2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, September
Round 6: North Queensland Fury (home at Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney)


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, September
Sydney would pair up against Robbie Fowler's North Queensland side sooner than expected. The match was originally scheduled to be played next door to the SFS at the historic Sydney Cricket Ground. Sydney FC were coming off a loss to Gold Coast United and were expected to beat North Queensland Fury who had yet to win a game, despite putting in solid performances against Adelaide United and Brisbane Roar in the previous weeks. A crowd of 16,699 showed up to see Robbie Fowler in town, seeing as the NRL finals were being played at the same time.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, September
Sydney started strongly and in the 26th minute received a penalty in almost identical fashion to the one received up in Townsville. John Aloisi stepped up, and in a miraculous piece of goalkeeping Paul Henderson pulled off a wonder save, denying Sydney FC the chance to go 1-0 up. The save was equally important for Henderson on a personal note, as he had been dropped the previous week after conceding 12 goals in the first 4 rounds.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, September
The morale of Sydney FC dropped, playing second fiddle to a confident North Queensland attack and lucky to go in at the break nil-all. After the break Sydney FC were at the mercy of North Queensland, rarely getting the ball into the opposition half and losing possession easily. It was only a matter of time before North Queensland scored, and in the 56th minute, they did so through Robbie Fowler. Fowler calmly chipped an out-of-position Clint Bolton outside of his 6-yard box. Any life left in Sydney's attack was immediately drained, with Fowler unlucky not to score a second 5 minutes later. Despite a late frenzied attack with Kofi Danning at the helm Sydney were unable to equalise. Sydney conceded their second straight defeat, losing the game 0–1.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, September
Round 7: Newcastle Jets (home at Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney)


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, September
Both teams were coming off back to back losses in this highly anticipated round 7 clash. Both teams were suffering from an injury laden squad, with Newcastle having to bring Albanian-Australian Labinot Haliti and Iraqi International Ali Abbas Al-Hilfi on loan to replace injured players, while Sydney were relying on a third-string squad with key players out injured Karol Kisel (flu), Stephan Keller (Calf), John Aloisi (knee) and Terry McFlynn (thigh). Young Guns Kofi Danning and Chris Payne were also out of the squad on Young Socceroos duty. The game started strongly with both teams taking advantage of several mistakes.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, September
Newcastle had a golden opportunity to take the lead in the 23rd minute via a penalty for a push in the box. The penalty was saved by a heroic Clint Bolton, saving his second penalty out of three this season. This save gave Sydney a massive boost of confidence and no less than 5 minutes later Mark Bridge fired a rocket of a shot from the edge of the 18-yard box into the top corner, giving Sydney the lead and his second goal of the season. Although the lead wouldn't last long.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, September
6 minutes later a cross into the box had Clint Bolton saving the shot but tipping it away to an open Matt Thompson, who tapped it in past an outstretched Bolton. The scores stayed locked at 1-1 going into half time, but 10 minutes into the second half Alex Brosque was fouled by Ben Kennedy in the box. Steve Corica coolly stepped up and slotted it in the top right corner past an outstretched palm. Despite a desperate Newcastle attack, Sydney held on for a very unconvincing 2–1 victory.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, September
Sydney flew up to face Queensland rivals Brisbane Roar in what was considered to be the State of Origin clash in the A-League. Brisbane were coming off a 4–2 loss to Perth Glory the week before and Sydney were coming off a 2–1 victory but were still seen as the underdogs despite key players Karol Kisel and Stephan Keller being included back in the squad, returning from minor injuries. Sydney started strongly, their confidence from a stronger squad showing, and had some early chances.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, September
However Brisbane would not be deterred and the game swung back and forth until half time when both teams went in 0–0. The second half was much of the same affair, Sydney having a lot of good opportunities, including 2 skied shots from striker Mark Bridge, which commentators and fellow Sydney supporters thought should have gone in. However Sydney couldn't hold their defence. 15 minutes before full-time, Brisbane had 90% of the possession and despite a brave Sydney defence doing their best to stop Brisbane from scoring, the effort fell through 5 minutes before full-time.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, September
Dutch striker Serginho van Dijk managed to get one past Bolton on Brisbane's third consecutive corner, giving his fourth goal against Sydney FC in two meetings. For the final five or so minutes, Sydney threw everything but the kitchen sink at the Brisbane defence in the hope to salvage a draw, however despite them coming close on a couple of occasions, Liam Reddy's goal remained a fortress and Brisbane hung onto a narrow 1–0 victory.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, October
Round 9: Central Coast Mariners (home at Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney)


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, October
The South NSW derby clash is always a highly anticipated clash between the fierce rivals of Sydney and Gosford. Geographically the teams are only 90 km away from each other, and a short drive up and down the freeway, and the rivalry is always intense. This week was not to be different, Sydney FC welcomed back Northern Irish midfield maestro Terry McFlynn who had been out of the squad for the best part of a month with injury, but also welcomed the birth of his new child.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, October
He got his return debut off to a flying start in the 21st minute, when Stuart Musialik held the ball outside the box, to put in a pinpoint accurate cross, which Terry Slammed into the top right hand corner. It couldn't have been a better return to football, as it gave the entire team the belief they could steamroll over the unpredictable Mariners. And they pretty much did that as well.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, October
For the remaining half Sydney looked the dominant team, Terry McFlynn unlucky not to score minutes later, and Steve Corica going centimetres wide of the post from a spectacular scissor-kick. The Second half would remain the same sort of story, the Mariners threw everything at the defence, but couldn't break the strong wall of Stephan Keller, Shannon Cole, Sebastian Ryall and Simon Colosimo. Sydney held on, and in the last 10 minutes, despite a massive thunderstorm above, continued to attack in the driving rain.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, October
With minutes to go defender Stephan Keller was involved in a nasty head clash attempting to head a ball, and was lying motionless on the ground, and had to be stretchered off. It was feared he had seriously injured his knee, however it was later revealed his knee was fine, and was suffering minor-concussion. He is expected to play next week against the Melbourne Victory at Etihad Stadium. It was a clean match considering the derby, with controversial referee Matthew Breeze not awarding a single yellow or red card to either sets of players.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, October
Round 10: Melbourne Victory FC (away at Etihad Stadium, Melbourne)


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, October
Round 10 was the perfect opportunity to hold the A-League's Biggest Rivalry. Sydney and Melbourne fans hated each other with a passion, and this season it was no different. Sydney and Melbourne were positions 1 and 2 respectively on the table, the first time this had ever happened, and it only served to fuel the rivalry even more. Over 30,000 packed into Melbourne's Etihad Stadium to see the clash, both sides were at full strength, aside from Sydney FC missing Swiss defender Stephan Keller with a knee injury he had picked up the week before.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, October
The match started strongly, with Melbourne having good opportunities in the first 10 minutes through their imports Ney Fabiano and Carlos Hernández. However it would be Sydney FC who turned up the heat, in a blitz of goals, that left not only the Melbourne players in shock, but left the crowd silent (aside from the 1,000 Cove who had flown down).


