2022/23 is set to be another important chapter in the history of Melbourne City FC, with 11 players in reach of significant club appearances or goals milestones across our A-League Men's and Women's teams.
Following an opening decade of short-term contracts and high squad turnover, it has been a relatively recent development that City fans have been able to celebrate long-tenured club champions in either squad. Producing only one centenarian (David Williams) in our opening decade, the club could boast as many six by the end of this season.
On the Men's side of things, a lack of further Australia Cup progress or Asian Champion League involvement will limit the number of games available to players in Patrick Kisnorbo's squad. A 26-game regular season and an absolute maximum of four Finals matches makes for a total of 30 available games to be played this campaign.
Headlining the milestones set to come out of Kisnorbo's squad is the impending achievement of 150 Melbourne City games played by both Scott Jamieson (139) and Curtis Good (128). Already the club's top appearance-makers, the pair will continue to be important history-writers for City, lending some credibility to our identity as we become the ninth A-League Men's side to boast a player with over 150 club appearances. Aside from recent expansion clubs and now-defunct franchises, only Western Sydney Wanderers do not have a player to have achieved this.
Jamie Maclaren has the chance to make 2022/23 an important season on a personal level, in reach of both 100 club games (98) and 100 club goals (77). The latter achievement looms as especially significant, with City's #9 on the precipice of becoming the first player in A-League history to score a century of goals for a single club. By extension, he would surpass Archie Thompson's record of 97 for the Victory. The 23 goals required to achieve the century could be a tough ask even for a habitual record-breaker like Maclaren, but his 25-goal 2020/21 campaign shows that he's got what it takes.
Already the club's all-time most experienced foreigner, Florin Berenguer will likely enter City's prestigious '100 club' just a week after Maclaren, with the Frenchman currently poised on 97 appearances. The pair of City superstars could be joined by a surprise third centenarian, with none other than Tom Glover (80) also within reach of 100 club games by the end of the campaign.
City has already celebrated one milestone in 2022/23, with Nuno Reis bringing up his half-century against Newcastle Olympic in the Australia Cup Round of 32. Taras Gomulka (37) is next in line to join him, whilst Matthew Leckie (28) and even Jordan Bos (24) have a chance at cracking their first significant appearances milestones for the club.
The achievements don't stop at the Men's team either, with an extended A-League Women's season of 20 regular season games and a maximum of three Finals enabling a pair of potential half-centenarians to be celebrated.
Skipper Emma Checker (39) should comfortably crack 50 club appearances and would become just the sixth female player to achieve this feat for City after Rebekah Stott, Steph Catley, TJ Vlajnic, Lauren Barnes and Lydia Williams. Checker even has a chance at succeeding the latter three names and moving into outright third for appearances, needing to feature in 16 more matches to pass Vlajnic's 52 games played for City.
Leah Davidson's (28) prospects of reaching 50 club appearances certainly benefit from Western United's entry into the A-League Women and the competition's subsequently extended season, but the midfielder would need several factors like consistent selection, fitness and a deep Finals run to go her way in order to achieve that feat.
Though there are countless players to be added to City's current eight-player ALW squad, likely including members of last season's playing group, we're unlikely to see any other milestones within Rado Vidosic's side. No 2021/22 squad members other than Checker and Davidson are within 23 games of 50 (long-term injury Tori Tumeth aside), so unless someone like Amy Jackson or Aivi Luik were to re-join the club, it will be just the two milestones for our City girls this season.
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