhouse PAOK on 19 August 2015.[21] On 25 August 2015, Sydney FC became the first club to utilise the "Mature Age Rookie" concept, signing Alex Mullen on a one-year deal.[22] The club also announced the signing of veteran Sydney FC gloveman Ivan Necevski (who returned to club after a stint with New South Wales Premier League outfit Rockdale City Suns)[23] alongside Sydney FC Youth captain, Jacob Tratt.[24]

Season

Sydney FC began the regular season at home against Melbourne City. The visitors took an early lead in the 16th when debutant Wade Dekker capitalised on a defensive error by Jacques Faty. However, the Sky Blues bounced back in injury time of the first half after a clever ball from Brandon O'Neill allowed skipper Alex Brosque to set up international marquee Filip Hološko with the equaliser. Sydney FC created many chances in the second stanza but City goalkeeper Thomas Sørensen produced world-class saves time and time again to ensure the match would end 1–1.[25]

Sydney FC then travelled to Hunter Stadium to face New South Wales rivals, Newcastle Jets. Newcastle had a goal disallowed in the first half for an offside infringement. With minutes remaining skipper Alex Brosque was denied by the woodwork, and the match looked destined for a draw. However, in the final minute of the game, Brosque came up with superb header from a corner kick. Sydney won the match 1–0. The win signified Sydney FC's unbeaten streak against Newcastle to eight games.[26] The match also involved a sickening collision between Sydney FC striker Shane Smeltz and Newcastle Jets goalkeeper Mark Birighitti which left the shotstopper requiring hospitalisation and major dental surgery.[27]

The first Sydney Derby of the year was hosted by Sydney FC at Allianz Stadium. The attendance of 40,539 was the second largest on record for the fixture and everyone in the stadium witnessed another pulsating clash. For the second match in a row, Sydney FC's opponent had a goal disallowed for an offside infringement in the first half and also for the second match in a row, Sydney FC scored in the dying minutes to win 1–0. Serbian international Miloš Ninković latched onto a splendid through-ball from rookie central midfielder Brandon O'Neill to put the game to bed. Sydney FC extended its unbeaten derby streak to five matches.[28]

Sydney FC travelled to Gosford, to play Central Coast Mariners at Central Coast Stadium, on 31 October. Shane Smeltz opened the scoring in the 34th minute after some clever work from Alex Brosque, sweeping it home from close range. Mariners striker Roy O'Donovan then equalised a minute later with an easy tap-in from close range. A few minutes later, O'Donovan was through on goal, and attempted to round Sydney keeper Vedran Janjetovic before being taking down and going to ground. However, the referee did not award a penalty. Three minutes before the interval, Mariners midfielder Nick Fitzgerald was sent off for a second yellow card, swinging the game in Sydney's favour. After a lengthy stalemate, Mariners all-time top goalscorer and new Sydney FC signing Matt Simon scored after a marauding run from Filip Hološko, who unselfishly laid the ball off to Simon. Six minutes later, Simon scored his second goal after a smart run from Mickaël Tavares, and thus, the game ended 3–1, to Sydney. Sydney remained on top of the A-League ladder as the only unbeaten team remaining in the competition.[29]

Players

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 Vedran Janjetović 2 DF  AUS Sebastian Ryall 4 DF  AUS Zachary Anderson 5 DF  AUS Matthew Jurman 6 FW  AUS Robert Stambolziev 7 MF  AUS Andrew Hoole 8 MF  SRB Miloš Dimitrijević 9 FW  NZL Shane Smeltz (vice-captain) 10 MF  SRB Miloš Ninković 11 MF  AUS Chris Naumoff 12 DF  AUS Jacob Tratt 13 MF  AUS Brandon O'Neill 14 FW  AUS Alex Brosque (captain)

No. Pos. Nation Player 16 DF  AUS Riley Woodcock 17 MF  AUS David Carney 18 FW  AUS Matt Simon 19 DF  SEN Jacques Faty (vice-captain) 20 GK  AUS Ivan Necevski 21 FW  SVK Filip Hološko 22 MF  IRQ Ali Abbas 23 MF  AUS Rhyan Grant 24 FW  AUS George Blackwood 25 DF  AUS Aaron Calver 27 MF  SEN Mickaël Tavares 29 MF  AUS Alex Mullen 30 GK  AUS Anthony Bouzanis

