We count down the top 20 players to watch in the National Premier Leagues SA 2019 soccer season
As kick-off approaches in the National Premier Leagues SA soccer season, we count down the top 20 players who will be gracing our pitches this year after a summer of star overseas recruits and high-profile moves in the local competition.
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IT has been a summer of star overseas recruits and high-profile moves in the National Premier Leagues SA.
So as kick-off approaches in the most eagerly anticipated local soccer season in decades, The Advertiser is counting down the top 20 players to watch this campaign.
From internationally-capped wingers to top flight European defenders and returning A-League playmakers to up-and-coming young guns, they are all in there.
Let the debate begin.
DID WE GET IT RIGHT? WHO WAS UNLUCKY? TELL US BELOW
20. Stefan Simic
Position: Midfielder
Age: 21
Club: Adelaide Comets
Ever-present Simic enjoyed a breakout 2018, helping Comets to their maiden major silverware in the FFA Cup SA and winning the Mile End club’s best and fairest award. The former MetroStars and Adelaide Blue Eagles young gun is a born entertainer with an eye for goal, excellent passing range and devastating pace.
19. Tom Strain
Position: Forward
Age: 23
Club: MetroStars
The youth product of English club Aston Villa has been a revelation since returning to Australia, scoring 36 goals in the past three campaigns. Strain, who still harbours ambitions of joining his younger brother, Ryan Strain, in the A-League, has formed a lethal partnership at MetroStars with Christian Esposito and possesses all the best qualities of a traditional No.9.
18. Marc Marino
Position: Forward
Age: 22
Club: Campbelltown City
A true Red Devils boy, Marino came through the junior ranks of the club before making his A-League debut for Melbourne City under Dutchman John van ’t Schip. He was not allowed to settle when he moved to Adelaide United under then boss Guillermo Amor in 2016, but got his mojo back at his old club helping City claim a glorious treble of SA and Australian NPL crowns last year.
17. Anthony Costa
Position: Forward
Age: 24
Club: Adelaide City
Scoring 80 times in 114 games for City says it all. Costa is a proven goal machine for a club which has been close to his heart since he was a kid. The striker was not given much of a chance at Adelaide United under ex-coach Josep Gombau, playing just two A-League matches despite being top scorer in the National Youth League in 2013/14. He won back-to-back NPL SA golden boots with City in 2016 and 2017.
16. Joel Allwright
Position: Winger/full back
Age: 30
Club: Campbelltown City
Another of the big names to depart Adelaide City this off-season, Allwright arrives at Newton with bags of experience, including a short A-League spell with Newcastle Jets in 2017. The former Adelaide United youth team player’s power, intelligence and quality delivery from wide positions will be key in Campbelltown’s title defence.
15. Christian Esposito
Position: Forward
Age: 28
Club: MetroStars
The attacking gun spent most of his early years in Italy at Atalanta, which has been lauded as a talent factory for youth players for decades. He made the switch to rival AlbinoLeffe and made one appearance in Italy’s Serie B, before signing for Novara when the club was in Italy’s top tier. Esposito came back from a broken leg to win last year’s NPL SA golden boot with 18 goals, including six from the penalty spot.
14. Omid Popalzay
Position: Winger
Age: 23
Club: Adelaide Comets
The speedy creator fled war-torn Afghanistan with his family aged four and grew up in the Netherlands, where he was discovered by Eredivisie side NEC and later spent four years with second division Achillies ‘29. Popalzay has since racked up 20 appearances for his country of birth and hopes to feature in its World Cup qualifying campaign later this year.
13. Rocky Visconte
Position: Attacking midfielder/winger
Age: 28
Club: Raiders
Visconte’s voyage in the world game earned him rave reviews when he joined Scotland’s Hearts as a teenager after making senior appearances for Croydon when he was 15. Apart from the super football experience, Visconte was beaten and robbed at knifepoint in Edinburgh during a loan stint with Ayr United. A change of scenery following five consecutive seasons with the Kings should refresh the clever attacker and Sergio Melta Medal winner.
12. Emanuele Testardi
Position: Forward
Age: 28
Club: Adelaide Blue Eagles
A playing CV boasting stints at Serie A giant Sampdoria and an Italian under-20 cap makes Testardi another of the star-studded imports to arrive in the NPL SA this campaign. The 189cm target man began his 12-year professional career at Pescara, has enjoyed a spell with Hungarian powerhouse Honved and most recently turned out for fourth-tier Casale.
