Adelaide United FC - Rivalries

Rivalries

See Adelaide United vs Melbourne Victory rivalry.

Adelaide's two main rivals are considered to be Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory:

• Sydney FC – Sydney and Adelaide were two of the leading teams in the inaugural A-League season where Sydney finished as champions and Adelaide as premiers. Results in recent seasons have heavily favoured Sydney with Adelaide. The rivalry was further intensified during the 2006–07 season when ex-Reds manager John Kosmina was hired as Sydney FC coach.

• Melbourne Victory – (The Cross Border Rivalry). Adelaide was again one of two of the leading teams in the 2006–07 season this time against Melbourne what saw an altercation between John Kosmina, the Adelaide United manager, and Kevin Muscat after the Victory captain knocked Kosmina over after entering the technical area to retrieve a ball. Kosmina then jumped up and grabbed Muscat around the throat for a few seconds. Season events culminated in the year's grandfinal that saw Adelaide captain, Ross Aloisi, sent off and Melbourne winning 6–0. The rivalry went beyond extreme after Melbourne defeated Adelaide United 1–0 in the 2008/09 grand final with United imported striker, Cristiano, given a controversial straight red card . The rivalry then went even further when Adelaide United defeated Melbourne 4–1 at AAMI Park, after United had been suffering a record-breaking 10-game losing streak against the Victory. (see Adelaide-Melbourne rivalry).