Aloisi hopes semifinal elimination wasn't his final Western United game
Out-of-contract Western United boss John Alosi isn’t certain if Saturday evening’s semi-final aggregate loss to Melbourne City was his last game as coach of the side. But he hopes it wasn’t.
Out-of-contract Western United coach John Alosi isn’t completely certain if Saturday evening’s semi-final aggregate loss to Melbourne City was his last game as coach of the side. But he definitely hopes it wasn’t.
Aziz Behich’s 20th minute opener cancelled out by Noah Botić’s 66th minute strike – what was almost certainly the 23-year-old’s last goal for United before going overseas – Aloisi’s unit proved unable to overcome the mountain that was the 3-0 first leg deficit at AAMI Park, their season ending with a 4-1 aggregate defeat.
It means that while Aurelio Vidmar and company can now look ahead to a historic Melbourne Derby decider against Melbourne Victory next week, Aloisi and United will head into a pivotal and uncertain offseason.
Hit with breach notices over unpaid wages and super by members of its A-League Men and Women squad (it’s understood players have now been paid outstanding wages) and its men’s side still under the effects of a FIFA transfer ban, United’s future likely rests on the completion of the announced takeover of Western Melbourne Group by American-based property moguls the Kamansky Family – with no word yet provided on when that deal will be signed off on by relevant authorities.
In addition, Botić could be joined in departing by a host of players that defied expectations to finish third during the A-League Men regular season, with youngsters such as Dylan Leonard, Rhys Bozinovski, Abel Walatee, and Matthew Grimaldi all experiencing breakout campaigns. On the women’s side of things, captain Chloe Berryhill is out of contract and weighing up her future, while coach Kat Smith is out of contract.
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The club, however, may avoid needing to search for a new leader for its men’s program, with Aloisi remarking on Saturday that he didn’t want his tenure to end with a semi-final defeat.
"I hope not,” he said when asked if it was his last game in the United dugout. “I don't think so.
“There's still a lot to go through in conversations with the club, so let's just wait and see. I haven't really thought about it too much over the last month because I wanted to fully focus on the finals.
“Now we've got time to reflect and see you know where we need to improve as a club and where we need to get better as a squad and and see how we can build for next season
“There's a lot of things going on within the club. The takeover is one. Once that gets sorted, then we can see how it all looks.”
Aloisi has made no secret of his ambitions to further test himself overseas and has also been linked with both the Socceroos and Matildas jobs in the past 12 months – the former ultimately going to Tony Popovic and the latter almost certainly to Joe Montemurro.
Pressed on these ambitions, he didn’t deny them but also made clear he wasn’t going to bet his future on fishing expeditions.
“That's only if an offer comes up,” he said of his overseas ambitions. “I'll look at it. At the moment, there's nothing there.”
Despite its disappointing end, Aloisi and United staged a remarkable season in 2024-25.
Widely tipped to sit towards the rear-end of the table in preseason predictions and fielding the third-youngest side in the league across its length, they ultimately finished third and remained alive in the hunt for Asian Champions League Elite qualification heading into the last day of the season.
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Their 59 goals scored across the regular season and finals, meanwhile, were the most of any side in the competition.
"It's probably the most satisfying season that I've ever had as a coach,” said Aloisi. “To score so many goals… with all the young players, the players that we've blooded, that we've that have come through, players that have been at our club now for a period of time. Some of the football that we played.
“To be in Tarneit and to make it into a fortress; hopefully, next time we play a finals game, we can play there.
“It's been an enjoyable season. It has. Really enjoyable. I don't sound like it tonight, because I'm still down, but it has been an enjoyable year as a coach. And then I think for the majority of the group, as well.”