KEY POINTS:
As football leagues around the world emerge from their off-season slumbers, it is now the turn of fans in Australasia to rouse themselves as the A-League kicks off this weekend.
With the transfer roundabout in overdrive during the break, most teams will bear scant resemblance to those that
ended last season.
A quick examination of the list of incoming players reveals some high-profile talent. Top of the list are the Brazilian duo of Juninho Paulista at Sydney FC and Mario Jardel at the Newcastle Jets.
After a fruitless search that included Teddy Sheringham, Robbie Fowler and Philip Cocu, Sydney finally settled on the World Cup-winning midfielder as their marquee player.
Sydney FC coach Branco Culina will be hoping the diminutive playmaker, probably most familiar to New Zealand fans from his time with Middlesbrough, can spark his side from the lethargy and discord of last season under Terry Butcher.
Newcastle has taken more of a gamble on the services of 33-year-old Jardel. A former two-time European Golden Boot winner, he is one of the few players that can boast a record of better than a goal a game in Europe.
His 231 goals in 214 games for Porto (130 in 125), Galatasaray (48 in 40) and Sporting Club (53 in 49) are testament to his undoubted abilities. But the past five years have been less kind to Jardel.
Injuries, depression, illegal gambling and drug abuse have been headlines that have followed him around as he moved from club to club trying to rekindle his career. If he finds some stability in the A-League, the Jets may have got themselves the buy of the season. If not, he will be an expensive and potentially disruptive passenger.
Juninho and Jardel will not be lonely. With no less than 13 Brazilians plying their trade Downunder, the A-League will have a distinctly South American feel to it third time around.
One of the stated goals when the league was conceived was to attract Australians playing throughout the world back home. Players such as Paul Agostino, Craig Moore, Danny Tiatto, Ljubo Milecevic and Tony Popovic have all had respectable careers overseas and their return to home soil brings added credibility and strength to the competition.
Most predictions are that this will be the tightest contest yet.
I believe Adelaide and Sydney will perform well. Both sides have had the added experience of Asian Champions League matches, so expect to see them in the top-four playoffs come April.
Melbourne have managed to retain the services of strikers Archie Thompson and Danny Allsopp. They may have lost Fred , but he is easier to replace than a 10-12 goal striker.
This, with their terrific fan-base, makes Melbourne a daunting proposition at home.
Of the others, Queensland Roar are my pick to make the finals series for the first time.
And then there is the Wellington Phoenix. Famously born out of a barber's chair (when owner to-be Terry Serepisos saved the Wellington bid) they have quietly but purposefully been piecing together a franchise in New Zealand's capital.
Will they be able to foot it with the competition?
Based on a comparison with the pre-season performances of the now defunct Knights, the signs for the Phoenix are distinctly promising.
In nine pre-season matches the Knights never managed a win, conceded 15 goals and scored just four. The Phoenix have already knocked over the previous two grand final winners.
The important difference between the Phoenix and the previous Kiwi offerings is that the majority of the players have proven experience in the A-League. They know the standard of the league and what is expected.
Though some may not have excelled at this level, they at least should not be embarrassed, unlike some of the pretenders and conmen we have had to endure on the field previously. Sunday is exam time for the Phoenix. We find out if they are good enough for the A-League.
For their sake, for Wellington's sake, for football in New Zealand's sake, I hope they are.
