The excitement is building in Victoria’s west ahead of the 2020-21 A-League season, according to Western United’s head coach Mark Rudan.
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hirteen months on from its historic A-League debut, Western United is gearing up for what should be another thrilling year, on and off the pitch.
In its inaugural season, the green and black were remarkably one game away from reaching the A-League grand final, going down 2-0 to Melbourne City in the penultimate match.
“We’re hoping to go two better this year and cement ourselves in Australian football history,” Mark says. “There’s the right amount of belief within the squad to go all the way.
“Knowing that we were one step away from the grand final last year, there’s no stopping us in terms of our belief – nothing should stop us reaching that next level.
“We want to be better; we want to be there on the last day of the season.
“Clearly the objective is to lift the cup this season and we want to raise the bar with everything that we do.
“We’ve been able to retain the majority of our squad which is a good thing. I think it’s a good thing that the players understand each other.”
During the off-season, United was boosted by the signing of young attacker Lachie Wales, who joined from last season’s runners-up, Melbourne City.
Mark also confirms that the club is working on strengthening its squad even further, to give the best chance of winning silverware.
“We’re very close to agreeing on a defensive midfielder,” Mark continues.
“If you look at the two most successful teams last year, arguably the best two defensive midfielders were Josh Brillante and Luke Brattan, so that’s an area where we need to strengthen.”
United will again play its home games across multiple venues, giving fans in different parts of Melbourne and the west a chance to see attacking and exciting football.
Geelong and Ballarat will host multiple games, as it did last season, further building the connection between professional football and regional parts of Victoria.
The 2020-21 A-League season is set to kick off on December 27, with fixtures to be released in the coming weeks.
Western United Football Club. Visit www.wufc.com.au or Instagram: @westernutdfc or Twitter: @wufcofficial