From youth squad

N	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Age	Notes
24	FW		George Blackwood	18
30	GK		Anthony Bouzanis	19
12	DF		Jacob Tratt	20	[30]

Transfers in

No.	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Age	Moving from	Type	Transfer window	Ends	Transfer fee	Source
7	MF		Andrew Hoole	21	Newcastle Jets	Transfer	Pre-season	2017	Free	[6]
13	MF		Brandon O'Neill	21	Free agent	Transfer	Pre-season	2017	Free	[31]
16	DF		Riley Woodcock	20	Perth Glory	Transfer	Pre-season	2016	Free	[32]
4	DF		Zachary Anderson	24	Central Coast Mariners	Transfer	Pre-season	2016	Free	[33]
10	MF		Miloš Ninković	30	Free agent	Transfer	Pre-season	2017	Free	[34]
21	FW		Filip Hološko	31	Free agent	Transfer	Pre-season	2017	Free	[35]
18	FW		Matt Simon	29	Central Coast Mariners	Transfer	Pre-season	2017	Free	[36]
29	MF		Alex Mullen	23	Mars Hill University	Transfer	Pre-season	2016	Free	[37]
20	GK		Ivan Necevski	35	Rockdale City Suns	Transfer	Pre-season	2016	Free	[38]
17	MF		David Carney	32	Free agent	Transfer	Round 18	2017	Free	[39]

Transfers out

N	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Age	Moving to	Type	Transfer window	Transfer fee	Source
21	FW		Marc Janko	31		End of Contract	Pre-season	Free	[40]
1	GK		Ivan Necevski	35		End of Contract	Pre-season	Free	[41]
3	DF		Saša Ognenovski	36		End of Contract	Pre-season	Free	[42]
18	MF		Peter Triantis	23		End of Contract	Pre-season	Free	[42]
19	MF		Nick Carle	33		End of Contract	Pre-season	Free	[42]
7	FW		Corey Gameiro	22		End of Contract	Pre-season	Free	[42]
12	MF		Hagi Gligor	20		End of Contract	Pre-season	Free	[42]
11	FW		Bernie Ibini	22	Shanghai SIPG	End of Loan	Pre-season	Free	[42]
6	DF		Nikola Petković	29	Westerlo	Transfer	Pre-season	Undisclosed	[18]
17	MF		Terry Antonis	21	PAOK	Transfer	Pre-season	$500,000	[43]
3	DF		Alex Gersbach	18	Rosenborg	Transfer	Round 18	Undisclosed	[44]

Technical staff

Position	Name
Manager	Graham Arnold
Assistant Manager	Steve Corica
Youth Team Manager	Robbie Stanton
Goalkeeping Coach	John Crawley
Strength & Conditioning Coach	Andrew Clark
Physiotherapist	Stan Ivancic

