Ufuk Talay gets two-year coaching deal with his former Sydney FC team in Australia's A-League

SYDNEY (AP) — Former Wellington Phoenix coach Ufuk Talay has signed with Sydney FC on a two-year deal in Australia's A-League.

Talay, an ex-Sydney FC player and assistant coach, will replace his former teammate Steve Corica, who was fired after the team went scoreless in its first three games of the season. Sydney is in last place in the 12-team league.

“Ufuk is a talented and dynamic coach who will bring his positive, attacking style of football to Sydney FC," team chairman Scott Barlow said Wednesday. “He has proven he is an astute tactician with excellent player management skills, and he has the ability to bring the best out of our young squad.”

He will take charge of this weekend’s trip to Adelaide.

“I won a championship as a player and as an assistant coach here, and now I want to do it as head coach,” Talay said in a statement. “This is Australia’s most successful club, and it matches my own expectations of challenging for league titles every season."

The 47-year-old Talay had been working as part of Graham Arnold’s Australian Socceroos coaching team since leaving the Wellington, New Zealand club earlier this year.

Corica was a foundation player with Sydney in 2005 and captained the club across a 139-game playing career. As a coach, he succeeded Arnold in 2018 and won A-League grand finals in 2019 and 2020.

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