Michael Lynch, The Age's expert on soccer, has had extensive experience of high level journalism in the UK and Australia. Michael has covered the Socceroos through Asia, Europe and South America in their past three World Cup campaigns. He has also reported on Grands Prix and top class motor sport from Asia and Europe. He has won several national media awards for both sports and industry journalism.
Melbourne City goalkeeper Dean Bouzanis is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after the FFA's match review panel decided on Monday that he had a case to answer after he sledged Melbourne Victory's Albanian striker Besart Berisha and called him a gypsy during an ill-tempered Melbourne derby on Saturday night.
Melbourne City W-League star Steph Catley is adamant that travelling to Perth for a mid-afternoon grand final against the powerful West Australians will pose no problems for her in-form club.
It's a good job Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou likes his players to face challenges, as they will face a series of difficult assignments in June when Australia, as Asian champions, contest the Confederations Cup in Russia.
Tim Cahill will have to serve a one-match A-League ban on Saturday night when his side entertain Brisbane Roar, even though the bizarre red card he received from referee Chris Beath in last weekend's Melbourne derby was probably given in error.
Melbourne Victory edged three points closer to league leaders Sydney after an incredible finale to the Melbourne derby when they came from a goal behind with just six minutes remaining to defeat Melbourne City 2-1.
FFA can't seem to take a trick. Last weekend it copped a hiding because a match in Adelaide was played in searing heat and not postponed until a later time.
The Crawford report into Australian soccer, overseen by the promiment Melbourne businessman David Crawford, was the spark that fanned the flames of football's 21st century revolution.
The Melbourne City and Canberra United women's teams will not, after all, have to sweat and swelter their way through the searing heat of the mid summer sun in their W-League semi final after the FFA shifted the time of the kick off.
Melbourne City returns to the scene of its best performance of the season for the third A-League derby of the campaign desperate to rekindle the spark they showed when they humiliated Melbourne Victory 4-1 in that round two fixture at Etihad Stadium last October.
Imagine if a newly-retired Magic Johnson had travelled to Australia to coach the South East Melbourne Magic or the Melbourne Tigers in the late 1990s.
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