Statistics

Squad statistics

N	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Total					A-League					FFA Cup					AFC Champions League
				Apps	Goals				Apps	Goals				Apps	Goals				Apps	Goals
1	GK		Vedran Janjetović	37	0	1	0	0	27+0	0	0	0	0	2+0	0	0	0	0	8+0	0	1	0	0
2	DF		Sebastian Ryall	30	0	7	0	0	23+0	0	5	0	0	2+0	0	1	0	0	5+0	0	1	0	0
4	DF		Zachary Anderson	9	0	0	0	1	4+0	0	0	0	0	0+0	0	0	0	0	5+0	0	0	0	1
5	DF		Matthew Jurman	34	0	4	0	0	25+0	0	3	0	0	2+0	0	0	0	0	7+0	0	1	0	0
6	FW		Robert Stambolziev	15	1	2	0	0	1+7	0	2	0	0	2+0	0	0	0	0	1+4	1	0	0	0
7	MF		Andrew Hoole	23	0	5	0	0	6+9	0	4	0	0	2+0	0	0	0	0	4+2	0	1	0	0
8	MF		Miloš Dimitrijević	33	1	5	0	0	18+7	0	5	0	0	0+0	0	0	0	0	7+1	1	0	0	0
9	FW		Shane Smeltz	30	5	3	0	0	12+10	4	2	0	0	2+0	1	0	0	0	3+3	0	1	0	0
10	MF		Miloš Ninković	33	5	5	0	0	23+2	4	5	0	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	5+2	1	0	0	0
11	MF		Chris Naumoff	18	1	0	0	0	8+2	0	0	0	0	2+0	0	0	0	0	4+2	1	0	0	0
12	DF		Jacob Tratt	0	0	0	0	0	0+0	0	0	0	0	0+0	0	0	0	0	0+0	0	0	0	0
13	MF		Brandon O'Neill	30	1	6	0	0	16+5	0	4	0	0	2+0	0	1	0	0	6+1	1	1	0	0
14	FW		Alex Brosque	15	5	3	0	0	13+0	5	3	0	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0+1	0	0	0	0
16	DF		Riley Woodcock	6	0	0	0	0	1+0	0	0	0	0	2+0	0	0	0	0	3+0	0	0	0	0
17	MF		David Carney	13	3	5	0	0	7+1	2	3	0	0	0+0	0	0	0	0	5+0	1	2	0	0
18	FW		Matt Simon	27	3	10	0	0	9+11	3	6	0	0	0+2	0	1	0	0	5+0	0	3	0	0
19	DF		Jacques Faty	20	1	3	0	1	17+3	1	3	0	1	0+0	0	0	0	0	0+0	0	0	0	0
20	GK		Ivan Necevski	0	0	0	0	0	0+0	0	0	0	0	0+0	0	0	0	0	0+0	0	0	0	0
21	FW		Filip Hološko	24	10	5	1	0	23+1	10	5	1	0	0+0	0	0	0	0	0+0	0	0	0	0
22	MF		Ali Abbas	13	2	2	0	0	2+7	2	2	0	0	0+0	0	0	0	0	3+1	0	0	0	0
23	MF		Rhyan Grant	33	2	6	0	0	24+0	0	5	0	0	2+0	1	0	0	0	7+0	1	1	0	0
24	FW		George Blackwood	20	1	1	0	0	8+6	1	1	0	0	0+0	0	0	0	0	4+2	0	0	0	0
25	DF		Aaron Calver	9	0	2	0	0	4+0	0	1	0	0	2+0	0	0	0	0	3+0	0	1	0	0
26	FW		Max Burgess	1	1	0	0	0	0+0	0	0	0	0	0+1	1	0	0	0	0+0	0	0	0	0
27	MF		Mickaël Tavares	26	1	4	0	0	17+5	1	4	0	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	3+0	0	0	0	0
29	MF		Alex Mullen	3	0	0	0	0	1+0	0	0	0	0	0+0	0	0	0	0	0+2	0	0	0	0
30	GK		Anthony Bouzanis	0	0	0	0	0	0+0	0	0	0	0	0+0	0	0	0	0	0+0	0	0	0	0
Players no longer at the club:
3	DF		Alex Gersbach	10	0	1	0	1	8+2	0	1	0	1	0+0	0	0	0	0	0+0	0	0	0	0

• Last updated: 25 May 2016
• Source: au.soccerway.com
• = Number of bookings; = Number of sending offs after a second yellow card; = Number of sending offs by a direct red card.

Pre-season and friendlies

Earlwood Wanderers v Sydney FC

22 July 2015 Johnny Warren Community Challenge	Earlwood Wanderers	0–7	Sydney FC	Sydney, Australia
19:30 AEST		Report	Smeltz  8', 29' Calver  27' A. Mullen  38' Naumoff  60', 66' Lokoli-Ngoy  64'	Stadium: Leichhardt Oval Attendance: 350 Referee: Chris Young

Macarthur Rams v Sydney FC

30 July 2015 Friendly	Macarthur Rams	1–5	Sydney FC	Sydney, Australia
19:30 AEST	Kadric  78'	Report	Simon  7' Naumoff  23' Antonis  32' Burgess  51' Lokoli-Ngoy  66'	Stadium: Campbelltown Stadium

Gold Coast All-Stars v Sydney FC

13 August 2015 Gold Coast Cabs Challenge	Gold Coast All-Stars	Cancelled	Sydney FC	Gold Coast, Australia
19:00 AEST		Source Cancellation		Stadium: Pizzey Park

Belconnen United v Sydney FC

19 August 2015 Friendly	Belconnen United	0–3	Sydney FC	Canberra, Australia
19:00 AEST		Report	Simon  72' Tratt  85' Hoole  88'	Stadium: McKellar Park Attendance: 1,852 Referee: Ben Williams