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, October
In the 14th minute, Sydney had a free kick outside the box, which Steve Corica took, the ball found its way soon after to Simon Colosimo on the wing, who whipped it in, and found a rising Alex Brosque header, which found its way into the back of the net. Alex Brosque scored his first of the season, and the first of what would become a landslide of pressure.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, October
Minutes later after the kickoff, Sydney were breaking once more, Terry McFlynn got a lovely ball through to striker Mark Bridge, who swivelled, and slotted the ball through Evan Berger's legs, and into the bottom right hand corner of the goal. The crowd was stunned, 2 goals in almost as many minutes had the entire state of Victoria reeling. Again after the kickoff, Sydney raced down the win, Shannon Cole this time putting in a perfectly weighted cross, which Mark Bridge latched onto and put away to make it 3–0.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, October
It Seemed Sydney were unstoppable, and were unlucky to get a fourth through Terry McFlynn who attempted to chip keeper Glen Moss. He beat the keeper, and just when it seemed they had the goal, it bounced off the post and out of play. The Second half started as deadly as it had finished. Shannon Cole made a break, using some tricky footwork to get past the defence, and drove a shot, beating a diving Moss and narrowly scraping the outside of the post. Sydney would hold onto the lead, despite a spirited Melbourne fightback, in which Archie Thompson came close, but Sydney held on to the 3–0 win, leaving them at the top of the table, with by 4 points, which would be narrowed down to 2, due to other results.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, October
Sydney travelled to Adelaide on the back of their largest win against Melbourne Victory full of confidence. Everything was pointing towards a massive Sydney win - Adelaide themselves had come off a loss, were missing several key players. Adelaide lost Defensive Midfielder Fabien Barbiero in the opening 10 minutes after he pulled down Mark Bridge as he made a break and was bound to score from a 1-on-1 with goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic. Despite the one-man advantage, Sydney couldn't convert all the first half, and were put immediately on the back foot when Cristiano put Adelaide up 1-0 from a corner.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, October
Sydney went into the break 1-0 down, despite being 1-0 up, and came out into the second half more focused, after being berated by coach Vitezslav Lavicka at half time. It only got worse for Sydney FC, conceding yet another goal from a corner halfway through the second half. Clint Bolton got his gloves to the ball, but they were too slippery from the rain to get much grip and the ball trickled into the side netting, giving Cristiano his second. Some strong resilience was shown from the Sydney team, and marquee striker John Aloisi got 1 back with 10 minutes remaining, and Sydney would consider themselves very unlucky not to get themselves a second. However Adelaide United held on for a gutsy victory.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, October
Round 12: Brisbane Roar (home at Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney)


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, October
Sydney had their first home game after being on the road for 2 weeks, against a Brisbane Roar who were still reeling from their losing streak, and coach of 4 years Frank Farina being sacked for Drink Driving. It was the first game in charge for coach Ange Postecoglou who had previously taken former-NSL team Melbourne Knights to a double-championship. Sydney were hoping that the "curse of the new coach". Brisbane were also going into the game with a cut-down squad, key players of Craig Moore and Scottish internationals Charlie Miller and Bob Malcolm out with injury.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, October
Despite going into half time 0-0 Sydney were the stronger team, and their strength would prove shortly after half time when striker Alex Brosque beat 2 defenders in his trademark style and put the ball away to give Sydney a 1–0 lead. Shortly after that new Slovakian import Karol Kisel opened up his goal account after being found in open space, and drove a powerful low shot, past Liam Reddy to make the scoreline 2–0.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, October
It appeared that would be enough for the Sydney side, but the Roar dug deep, and minutes after Sydney's second got a goal back through their youth player Isaka Cernak which inspired great confidence through the Brisbane team, and despite some very good shooting, and close calls, Sydney's defence held strong, and remained strong to hold onto a 2–1 victory, and not for the first time this season, - retaking their lead on the top of the ladder, pleasing the manager.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, November
Round 13: Wellington Phoenix (home at Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney)


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, November
Sydney came into the game looking to extend their 1-point lead the a healthy 4-point lead over arch-rivals Melbourne Victory, and were up against trans-Tasman rivals Wellington Phoenix - who the week before had come off a season-record 6-0 thumping of Gold Coast United in Wellington. Under previous administrations the Phoenix had been the "bogey" team for Sydney FC, but went into the game with some confidence, boasting a strong squad and the knowledge, they had already beaten them 2-0 earlier that season at the same venue.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, November
Sydney got off to a cracking start with Striker Alex Brosque setting up Mark Bridge to open the scoring for Sydney. Not too soon later, Brosque would once more weave his magic past the Phoenix defence, and play a square ball to captain Steve Corica who tapped it in from no more than 2 yards. Wellington were backpedaling fast and losing confidence quicker than they could count the accurate passes the Sydney team were firing to each other.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, November
Shortly before the half-time interval Alex Brosque put the final icing on the cake, making a marvelous run down the far wing, outpacing the Wellington defence, setting Bridge up for his 2nd. They went into the sheds 3-0 up at the interval, something which was almost reminiscent of the scoreline against Melbourne a month earlier at Etihad Stadium. The second half started off as it finished; Sydney controlled the match from the defence through to the strikers. Despite the best efforts Sydney couldn't extend the lead, but the Nix managed to get a consolation goal through substitute Costa Barbarouses. Alex Brosque, and John Aloisi both came agonisingly close in the second half but the match finished 3–1 and Sydney scooted to a short 4-point lead before Melbourne beat Perth Glory 2–1.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, November
Round 14: Gold Coast United (away at Skilled Park, Gold Coast)


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, November
Sydney FC returned to the coast confident they'd be able to serve up revenge on the Gold Coast after losing to them 2–1 earlier in the season, however despite Gold Coast's consistent off-field drama  containing owner Clive Palmer Gold Coast managed to get their season back on track and win 1–0 via a Shane Smeltz goal early in the first half.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, November
Round 15: Perth Glory (away at ME Bank Stadium, Perth)


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, November
Sydney FC's troubling away form this season would again be the main talking point after this match. Only having won twice in from all their away games, something which not only troubled the fans, but the players and the coach. The match was to be a tale of two-halves. Sydney dominated the first half, creating chances, and generally putting the Glory under plenty of pressure, despite the pressure put on the team by the Glory support group "The Shed". However the table would be turned in the second half, with Perth getting 2 goals through Scott Bulloch and their Serbian import Branko Jelic. Perth would hold onto the lead and win 2–0.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, November
Round 16: Newcastle Jets (home at Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney)


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, November
Sydney went into the first home game in a fortnight confident they would be able to get their season back on track, having previously beaten Newcastle 2–1 earlier in the season. Newcastle were also languishing at the bottom of the table, and their coach, and former Sydney coach Branko Culina under increasing pressure to make their team perform, especially after some controversial comments in the media during the week.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, November
However the crowd of just over 10,000 would be shocked to the foundations when early in the first half, young player Rhyan Grant gave away a penalty, former Sydney FC striker Michael Bridges who played for the club on loan from then Premier League club Hull City stepped up to take the penalty, and despite loud heckling from the Sydney supporters, put the ball past Bolton. If Sydney fans were not worried, they now had a reason to be, as Sydney had never come back from a 1–0 deficit.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, November
The Halftime Scoreline read 1–0, but early into the second period of play, a momentarily lapse in concentration by the Sydney defence gave Michael Bridges his second, and his fifth for the season. The fans fell silent for the first time all day, and would be stunned to their seats minutes later when Newcastle club captain and new Melbourne Heart recruit Matt Thompson knocked in a third to make it 3–0 to the visitors.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, November
Sydney managed to pull back a consolation goal through some good tough attacking play by Marquee player John Aloisi who put in a cross to Alex Brosque who knocked it in, but it was a case of too little, too late for the Sky blues, leaving them languishing in second place, 5 points behind rivals Melbourne Victory and only one point clear of Gold Coast United and Central Coast Mariners, as well as reeling from their third straight loss, and in the midst of a form slump.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, December
Round 17: North Queensland Fury (home at Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney)


