Young stars break drought for United
IT’S young talent time in the A-League, with an exciting Australian prodigy seemingly emerging from every game that is played.
That was evident again in the game of the season, Western United’s 5-4 win over Perth Glory at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday.
The game produced an alltime record of eight second half goals, all of which were scored in an utterly bonkers 28 minutes.
But while it was the kids who inspired one of the most entertaining stanzas of Australian domestic soccer imaginable — thanks to doubles
off the bench from United’s Dylan Pierias and Perth’s Carlos Armiento — United coach Mark Rudan has pleaded for calm amid all the wonderkid hype.
“Sometimes
we
praise
these young players and pump them up but we need to let them be,’’ he said postmatch.
“I know it’s a great story but they don’t need the added pressure. A lot of young kids have come through and they’re set to be the next big thing in Australian football and then they tail off because the expectations become too great.
“You never know what’s going through the mind of a young player.”
“It’s really important that clubs and coaches protect these kids. The media can do what they want, it’s our job to protect them.”
Rudan’s message was illustrated
in his assessment of Pierias who put United back into the lead with two second half goals inside four minutes after taking the place up front from the A-League’s greatest ever goalscorer, Besart Berisha.
“I’ve kept an eye on Dylan ever since he was a 15-yearold so I jumped at the chance to bring him to the club and work with him,’’ Rudan said.
“I love working with him, he’s got fantastic raw ability and pace is his biggest asset.”
“He just needs to be in the moment more and create those actions more often.
“The big challenge is do you want to be a starter and play 95 minutes or are you just an impact player? And right now he’s got to make that decision.”
After recording their first win of the season in the chaotic clash with Perth, Rudan and his charges are setting themselves for a Melbourne derby on Saturday against the Victory with another highlyrated youngster in Max Burgess a chance to return to a squad that otherwise had a clean bill of health from the Glory triumph.
“They were very excited singing the song and if there’s anyone who pulls up with an injury, I’ll be very disappointed ’cause they were all jumping up and down and singing loudly,” Rudan said.