Time for Sydney FC to make their mark in Asia

Sydney FC have won everything there is to win in Australia but they are yet to make their mark in Asia.

Socceroos defender Rhyan Grant says it’s time his team made an impact in Asia

Sydney FC have won everything there is to win in Australia but they are yet to make their mark in Asia.

That could change from tonight’s opening game of the Asian Champions League against Ulsan Hyundai at Jubilee Stadium.

Sydney FC defender Rhyan Grant believes it is time for the club to step up in the tough world of Asian football, which has been somewhat of a barren pasture for the Sky Blues.

For all the promise, the high-profile coaches and quality players, Sydney have only managed to make it out of the group stage once in their previous five attempts when they played under Graham Arnold in 2016.

Grant pulled no punches when he admitted the club needed to do better.

“We see ourselves as the biggest club in Australia, and if we claim that then we have to do well in Asia,” Grant said yesterday when asked about the importance of tonight’s match and the tournament as a whole.

“To make a mark in the ACL and in Asia it is very important to do well, not just as a team but as a club.

“We have had a few chances in the ACL over the years I have been at the club. It is a big tournament and one which we strive to do well in.

“We are quietly confident we will have an impact and get through to the next round.”

Sydney coach Steve Corica understands the importance of the ACL and what it means, not just for the club but for the game.

“Obviously we will do our best to get through. It is a tough group, but we have quality players and we believe we can get through no matter who we play against,” said Corica, who will be involved in his first ACL game as a senior coach.

“The boys are looking forward to the challenge and to do their best for our club and Australia because it is important do well in ACL to show that we have the quality players here who can compete at that level.”

Corica, who took over from Arnold at the start of the season and has done a superb job to guide the Sky Blues into second spot on the A-League table, says he has looked to do “a few things differently” from past ACL campaigns.

“We are still learning … we are still young in Asian club football and we are working our way through it,” he said.

“We learnt from last year and we will try to make sure we do things a little differently so that we give ourselves the best chance to get to the knock out stage.

“We saw last year that we had a slow start to the campaign and it probably cost us in the end.

“I think the most important thing is to pick up points at home and then consolidate away from home.”

Corica is wary of suggestions the Sky Blues could have a fitness advantage over the Koreans, who just started their season last weekend.

“Of course, we are three quarters of the way through our season and they started last week, so there should be an edge, but it is no guarantee,” he added.

“We thought the same last year and we ended up starting the campaign poorly.”

Ulsan will present a serious threat to the Australian club. They have an quality foreigner trio in Brazilian attacker Junior, Norwegian midfielder Mix Diskerud and Dutch defender David Bulthius.

Corica said Junior, who has a wonderful strike rate of 22 goals in 32 matches for Ulsan, reminded him of Sydney’s former Brazilian striker, Bobo.

“Junior is very similar to Bobo. He is strong, makes runs in behind and gets in the right spots to score,” Corica said.

Meanwhile, defender Giancarlo Gallifuoco has been handed a career lifeline after signing with Western Sydney Wanderers as an A-League injury replacement for midfielder Jordan O’Doherty.

Gallifuoco, 25, who had an unsuccessful stint with Melbourne Victory in 2015-16, will join the Wanderers until the end of the season after O’Doherty injured his anterior cruciate ligament in the round 20 clash with Perth.

Ex-Australian under-23 representative Gallifuoco spent time with English non-league clubs Torquay and Dover after his first A-League spell and had been without a club since the start of the year after he was released by Italian third-tier club Rieti.