Euro star Singh shows way
Sarpreet Singh has shown it’s possible for a Wellington Phoenix player to appear for a major European football club like Bayern Munich.
While the Phoenix’s next big thing, Liberato Cacace, is happy to bide his time in the A-League, acknowledging that he is 18-years old and entering only his second season as a professional, his former team-mate’s high-profile move to German giants Bayern has opened his eyes to the opportunities on offer should he stay on his current trajectory.
‘‘Sarpreet with his move has
given a lot of the young boys belief. We’ve got a lot of belief that we can make that step up into Europe,’’ Cacace said.
Singh has already made five first team appearances since signing a three-year deal with Bayern Munich II last month. He was an unused substitute in Bayern’s German Super Cup defeat to rivals Borussia Dortmund at the famous Westfalenstadion on Sunday – a far cry from the 5000 capacity Perry Park where the Phoenix will play second-tier side Brisbane Strikers in the FFA Cup tonight.
‘‘I’m very happy for him. It’s kind of hard with the time difference. I’ll speak to him at night and it’s morning over there for him but he’s living the dream. He’s working hard and I think it’s just reward for all the hard work.
‘‘He had a good season but it was tough for him at the same time. He worked very hard every day and I think it’s value for what he did last season.’’
The Phoenix have traditionally struggled in the FFA Cup, only once making it through to the round of 16 stage. However, new coach Ufuk Talay is keen to address that poor record in his first season in charge.
Having played in last year’s shock defeat to Bentleigh Greens, left-back Cacace is hoping the new-look Phoenix will fare better against the Strikers, who currently sit fifth place on the Queensland NPL standings.
‘‘Obviously it’s his first time as a head coach and I think Ufuk wants to make a statement, and I think this is the best way to do it, against Brisbane Strikers,’’ Cacace said. ‘‘The squad has come together really well, we have a lot of young players full of energy and I think we’ll be more than ready for the game.
‘‘It was a different story [against Bentleigh Greens last year], you never know what you’re going to get with these state league teams. We’re going over to Australia, the conditions will be different, the atmosphere will be different, but I think we’re looking good so we’ll be ready to outplay these guys and beat them.’’
The Phoenix will be without new signings Ulises Davila and Jaushua Sotirio as well as defender Louis Fenton for tonight’s game.
Their likely starting 11 should consist of Stefan Marinovic, Callan Elliot, Steven Taylor, Luke DeVere, Cacace, Alex Rufer, Tim Payne, Callum McCowatt, Cameron Devlin, David Ball and Ben Waine.