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Soccer Friday: Royal Saudis look to ruin Wanderers' Cinderella story
On paper, it seemed like the ultimate mismatch: The aristocratic six-time continental champions from Saudi Arabia against an Australian club based in a Rugby heartland that had been in existence for a little more than two years
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n paper, it seemed like the ultimate mismatch: The aristocratic six-time continental champions from Saudi Arabia against an Australian club based in a Rugby heartland that had been in existence for a little more than two years.
And yet, the fledgling Western Sydney Wanderers hold the upper hand over hot favorites Al Hilal going into Saturday's second leg of the AFC Champions League final in Riyadh.
Western Sydney won last weekend's first leg 1-0 in a performance that delighted a record Wanderers' home crowd of 20,053, which packed into Parramatta Stadium, the long-time home of the Parramatta Eels Rugby League team.
On the same night in Melbourne, 43,729 fans watched Melbourne Victory beat Melbourne City 5-2 in the A-League. The Etihad Stadium attendance was larger than all but two of 48 games held there in the 2014 season of AFL ' that is the nation's best-supported sport of Australian Rules football.
It is not quite a revolution, but soccer is making further inroads into Australia's crowded sporting landscape. And if the Western Sydney Wanderers were to become the first Australian side to be crowned Asian club champions just two months before the nation hosts the 2015 AFC Asian Cup for the first time, it would be a significant step.
But Al Hilal, which was founded in 1957 and voted Asian team of the 20th century, is intent on ruining Western Sydney's Cinderella story. They see their first-leg deficit as a mere blip as it welcomes the novices to the intimidating King Fahd Stadium.
The club is backed by the Saudi royal family and Riyadh has been transformed ahead of the second leg, with all major landmarks in the capital city lit blue in Al Hilal's colors. Saudi Prince al-Waleed bin Talal has offered a bonus of US$25,000 to every player and staff member if the Blue Wave wins on Saturday.
'The team flew out of Sydney in a private jet with all seats turning into beds after they'd stayed in Australia's most expensive and exclusive hotel, complaining that it was too small for them,' said Middle East football commentator Alan Mtashar. 'No money has been spared in their pursuit of Asian glory.'
Western Sydney, in contrast, is run on a much tighter budget within the A-League's modest salary cap, and without any notable superstar player after the off-season departure of Japan's Shinji Ono. And yet they have managed to overcome two other cashed-up clubs in the knockout stages ' 2013 champion Guangzhou Evergrande and last year's runner-up, FC Seoul.
'The Al Hilal fans were extremely disappointed with the first-leg result because they felt they were the better team and deserved to get something from the match,' Mtashar said. 'The general consensus is that unless the Wanderers get lucky, Al Hilal will win comfortably. But they know it's not easy because they see Tony Popovic as a master tactician.'
Popovic is a former captain of Crystal Palace in the English Premier League who earned 58 caps for Australia, appearing in the 2006 World Cup. The 41-year-old grew up in Fairfield, a 30-minute drive from the ground that the Wanderers have turned into a fortress.
It was surreal to have members of the Saudi royal family watching an Asian soccer final at an aging arena in which the grandstands are named after Parramatta Eels legends like Peter Sterling and Brett Kenny, and where a statue of duel Rugby international Ray Price has stood for years. Al Hilal officials grumbled about the state of the pitch and the facilities but the now renamed Pirtek Stadium was approved as a venue for the final at the eleventh hour by the AFC.
Already, the Wanderers' average home crowd ' it was 14,860 in 2013 ' is larger than that of the beloved Eels. And the singing and chanting in unison of the club's so-called Red and Black Bloc create an atmosphere that is not replicated by any other soccer code in Australia.
The nation of Saudi Arabia is becoming curious about this new club from New South Wales. Its unexpected regional success has spawned a Saudi-based Western Sydney Wanderers' Twitter account, which now has 41,500 followers ' 7,000 more than the club's official feed.
The only other time an Australian club played in an an AFC Champions League final was in 2008 when Adelaide United was embarrassed by Japan's Gamba Osaka, losing 3-0 away en route to a 5-0 aggregate drubbing.
How Al Hilal would love to inflict a similar score line on these Aussie rookies in unfamiliar territory.
The winners will book a place in December's FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco. The Saudi royal family would most certainly enjoy the host cities of Marrakesh and Rabat a lot more than last Saturday evening in suburban Parramatta.
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Jason Dasey is Senior Editor of ESPN FC, Indonesia's most popular English language soccer website, and the original host of SportsCenter Asia. Twitter: @JasonDasey.
