Adelaide United enjoyed a positive workout on Saturday morning, defeating NPL SA Premiers MetroStars 6–2 in a behind closed doors friendly at Coopers Stadium. The contest provided Airton Andrioli’s side with valuable minutes, goals spread across the squad, and opportunities for debutants to make their mark.
The Reds lined up with Smits, Kasumovic, Phillis, Pierias, Kitto, Alagich, Duzel, Ayoubi, Goodwin, Dukuly, and Madanha. Bart Vriends and Julian Kwaaitaal were precautionary rested.
Early signs were promising as Madanha fired over from a clever Luke Duzel pass before Craig Goodwin’s free kick was tipped onto the bar by Metro goalkeeper Cody Oestreich. Yaya Dukuly opened the scoring in the 17th minute, tapping home after neat interplay between Goodwin and Austin Ayoubi.
Ayoubi then stamped his authority on the match. His first was a sublime strike from the corner of the box, curling beyond Oestreich after Madanha’s strong hold-up play. Minutes before the break, the winger raced onto a lofted pass from Alagich, took the ball around the keeper with composure, and rolled it into an empty net. Pierias added further gloss before half-time, driving into the area on a solo run and finishing clinically to make it 4–0.
MetroStars showed their quality after the restart, with Tomas Visser blasting home a powerful strike and Jake Porter narrowing the deficit to 4–2. But Adelaide regained control as debutant Jake Najdovski made his first appearance, while new Brazilian signing Anselmo announced himself in style, scoring with his second touch in a Reds shirt. Amlani Tatu then capped off the performance late on, finishing coolly to seal a 6–2 win.
Reflecting on the performance, Coach Airton Andrioli said:
“It serves the purpose for what we’re looking for. We’re still pushing the players really hard on the training ground, so it’s not what we’ll do when competition starts. But I thought the first half was excellent, with a lot of good things happening on and off the ball. Overall, it was a good exercise for us as we move into the final stage of preparation.”
It was an encouraging hit-out for United, who blended experience with youth, celebrated standout moments from Ayoubi, and welcomed fresh talent to Coopers Stadium ahead of the new campaign.
Match Details
Adelaide United 6-2 MetroStars
Goals:
AU: Ayoubi x2, Pierias, Dukuly, Tatu, Anselmo
Metro: Visser, Porter