South Coast Wolves v Sydney FC

15 September 2015 Friendly	South Coast Wolves	0–4	Sydney FC	Wollongong, Australia
19:00 AEST		Report	Hoole  5' Smeltz  55', 80' Hološko  82'	Stadium: WIN Stadium Referee: Adrian Arndt

Sydney FC v Wellington Phoenix

18 September 2015 Friendly	Sydney FC	1–3	Wellington Phoenix	Wollongong, Australia
19:45 AEST	Hološko  67'	Report	Krishna  32' Powell  37', 38'	Stadium: WIN Stadium Attendance: 2,874 Referee: Strebre Delovski

Sydney FC v Adelaide United

1 October 2015 Friendly	Sydney FC	0–2	Adelaide United	Sydney, Australia
15:30 AEST		Report	Djite  67', 87'	Stadium: Leichhardt Oval

Competitions

Overall

Competition	Started round	Final position / round	First match	Last match
A-League	—	7th	10 October 2015	10 April 2016
FFA Cup	Round of 32	Round of 16	5 August 2015	26 August 2015
AFC Champions League	Group stage	Round of 16	24 February 2016	25 May 2016

A-League

Main article: 2015–16 A-League

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Adelaide United (C)	27	14	7	6	45	28	+17	49	Qualification to Finals series and AFC Champions League group stage
2	Western Sydney Wanderers	27	14	6	7	44	33	+11	48
3	Brisbane Roar	27	14	6	7	49	40	+9	48	Qualification to Finals series and AFC Champions League second preliminary round
4	Melbourne City	27	13	5	9	63	44	+19	44	Qualification to Finals series
5	Perth Glory	27	13	4	10	49	42	+7	43
6	Melbourne Victory	27	11	8	8	40	33	+7	41
7	Sydney FC	27	8	10	9	36	36	0	34
8	Newcastle Jets	27	8	6	13	28	41	−13	30
9	Wellington Phoenix[lower-alpha 1]	27	7	4	16	34	54	−20	25
10	Central Coast Mariners	27	3	4	20	33	70	−37	13

Source: A-League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champion.
Notes:

1. Wellington Phoenix cannot qualify for the AFC Champions League as they are not recognised as an AFC club.

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
27	8	10	9	36	36	0	34	5	4	5	19	17	+2	3	6	4	17	19	−2

Last updated: 10 April 2016.
Source: ultimatealeague.com

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
Ground	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	A	H	H
Result	D	W	W	W	D	L	D	D	W	L	D	W	D	W	W	L	L	D	L	D	D	L	L	D	L	L	W
Position	4	3	1	1	1	2	4	4	3	5	4	4	4	4	3	5	5	5	6	6	6	7	7	7	7	7	7

Source: ultimatealeague.com
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

Sydney FC v Melbourne City

10 October 2015 1	Sydney FC	1–1	Melbourne City	Sydney
19:30 AEDT	Hološko  45+3'	Report	Dekker  16'	Stadium: Allianz Stadium Attendance: 17,051 Referee: Ben Williams

Newcastle Jets v Sydney FC

17 October 2015 2	Newcastle Jets	0–1	Sydney FC	Newcastle
17:15 AEDT		Report	Brosque  89'	Stadium: Hunter Stadium Attendance: 12,173 Referee: Peter Green

Sydney FC v Western Sydney Wanderers

24 October 2015 3	Sydney FC	1–0	Western Sydney Wanderers	Sydney
19:30 AEDT	Ninković  88'	Report		Stadium: Allianz Stadium Attendance: 40,539 Referee: Ben Williams

Central Coast Mariners v Sydney FC

31 October 2015 4	Central Coast Mariners	1–3	Sydney FC	Gosford
17:15 AEDT	O'Donovan  35' Fitzgerald  40'  42'	Report	Smeltz  34' Simon  82', 88'	Stadium: Central Coast Stadium Attendance: 10,030 Referee: Adam Fielding

Sydney FC v Brisbane Roar

6 November 2015 5	Sydney FC	0–0	Brisbane Roar	Sydney
19:40 AEDT		Report		Stadium: Allianz Stadium Attendance: 12,857 Referee: Strebre Delovski

