EXCLUSIVE: Sitting in the Aloha stadium, Ernie Merrick would've shuddered at the sight of Gamba Osaka and their goal machine Bare storming home to win last week's Pan Pacs.
Gamba, still in their off-season, defeated LA Galaxy 1-0 and Houston Dynamo – the current MLS champion – 6-1 in the final three days later.
Melbourne fans will get to see this highly technical J-League side in April. Osaka looms as the biggest danger for Victory in the club's upcoming Asian Champions League group G.
And in striker Bare, the Japanese club have a forward who would not look out of place in any of the top leagues in Europe.
The Brazilian scored five of his side's seven goals in the Honolulu tournament, including a staggering four in the final. Bare (full name Jader Volnei Spindler) was voted by the visiting journalists as player of the tournament.
The 188cm, 26-year-old has had a relatively peripatetic career in Uruguay and in his home country Brazil, but it's in Japan that the athletic target man has prospered. Twenty goals last season at Osaka was proof of his form.
In total he's scored 105 times in Japan in 203 appearances for Osaka, Omiya Ardija and Ventforet Kofu.
Melbourne Victory kick off their Asian Champions League at home to K-League side Chunnam Dragons on March 12. But it's the April 9 visit of Akira Nishino's men that will in all likelihood decide the group.
After seeing the side play, Merrick will be in no doubt that if they are to have any chance of going through, they'll need to muzzle Bare and Osaka's free-flowing passing game.
And with new signings Billy Celeski and Tommy Pondeljak together with a squad that was in form at the tail end of last season's A-League, Victory will provide strong opposition.
Striker Danny Allsopp tells FourFourTwo magazine (out today in NSW and next week elsewhere in Australia) that if the strengthened Victory are to beat the odds and go through ahead of Osaka, they'll need to win their home games.
“It's the same with the league, you want to get off to a good start. It's tough to go away to get results,” he said.
“It was good we turned the corner late in the season and it's given us some confidence going into the ACL,” he added.
“But again, that's going to be different and a new learning curve. All the teams are going to be strong.”
Melbourne fans will get to see this highly technical J-League side in April. Osaka looms as the biggest danger for Victory in the club's upcoming Asian Champions League group G.
And in striker Bare, the Japanese club have a forward who would not look out of place in any of the top leagues in Europe.
The Brazilian scored five of his side's seven goals in the Honolulu tournament, including a staggering four in the final. Bare (full name Jader Volnei Spindler) was voted by the visiting journalists as player of the tournament.
The 188cm, 26-year-old has had a relatively peripatetic career in Uruguay and in his home country Brazil, but it's in Japan that the athletic target man has prospered. Twenty goals last season at Osaka was proof of his form.
In total he's scored 105 times in Japan in 203 appearances for Osaka, Omiya Ardija and Ventforet Kofu.
Melbourne Victory kick off their Asian Champions League at home to K-League side Chunnam Dragons on March 12. But it's the April 9 visit of Akira Nishino's men that will in all likelihood decide the group.
After seeing the side play, Merrick will be in no doubt that if they are to have any chance of going through, they'll need to muzzle Bare and Osaka's free-flowing passing game.
And with new signings Billy Celeski and Tommy Pondeljak together with a squad that was in form at the tail end of last season's A-League, Victory will provide strong opposition.
Striker Danny Allsopp tells FourFourTwo magazine (out today in NSW and next week elsewhere in Australia) that if the strengthened Victory are to beat the odds and go through ahead of Osaka, they'll need to win their home games.
“It's the same with the league, you want to get off to a good start. It's tough to go away to get results,” he said.
“It was good we turned the corner late in the season and it's given us some confidence going into the ACL,” he added.
“But again, that's going to be different and a new learning curve. All the teams are going to be strong.”
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