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, December
North Queensland Fury are considered the Dark Horses of the Hyundai A-League, and Sydney FC treated this match very carefully, knowing full well that North Queensland had come away from the Sydney Football Stadium with a 1–0 victory earlier in the season, However it was clear from the outset, that the form slump that had been troubling Sydney FC in the previous month had cleared, as a well defined attack tore the North Queensland defence to shreds. Sydney FC were up 2–0 at the half time break, thanks to goals by marquee John Aloisi and in-form Striker Alex Brosque.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, December
The second half was a similar tale to that of the first, Brosque got his second goal of the game, after a free kick left him with a mile of space to head the ball home, and despite North Queensland getting a scrappy goal late in the half, Sydney FC would be too powerful, with ageing star midfielder Steve Corica rising above players much younger than him to head the ball into the back of the net from a cross, to give Sydney 4 goals, and a much needed 3 points.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, December
Round 18: Wellington Phoenix (away at FMG Stadium, Palmerston North, New Zealand)


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, December
Wellington and Sydney games had always been closely contested affairs, but Wellington had already lost twice against the Sky Blues, and were undefeated at home at their regular home ground of Westpac Stadium, Wellington. It was a very windy day with winds of up to 100 km/h recorded, making it difficult to keep possession. However, a penalty won by striker Alex Brosque in the first half would prove to be the difference between the teams with Captain and team veteran Steve Corica slotting the goal home. Goalkeeper Clint Bolton made vital saves during the game to keep Sydney in the lead, and move them to the top of the ladder.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, December
Round 19: Central Coast Mariners (home at Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney)


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, December
Round 19 for the 2009/10 season had been scheduled so that each team would play a midweek game. Sydney FC and the Mariners squared off on 23 December and a healthy crowd of 12,689 were present to witness Sydney FC defeat their F3 Freeway rivals 1–0 via an Alex Brosque goal in the 34th minute of play. It turned into a dirty match with the Central Coast picking up several yellow cards towards the end of the game, capping a good 9 points in 3 games for the team from Sydney.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, December
The Sydney V Melbourne rivalry was played in front of a crowd of approximately 30,000 people at Melbourne's Docklands, in a match which always provided excitement, flair, controversy and some good football. Both teams had strong squads, and at the current time were sitting first and second respectively on the ladder, the winner of the match to either keep or take first spot. However Melbourne started the game the stronger but Sydney FC's waterproof defence held its nerve once more and refused to give in, despite some shots going off the cross bar from Archie Thompson and Carlos Hernández. Sydney counter-attacked when it was able, but could not break the Victory defence either. At the end of 90 minutes the game was still locked at 0–0 and the game finished a draw, both sides taking a point from the encounter.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, December
Round 21: Adelaide United (home at Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney)


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, December
Adelaide United came to Sydney with low expectations despite beating Sydney 2–1 at Hindmarsh Stadium earlier in the year. On the bottom of the ladder, low on confidence and goals, with their coach Aurelio Vidmar being in the news for all the wrong reasons, they had nothing to lose and everything to gain. However they were never in the game from the start, and some good solid possession from Sydney, kept Adelaide at bay, and despite Sydney FC winning 1–0, possession wise it was a thrashing. Sydney remained at the top of the ladder, keeping Adelaide rooted to the bottom of the ladder, scratching their heads looking for more answers then excuses.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, January
Round 22: Perth Glory (away at ME Bank Stadium, Perth)


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, January
Sydney's first game after the new year would be a tough one, having several key players out (Alex Brosque & Simon Colosimo out in Kuwait on national team duty, and Matthew Jurman, Rhyan Grant, Seb Ryall, Kofi Danning all out injured for the rest of the season. Now lacking depth in the defence, Vitezslav Lavicka quickly signed former Socceroo Hayden Foxe on a short-term deal until the end of the season, and promoted Sam Gallagher from Sydney's youth squad. Confidence was high, as Sydney were sitting 5 points ahead of rivals Melbourne Victory and held on to a 0–0 draw, with Sydney unlucky not to score 2 goals at the death via captain Steve Corica and young striker Chris Payne.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, January
Round 23: Gold Coast United (home at Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney)


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, January
Gold Coast United under coach Miron Bleiberg had become a force to reckon with in their inaugural season, unlike their counterparts North Queensland Fury, Gold Coast had built a strong squad around Socceroo Jason Culina, and marquee player and New Zealand Striker Shane Smeltz. Gold Coast had overtaken Melbourne Victory into 2nd on the ladder after 2 strong performances the week previously against Adelaide United and Newcastle Jets. Sydney started the game poorly, coming under a lot of pressure from a fired up, confident Gold Coast team.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, January
Gold Coast would end up scoring the only goal of the game halfway through the first half through former Hartlepool United striker Joel Porter. Despite a good performance from John Aloisi Sydney failed to hit the straps and shoot, and succumbed, dropping one place to second on the ladder, with Gold Coast snatching the top spot by 1 point.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, January
After going down to Gold Coast United the week before Sydney were keen to avenge their 1–3 loss earlier in the season to Newcastle at home at the Sydney Football Stadium. Sydney started the game the better side, unlucky not to get a couple of early goals, however the Jets patience paid off when Jobe Wheelhouse scored for the home team a little over half an hour into the game. This spelt bad news for the travelling sky blues, as they had a curse of not being able to come back after conceding.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, January
However the gods were smiling upon the Sydney faithful when marquee player John Aloisi broke through the Jets defence in Extra Time of the first half and slotted the ball into the side netting for the Sky Blues, leading them into the half time whistle 1-1.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, January
The goal was an obvious puncture in Newcastle's balloon, and they came out a deflated side, Sydney all over the home side, and halfway through the second period Sydney FC were rewarded when midfielder (and former Newcastle Jets grandfinalist) Stuart Musialik fired off a shot from 28 meters out, beating a stunned Newcastle defence, and an even more shocked Ben Kennedy who failed to move a muscle due to him not being able to see the shot. Young striker Chris Payne sealed the victory late into Extra Time of the second period when he danced around several tired Newcastle defenders and fired a low shot past the Keeper to seal a 3–1 victory for Sydney FC.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, January
A win against Brisbane would see Sydney FC back to the top of the ladder however their record away from home at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium was far from good, having last won there in the early rounds of the A-League 2007-08 season. Both teams were playing some good football, and Sydney FC had the majority of the chances, but like most weeks, despite their good ball passing and possession they failed to put their chances away.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, January
Goalkeeper Clint Bolton can thank some poor refereeing for not being sent off midway through the first half, when he clearly handled the ball outside the 18-yard box after attempted to save an on-target attempt from Brisbane Brazilian striker Reinaldo. Despite several clear cut chances, Sydney failed to score, and Brisbane grabbed a goal at the death, from their leading goalscorer and striker Serginho van Dijk.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, February
A must win game this was for Sydney FC, as it would keep them in contention for a top 2 finish providing Gold Coast United lost. Sydney started strongly and got their reward when Shannon Cole was tripped in the box early in the first half. Steve Corica slotted the resulting penalty straight down the middle to give Sydney a 1–0 lead. However Perth equalised on the stroke of half time, through Wayne Srhoj after some sloppy Sydney FC defending from a corner levelled the score at 1–1.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, February
However Sydney would retake the lead through marquee man John Aloisi when his mistimed kick appeared to have been cleared, however the ball controversially went through a hole in the side netting, with referee Chris Beath ruling no goal. Protests from the Sydney players, led by a fired-up Aloisi, led to Beath consulting with his assistant on the Eastern side of the ground who confirmed it was a goal.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, February
Beath overruled his earlier decision and ruled a goal, much to the delight of the Sydney FC fans and supporters, however 10 minutes later Perth would score again, through Daniel McBreen who scored his 4th goal for the club in as many games. It looked like the game would finish a tie, however Swiss import Stephan Keller launched a cross which found a leaping John Aloisi who headed the ball powerfully past the keeper into the back of the net to give Sydney a 3–2 win, and ultimately put the decider against Melbourne Victory next the next week.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, February
Round 27: Melbourne Victory (home at Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney)


