Catch up on the Isuzu UTE A-League Team of the Week, powered by Opta.
The Isuzu UTE A-League 2025-26 season continued with plenty of entertainment and drama over the weekend.
In what was an incredibly tight selection process, Newcastle Jets midfielder Alex Badolato topped the charts this week following his instrumental display in the Jets’ 2-0 win over Sydney FC.
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This season, Opta will power the Isuzu UTE A-League Team of the Week using Opta Points – a comprehensive player metric that evaluates a player’s overall contribution to the game. Each Monday, the Isuzu UTE A-League Team of the Week will be displayed in a 4-3-3 formation, highlighting the best-performing players.
Note: The weekly Team of the Week will feature matches played
Joining Badolato in the middle of a three man midfield are Auckland FC’s defensive lynchpin Louis Verstraete and Wellington Phoenix wing-back Carlo Armiento, who scored the Nix’ third goal in their 3-1 win over the Mariners.
There are more players from all three of those clubs in the defensive unit as Wellington central defender Manjrekar James is joined by Jets defender Joel Bertolissio as well as Melbourne Victory captain Roderick Miranda and Melbourne City’s Socceroo, Kai Trewin.
Finally, its an all New Zealand based front three this week with Auckland FC duo Lachie Brook and Sam Cosgrove earning spots in the team after both scored against the Wanderers, whilst they’re joined by Wellington Phoenix forward Corban Piper.
What is the Opta Points system?
Opta Points is a system where points are given to players for certain on-field actions. Players who complete the full game duration on the field typically end up with a point total ranging from 10 to 40 points. (View the full breakdown of Opta Points below).
Explained: Opta’s Team of the Week using Opta Points
The scoring system distinguishes only between field players and goalkeepers, assigning the same number of points to all field players for corresponding actions. A distinctive feature of this system is its exclusive focus on in-game actions, refraining from awarding points for post-game performances, such as securing a victory or allocating bonus points for maintaining a clean sheet.
Positive actions (goals, passes, tackles, etc…) will add to a player’s score and, conversely, negative actions (cards, own goals, goals conceded) will reduce a player’s points total. Theoretically, a player’s points value is unlimited, and players can conclude a game with negative points. However, players who complete the full game duration on the field typically end up with a point total ranging from 10 to 40 points.
Goals, Shots on target, shots off target, blocked shots, own goal, assists, passes, crosses, tackles, interceptions, fouls won, fouls conceded, offsides, yellow cards, red cards, goals conceded, penalty won, saves, penalty saved are included in Opta Points.
