The 2015–16 season was the 12th in the history of Adelaide United Football Club since its establishment in 2003. The club participated in the

A-League A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as the A-League by the ...

for the 11th time, the

FFA Cup The Australia Cup (currently known as the Hahn Australia Cup for sponsorship reasons) is the national soccer knockout cup competition in Australia. This annual competition is organised by Football Australia (known as Football Federation Austra ...

for the second time and the

AFC Champions League The AFC Champions League Elite (abbreviated as the ACL Elite) is an annual continental club association football, football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's List of top-division football clubs i ...

for the fifth time. Ahead of the season, manager

Josep Gombau Josep Gombau Balague (born 5 June 1976) is a Spanish professional football manager. He is a former Barcelona youth team coach and has held multiple positions at the club's youth academy. Career Born in Amposta, Tarragona, Catalonia, Gombau w ...

stood down, citing family reasons. He was replaced by the club's technical director,

Guillermo Amor Guillermo Amor Martínez (; born 4 December 1967) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a versatile midfielder. After spending most of his career with Barcelona, winning several accolades in a ten-year tenure, he ended it in ...

, in his first senior managerial role. Adelaide United were knocked out of the FFA Cup in the quarter-finals by rivals

Melbourne Victory Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Competing in the country's premier men's competition, the A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL), Victory ...

, their first loss in the competition's history. Two and a half weeks later, Adelaide would begin their season by hosting Victory at

Adelaide Oval The Adelaide Oval is a stadium in Adelaide in the state of South Australia. It is located in the Adelaide Parklands, parklands. The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also played host to rugby league, ...

, a match that ended 0–0. The Reds went winless in their first eight games and sat 13 points from the top of the ladder. From round nine onwards, the club went on a 14-match unbeaten run, which saw them sit atop the ladder by the end of it, following a 4–0 win over

Wellington Phoenix Wellington Phoenix Football Club is a professional football club based in Wellington, New Zealand. It competes in the Australian A-League Men, under licence from Football Federation Australia. Phoenix entered the competition in the 2007–08 ...

. A loss to Melbourne City and a draw with the

Western Sydney Wanderers Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club (colloquially known as Western Sydney, Wanderers, or simply as WSW) is an Australian professional association football club based in the Western Sydney region of Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in t ...

put their title charge in doubt. Adelaide won their remaining three matches and thanks to Melbourne Victory's draw with

Brisbane Roar Brisbane Roar Football Club is a professional soccer club based in Brisbane, Queensland. competing in Australia's premier men's competition, A-League Men, which is the top tier Australia's football pyramid. When Queensland Lions F.C. were ...

in the final round, Adelaide United were premiers by a solitary point. Adelaide played Melbourne City in the semi-final. After a scoreless first half,

Bruce Djite Bruce José Djité (French pronunciation: ; born 25 March 1987) is an Australian executive and former association football (soccer) player. he is South Australian executive director of the Property Council of Australia. Djite made a name for ...

broke the deadlock in the 48th minute, curling the ball into the top right corner from outside the box. Djite would double their lead from the penalty spot 12 minutes later.

Fitzgerald Fitzgerald may refer to: People * Fitzgerald (surname), a surname * Fitzgerald Hinds, Trinidadian politician * Fitzgerald Toussaint (born 1990), former American football running back Place Australia * Fitzgerald River National Park, a nati ...

pulled a goal back for Melbourne City, but late goals from

Dylan McGowan Dylan John McGowan (born 6 August 1991) is an Australian professional footballer who plays as a defender for club Hamilton Academical. McGowan was born in Adelaide, Australia, where he played youth football for Para Hills Knights before mov ...

and Pablo Sánchez saw Adelaide into their third Grand Final, which would also be their first time hosting the match. Second-placed Western Sydney Wanderers travelled to Adelaide Oval for the

Grand Final Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Synonymous with a championship game in North Ameri ...

Bruce Kamau Bruce Kamau (born 28 March 1995) is a professional soccer player who plays as a winger for Adelaide City. Born in Kenya, he has represented Australia at youth level. Early life Born in Kenya, Kamau moved to Australia at age 4. He attended Rost ...

scored in the 21st minute and won a free kick that was converted by

Isaías Isaías is the Spanish and Portuguese language form of the biblical name Isaiah. Notable people with the name include: * Isaias of Constantinople (died 1332), Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 1323 to 1332 * Isaias Afwerki (born 1942), ...

in the 32nd minute.

Scott Neville Scott Neville (born 11 January 1989) is a retired professional soccer player who played as a defender. Born in England, he represented Australia at youth level. Personal life Scott Neville is the son of former English Football League pro, S ...

's goal just shy of the hour mark brought the Wanderers back into the game, but Adelaide held on, with Pablo Sánchez eventually scoring Adelaide's third to seal the win. This was Adelaide United's first Australian title, and to this day, their last Grand Final they have played in. Despite the success, Adelaide lost numerous key players ahead of next season, including Bruce Kamau, Pablo Sánchez,

Craig Goodwin Craig Alexander Goodwin (born 16 December 1991) is an Australian professional soccer player as a left winger for Adelaide United and the Australian national team. Known for his agility, crossing and shot placement, he is Adelaide United's all- ...

Stefan Mauk Stefan Ingo Mauk (born 12 October 1995) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as an attacking midfielder for A-League Men club Adelaide United. Mauk is also capable of playing as a box-to-box midfielder and as a right winger. P ...

and Bruce Djite.

Kits

Coaching staff

Players

Squad

Transfers and contracts

Transfers in

Transfers out

Contract extensions

Pre-season and friendlies

Competitions

Overall record

A-League

League table

Results summary

Results by round

Matches

Finals series

FFA Cup

AFC Champions League

Qualifying play-off

Statistics

Appearances and goals

, - !colspan="14", Player(s) transferred out but featured this season

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2015-16 Adelaide United FC season

Adelaide United Adelaide United Football Club is a professional men's soccer club located in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. The club was one of the eight founding members of the A-League Men and have competed in it concurrently since its formation, u ...

Adelaide United FC seasons Australian soccer championship–winning seasons