Patrick Brischetto

I am a freelance sports journalist based in Sydney. I am currently employed by the Western Sydney Wanderers as a digital content and social media producer, and have been engaged in contract work with The Sporting News.

Western Sydney Wanderers •

Academy Spotlight: Jesse Cameron

“I’ll go and smash someone (and) cop a yellow card if it means that the team is going to win.”

Perhaps this is a blunt way for a player to describe himself, but Jesse Cameron is showing he is a player with a ‘team first’ mentality, which in itself is refreshing to see.

It is a mantra he has carried through from his days as captain of the Australian Schoolboys team, to going through the Blacktown City system and finally landing in Wanderers Red and Black.

Cameron – an 18-year-old dynamic full
Western Sydney Wanderers •

Price on continuing journey at the Red & Black

Olivia Price has already spent five seasons with the Western Sydney Wanderers, and is set for two more after signing a contract extension to the end of the 2025/26 season.

It’s a decision that makes sense for club and player; Price has been a crucial figure in the side’s midfield, making 19 appearances last season which took her tally for the club to 67 over two stints.

But for Price, staying at a club on the rise under coach Robbie Hooker is also a sensible decision, with the 27-year-old havi
Western Sydney Wanderers •

Academy Spotlight: Phillip Gigliotti

Playing professionally overseas is the dream for most young Australian footballers, but it’s a path that can throw a few curveballs.

The versatile 21 year-old made the big leap when joining second division Cypriot side Ayia Napa FC at the age of 18 on a professional contract. He was signed by former Juventus and Napoli midfielder Manuele Blasi.

Blasi – who played eight times for the Italian national team in his playing days – seemed to have a plan for Gigliotti, but that plan soon went awry.
Western Sydney Wanderers •

Matos: This is my home away from home

Danika Matos has just re-signed with the Western Sydney Wanderers for another two seasons, meaning she will have spent seven seasons wearing Red & Black by the time her contract expires.

It’s an amazing achievement for the speedy wing back, but Matos herself admits it isn’t something she saw as possible at the start of the season, where she says she found it difficult to manage her on-field performances with matters off the pitch.

It’s an amazing achievement for the speedy wing back, but Matos
Western Sydney Wanderers •

Academy Spotlight: Ryley Hollingdale

Our NPL NSW side has taken the competition by storm in the opening third of the season, embarking on a seven game winning streak to lead the league after 10 games.

Whilst the senior members in the team have led the team with distinction, the younger players have also been hugely impressive, one of whom is midfield maestro Ryley Hollingdale.

The 19-year-old has played in every game so far this season, becoming a key cog in a midfield that has dazzled and torn opposition teams apart.

Originally
Western Sydney Wanderers •

Academy Spotlight: Nathan Barrie

“The next day I went back to school, and I arrived and I was like, ‘what am I doing?’”

Making your A-League Men debut at 18-years-old is a whirlwind experience, making your

A-League Men debut at 18-years-old and then going back to school must make your head spin.

So it’s little wonder Nathan Barrie took a moment to adjust to his surroundings after his Wanderers bow in March.

Barrie was a name unknown to most outside of the club, but he was thrust into the first-team after a spate of injuries
Western Sydney Wanderers •

Ninkovic no stranger to Derby Day

Milos Ninkovic is no stranger to the Sydney Derby and his move from East to West helped reignite the passion and fire in the rivalry.

Ahead of the Derby match that will be pivotal in the makeup of the Top Six, Ninkovic reflected back on his first Derby in the Red & Black, where he was front and centre of the headlines.

On that night, the Serbian maestro got the assist for Kusini Yengi’s winner in the second half, and whilst he was fuelled by emotion that night, he says he is totally focused on
Western Sydney Wanderers •

Wander Women 2023/24 season wrap

Whilst our A-League Women’s season came to a heartbreaking end, the team can still be incredibly proud of their efforts over the 2023/24 season.

It was a season where the Wanderers recorded their biggest points total, most wins and most goals in a season, as the Wanderers won 10 games, scoring 30 goals on the way to a 33 point season, and it was only two surprising results in the final round that saw the Wanderers denied finals football on goal difference.