Sydney FC v Melbourne Victory

14 November 2015 6	Sydney FC	2–4	Melbourne Victory	Sydney
19:30 AEDT	Hološko  5' Brosque  20'	Report	Berisha  9', 90+2' Finkler  28' Barbarouses  68'	Stadium: Allianz Stadium Attendance: 15,947 Referee: Chris Beath

Perth Glory v Sydney FC

21 November 2015 7	Perth Glory	0–0	Sydney FC	Perth
16:30 AWST		Report		Stadium: nib Stadium Attendance: 6,976 Referee: Jarred Gillett

Sydney FC v Wellington Phoenix

26 November 2015 8	Sydney FC	0–0	Wellington Phoenix	Sydney
20:00 AEDT		Report		Stadium: Allianz Stadium Attendance: 9,253 Referee: Chris Beath

Sydney FC v Newcastle Jets

4 December 2015 9	Sydney FC	1–0	Newcastle Jets	Sydney
19:40 AEDT	Brosque  57'	Report		Stadium: Allianz Stadium Attendance: 9,155 Referee: Shaun Evans

Adelaide United v Sydney FC

11 December 2015 10	Adelaide United	2–1	Sydney FC	Adelaide
19:10 ACDT	Jeggo  62' Carrusca  90+4' (pen.)	Report	Gersbach  28' Hološko  70'	Stadium: Coopers Stadium Attendance: 9,076 Referee: Strebre Delovski

Wellington Phoenix v Sydney FC

19 December 2015 11	Wellington Phoenix	1–1	Sydney FC	Wellington
19:15 NZDT	Krishna  89' (pen.)	Report	Hološko  84'	Stadium: Westpac Stadium Attendance: 10,027 Referee: Peter Green

Sydney FC v Central Coast Mariners

26 December 2015 12	Sydney FC	4–1	Central Coast Mariners	Sydney
19:30 AEDT	Brosque  12', 24' (pen.) Tavares  30' (pen.) McGing  84' (o.g.)	Report	Izzo  23'  27' Ascroft  38'	Stadium: Allianz Stadium Attendance: 12,648 Referee: Ben Williams

Melbourne City v Sydney FC

2 January 2016 13	Melbourne City	2–2	Sydney FC	Melbourne
19:30 AEDT	Hughes  37' Fornaroli  60'	Report	Ninković  53', 78'	Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 10,140 Referee: Strebre Delovski

Sydney FC v Newcastle Jets

9 January 2016 14	Sydney FC	2–0	Newcastle Jets	Sydney
17:15 AEDT	Hološko  15' Abbas  80'	Report		Stadium: ANZ Stadium Attendance: 15,127 Referee: Jonathan Barreiro

Western Sydney Wanderers v Sydney FC

16 January 2016 15	Western Sydney Wanderers	1–2	Sydney FC	Parramatta
19:30 AEDT	Vidošić  58'	Report	Faty  22' Smeltz  90'	Stadium: Pirtek Stadium Attendance: 19,627 Referee: Strebre Delovski

Melbourne Victory v Sydney FC

26 January 2016 16	Melbourne Victory	1–0	Sydney FC	Melbourne
19:30 AEDT	Jurman  79' (o.g.)	Report		Stadium: Etihad Stadium Attendance: 30,493 Referee: Strebre Delovski

Sydney FC v Brisbane Roar

30 January 2016 17	Sydney FC	1–3	Brisbane Roar	Sydney
19:30 AEDT	Corona  52' (o.g.)	Report	Maclaren  8', 76' McKay  67'	Stadium: Allianz Stadium Attendance: 12,548 Referee: Peter Green

Adelaide United v Sydney FC

5 February 2016 18	Adelaide United	2–2	Sydney FC	Adelaide
19:10 ACDT	Cirio  2', 45'	Report	Simon  37' Hološko  45+2'	Stadium: Coopers Stadium Attendance: 11,785 Referee: Chris Beath

Sydney FC v Perth Glory

13 February 2016 19	Sydney FC	1–2	Perth Glory	Sydney
17:15 AEDT	Smeltz  79'	Report	Keogh  23' Harold  65'	Stadium: Allianz Stadium Attendance: 11,559 Referee: Ben Williams

Sydney FC v Western Sydney Wanderers

20 February 2016 20	Sydney FC	1–1	Western Sydney Wanderers	Sydney
19:30 AEDT	Jamieson  36' (o.g.)	Report	Vidošić  13'	Stadium: Allianz Stadium Attendance: 40,382 Referee: Jarred Gillett

