Adelaide United is delighted to officially announce the signing of Vince Lia for the upcoming Hyundai A-League 2017/18 season.
Lia joins the Reds on a one-year deal for the Hyundai A-League 2017/18 season, with the option to extend his contract by a further year.
The 32-year-old defensive midfielder brings a wealth of experience to the side having amassed over 200 appearances with the Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne Victory.
Lia spent the last 10 years with the Phoenix, anchoring the base of the midfield from 2007 to 2017 and scored four goals in the process.
Reds Head Coach, Marco Kurz, praised the capture of Lia and said he will provide plenty of experience and versatility to the team.
“I’m very happy that Vince signed for Adelaide,” Kurz said. “I think we have a very young team and he’s an experienced player and it’s good for our team to have this type of footballer.
“He can play in the midfield in three different positions, which is fantastic, and I’m happy that he signed for the Club.”
Speaking on putting pen-to-paper with the Club Lia said: “It feels good to be back in Australia, a bit closer to home, and continuing my football career so I’m very happy to be here.
“It’s been an exciting couple of weeks and I’m looking forward to the season.”
Lia commented on the Reds’ history and revealed the type of attributes he hopes to offer the squad.
“I think Adelaide’s got a pretty rich history,” Lia said. “They were part of the old NSL and were a Championship team a few years ago so there’s a good history here with a lot of good players.
“A few players have left and we’re looking to rebuild the squad with a new coach and a few new players coming in.
“I’ll bring some experience to the squad, because we have lost a few experienced players.
“I’ll also bring aggression and I guess some leadership because I’ve been around the league for 12 years so I hope to help the young guys come through.”
Lia stated he has enjoyed working with United Boss, Marco Kurz, and the rest of the coaching staff and believes there are promising signs ahead of the new campaign.
“I’ve been enjoying training a lot,” he said. “Marco is pretty structured, we have worked on our defensive shape and there’s a long time before the season kicks-off to get things right.
“And I think we have seen some good signs in the first two games we have had.
“We have a bigger test next week (against Newcastle Jets), but the signs are good and I think we’ll be in for a good season.”