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, February
The title decider had come to the final game of the final round, between the A-League's biggest rivals, Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory. The pressure was on Sydney, who needed to win to claim the Premiership, with Melbourne needing a draw at worst. Nearly 26,000 fans packed into the SFS to watch the game, with the majority of those clad in Sky Blue.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, February
Both teams started the game off strongly with early chances for both sides, however in the 34th minute Sydney's Slovakian import Karol Kisel who had been criticised all season for his inaccurate shooting, sent the Sydney fans in the stands into raptures, when a shot from 25 meters out fired into the back of the net. A 1–0 lead was crucial and it sent the Melbourne fans in the away bay crazy, turning on each other, with a fight starting.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, February
Police and security rushed to the away bay, but it took a good 10 minutes to calm the away bay, after several flares had been lit, and bottles and beer cups thrown onto the field.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, February
The second half started the same way it had finished both sides testing each other's strengths and it would be Sydney who broke the game in half, with marquee man, and hero John Aloisi getting the ball on the halfway line and sprinting up the field uncontested, before launching a rocket of a shot into the net, past a stunned Mitchell Langerak who could do nothing but watch as the ball bounced past him. The Sydney players and fans went wild, and it took a good 4 minutes for play to restart.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, February
With 10 minutes to go the fans were getting edgy and glancing at the clock, and with 2 minutes to go started a countdown till the final whistle. Sydney would hold onto the 2–0 lead, and claim the championship, sending the fans into celebration, despite the pouring rain which had started earlier.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, February
It would also be Steve Coricas final game for the club, who had announced his retirement at the end of the season, however an injury in the 18th minute of play meant that he would ultimately not play in the finals series, however he received a well earned standing ovation and did a lap of honour with the premiers plate.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, Semi final
Sydney travelled back down to Melbourne for the third time this season to play Melbourne in the first leg of the major semi final. Sydney were without team legend Steve Corica who had announced his retirement due to a hamstring injury. As a result, Vitezslav Lavicka promoted youth team midfielder Iain Ramsay. The pitch at Etihad Stadium was a disgrace, with many parts of it brown and dead, after having an ACDC concert earlier in the week. Melbourne got the upper hand early, when Nick Mrdja, Melbourne controversial loan signing scored in the 16th minute. Later in the half Costa Rican international Carlos Hernandez scored to make it 2–0. However John Aloisi scored 3 minutes later to peg one back. However the score remained the same, meaning for Sydney to win, they need to win 1-0 during the next leg in Sydney.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, Semi final
Leg 2: Melbourne Victory (home at Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney)


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, Semi final
A large crowd greeted the two rivals back up to Sydney and despite Melbourne coming into the game 2-1 up, the knowledge that the last time they had come up to Sydney they had lost the Premiership 2–0. However it would be Melbourne who would strike first Robbie Kruse turned his defender from 25 years and fired in a shot that slammed into the top corner, inching past the fingetips of a flying Clint Bolton, it looked possibly over for the harbourside team. However Sydney would get right back in it when striker Alex Brosque was tripped in the box.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, Semi final
Slovakian International Karol Kisel slotted home the penalty to even the scores at 1-1. They went into half time 1-1, however Sydney would come out the stronger team and soon after the second half started, Mark Bridge fired home a goal from just outside the penalty box. Sydney led 2-1 and the scores were locked at 2–2 on aggregate. The rest of the half was played out at an exciting tempo - both sides attacking, with Melbourne and Sydney both coming close to taking the lead. However full-time blew with Sydney leading 2-1 but on aggregate only 2-2.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, Semi final
The game went into Extra Time, both sides well aware of a possible penalty shootout - however late into extra time it would be Melbourne who would score the decisive goal. A dubious handball call on Sydney FC's Terry McFlynn allowed Melbourne a free kick just outside the penalty box. However Sydney were slow to react and make the blocking wall - many player still arguing with the referee. Melbourne took a quick free kick and Archie Thompson slotted the ball past a stunned Clint Bolton to level the scores at 2-2 and give Melbourne a 3-2 aggregate lead. Melbourne would go on to win the game, and gain their spot in the Grand Final down in Melbourne, Sydney would be forced to play the Wellington Phoenix in the Preliminary final, who had earlier defeated the Newcastle Jets 3–1 at Westpac Stadium.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, Preliminary final
Preliminary final: Wellington Phoenix (home at Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney)


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, Preliminary final
A smaller than expected crowd of just over 13,000 showed up at the SFS to watch the Premiers take on the Wellington Phoenix whose run into the finals had been very good. However, it was tipped that Sydney would dominate the game from the start and that's exactly what happened. Chris Payne would be the hero for Sydney - scoring first. However Wellington would equalise and claw back into the game, but the turning point of the match would be late in the first half from a free kick.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, Preliminary final
Karol Kisel whipped the ball into the box, and from the initial play, it appeared Payne had headed the ball into the net past a stunned Liam Reddy - however despite celebrations from the Sydney team, the entire Wellington team blew up at the referee. Replays would show, that whilst attempting to head the ball into the net, the ball had deflected off his hand.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, Preliminary final
The goal was dubbed 'Hand of Payne' and later in the post-match interviews, Wellington manager Ricki Herbert would compare the goal to Theirry Henry's deliberate handball against Ireland 'Hand of Frog'  and Diego Maradona's infamous 'Hand of God'. However Wellington never recovered from the incident and in the second half, two great goals from Alex Brosque and Mark Bridge stretched the lead to 4–1, however Eugene Dadi would get a consolation goal back for Wellington in the dying seconds of the second half, in pouring rain. Sydney went on to win 4-2 and book their spot in the 2010 A-League Grand Final.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, Grand Final
The grand final that, the FFA, A-League, and football fans all around Australia had been waiting 5 years for. A grand final between the two best teams in Australia, Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory. Throughout the season they had been at loggerheads with each other, never allowing either to be on top of the table for more than 2 games at a time.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, Grand Final
However Sydney had already dealt a blow to Melbourne, taking the Premiership plate off them back in the Round 27 clash at the Sydney Football Stadium, however Melbourne had got a little revenge by winning the semi-final - allowing them to host the final. Melbourne were also looking to win te grand final in consecutive year, the first time they would have done that - it was the first time any A-League team had been in the grand final in consecutive years, so it was only fitting that Melbourne went into the game as favourites.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, Grand Final
A crowd of 48,000 packed out Melbournes Etihad Stadium the tension had been building all week. Melbourne's hopes took a massive blow early on in the game when start striker and marquee player Archie Thompson suffered an Anterior cruciate ligament injury, scans later revealing this, meaning he would not play for at least 12 months. The scores were deadlocked 0–0 at half time, with what had been described as an uneventful game up until half time. This would all change in the second half.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, Grand Final
In the 63rd minute Rodrigo Vargas looked to have scored for Melbourne, however his celebrations were cut short by an offside flag. In the confusion that followed Sydney counterattacked and 10 seconds later, Mark Bridge scored, sending the away bay into fits of hysteria. Sydney were up 1-0 and Melbourne looked shellshocked, Sydney had the opportunity to go 2-0 up, however nerves got the better of young striker Chris Payne who missed an open goal shot.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, Grand Final
However Sydney's defence got sloppy, and later in the 81st minute, it would be Adrian Leijer who equilised for the home side, sending the entire stadium bar the Sydney away bay into celebrations. As a result, Sydney's confidence took a blow to the belly, and Melbourne could smell blood in the water, and can be considered very unlucky when young Aziz Behich missed a chance to go 2-1 up.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, Grand Final
With the Full-time scores locked at 1-1, the game went into extra time, however neither side managed to have many good attacking opportunities, fatigue getting the better of most of the players. With the end of extra time - 120 minutes, still deadlocked at 1-1 the game went into penalties, yet another first for a grand final. It was deemed Sydney would take the first shot on goal.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, Grand Final
Simon Colosimo calmly put the ball past Mitchell Langerak to give Sydney a 1–0 advantage. Kevin Muscat stepped up next, however his shot hit the right upright, sending Sydney players and fans alike into celebrations. It would be a bad omen for Melbourne. Shannon Cole next stepped up for Sydney, however his shot was saved, dragging Melbourne right back into the shootout. Grant Brebner would level the scores at 1-1 putting all the pressure back onto Sydney.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Preview, Grand Final
However, if there was any pressure, the Sydney players were not showing it, Hayden Foxe nearly ripped the net off with his penalty, whilst Clint Bolton pulled off a wonderful save from Melbourne's Costa Rican international Marvin Angulo. Karol Kisel would score his penalty to give Sydney a 3–1 lead. Leigh Broxham would give Melbourne a faint glimmer of hope, when he scored to make it 3–2, however Sydney FC's Korean import Byun Sung-Hwan stepped up to take the final penalty. If he scored, Sydney won, if he missed or it was saved the shootout would continue. However he calmly stepped up and sent Langerak the wrong way. Sydney FC had won the 2010 Grand Final, doing what nobody had predicted at the beginging of the season - not only winning the grand final, doing the double, and taking the Premiership and Championship of Melbourne.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Players, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Statistics, Leading goalscorers
1 goal was scored from a penalty kick  2 goals were scored from penalty kicks


