Swamped: Aaron Mooy is embraced after scoring the winner. Picture: Brendon Esposito
Swamped: Aaron Mooy is embraced after scoring the winner. Picture: Brendon Esposito
THEY are more than just the improbable success story of the A-League soccer competition.
They are the story of the Australian sporting summer and coach Tony Popovic is the coach of 2012 and 2013.
Admittedly, there isn't much competition from swimming but, regardless, Popovic's achievement has blown everyone out of the water.
But the Western Sydney Wanderers are more than the sum of their wins, impressive as they are.
Their 1-0 win over Perth Glory at Parramatta Stadium made them only the third team in A-League history to win seven games in a row, the win coming from Blacktown boy and midfielder Aaron Mooy's first goal for the club, in the 58th minute.
They are now second, a point behind Central Coast Mariners and eight clear of Adelaide and Melbourne Victory.
But the Wanderers are more than just the sum of their wins.
They are a phenomenon: the miracle Football Australia could never have prayed for.
FA might have hoped the team of bit parts assembled in five minutes might have struggled along in its first season, been competitive and, if they could hang on, in two or three seasons the A-League might have a team in the west with a future.
Future? The Wanderers are the team of now, their future secure and with the league's most fanatical following.
To see 12,000 of those fans streaming into Parramatta Stadium in atrocious weather was to have that confirmed.
And as with every home game, they sounded like 20,000 and turned the occasion into a non-stop musical and vocal carnival.
Football Australia must feel it is doubly blessed, because the Wanderers play Central Coast at Bluetongue Stadium this Saturday night.
Coach Popovic was, as always, measured but he's getting to enjoy the post-match media caper after his men had beaten a physical and determined Glory.
"They are the important ones to win when things are not quite going your way," Popovic said.
"We were not as fluent in possession of the ball and when we did find that, we had some great passages of play.
"But we persisted and tried to play the way we can and in the end it was a deflection, but it was good lead-up play to get to that goal."
No team in the A-League has won seven in a row since Victory won eight in a row late in 2006.
Popovic reserved his main praise for the army of the Wanderers warriors.
"I have to mention the fans again because when you come out in these numbers when last night we knew what the weather would be like, and everyone in Sydney knew what the weather would be like this morning, and to get these numbers out here tonight is unique and something special that we are building here, and they play a big part," Popovic said. "I am really pleased that they will go home wet and they will go home happy."
They'll be going up the F3 in numbers on Saturday.