Melbourne Victory v Sydney FC

27 February 2016 21	Melbourne Victory	1–1	Sydney FC	Melbourne
19:30 AEDT	Barbarouses  46'	Report	Faty  64' Carney  76'	Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 20,112 Referee: Kris Griffiths-Jones

Melbourne City v Sydney FC

5 March 2016 22	Melbourne City	3–0	Sydney FC	Melbourne
19:30 AEDT	Fornaroli  41', 71', 82'	Report		Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 8,584 Referee: Jarred Gillett

Sydney FC v Wellington Phoenix

12 March 2016 23	Sydney FC	1–3	Wellington Phoenix	Sydney
17:15 AEDT	Hološko  51'	Report	Powell  12' Watson  13' Bonevacia  37'	Stadium: Allianz Stadium Attendance: 10,235 Referee: Takuto Okabe (Japan)

Central Coast Mariners v Sydney FC

19 March 2016 24	Central Coast Mariners	2–2	Sydney FC	Gosford
17:15 AEDT	O'Donovan  86' Ascroft  90+1'	Report	Blackwood  11' Smeltz  45'	Stadium: Central Coast Stadium Attendance: 6,383 Referee: Koichiro Fukushima (Japan)

Brisbane Roar v Sydney FC

26 March 2016 25	Brisbane Roar	3–2	Sydney FC	Brisbane
18:30 AEST	D. Petratos  32' Maclaren  36' Henrique  88'	Report	Hološko  24', 87'	Stadium: Suncorp Stadium Attendance: 14,897 Referee: Shaun Evans

Sydney FC v Adelaide United

2 April 2016 26	Sydney FC	0–2	Adelaide United	Sydney
19:30 AEDT		Report	Djite  26', 45'	Stadium: Allianz Stadium Attendance: 8,981 Referee: Peter Green

Sydney FC v Perth Glory

10 April 2016 27	Sydney FC	4–0	Perth Glory	Sydney
17:00 AEST	Carney  30' Hološko  36'  55'  78' Abbas  85' Ninković  90+1'	Report		Stadium: Allianz Stadium Attendance: 8,717 Referee: Ben Williams

FFA Cup

Main article: 2015 FFA Cup

Sorrento FC v Sydney FC

5 August 2015 Round of 32	Sorrento FC	0–2	Sydney FC	Perth, Australia
20:30 AEST		Report	Smeltz  3' (pen.) Burgess  75'	Stadium: nib Stadium Attendance: 3,485 Referee: Adam Fielding

Adelaide United v Sydney FC

26 August 2015 Round of 16	Adelaide United	2–1 (a.e.t.)	Sydney FC	Adelaide, Australia
19:30 AEST	Sánchez  40' McGowan  114',  116'	Report	Grant  16'	Stadium: Coopers Stadium Attendance: 5,066 Referee: Shaun Evans

AFC Champions League

Main article: 2016 AFC Champions League

Group stage

Main article: 2016 AFC Champions League group stage § Group H

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Sydney FC	6	3	1	2	4	4	0	10	Knockout stage
2	Urawa Red Diamonds	6	2	3	1	6	4	+2	9
3	Guangzhou Evergrande	6	2	2	2	6	5	+1	8
4	Pohang Steelers	6	1	2	3	2	5	−3	5

Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

Urawa Red Diamonds v Sydney FC

24 February 2016 1	Urawa Red Diamonds	2–0	Sydney FC	Saitama, Japan
19:30 JST	Muto  8' Koroki  65' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Saitama Stadium Attendance: 19,500 Referee: Ali Sabah (Iraq)

Sydney FC v Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao

2 March 2016 2	Sydney FC	2–1	Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao	Sydney, Australia
20:00 AEDT	Stambolziev  18' Dimitrijević  89'	Report	Calver  25' (o.g.)	Stadium: Sydney Football Stadium Attendance: 18,149 Referee: Alireza Faghani (Iran)

Pohang Steelers v Sydney FC

16 March 2016 3	Pohang Steelers	0–1	Sydney FC	Pohang, South Korea
19:30 KST		Report	Naumoff  41'	Stadium: Pohang Steel Yard Attendance: 4,247 Referee: Fahad Al-Mirdasi (Saudi Arabia)