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Stadiums
Sydney FC played 13 home games at the Sydney Football Stadium and 1 game at Parramatta Stadium.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Stadiums
The reason for the match against Perth Glory being moved from the SFS to Parramatta Stadium was due to a scheduling conflict with the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Sydney have played at the western Sydney stadium before when they moved their venue of the AFC Champions League group match against Persik Kediri to Parramatta due to the annual Anzac Day NRL match between the Sydney Roosters and St. George Illawarra Dragons.


2009–10 Sydney FC season, Stadiums
Other venues that Sydney FC will play away from home are:


2009–10 Sydney FC season, International Selections
The following players from Sydney FC were chosen to represent their country in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification for the 2011 Asian Cup:


2009–10 Sydney FC season, International Selections
The following players from Sydney FC were chosen to represent their country in the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt:


2009–10 Sydney FC season, International Selections
The following players from Sydney FC were chosen to represent their country in the AFC U-19 Championship 2010 qualification in Indonesia:


2009–10 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
2009–10 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy was the first edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy competition, an Indian domestic team only Twenty20 cricket tournament in India. It was contested by 26 teams. Initially 27 teams had to play on the tournament, but finally Rajasthan did not play. Maharashtra emerged as winners of the tournament.


2009–10 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Squads
The squads details of all the 27 teams (including Rajasthan) is present


2009–10 Syracuse Orange men's basketball team
The 2009–10 Syracuse Orange men's basketball team represented Syracuse University in the 2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Jim Boeheim, serving for his 34th year. The team played its home games at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York. Key contributors included seniors Arinze Onuaku and Andy Rautins, juniors Rick Jackson and Wesley Johnson, sophomores Scoop Jardine and Kris Joseph and freshmen Mookie Jones, DaShonte Riley, James Southerland and Brandon Triche.


2009–10 Syracuse Orange men's basketball team
Although widely expected to finish near the middle of the league, the Orange captured its eighth Big East regular season title, and second outright, as well as the No. 1 seed in the Big East Tournament. The team also achieved its first No. 1 ranking in the national AP Poll since the 1989-90 season, and its first in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll since winning the national championship in 2003.


2009–10 Syracuse Orange men's basketball team
The Orange failed to win the Big East tournament, falling in the quarterfinals to Georgetown, but their regular season efforts earned them a 1 seed in the West Region of the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. They easily won their first and second-round games over 16 seed Vermont and 8 seed Gonzaga to advance to the Sweet Sixteen where they were upset by 5 seed and AP #11 Butler to end the season 30–5.


2009–10 Syracuse Orange men's basketball team, Preseason, Roster changes
Syracuse lost its starting backcourt from the previous season as point guard Jonny Flynn declared for the 2009 NBA Draft and was taken with the sixth overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Also turning pro were shooting guard Eric Devendorf and small forward Paul Harris. The Orange also lost one scholarship senior, power forward Kristof Ongenaet and one transfer, center Sean Williams.


2009–10 Syracuse Orange men's basketball team, Preseason, Roster changes
Additions to the team include Iowa State transfer Wes Johnson, who sat out the 2008–09 season because of NCAA transfer rules. Also, point guard Scoop Jardine returns after redshirting due to a stress fracture in his shin. Small forward Mookie Jones also redshirted the previous year because of a hip injury.


2009–10 Syracuse Orange men's basketball team, Preseason, Roster changes
Syracuse also brought in three new players for 2009-10: power forward DaShonte Riley, small forward James Southerland and guard Brandon Triche. Southerland was actually a 2008 recruit, but could not play because he was academically ineligible. He spent a year at a prep school to improve his grades.


2009–10 Syracuse Orange men's basketball team, Roster, Preseason outlook
The departure of Flynn left many college basketball observers pessimistic about the Orange. In the preseason coaches' poll, Syracuse was predicted to finish sixth in the Big East and were unranked in the preseason AP Poll. Arinze Onuaku was the only Orange player to make the preseason All-Big East team, receiving an honorable mention.


2009–10 Syracuse Orange women's ice hockey season
The head coach is Paul Flanagan. Assisting Flanagan are Erin O'Brien and Graham Thomas. The Orange finished third in the College Hockey America regular season standings. The Orange qualified for the finals of the College Hockey American women's tournament but were ousted by the Mercyhurst Lakers.


2009–10 Syrian Cup
The 2009-10 version of the Syrian Cup is the 40th edition to be played. It is the premier knockout tournament for football teams in Syria.


2009–10 Syrian Cup
The cup winner were guaranteed a place in the 2011 AFC Cup.


2009–10 Syrian Cup, First round
32 teams play a knockout tie. 16 clubs advance to the next round. Games played over two legs


2009–10 Syrian Cup, First round
¹ Azaz failed to the 2nd leg, match awarded 3-0 to Al-Nawair.


2009–10 Syrian Cup, First round
² Ommal Al-Quneitra failed to the First round, matches awarded 3–0 to Afrin.


2009–10 Syrian Cup, Round of 16
16 teams play a knockout tie. 8 clubs advance to the next round. Games played over two legs


2009–10 Syrian Cup, Round of 16
¹ Hutteen failed to the 2nd leg, match awarded 3–0 to Al-Jazeera.


2009–10 Syrian Cup, Quarter-finals
8 teams play a knockout tie. 4 clubs advance to the next round. Games played over two legs


2009–10 Syrian Cup, Semi-finals
4 teams played a knockout tie. 2 clubs advanced to the Final. Games played over two legs.


2009–10 Syrian Premier League
The 2009–10 Syrian Premier League was the 39th season of the Syrian Premier League. The season began on 9 October 2009 and ended on May 7, 2010.


2009–10 Syrian Premier League, Results
The 2009–10 Syrian Premier League season will be played over 26 rounds.


