The 2025/26 season has been run and won, with another campaign drawing to a close.
While ultimate success proved elusive for our Men’s team, there was still plenty to celebrate across a campaign that delivered breakthrough moments, emerging young talent and a history-making run in the AFC Champions League Elite.
From Academy graduates stepping onto the biggest stage to unforgettable nights in Asia and a thrilling late-season charge towards the Finals, we look back on some of the defining moments from the season that was.
Youth shines early on
City’s campaign began long before the A-League Men season kicked into gear, travelling to Sydney’s inner west in late July 2025 for an Australia Cup Round of 32 clash against APIA Leichhardt on a night of torrential rain.
With the senior squad only two weeks into pre-season, Head Coach Aurelio Vidmar handed opportunities to a host of Academy players. More than half of the starting XI made their senior debut, while a remarkable 10 players made first-team debuts.
Although the Cup journey ended there, it marked the beginning of an exciting year for several young City talents.
That trend continued when City entered AFC Champions League Elite competition. Drawn against Japanese opposition already deep into their domestic seasons, City faced a difficult challenge while still building fitness and cohesion through pre-season.
Despite suffering back-to-back defeats in our first two games, the performances of several Academy graduates provided plenty of encouragement. An especially memorable night came away to Vissel Kobe, where City pushed one of Asia’s strongest clubs all the way before conceding a heartbreaking stoppage-time goal.
That match also entered the history books. Akeem Gerald became the youngest player ever to feature in AFC competition at just 15 years of age, while Besian Kutleshi became the second-youngest player to appear in the ACL Elite at 16. Beckham Baker also joined the list of youngest participants, underlining the strength of City’s pathway program.
The emergence of youth wasn’t limited to continental football either. Max Caputo enjoyed the strongest start of his professional career, scoring six goals across eight appearances in all competitions and helping City make a positive start domestically.
One of the season’s standout moments arrived in the first Melbourne Derby, where Caputo opened the scoring before City Football Schools and Academy graduate Peter Antoniou netted his first professional goal to seal a memorable victory.
Knockout Asian football secured for the first time
While the season produced plenty of memorable moments, none were bigger than City’s historic AFC Champions League Elite campaign.
A seven-match unbeaten run on the continental stage, including three consecutive victories, propelled City into uncharted territory and ultimately secured qualification for the knockout stages for the first time in Club history.
Important home victories over Buriram United and Johor Darul Ta’zim laid the foundation, but it was a pair of dramatic away wins that will live longest in the memory.
In November, Andrew Nabbout sparked scenes of jubilation away to Machida Zelvia when his stoppage-time winner survived one of the longest VAR reviews imaginable before eventually being confirmed.
Three months later came an even more dramatic moment.
Travelling to South Korea knowing a positive result would secure qualification, City found a hero in loanee Marcus Younis. Making just his fourth appearance for the Club and first in AFC competition, the winger assisted City’s opening goal before firing home a stunning stoppage-time winner against Ulsan HD.
The result secured City’s place in the knockout stages and made history, becoming the first City side to achieve the feat and the first Australian club since 2020 to advance beyond the league phase of Asia’s premier Men’s club competition.
Younis inspires late-season surge
January brought significant reinforcements, with Daniel Arzani, Ryan Teague, Harrison Delbridge and Younis all arriving during the transfer window.
Each played an important role during the second half of the campaign, but few could have predicted the immediate impact Younis would have.
The 20-year-old announced himself quickly, scoring three times in his first four appearances and providing a constant attacking spark whenever he took to the field.
While results remained somewhat inconsistent through February and early March, City eventually found our rhythm. A six-match unbeaten run, featuring five victories, propelled the team firmly into Finals contention.
Younis was central to that surge.
Despite serving a one-match suspension during the run home, the winger scored five goals across his final four regular-season appearances and added multiple assists, repeatedly producing decisive moments as City built momentum at the perfect time of year.
By season’s end, he had firmly established himself as one of the competition’s most exciting attacking talents.
Heartbreaking ends to both campaigns
For all the highs throughout the season, both City’s domestic and continental journeys ultimately ended in the cruellest fashion possible.
In Asia, Ben Mazzeo’s dramatic stoppage-time header rescued a 1-1 draw in the first leg of City’s Round of 16 clash against Buriram United, keeping the tie alive heading into a challenging trip to Thailand.
The return leg proved equally tight. After 120 minutes of football failed to separate the sides, the contest was decided from the penalty spot, where Buriram eventually prevailed.
The story would repeat itself a couple of months later domestically.
Travelling across the Tasman to face Auckland FC in an Elimination Final, City looked destined for defeat before Medin Memeti struck deep into stoppage time to force extra time and keep the season alive.
Neither side could find a winner across the additional 30 minutes. Despite City converting our opening six penalties in the shootout, fortune once again favoured the opposition, with Auckland progressing before eventually lifting the Championship trophy.
Individual excellence recognised
Several City players saw their performances recognised following the conclusion of the campaign.
Nathaniel Atkinson, Aziz Behich and Marcus Younis were all voted by their peers into the PFA A-League Men Team of the Season, recognition of the outstanding contributions each made throughout the season.
Behich’s influence was also acknowledged at the Club’s end-of-season awards night, where the captain claimed both the Players’ Player Award and the prestigious Scott Jamieson Medal.
Elsewhere, Kavian Rahmani was named Rising Star, James Nieuwenhuizen received the Curtis Good Award as our Best Clubman and Max Caputo claimed the Golden Boot for a second consecutive season.
There was also national team recognition, with Behich, Mathew Leckie and Patrick Beach all earning places in the Socceroos pre-camp as they push for selection ahead of the upcoming FIFA World Cup – with the final squad to be confirmed in the coming days.
While the season may now be over, the foundations laid throughout 2025/26 ensure there is plenty of optimism for what lies ahead.