Whilst there is disappointment to the
Western Sydney Wanderers •

Caspers on breakout season

Holly Caspers has enjoyed a breakout season in Red & Black, becoming one of the sides key attacking players and helping them to the cusp of a first finals campaign since 2020.

She leads the league in assists with seven, and also has five goals to her name, with her 12 combined goals and assists the sixth best in the competition this season.

They are stats that may have been considered hard to achieve for Caspers a year ago, after she finished what she admits was a difficult first year at the W
Western Sydney Wanderers •

Bruce eager to close the gap

Western Sydney defender Vicky Bruce says her side is eager to both close the gap between the Red & Black and their crosstown rivals, as well as to cement a place in the top six ahead of their mammoth Sydney Derby clash on Saturday.

Get your tickets to the Sydney Derby double header here.

The Wanderers don’t often need much extra motivation before the derby, but with points becoming more crucial as the finals draw closer and in a tight table, pride of the city is certainly not the only thing mo
Western Sydney Wanderers •

Marcelo: It's more than just a normal game

Derbies require the big players and leaders in a side to stand up and take control of the game.

Wanderers captain Marcelo certainly did that in the opening Sydney Derby of the season, where Western Sydney secured yet another win at the home of their eternal rivals thanks to a brilliant Zac Sapsford strike in the second half.

The groundwork for the win was laid at the back, with Marcelo putting in a man of the match performance at centre back.

As well as having numerous goalscoring chances fro
Western Sydney Wanderers •

ALW Match Preview: Sydney Derby

The biggest match of our Wander Women’s season comes this Saturday as we host the Sydney Derby at CommBank Stadium.

Get your tickets to the Sydney Derby double header here.

It is a momentous occasion as it is the first A-Legue Women’s derby held in Parramatta since 2021, and also the first Sydney Derby doubleheader since 2017.

The Wanderers, who are looking for their first win in the derby since 2019, will also be motivated to get back to winning ways after a tough result in their last match
Western Sydney Wanderers •

ALM Match Preview: Sydney Derby

March begins with a bang for the Wanderers as they host their crosstown rivals in the 36th Sydney Derby.

Get your tickets to the Sydney Derby double header here.

The derby is always full of passion and fire, but this edition will be especially hotly contested as both sides are looking to cement their places in the top six, with the Wanderers looking to jump back into the top four with just nine matches left in the season.

It was a tough February for Western Sydney as they battled injuries, su
Western Sydney Wanderers •

Kittel bringing Derby experience

Whilst the upcoming Sydney Derby will be the first for new signing Sonny Kittel, he is certainly no stranger to the trials and tribulations of big derby matches.

Get your tickets to the Sydney Derby double header here.

The former Eintracht Frankfurt and Hamburg midfielder has played in plenty of fiery clashes over the years throughout his career in Germany and Poland.

When asked what match was the biggest, Kittel is quick to answer.

“I think the biggest was the Hamburg Derby against St Pauli
Western Sydney Wanderers •

Borrello: Wear something Red & Black and scream your lungs out!

“Usually I don’t go down (injured), and when I do go down, then usually something’s wrong.”

Get your tickets to Saturday night’s blockbuster Sydney Derby double header here.

By his own admission, Brandon Borrello is a player who tries to stay on the pitch at all costs, so when he fell to the floor after being on the receiving end of a rough challenge from Luke Brattan in the last Sydney Derby, it was clear the injury was not a minor one.

“We had to take my boot off to put a sort of a wedge –
Western Sydney Wanderers •

Harding's CommBank Matildas Call-Up A Dream Come True

Star Wanderers striker Sophie Harding admits dreams of representing her country felt ‘unachievable’ at times.

Speaking after being called up to the latest Australia squad for the upcoming 2024 Olympic qualifiers against Uzbekistan, Harding says she is excited and ready to embrace the opportunity given to her.

“It’s obviously extremely exciting. Something I’ve dreamt about for a really long time. Sometimes it didn’t really seem achievable. So this season has been super important in that, playin
Western Sydney Wanderers •

Wanderers fall to narrow defeat against Mariners

An undermanned Wanderers side fought hard but ultimately fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat against the Central Coast Mariners in Gosford on Sunday.