2009–10 São Tomé and Príncipe Championship
The 2009–10 São Tomé and Principe Championship was the 25th season of the São Tomé and Principe Championship the top-level football championship of São Tomé and Principe. It began in May 2009 and finished in March 2010. GD Sundy was the eleventh club to win the championship and brought the number of titles that Príncipe won by any club to five.


2009–10 São Tomé and Príncipe Championship, Cancellations
After the cancellation of the football (soccer) competitions in São Tomé in 2008, the national championship  was cancelled. The 2009 season suffered problems on the finishing date, the championship final took place in March 2010


2009–10 São Tomé and Príncipe Championship, Cancellations
The island and national football (soccer) competitions were cancelled for the 2010 season, the previous cancellations occurred in 2005, 2006 and in 2008. The next season occurred in 2011, a year after the cancellation.


2009–10 São Tomé and Príncipe Championship, Teams
18 teams participated in the São Tomé and Principe Championship, 12 teams from São Tomé Island and 6 teams  from Príncipe Island . At the end of season champion of São Tomé Island League and champion of Principe Island League play one match for champion of São Tomé and Principe.


2009–10 São Tomé and Príncipe Championship, São Tomé Island League
This section lists only ten of the twelve clubs that participated that season. Vitória FC (Riboque) won the island title and competed in the national final.


2009–10 São Tomé and Príncipe Championship, Principe teams 2011
GD Sundy won the island title and competed in the national final


2009–10 São Tomé and Príncipe Championship, National final
The 2009-10 nationalfinal took place in March 2010. GD Sundy of Príncipe defeated Vitória of São Tomé 3–1. Sundy did not participated in the 2011 CAF Champions League the following year.


2009–10 São Tomé and Príncipe Championship, São Tomé and Príncipe Cup
In 2010, Sporting Clube do Príncipe, the winner of Príncipe faced 6 de Setembro, the winner of São Tomé and defeated the club 2–1 to win their only cup title.


2009–10 Süper Lig
The 2009–10 Süper Lig (known as the Turkcell Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons) was the 52nd season since its establishment. The season commenced on 7 August 2009 with Istanbul B.B. hosting defending champions Beşiktaş at Atatürk Olympic Stadium. The last matches were played on 16 May 2010.


2009–10 Süper Lig
Bursaspor won the league beating defending champions Beşiktaş 2–1 at home. They beat second placed Fenerbahçe by just one point after they could only manage a 1–1 home draw against Trabzonspor. It was only the seventh time a club outside the Istanbul Big Three have won the league, with Trabzonspor being the only other team with six championships, winning their last title in 1984.


2009–10 Süper Lig, Promotion and relegation from 2008–09
Konyaspor, Kocaelispor and Hacettepe SK were relegated at the end of the 2008–09 season after finishing in the bottom three places of the standings. Konyaspor had to face demotion after six years in the highest Turkish football league. Kocaelispor returned to the First League after just one year in the Süper Lig, while Hacettepe ended a two-year stint in the Turkish top flight.


2009–10 Süper Lig, Promotion and relegation from 2008–09
The relegated teams were replaced by 2008–09 TFF First League champions Manisaspor, runners-up Diyarbakırspor and promotion play-off winners Kasımpaşa. Manisaspor and Kasımpaşa made an immediate return to the Süper Lig while Diyarbakırspor returned after a three-year hiatus.


2009–10 Süper Lig, Managerial changes, During summer break
Nine teams decided to change their head coach in the offseason, among them Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray.


2009–10 TBHSL season
The 2009–10 Turkish Ice Hockey Super League season was the 18th season of the Turkish Ice Hockey Super League, the top level of ice hockey in Turkey. Six teams participated in the league.


2009–10 TFF First League
The 2009–10 TFF First League (also known as Bank Asya First League due to sponsoring reasons) is the 47th season of the second-level football league of Turkey since its establishment in 1963–64.


2009–10 TFF First League, Teams
2008–09 TFF First League champions Manisaspor, runners-up Diyarbakırspor and play-off winners Kasımpaşa were promoted to the 2009–10 Süper Lig. They were replaced by Konyaspor, Kocaelispor and Hacettepe, who ended the 2008–09 season in the bottom three places of the standings.


2009–10 TFF First League, Teams
Sakaryaspor, Güngören Belediyespor and Malatyaspor were relegated to the Second League after finishing in the last three spots of the 2008–09 First League season standings. They were replaced by Second League teams Bucaspor, Mersin İdmanyurdu and Çanakkale Dardanelspor.


2009–10 TFF First League, Promotion playoffs
The teams ranked third through sixth have competed in the promotion playoffs for the 2010–11 Süper Lig. The games have been played at Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadium and Ali Sami Yen Stadium in 17, 20 and 23 of May, 2010.


2009–10 TFF Second League
The 2009–10 TFF Second League season is the ninth since its introduction as the third level of the Turkish football pyramid and the fifth consecutive season where the current format is being used. It began on 30 August 2009 with the first matches of the ranking groups and will end in late May 2010 with the last matches of the promotion playoffs.


2009–10 TFF Second League, Competition format
The 2009–10 season started with 45 teams distributed over four "ranking groups". Each ranking group comprised eleven teams (with the exception of Group 3, which featured twelve teams) according to geographical criteria. The teams of each group played a conventional double round-robin schedule against the other teams of their group.


2009–10 TFF Second League, Competition format
Upon conclusion of the ranking groups, the best two sides of each eleven-team group and the best three sides of the twelve-team group advanced to the "promotion group", while the remaining nine teams remained in their respective groups, which were now called "classification groups". The teams of the classification groups retained their complete records in the process. As in the previous round, each team played a double round-robin schedule against the other teams of its respective group.


2009–10 TFF Second League, Competition format
A total of three promotion spots to the TFF First League were played out. Two of them were reserved for the best two teams of the promotion group, which were directly promoted. The third spot was decided through a play-off round and was competed among the teams ranked third through sixth of the promotion group and the winners of the four classification groups. The bottom three teams of the classification groups were directly relegated to the TFF Third League.


2009–10 TFF Second League, Promotion play-offs
The teams placed third through sixth of the promotion group and the four winners of the classification groups competed in a single-elimination playoff for the last promotion spot.


2009–10 TSG 1899 Hoffenheim season
The 2009-10 Bundesliga season was the 111th in Hoffenheim's history and second consecutive season in the Bundesliga. They finished in eleventh, accumulating a total of 42 points over 34 games.


2009–10 TSG 1899 Hoffenheim season, First-team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2009–10 TSG 1899 Hoffenheim season, Transfers, Summer, In
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2009–10 TSG 1899 Hoffenheim season, Transfers, Summer, Out
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2009–10 TSG 1899 Hoffenheim season, Transfers, Winter, Out
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2009–10 Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters season
The 2009–10 Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters season is the 20th season of the franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).


2009–10 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly by-elections
By-elections to nine state assembly constituencies were held in Tamil Nadu, in four separate phases. Election for Thirumangalam was held on 9 January and for Bargur, Thondamuthur, Ilayankudi, Cumbum, and Srivaikuntam constituencies on 18 August. Also, election took place for Vandavasi and Tiruchendur constituency on 19 December 2009 and finally for Pennagaram constituency on 27 March 2010. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) defeated All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) in Thirumangalam in the first phase and kept the winning momentum in the following general election.


