2023–24 Adelaide United FC season
19th season in existence of Adelaide United FC / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2023–24 season was the 20th in the history of Adelaide United Football Club since its establishment in 2003. The club participated in the A-League Men for the 19th time and the Australia Cup for the ninth time.
2023–24 season | |||
---|---|---|---|
Chairman | Ned Morris | ||
Manager | Carl Veart | ||
Stadium | Coopers Stadium | ||
A-League Men | 8th | ||
A-League Men Finals | Did not qualify | ||
Australia Cup | Round of 16 | ||
Top goalscorer | League: Hiroshi Ibusuki (15) All: Hiroshi Ibusuki (15) | ||
Highest home attendance | 12,859[1] vs. Sydney FC (11 November 2023) A-League Men | ||
Lowest home attendance | 7,233[1] vs. Brisbane Roar (10 December 2023) A-League Men | ||
Average home league attendance | 10,035[1] | ||
Biggest win | 6–0 vs. Melbourne City (H) (29 October 2023) A-League Men | ||
Biggest defeat | 1–5 vs. Western Sydney Wanderers (A) (29 August 2023) Australia Cup vs. Sydney FC (A) (11 November 2023) A-League Men 0–4 vs. Central Coast Mariners (H) (3 February 2024) A-League Men | ||
| |||
All statistics correct as of 1 May 2024. |
In their 20th year of existence, Adelaide United's season began with their second worst Australia Cup performance, losing 1–5 to Western Sydney Wanderers in the round of 16. Leading into the season, Adelaide lost numerous high-profile players, including their captain and all-time leading goalscorer, Craig Goodwin, Olyroos midfielder Louis D'Arrigo, and ex-La Liga midfielder Juande. Their A-League Men campaign began on 20 October with a 3–0 win over reigning champions, Central Coast Mariners and a 6–0 win against reigning premiers Melbourne City a week later. Following a draw with rivals Melbourne Victory, the Reds sat atop of the ladder for the first time since they won the premiers' plate in 2016.
Adelaide confirmed the sale of 17-year-old Nestory Irankunda to Bayern Munich in November 2023, breaking the record for the largest domestic transfer fee paid to an Australian club, with the fee reported to be around $5.7 million plus add-ons. Irankunda would spend the remainder of the season with United, where he would be nominated for the Australian Young Footballer of the Year award and become the first Australian player to be named in Goal.com's NXGN. Adelaide also completed the deadline-day sale of Socceroos goalkeeper Joe Gauci to Aston Villa for a reported $2.4 million plus add-ons, becoming the second most expensive player in the club's history, only behind Irankunda.
A poor run of form from November through to March saw Adelaide win just three out of 18 matches. The loss of key players Bernardo, Gauci, Hall and Popovic, as well as constant squad rotation due to player unavailability to injury, was the catalyst for a seven-match winless run, which saw them slump to 11th on the ladder after round 20. United ended their drought with consecutive wins against the Newcastle Jets, Western United and Perth Glory, helping them maintain a slim chance of finals, before a loss to Macarthur and a draw against Western United knocked Adelaide out of finals for the first time since 2020.