Recruiting: Ins: Karol Kisel (Sparta Prague, Czech Republic – 1 year), Sebastian Ryall (Melbourne Victory – 2 years), Kofi Danning (Sydney FC NYL – 2 years), Brendan Gan (Sydney FC NYL – 2 years), Antony Golec (Sydney FC NYL – 2 years), Rhyan Grant (Sydney FC NYL – 2 years), Matthew Jurman (Sydney FC NYL – 2 years), Byun Sung-Hwan (Jeju United, Korea Republic – 2 years), Stephan Keller (De Graafschap)
Outs: Adam Biddle (released), Beau Busch (North Queensland Fury), Mike Enfield (released), Iain Fyfe (Adelaide United), Robbie Middleby (North Queensland Fury), Tony Popovic (retired), Brendon Santalab (North Queensland Fury), Jacob Timpano (North Queensland Fury), Nik Tsattalios (Newcastle Jets)
Re-signed: Alex Brosque (2 years), Adam Casey (2 years), Shannon Cole (3 years), Ivan Necevski (1 year).
Analysis: It's been a busy off-season for Sydney FC who take new owners, a new board and a new coach into the 2009/10 Hyundai A-League season. New majority shareholders - Russian David Traktovenko and Sydney businessman Paul Ramsay - wasted little time replacing coach John Kosmina with highly regarded Czech national Vitezslav Lavicka. After 17 seasons in the Czech League as a player, the 46-year-old turned his hand to coaching in 2002 and moves to Sydney following a season in charge of European heavyweights Sparta Prague. Fellow Czech national Michal Zach and former club captain Tony Popovic will serve as co-assistant coaches. Of the eight new faces in the full-time squad, only three have been recruited under Lavicka's brief watch. Slovakian international Karol Kisel, who has played under the Lavicka at Sparta Prague and Slovan Liberic, was the new coach's first purchase. The versatile 32-year-old will be a key addition to the squad due to his ability to play on either side of the midfield. Lavicka has also been able to attract two seasoned defenders to cover the loss of Popovic, with South Korean Byun Sung-Hwan and Swiss central defender Stephan Keller joining the squad. Byun is a solid if not spectacular left back while Keller, who has spent the past four seasons playing in the Dutch First Division, is a major coup for the Sky Blues. Kofi Danning, Brendan Gan, Antony Golec, Rhyan Grant, Matthew Jurman have are all graduates of Sydney's Youth League team having signed senior contracts before Kosmina's departure.
Pre-Season: The Sky Blues have endured an arduous pre-season schedule playing 13 matches - nine against State League teams and four against rival A-League sides - in 11 weeks. They are yet to taste defeat under Lavicka posting 11 wins and two draws. While the Sydneysiders found the back of the net on 26 occasions, the fact that they only conceded a miserly two goals is a positive sign for the inaugural A-League Champions. They also managed to remain largely injury-free with all players expected to be available for the season opener against North Queensland Fury.
Improvements: Of the nine players to drop off the playing roster in the off-season, only three - Popovic, Robbie Middleby and Iain Fyfe - were regular starters. While Popovic is a significant loss, the arrival of Kisel, Byun and Keller more than covers the departures of Middleby and Fyfe. The fact that all five of the Youth League players to join the squad had a taste of A-League action towards the end of last season also enhances the club's depth, while a number of the club's more established stars have a point to prove after a disappointing 2008/09 campaign.
Concerns: The main concern for the Sydney coaching staff will be selecting a starting XI out of squad bursting with quality players in every position. As with any side, injuries will play a large part in the success or failure of their season. The ability of centre-back Simon Colosimo to stay on the park after spending the bulk of last season sidelined with a serious groin injury could prove critical, as the Sky Blues are not exactly brimming with experienced central defenders. At the other end of the pitch, Sydney's strike force must find the back of the net with greater frequency in order to rise up the rankings.
Key player: Put simply, marquee man John Aloisi's must recapture his mojo in front of goal if the Sky Blues are to challenge for the title this season. The iconic striker endured a horror campaign in his first year with the club managing just two goals in 16 appearances. Injury and a subsequent lack of fitness didn't help his cause, nor did the deluge of criticism from critics and fans alike. The 33-year-old found the back of the net twice in his side's 2-0 victory over Newcastle in the pre-season, but a minor ankle injury suffered in the same match has prevented him from training with the squad over the past fortnight. However, he is expected to be available for Round 1
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Up or down? After a tumultuous campaign which saw them fail to take part in post-season action for the first time, Sydney FC appears to be heading in the right direction. The players have embraced Lavicka's ultra-professional approach and are once again enjoying their work. Despite a horrendous injury toll and constant speculation of discontent within the camp last season, the Sky Blues finished just two points outside the playoff bubble in fifth spot. Add to the equation the fact that their star striker endured the worst year of a stellar 17-year career, and it's hard to imagine the Sydney siders finishing any lower in the standings this time around. With an unprecedented pre-season campaign under their belts, look for Lavicka's charges to hit the ground running in version five of the A-League and don't be surprised if they are sitting on top of the pile at the end of Round 27.
Coach's Quote - Vitezslav Lavicka
"In this moment I have a good feeling. I'm happy with all the pre-season ... I appreciate the professional attitude of all the team and club members, they've worked hard."
"We played several pre-season games and the good results gave us good feedback for our work but still it's only the pre-season. The main season is different to pre-season but we are hungry to start the main season."
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Check out all our 2009-10 A-League Team Previews:
Adelaide United | Brisbane Roar | Central Coast Mariners | Gold Coast United | Melbourne Victory | Newcastle Jets | North Queensland Fury | Perth Glory | Sydney FC | Wellington Phoenix