2009–10 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly by-elections
In the second phase, DMK-Indian National Congress alliance swept the elections. In the third phase, DMK took advantage by winning both vacant assembly seats. All three elections witnessed high turnout, 89% in Thirumangalam, average 65% in the four constituencies in the second phase and average 80% in the two constituency in the third phase. Finally, DMK continued their momentum by winning the vacant Pennagaram seat, increasing their number of seats to 100. The results of the first election was declared on 12 January, the second on 21 August, the third on 23 December and the fourth on 30 March 2010. The election results were not expected to change the prospects of the party in power, the DMK, and its Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi.


2009–10 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly by-elections
On 6 December 2009, M. Karunanidhi hinted that he might retire from active politics in June 2010. This news came before the third by-election, when he gave a speech at the function arranged by Arundathiyar organization.


2009–10 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly by-elections, Results
These results reflect the end of the year seat count in the state legislature. Source: Express Buzz


2009–10 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly by-elections, Boycott
In the first by-election, PMK and the left parties, did not support the DMK candidate, which led to the alienation and breakup of the DPA. Citing concerns of the governance of M. Karunanidhi, and the alienation of his allies, they decided not to support anyone or participate in this by-election. In the second by-election, three political parties boycotted the elections including All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Pattali Makkal Katchi. AIADMK general secretary J. Jayalalitha cited unreliability of Electronic voting machines as the reason for the poll boycott.


2009–10 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly by-elections, Boycott
Tamil Nadu Congress party leader K. V. Thangabalu said that ADMK chose not to contest polls for fear of losing them. In the third by-election, AIADMK decided not to boycott the by-election that was set to take place on 19 December 2009 for two constituencies. On 28 November 2009 the PMK decided to boycott the third assembly by-elections.


2009–10 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly by-elections, Second by-election, Bargur
The election was necessitated after the previous winner M. Thambidurai was elected to the Lok Sabha in 2009 election. After the initial rejection of Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) candidate V. Chandran's candidacy, he was accepted to contest as an independent with Murasu as a symbol, which is the symbol of DMDK. Twenty four of thirty one nominations were rejected. Accepted nominations include K. R. K. Narasimhan (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam), K. Asokan (Bharatiya Janata Party), S. Kannu (Communist Party of India), K. Padmarajan (Independent), Maheshwari Kannappan (Independent), S. Sakthivel (Rajini Fans Association) and A. Rajesh (Independent).


2009–10 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly by-elections, Second by-election, Thondamuthur
There were four candidates from recognised parties in contest in Thondamuthur constituency - M. Chinnaraju (Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP), M. N. Kandaswamy (Indian National Congress, INC), K. Thangavelu (DMDK) and V. Perumal (CPM). E. R. Easwaran of Kongu Nadu Munnetra Kazhagam (KMK) also contested the election. The seat fell vacant when the sitting member M. Kannappan resigned after switching parties from MDMK to DMK.


2009–10 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly by-elections, Second by-election, Ilayankudi
Nine contestants were in fray in Ilayankudi constituency. They included three from major political parties, Suba. Mathiarasan of DMK, Azhagu. Balakrishnan of DMDK and P. M. Rajendran of BJP.


2009–10 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly by-elections, Second by-election, Srivaikuntam
11 candidates were in competition in Srivaikuntam constituency. Candidates from major political parties included M.B. Sudalaiyandi of Indian National Congress, G. Thanalakshmi of Communist Party of India, S. Santhana Kumar of Bharatiya Janata Party and M. Soundarapandi of Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam.


2009–10 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly by-elections, Second by-election, Cumbum
15 candidates were contesting the election including four candidates representing political parties. The candidates included N. Ramakrishnan of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, M. Sasikumar of Bharatiya Janata Party, K. Rajappan of Communist Party of India (Marxist), R. Arun Kumar of Desiya Murpokku Dravidar Kazhagam and G. Ramaraj of Uzhaippali Makkal Katchi.


2009–10 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly by-elections, Third by-election
AIADMK decided not to boycott the by-election that was set to take place on 19 December 2009 for two constituencies. This election will not affect the party in power, but gives a chance for both DMK and AIADMK to pick up a seat. Congress has confirmed it will campaign for DMK, while MDMK confirmed that it will campaign for the AIADMK. The left parties (CPI and CPM) have decided to extend their support for the AIADMK.


2009–10 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly by-elections, Third by-election
On 23 November, the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), who are not in alliance with either DMK or AIADMK, will only contest if the current Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, ensures the election is run in a fair manner. The DMDK announced their candidates for the two constituencies on 27 November 2009. On 28 November 2009 the PMK decided to boycott the assembly by-elections. PMK recently walked out of the AIADMK alliance, and was expected to support the DMK candidates, but cited the dominant role of money in recent elections as one of the reasons for this decision.


2009–10 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly by-elections, Third by-election
For the first time, the Election Commission of India, was going to install webcams in the polling booths of the two constituencies, to monitor to see if proper procedures are taking place during voting in the polling booths.


2009–10 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly by-elections, Third by-election, Vandavasi
The election was necessitated after the previous winner S. P. Jayaraman, representing DMK, died earlier this month. AIADMK announced P. Munusamy as their candidate on 23 November 2009. On 24 November 2009, DMK announced that Kamalakannan is their candidate for this constituency.


2009–10 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly by-elections, Third by-election, Tiruchendur
The election was necessitated after the resignation previous winner Anitha R. Radhakrishnan, due to the fact that he switched from AIADMK to DMK. Amman T. Narayanan was announced as the candidate for AIADMK on 23 November 2009. The incumbent Anitha R. Radhakrishnan was announced as the candidate for the DMK on 24 November 2009.


2009–10 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly by-elections, Fourth by-election
DMK's P. N. P. Inbasekaran won the by-election for the Pennagaram Constituency held on 27 March 2010. This election was caused by the death of the incumbent DMK MLA P. N. Periannan on 1 December 2009. Turn out was 84.95% with 1,70,755 votes polled totally. Inbasekaran (the son of the Periannan) won by a margin of 36,000 votes over PMK's Tamil Kumaran.


2009–10 Tampa Bay Lightning season
The 2009–10 Tampa Bay Lightning season was the 18th season for the National Hockey League (NHL) team. Unlike the previous off-season, the Lightning did not make many roster changes. The Lightning improved on their regular season record but failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the third season in a row. The team was sold during the season to Boston-based investor Jeff Vinik. After the season, Vinik fired the Lightning's management team.


2009–10 Tampa Bay Lightning season, Off-season
On May 11, the Lightning gave Rick Tocchet a multi-year contract to make him their full-time head coach, removing the interim tag he held after taking over the position from Barry Melrose, who was fired during the previous season after 16 games.


2009–10 Tampa Bay Lightning season, Off-season
On June 23, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman met with Lightning co-owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie due to philosophical and financial differences over how to build the team. More details were not available to the public because Bettman imposed a "gag-order" over the meetings. By February, the team was sold and both Koules and Barrie were no longer involved. It was also in this time period that Bettman reportedly vetoed a trade between the Lightning and the Montreal Canadiens that would have sent center Vincent Lecavalier to the Canadiens in exchange for goaltender Carey Price, center Tomas Plekanec and an unnamed prospect.


2009–10 Tampa Bay Lightning season, Off-season
With the second overall pick in the Entry Draft, the Lightning selected Victor Hedman from Modo Hockey of the Elitserien. Hedman was considered the top European prospect available. Having acquired a second first-round pick from the Detroit Red Wings, the Lightning used the 29th overall selection on Carter Ashton from the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western Hockey League (WHL).


2009–10 Tampa Bay Lightning season, Off-season
Among several of the free agent signings the Lightning made included defenseman Mattias Ohlund, goaltender Antero Niittymaki and left winger Alex Tanguay.