Sydney FC v Pohang Steelers

5 April 2016 4	Sydney FC	1–0	Pohang Steelers	Sydney, Australia
20:00 AEST	Ninković  51'	Report		Stadium: Sydney Football Stadium Attendance: 5,642 Referee: Mohsen Torky (Iran)

Sydney FC v Urawa Red Diamonds

20 April 2016 5	Sydney FC	0–0	Urawa Red Diamonds	Sydney, Australia
20:00 AEST		Report		Stadium: Sydney Football Stadium Attendance: 8,803 Referee: Muhammad Taqi (Singapore)

Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao v Sydney FC

3 May 2016 6	Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao	1–0	Sydney FC	Guangzhou, China
18:30 CST	Gao Lin  2'	Report		Stadium: Tianhe Stadium Attendance: 33,517 Referee: Nawaf Shukralla (Bahrain)

Round of 16

Shandong Luneng Taishan v Sydney FC

18 May 2016 First leg	Shandong Luneng Taishan	1–1	Sydney FC	Jinan, China
19:30 CST	Tardelli  57'	Report	Carney  15'	Stadium: Jinan Olympic Sports Center Stadium Attendance: 16,917 Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar)

Sydney FC v Shandong Luneng Taishan

25 May 2016 Second leg	Sydney FC	2–2 (3–3 agg.)	Shandong Luneng Taishan	Sydney, Australia
20:00 AEST	O'Neill  2' Grant  46' Anderson  76'	Report	Montillo  12' Hao  90'	Stadium: Sydney Football Stadium Attendance: 9,451 Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)

References

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2. "Sydney FC to face Macarthur Rams". 23 July 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
3. "Sydney FC cruise to a comfortable win". 30 July 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
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17. "Sydney FC sign experienced Serbian". Sydney FC. 17 July 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
18. "Sydney FC Allow Defender To Return To Europe". Sydney FC. 24 June 2015.
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20. "Sydney FC secure Simon". Sydney FC. 3 August 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
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23. "Sydney FC re-sign Keeper Necevski". Sydney FC. 31 August 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
24. "Sydney FC sign Jacob Tratt". 1 September 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
25. "Sydney FC Denied By Sorensen In Dominant Display". Sydney FC. 10 October 2015.
26. Greco, John (17 October 2015). "Brosque strikes late as Sky Blues down Jets". www.sydneyfc.com. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
27. "Mark Birighitti injury: Shane Smeltz 'distraught' after sickening challenge reminiscent of past incident". Fox Sports. 18 October 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
28. Greco, John. "Sky Blues strike late to stun Wanderers". Sydney FC.
29. http://www.sydneyfc.com/matchcentre/Central-Coast-Mariners-v-Sydney-FC/811625#widget-match-day-tabs
30. "Sydney FC Sign Jacob Tratt". Sydney FC. 1 September 2015.
31. "Sydney FC Confirm Brandon O'Neill Signing". Sydney FC. 25 May 2015.
32. "Sydney FC Sign Talented Young Defender Signing". Sydney FC. 12 June 2015.
33. "Arnie signs former charge". Football Federation Australia. 15 July 2015.
34. "Sydney FC sign Serbian star Milos Ninkovic". 16 July 2015. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
35. "Sydney FC sign Slovakian international Filip Holosko on two-year marquee deal". 20 July 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
36. "Simon signs on at Sydney FC". 3 August 2015. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
37. "Sydney FC sign mature age rookie". Football Federation Australia. 25 August 2015.
38. "Released gloveman returns to Sydney FC". Football Federation Australia. 31 August 2015.
39. "Championship Winner David Carney Returns To Sydney FC". Sydney FC. 3 February 2016.
40. "Sydney FC and Janko to Part Ways". Sydney FC. 24 May 2015.
41. "Necevski to play final Sky Blues game". Football Federation Australia. 29 May 2015.
42. "Sydney FC Announce Retained Players For 2015/16 Season". Sydney FC. 3 June 2015.
43. "Terry Antonis PAOK FC transfer: Sydney FC midfielder seals move to Greek Super League club". Fox Sports Australia. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
44. "Sydney FC Youngster Alex Gersbach Transfers To Europe". Sydney FC. 31 January 2016.

External links

• Official Website