Why I chose Adelaide over European clubs and Australian rivals

The centre-back’s career was enriched by experience in the top two divisions of Dutch football, but when his latest contract with Sparta expired, Vriends wondered whether he would be content to continue his career solely in his homeland.

A new deal with Sparta was proposed, but it had an expiration date; While Vriends looked abroad, the alignment of the stars over the City of Churches led the Dutchman to take a leap of faith towards the Isuzu UTE A-League.

“I was very happy with my old club and could have extended my contract for another two or three years,” Vriends said.

“But then my age mattered too, right? I’m 33 and if I renewed my contract again, although it was very flattering, I would probably never take the opportunity.

“There was one option to extend my contract, and my club gave me an ultimatum – a decision date.

“Then I was looking for an opportunity abroad, I spoke to some clubs in the south of Europe for example, and also spoke to other A-League clubs through my agent. Then eventually Craig Goodwin played a small part in it as well; He’s a club legend at Adelaide United and I played with him back in the Netherlands.

“We had always been in contact, he knew of my desire to possibly play in the A-League one day and he knew Adelaide could use some experience in central defence.

“He connected me with the club and I had a really good time from the start.”

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Wrend’s conversations with Socceroo and Adelaide United icon Goodwin coincided with the A-League club’s appointment of Ernest Faber, a former Netherlands international and PSV Eindhoven legend, as technical director.

“I contacted (Ernest) and the owner (Cor Adrians), who is also Dutch, and it was a very constructive and interesting conversation,” he said.

“All these things came together. Adelaide United really wanted to sign me, the connection with Craig Goodwin and the Dutch (at the club) and the excitement of joining Australia as a country and also a country with a very specific sporting culture led to a clear decision. for me to go for it.

“Other options were also interesting in southern Europe and also in Australia, but it took a little longer and I didn’t want to wait any longer. I wanted to make a decision before the ultimatum with Sparta ended. Because Adelaide United were doing so well, I said, “Let’s do it.” I packed my bag and crossed the ocean.”

“It was a difficult decision. “I left the club with a heavy heart,” added Vriends.

“I played a lot of games there and had a lot of experience: relegation, promotion, European football play-offs and managing the club. I was part of the club environment.

“I am proud to have played a small part in the development of the club over the last eight years. It’s full of memories and I’m glad I was able to leave with a smile and a sense of pride, but also a light heart.”

Vriends arrived in Adelaide three months ago and while he is enjoying his time in his new surroundings, he admits he has endured a “frustrating period” on the field as soft tissue injuries have hampered his pre-season preparations.

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But there is more to Vriends than just his presence on the field; The 33-year-old brought much-needed experience to Adelaide’s young side and, along with fellow veterans Isaias, Javi Lopez, Stefan Mauk and Ryan Kitto, Vriends has been busy mentoring the club’s host of young talent in the “buddy system”. within the gaming group.

“We have a lot of young, talented players on our team, but they are well aware that they need older and more experienced players to guide the young ones,” Vriends said.

“That’s also one of the reasons I came to Adelaide United: to have a good balance within the team… you need a couple of players who are good at communicating and organizing the team, but also off the field to lead by example. and pave the way. That’s what we’re trying to do at Adelaide United.

“We have two Spanish players, Xavi and Isaias, as well as Stefan Mauk and Ryan Kitto, I’m one of them, and we try to work closely together as a senior group of players.

“We operate a buddy system where one experienced player is closely linked to one, two, three or four more talented young players.

“Now we sit down from time to time to talk about the game, development and our specific positions on the field.

“I am working closely with Panagiotis Kikianis, a young central defender who, from what I have seen so far, is very talented. I would love to play together at center back in the A-League.

“The second is Feizo (Kasumovic), the youngest, 16 years old, a very big guy from the youth academy. We try to sit down from time to time and talk about the art of defending, the center back position, but we can also learn from each other and how we can develop our game.

“They are very young so there is a lot to be achieved there and I am happy to help them and hopefully I can also play a small part in their development and that will benefit the club and the team in the future.”

“On the pitch I was really surprised – not surprised, but pleased – with the level of play,” he added. “People at home think Australian football can be a fast-paced game, but it’s actually the opposite: we play in a very organized and fast-paced game. We like to play from behind and we’re good at it. This is a game that I love to play too.

“The A-League and my team’s matches that I have seen so far are quite fast-paced and transitional. It’s good and interesting to watch.

“I’m more than excited to start playing with the boys. It’s been a bit of a disappointing start to the game on the pitch but I feel there is a lot of potential in the team and my role in the team and the club. I’m certainly looking forward to the future.”

Isuzu UTE’s fast-paced style of A-League football isn’t the only thing that has surprised Vriends since his arrival in Adelaide; For the first time in his professional career, Vriends is preparing for a season without the threat of relegation for teams that drop to the bottom of the table.

“This is weird! I’ve never encountered this,” he said.

“It’s hard to say, I don’t really know how I feel about it, but the good thing is that relegation at home is a big problem for small league clubs, your goal is to avoid relegation, which sometimes leads to a bit of panic, this is football, you just can’t lose I want to.

“Here, hopefully, we can play freely, show ourselves and play positively because there is something to grab onto and not something to lose. It’s the other side of the no-relegation rules: you can play a positive game instead of being afraid to resign.”

Winds and the Reds kick off the 2024/25 Isuzu UTE A-League season at home to Central Coast Mariners on Saturday night. Adelaide finished last season with a disappointing eighth-place finish under head coach Karl Werth, and after some key departures in the off-season, as evidenced by Nestori Iracunda’s move to Bayern Munich, Weart is once again relying heavily on young newcomers to shape his squad. .

Teenage striker Archie Goodwin has joined from the Newcastle Jets, while young forward Ben Folami has joined the club from Melbourne Victory, while Amlani Tatu, Feizo Kasumovic, Ryan White and Malual Nikola have all emerged from the club’s youth team.