Slater: The silver lining of A-Leagues’ salary cap crunch, power rankings, United Round beckons

Socceroos great ROBBIE SLATER and MARCO MONTEVERDE uncover the biggest benefit of clubs’ tighter budgets, and deliver the first A-Leagues Men power rankings update of the season.

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 01: Ben Halloran of the Roar and Hayden Matthews of Sydney FC challenge for the ball during the round three A-League Men match between Brisbane Roar and Sydney FC at Suncorp Stadium, on November 01, 2024, in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

Socceroos great ROBBIE SLATER and MARCO MONTEVERDE uncover the biggest benefit of clubs’ tighter budgets, and deliver the first A-Leagues Men power rankings update of the season.

A-League boss “proud”

`One of the benefits of clubs having less money to splash out this season is the chance it has given for young Australian players to shine in the A-League

Several clubs have been forced to give youngsters extended game time due restricted budgets, and many have grabbed their chance with both hands.

A good example is 20-year-old Sydney FC defender Hayden Matthews, who after breaking through towards the end of last season, is now a permanent member of Sydney FC’s back four.

So impressive has Matthews been - apart from his costly and needless send off last weekend - that he has caught the attention of national coach Tony Popovic, who named in the latest Socceroos squad.

Rising star Hayden Matthews (right) has made a name for himself at Sydney FC since his debut. Picture: Getty Images

“We have a plethora of young talent in our competition well on their way to one day representing the national team and we as a league are proud to contribute so crucially to Australia’s national teams,” delighted A-League commissioner Nick Garcia said.

Seven A-League players ­ - Matthews, Rhyan Grant (Sydney FC), Adrian Caceres (Sydney FC), Nishan Velupillay (Melbourne Victory), Jason Geria (Melbourne Victory), Aziz Behich (Melbourne City) and Brandon Borrello (Western Sydney Wanderers) – are in the current Socceroos squad.

Overall, 20 members of the 26-man squad have played in the A-League.

“The A-League is a breeding ground for our national team, and this most recent Socceroos squad announcement is further proof of the league as a proven pathway,” Garcia said.

As the A-League season progresses, more players are likely to put their hand up for selection, with Popovic already knowing a lot about them due to his recent stint as Melbourne Victory coach.

Nishan Velupillay, pictured celebrating a goal for Melbourne Victory, is one of seven Socceroos in the A-Leagues. Picture: Getty Images

Nearly time to ‘Unite’

No doubt Popovic will be at Allianz Stadium next weekend when the A-League resumes with the second edition of “Unite Round”.

The November 23 derby between Sydney FC and Western Sydney shapes as the highlight of Unite Round, with any bond created in Socceroos camp between the Wanderers’ Borrello and Sky Blues trio Grant, Matthews and Caceres set to be quickly forgotten in the A-League’s most-anticipated fixture.

Brandon Borrello will face fellow Socceroos squad members Rhyan Grant, Adrian Caceres and Hayden Matthews when the Wanderers face Sydney FC. Picture: Getty Images

Let’s hope star Sydney pair Douglas Costa and Joe Lolley are fit to start the match.

Most fans will also want Spanish legend Juan Mata to start for the Wanderers, but Western Sydney coach Alen Stajcic has already shown this season that he won’t be swayed by the public’s sentiment when it comes to deciding how much game time the former Manchester United and Chelsea star will get.

Auckland on the move

With no A-League men’s matches this weekend due to the FIFA international window, it’s the ideal time for us to rank the teams after the first four rounds of the season as we revisit our A-League Power Rankings for the first time since the final week of the pre-season.