In a game where the Wanderers were missing seven players due to injury and suspension – with Marcus Antonsson forced from the field after half an hour – the boys were looking likely to hold on for a valiant point, before the Mariners converted a spot kick seven minutes from time to secure all three points.

With Jean-Paul de Marigny on the sidelines due t
Western Sydney Wanderers •

Harper on making A-Leagues debut

At the start of last week – let alone the start of this year – Taiga Harper probably wasn’t expected to make his professional debut in front of the passionate Wanderers members and fans.

Yet an injury situation in the goalkeeper position for the Wanderers, culminating with Lawrence Thomas sustaining an injury the day before the clash against the Newcastle Jets, meant the 18-year-old was thrust into the spotlight and the pressure cooker that is being a goalkeeper on the big stage.

Harper only s
Western Sydney Wanderers •

Rue on homecoming clash in Bathurst

The Wander Women’s next clash against the Newcastle Jets will be a special one for Cushla Rue, as she will play her first professional game in her hometown of Bathurst.

You can get your tickets to the fixture here.

The 20-year-old wing back, who has become a key cog in the lineup under coach Robbie Hooker, began her career in the Central West, where she says she followed her brother who was already playing the sport.

“I’m from Bathurst, and I played football there when I was younger, I played
Western Sydney Wanderers •

Wanderers see defeat on the road against Adelaide

The Wander Women succumbed to a 2-1 defeat on the road against Adelaide United on Saturday afternoon.

Two second half goals from the home side cancelled out a first half penalty from Amy Harrison and saw the Wanderers lose a second match in a row despite creating a host of scoring opportunities.

On a hot day in the City of Churches, the game took some time to get going, with both sides struggling to get into their attacking rhythm in the opening stages of the game.

The only meaningful chances
Western Sydney Wanderers •

Wanderers suffer heartbreak against the Bulls

The Western Sydney Wanderers have fallen to a heartbreaking stoppage time defeat against Macarthur FC, losing 4-3 in a dramatic match at Campbelltown Stadium.

The boys in Red & Black played valiantly, clawing back an early deficit and defending for much of the second half on an extremely hot day with 10-men after Tom Beadling’s dismissal, but Valere Germain’s 93rd minute header condemned the Wanderers to defeat.

After a quiet opening period, the game sprung to life in the 16th minute when Tom
The Sporting News •

Australia vs South Korea score, result, highlights as Son Heung-Min ends Socceroos Asian Cup campaign | Sporting News Australia

Son Heung-Min has led South Korea to the Asian Cup semifinals after they defeated a 10-man Australia 2-1 after extra time.

It was another late show from the Taeguk Warriors, as they equalised with a 94th minute penalty after being behind for all of the second half up to that point, before Son scored an inch perfect free-kick to punch South Korea's ticket to the semifinals.

Despite having much of the ball - and a disallowed goal in the first half - Korea failed to register a shot on goal, and i
Western Sydney Wanderers •

Rue settling into Western Sydney

The 2023/24 season to date has been an enjoyable one for 20-year-old wingback Cushla Rue.

In her third A-League Women’s season, she is playing the most football in her career so far, and is a key cog in a Western Sydney Wanderers side on a hot run of form and fighting for finals football.

Football is always better when you are winning, and Rue believes the change in fortunes come from having a settled core group of players backing up from a competitive 2022/23 season.

“This season we came in
The Sporting News •

Australia vs Indonesia score, result, highlights as Socceroos win big to qualify for Asian Cup quarterfinal | Sporting News Australia

Australia secured their passage to the Asian Cup quarterfinals with a 4-0 win over Indonesia.

The scoreline did not reflect the closeness of the game, with Indonesia causing the Socceroos problems for large portions of the 90 minutes — especially in the first half — but two goals in each half helped Graham Arnold's men claim victory.

Australia hit the front early as Jackson Irvine's cross was deflected into his own goal by defender Elkan Baggot. Indonesia had a series of chances through the li
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