Melbourne played out a scrappy 1-1 draw against Adelaide United last night. Away from home, this is not a result to be unhappy with, although we can come away feeling somewhat unlucky to have not held on for the win.
After 80 minutes of scoreless play it was the most unlikely of heroes that stepped up to head home a goal for the Victory; Roddy Vargas. My foxsports fantasy league captain was looking like the best pick ever! His mind was likely still spinning with excitement when less than a minute later he left his arm outstretched to block an Adelaide shot on goal in our penalty area. Hero to villain in less than a minute. Theoklitos managed to get a touch on the Travis Dodd penalty, but it wasn’t enough to stop the goal. 1-1 it was and 1-1 it would remain, despite some late pressure by Adelaide.
The disappointment of yet another draw aside, this match did provide some good entertainment. Muscat flirted with the red card for much of the game, Costanzo faked a head butt to try to get Brebner sent off and in the end the drama of the 80th minute was enough to make this an intriguing contest, as Adelaide - Melbourne matches always are.
Positives we can take from this match were the solid performances by some of the newer additions. Sebastian Ryall in particular was very impressive as a right back, certainly staking a claim for a starting spot. Leandro Love was once again an absolute live-wire, although he never looked particularly dangerous in front of goal. But perhaps the most impressive performance for me last night was that of Adrian Caceres. Aside from providing the assist for Vargas’ goal, he was also responsible for what was probably Melbourne’s best chance of the match - a meandering run towards goal, passing numerous defenders and then eventually shooting just wide. It surprised me to see him taken off the pitch late in the game, moments after providing the goal assist. To me, he was a key performer for Melbourne last night and should be considered far more seriously for starting positions ahead of the likes of Milicevic, who to date has not really shown what he may be capable of.
The other players getting their debut last night, Daniel Vasilevski and Evan Berger, didn’t get much time to show what contribution they might provide to the team. We’ll have to wait to see more of them before drawing any conclusions.
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5 responses so far ↓
1 Eric // Sep 8, 2007 at 12:30 pm
You’re dead right about Adrian Caceres. Watching him play last night made me wonder how much of a difference he could have made last week when we played Perth. With Keenan out, Caceres is pretty near essential, providing a thrust and fluidity down the flank that few of our other players manage. I definitely think his performance last night should earn him another start next week against Central Coast.
Sebastian Ryall was also very impressive. Given his performance last night, I dare say he has a decent shot at a place in the first 11.
What did you think of Patafta’s absence?
2 Peter // Sep 8, 2007 at 1:46 pm
Patafta’s absence was interesting. I was somewhat surprised at that too and was rather expecting a Hernandez - Patafta substitution in the last 20 minutes. I can only guess that Merrick wanted to try new players and so decided to put on Vasilevski and Berger instead.
3 David // Sep 8, 2007 at 7:02 pm
A respectable display given the unfamiliar line-up. Totally agree with you about Sebastian Ryall, looked to be enjoying himself, and more comfortable than Daniel Vasilevski when he came on, maybe he didn’t have time to get into the game but had a couple of wayward touches, my memory of his appearance in the pre-season match against Newcastle at Geelong was the same, and Evan Berger had even less time so I hope he gets more game time in the future. Agree with your comments regarding Adrian Caceres too, his finishing is could be better but he and Keenan add width rather than having to work through the middle, which like the battle last night becomes really congested. The real problem for both teams was another draw, three a-piece now, and with Central Coast roaring away like we did last season, next Sunday should be a good match.
4 John // Sep 10, 2007 at 10:38 pm
daniel vasilevski is a player ernie merrick had at VIS as a junior. He is very talented and he just has to find his feet in the a-league and he will be great for the league. he is quicker than a flash and i believe he is better than hernandez. carlos is overweight and slow and does not do much for the team.
5 Wes // Sep 11, 2007 at 8:41 am
I think we should see more of Caceres after his superb display at Hindmarsh. He looked like he is the kind of player who can change the course of a game and I hope he gets more game time.
I wasn’t surprised by Patafta’s absence. I just think he had very little contribution in the match against Perth.
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