11. Liam Wooding
Position: Forward/attacking midfielder
Age: 25
Club: South Adelaide
The Sergio Melta Medallist made his A-League debut for Adelaide United in 2012, playing 45 minutes in a 1-1 draw with Melbourne Heart (now City). But that was the extent of his professional career. He became an integral cog in MetroStars’ midfield and is now expected to add much needed flair to South’s game after signing with his junior club last year.
10. Nick Munro
Position: Goalkeeper
Age: 25
Club: Raiders
The commanding custodian has been a vital component in Croydon Kings winning three major trophies in the past four seasons, picking up two top flight goalkeeper of the year awards along the way. Munro’s move to Raiders is a major boost for the newly-promoted outfit, which will benefit from his outstanding shot-stopping and dominance in the air.
9. Nicholas Bucco
Position: Midfielder
Age: 29
Club: Adelaide City
Bucco is one of the most gifted midfielders in the NPL and has been since making his senior debut with Adelaide Blue Eagles in 2010. He has a superb repertoire of aces up his sleeve, is a good reader of the game, can spot holes in opposition defences, is a clinical finisher and great with a dead ball. Linking up with City’s impressive playmaker Marcos Flores will take Bucco’s influence on each game to another level.
8. Daniel Mullen
Position: Centre back/right back
Age: 29
Club: Campbelltown City
He has been on big stages with Adelaide United across the A-League and AFC Champions League, and scored a goal at the FIFA Club World Cup in 2008 when he was just 18. Mullen returns to the local league having decided to pursue a physical education teaching degree after spending the past seven years as a journeyman. He will be coached by his father, Joe Mullen, for the first time since he was an under-13 at Bulleen Lions in Victoria.
7. Carlo Armiento
Position: Winger
Age: 19
Club: Adelaide United youth
Blessed with pace and skill to burn, teenage talent Armiento will look to steer the young Reds back to the finals after a maiden NPL playoff appearance last year. The tricky wideman scored 12 times in the local competition in 2018 and has made a big impression in cameo appearances off the bench for United at A-League level this summer.
6. Matthew Halliday
Position: Centre back
Age: 27
Club: Adelaide Olympic
Olympic has pulled off one of the recruiting coups of the off-season by bringing the long-serving Adelaide City captain to the Parks. Halliday has been the competition’s standout defender in recent campaigns, leading the Black and Whites to consistently high finishes thanks to his composed distribution and impeccable positioning at the back.
5. Luigi Di Troia
Position: Forward
Age: 23
Club: Campbelltown City
The frontman was outstanding as he helped the Red Devils to a league championship and national NPL double last season, earning a trial with Central Coast Mariners. Di Troia is nearing recovery from the broken arm he sustained late last year and is tipped to again attract interest from A-League outfits with his cool finishing and unselfish attitude in the front third
4. Allan Welsh
Position: Centre back/midfielder
Age: 25
Club: Adelaide Comets
The two-time Sergio Melta medal winner captained Comets to the regional version of the FFA Cup last season, before the club moved on to the big stage in the round-of-32. Twice overlooked for the NPL’s team of the year despite winning the prestigious individual award, Welsh is certain to become a major ally of import Jon Aurtenetxe as the ambitious Comets chase their first top-flight championship and premiership.
3. Marcos Flores
Position: Attacking midfielder
Age: 33
Club: Adelaide City
The 2011 Johnny Warren medallist always had a return to Adelaide in the back of his mind. A life changing moment — the sudden death of his father Hugo last year — led to Flores taking a sabbatical, where he shared his zest for football and life with the underprivileged children of Africa. His passion for the game is certain to rub off on the entire competition.
2. Marcelo Carrusca
Position: Attacking midfielder
Age: 35
Club: West Adelaide
The brilliant Argentine playmaker has returned to SA, two years on from leaving Adelaide United after 114 games, an FFA Cup win and an A-League championship. Carrusca will lead a largely inexperienced West side in his debut NPL season, but expect to see the creativity flair and knack for spectacular goals that made him a fan favourite with the Reds.
1. Jon Aurtenetxe
Position: Left back/centre back
Age: 27
Club: Comets
Just last year the Spaniard was linked to signing with Leeds United after he was set free by Scottish Premier League team Dundee. The left-back was reportedly due for a reunion with Whites manager Marcelo Bielsa, who he played under at La Liga side Athletic Bilbao. The arrival of the ex-Spanish under-21 international, who has played 92 top flight games and featured in Europa League and Copa del Rey finals, is huge for the local competition.
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