Adelaide United will look to start their PlayStation 4 National Premier League 2017 season with three points, against Adelaide Olympic at Elite Systems Football Centre on Saturday night.
Fresh off of a solid Foxtel National Youth League 2016/17 campaign, Adelaide United proved dangerous and one of the standout sides in Australia. With the preparation the National Youth League provided, United will also look to be a sure-fire threat to local South Australian teams.
Last season, under current Newcastle Jets Head Coach, Mark Jones, the side finished in tenth place on the league standings, but produced some stellar performances against some of the strongest clubs.
Current Adelaide United Youth Boss, Huss Skenderovic, has already proved his worth and what he can provide for the Young Reds, as shown during the National Youth League, and says he is confident that it will continue throughout the rest of the year.
“We are looking very fresh ahead of the National Premier League, and there is a great amount of energy in training and preparing for the upcoming season.
“We’ve also had to preseason matches, in which we beat White City convincingly, and against MetroStars where we also did very well.
“The boys are looking sharp, and are definitely match-fit, and it will be very competitive, so we have a lot of depth in our squad which is a real positive for us.
“Playing in the National Youth League was very beneficial for us, as we had a lot of competitive games and have been together for a couple of months.
“We currently have a full-list of players who are all available, and there are no injuries, so the preparation has been great and we are quite happy.
“We have also signed twins Hamish and Liam McCabe, Nathan Liberto from Melbourne, as well as Bailey Truscott who will definitely fit in to our NYL squad, ready for the NPL season.”
Skenderovic is aware of the nature of the competition, and believes that working on particular dynamics of their football, will lead to a successful season, kicking-off with Olympic on the weekend, where the main focus is set on those dynamics.
“We don’t know too much about Adelaide Olympic as of yet, in the way they play, but we know of new signings, in which most clubs will do ahead of a new season.
“But one thing is for sure, is that we will not be too worried about our opponents, but concentrate more on our own football and the importance of the dynamics of our game.
“We’re also about scoring goals, in which we have worked on this week during training, but we have also added a different set of dynamics, which include defensive duties, as we do recognise it is a tough competition and we will need be resolute and prepared defensively, and teams will always be aware of our threats as well.
“I think if we maintain that, and the style of football I, as a Coach, have shown recently, I think we should be very competitive.”
Adelaide United Youth Team will take on Adelaide Olympic on Saturday, 18 February in Round 1 of the PlayStation 4 National Premier League 2017 at the Elite Systems Football Centre. Kick-off at 7:00pm (ACDT).
