Macarthur FC and Western United have charted eerily similar A-League Men paths

They are not exactly expansion bedfellows, and certainly not friends. But Macarthur FC and Western United bear striking similarities – and not just because they are expansion clubs. The very nature of the both their births, selected by then-Football Federation Australia to join A-League Men in 2018, means comparisons are inevitable.

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Off the field, both United and the Bulls have quickly become two of the most universally derided clubs in all of Australian football, the mere mention of their names almost certain to attract cantankerous commentators with grievances to air. Alas, unlike the likes of Melbourne Victory or Sydney FC, this is not born of a disdain derived from envy of trophies or from long-standing historical grievances – marketable hatred – but, instead, their very nature of existence.

United’s detractors frequently round more on their failure to deliver the stadium they promised during the expansion, whereas the Bulls come under fire for ticket prices and an inability to fashion and invest in a sustainable strategy to connect with potential supporters in Sydney’s booming southwest. Given these things were at the core of their expansion bids, however, this betrays the metaphysical angst which exists at the core of their disdain.

The clubs are scorned because of what they are perceived to represent. They are adjudged as entities hoisted upon the league by a former broadcaster hungry for more Sydney and Melbourne teams and a federation, desperate for the fattest licence fees on offer. This carries with it its own level of animus – and that is not exactly wrong, if lacking in a bit of nuance – though early