Melbourne City has won the A-League Women’s Championship four times in their seven seasons to date. They are more successful than any other A-League Women club in literally half the time. This includes a three-peat across their first three seasons (2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18), and two Premierships (2015-16 and 2019-20). It’s no wonder their name comes with a certain amount of awe, fear and loathing.
Aside from a weird blip in 2020-21 when they finished 7th, City is always an exciting prospect. They didn’t drop a single point in their inaugural season and they have significantly contributed to raising the overall competition standard through their facilities and culture ever since.
All of this said, City benefited significantly from an era when the Matildas were still largely playing in the Dub. Whether anecdotal or not, City’s fortunes have waned as a bulk of the Matildas are now playing full-time abroad. Time has healed some wounds for the rest of the Dub, with Melbourne Victory having successfully rebuilt and others no longer awed by City’s original dominance.
With the introduction of a third Melbourne team this season, it will be interesting to see if City are still the yardstick, or if they struggle to keep up the pace themselves.
Last Season
City finished the regular season in second position behind Sydney FC.
In the first Semi-Final, they lost 4-2 to Sydney FC in extra time with New Zealand international Hannah Wilkinson scoring a brace.
City had a chance to redeem themselves, facing Melbourne Victory in the Preliminary Final, but it was Victory who came out on top with a 3-1 win.
Key Facts
| Coach: | Rado Vidošić |
| Captain: | Emma Checker |
| Last Season: | 2nd |
| Venue(s): | AAMI Park – 4 Casey Fields – 5 |
| Membership: | Four ALW packages on offer:
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Line-up
The Coach
Rado Vidošić has been at the helm of Melbourne City since July 2018. Under his tenure, City has won the Premiership and Championship just once and perhaps hasn’t been at its best.
There’s no doubt Vidošić has a pool of talent and top facilities at his disposal, but will it translate to more silverware?
Notably, Football Victoria Hall of Fame legend Melissa Barbieri is also the Assistant Coach at City and holds an AFC A Licence.
READ MORE: 26th Professional Season for Barbieri
Ins & Outs
INS
| Karly Roestbakken | Defender | LSK Kvinner (Norway) |
| Daniela Galic | Midfielder | Football NSW Institute |
| Julia Grosso | Forward | University of Kentucky |
| Bryleeh Henry | Forward | Western Sydney Wanderers |
| Emina Ekic | Forward | Racing Louisville |
| Maria Jose Rojas | Forward | Apollon Ladies |
OUTS
| Winonah Heatley | Defender | Nordsjælland (Denmark) |
| Rebekah Stott | Defender | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| Marisa van der Meer | Defender | Wellington Phoenix |
| Tyla-Jay Vlajnic | Defender | Western United |
| Isabella Accardo | Midfielder | not retained |
| Meisha Westland | Midfielder | Adelaide United |
| Coco Majstorovic | Goalkeeper | not retained |
Key Players
City has recruited eloquently for this upcoming season. From front to back they have class and character. Perennial fan favourites will of course be Matildas Alumni Melissa Barbieri and Emma Checker.
“The experience and leadership she brings to our group is invaluable and she’s really just a great person to have involved as part of our program,” Vidosic told City Media of Barbieri’s return.
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Karly Roestbakken has returned to Australia after a successful, yet injury-plagued journey overseas. Roestbakken’s work ethic, talent and skill will be a brilliant addition to an already accomplished defensive lineup. The loss of Winonah Heatley, Rebekah Stott and Tyla-Jay Vlajnic makes Roestbakken’s signing all the more important.
Listen to Karly on the Beyond 90 podcast
City fans will be keen to see American winger Julia Grosso take flight in the Dub, direct from the University of Kentucky.
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One To Watch
While it’s unlikely we’ll see her in the early stages of the competition, Dub fans will be excitedly awaiting the return of Holly McNamara from her ACL injury suffered in February 2022.
Daniela Galic is rated by many as the next big thing in Australian women’s football and she’s hoping to play as many minutes as possible at City in her first professional contract. Galic is a box-to-box midfielder with similarities already drawn to Chloe Logarzo and she’s part of a hopefully bright future for the Matildas.
“Daniela Galic: she will be the future of Australian football, mark my words,” Grace Gill.
READ MORE: City Sign highly rated Young Matildas Midfielder Daniela Galic
Prediction
City are never far from the pack and always threatening. They’ve lost a few key players but recruited wisely. Perhaps the Grosso/Wilkinson combination will create the firepower they need up top – with a young vibrant midfield and a mature defensive lineup, could City strike the perfect balance?
The prediction is a mid-table finish.
City will also potentially be rebuilding its fan base, having relocated its home ground to Casey Fields. At 55km from the CBD, it’s a significant trip from the centre of Melbourne. No doubt the facilities are amazing.
Fixture
City’s season starts in faraway lands against Wellington Phoenix.
| Date: | Sunday November 20th |
| Venue: | City Vista Recreation Reserve |
Full Melbourne City fixture
Follow Beyond 90’s coverage of the A-League Women’s competition.