2009–10 Tampa Bay Lightning season, Regular season
The Lightning ended the regular season having scored the fewest shorthanded goals in the League, with just 2.


2009–10 Tampa Bay Lightning season, Regular season
After the regular season finished with Tampa Bay missing the playoffs, the Lightning fired both General Manager Brian Lawton and Head Coach Rick Tocchet on April 12, 2010.


2009–10 Tampa Bay Lightning season, Regular season, Conference standings
bold – Qualified for playoffs; y – Won division; p – Won Presidents' Trophy (and division)


2009–10 Tampa Bay Lightning season, Regular season, Conference standings
AT – Atlantic Division, NE – Northeast Division, SE – Southeast Division


2009–10 Tampa Bay Lightning season, Playoffs
For the third consecutive year, the Lightning failed to qualify for the playoffs.


2009–10 Tampa Bay Lightning season, Player stats, Skaters
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes


2009–10 Tampa Bay Lightning season, Player stats, Goaltenders
Note: GP = Games Played; TOI = Time On Ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime Losses; GA = Goals Against; GAA= Goals Against Average; SA= Shots Against; SV= Saves; Sv% = Save Percentage; SO= Shutouts


2009–10 Tampa Bay Lightning season, Player stats, Goaltenders
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Lightning. Stats reflect time with Lightning only. ‡Traded mid-seasonBold/italics denotes franchise record


2009–10 Tampa Bay Lightning season, Transactions
The Lightning have been involved in the following transactions during the 2009–10 season.


2009–10 Tampa Bay Lightning season, Draft picks
Tampa Bay's picks at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft in Montreal.


2009–10 Taça da Liga
The 2009–10 Taça da Liga was the third edition of the Taça da Liga, also known as Carlsberg Cup for sponsorship reasons. The first matches were played on 1 August 2009. The final was played on 21 March 2009, with Benfica defeating Porto 3–0 to win their second Taça da Liga. The final was played at the Estádio Algarve, Faro.


2009–10 Taça da Liga, Format
The 2009–10 Taça de Liga began with a two-legged round between teams from Liga de Honra, the second level of Portuguese football. Winners join the clubs classified 7th–14th from the previous season's Primeira Liga (first level) plus two promoted to the 2009–10 Primeira Liga. There were six groups of three teams each, and every team play two games (once home and once away). Winners of the groups joined the top six teams from the previous season's Primeira Liga in three groups of four teams, each team playing three matches. Winners of the groups and the best second-placed team competed in the one-legged semifinals, with the winners advancing to the final.


2009–10 Taça da Liga, Participating clubs
This is a list of clubs participating in the 2009–10 Portuguese League Cup:


2009–10 Taça da Liga, Participating clubs
Boavista was first included in the draw, but the club was excluded from professional competitions on 13 July 2009 due to financial debts. Boavista was scheduled to play against Sporting da Covilhã. On the following day, Penafiel and Carregado were invited to the professional leagues and, after both accepting, they officially joined the league on July 28.


2009–10 Taça da Liga, First round
The matches will be played on August 1 and 2 (first legs) and August 8 and 9, 2009 (second legs).


2009–10 Taça de Portugal
The 2009–10 Taça de Portugal was the 70th season of the Taça de Portugal. The competition began on 30 August 2009, with the first round matches, and concluded with the final, held on 16 May at the Estádio Nacional, in Oeiras, between defending champions Porto and then Liga de Honra team Chaves. Porto won 2–1 to take their second consecutive cup, and assuring a place in play-off round of the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League.


2009–10 Taça de Portugal, Qualified teams
The following teams competed in the Taça de Portugal 2009–10:


2009–10 Taça de Portugal, Qualified teams
1Boavista forfeited the match.2Estrela da Amadora were disqualified from the competition.3Marítimo B are excluded for being a reserve team of Marítimo


2009–10 Taça de Portugal, First round
In this round entered teams from Segunda Divisão (3rd level) and Terceira Divisão (4th level). A number of teams received a bye to the Second Round: Sertanense (III), Mineiro Aljustrelense (III), Camacha (III), Operário (III), Aliados do Lordelo (III), Tirsense (III), Esmoriz (III), Andorinha (IV), Lusitânia (IV), Atlético do Tojal (IV), Coimbrőes (IV), Alcochetense (IV), Mangualde (IV), 1º Dezembro (IV), Candal (IV), Alcaíns (IV), Machico (IV), Oliveira do Douro (IV), Mêda (IV) and Estrela da Calheta (IV). The matches will be played on August 30, 2009.


2009–10 Taça de Portugal, First round
Note: Roman numerals in brackets denote the league tier the clubs participate in during the 2009–10 season.1Estrela da Amadora were disqualified from the competition.2Boavista forfeited the match.


2009–10 Taça de Portugal, Second round
In this round entered teams from Liga Vitalis (2nd level) and the winners from the first round. The matches were played on September 12 and 13, 2009.


2009–10 Taça de Portugal, Third round
In this round entered teams from Liga Sagres (1st level) and the winners from the second round. The matches were played on October 17 and 18, 2009.


2009–10 Taça de Portugal, Fourth round
The matches were played on 22 November 2009 and 2 January 2010.


2009–10 Taça de Portugal, Fifth round
The matches were played on 20 and 24 January 2010.


2009–10 Taça de Portugal, Quarter-finals
The matches were played on 2, 3 and 4 February 2010.


2009–10 Taça de Portugal, Semi-finals, Final phase bracket
Teams that are listed first play at home in the first leg.


2009–10 Temple Owls men's basketball team
The 2009–10 Temple Owls men's basketball team represented Temple University in the 2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by head coach Fran Dunphy and played their home games at the Liacouras Center. The Owls are members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They finished the season 29–6, 14–2 in A-10 play to claim a share of the regular season championship. They won the 2010 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Tournament for the third consecutive year to receive the conferences automatic bid to the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. They received a 5 seed in the East Region where they were upset in the first round by 12 seed Cornell.


2009–10 Temple Owls men's basketball team, Preseason
The team is set to play their home games at Liacouras Center, which has a capacity of 10,206. They are in their 28th season as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. Coming back from their 2008–09 season, they compiled a record of 22–12 and won the Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Tournament for the second consecutive year.


2009–10 Temple Owls men's basketball team, Preseason
However, Temple lost star player Dionte Christmas to graduation, whom Blue Ribbon Yearbook said that, if "anything good that happened to the Owls last year, Christmas had a hand in it." He led Temple in three statistics: points per game (19.5), three-pointers completed  (107), and total steals (51); he finished second in two more: rebounds per game (5.5) and assists (28). In addition, he was an honorable mention All-American and scored 2,000 points over his college basketball career. Also graduating were two other starters: 7–0 center Sergio Olmos, who was selected as an All-A10 Tournament player, and point guard Semaj Inge.


2009–10 Temple Owls men's basketball team, Preseason
Temple's schedule was announced on September 3, 2009, consisting of a school record-tying 31 games in the regular season. The out-of-conference portion, adopted on July 21, was regarded as one of the toughest in college hoops. The highlights of it include: Georgetown and Siena, which began the season ranked; Virginia Tech, a competitor in the Atlantic Coast Conference; Penn State, who won the 2009 National Invitation Tournament; and Villanova and Kansas, two top 10 teams.


2009–10 Temple Owls men's basketball team, Preseason
Due to these factors, Temple was picked to finish fifth in the conference by the Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll, tied with Duquesne. Lavoy Allen was the only team member selected on the Preseason All-Atlantic 10 First Team. The Blue Ribbon Yearbook gave the backcourt a grade of B, the frontcourt a B, the bench/depth a C+, and the intangibles a B+. They commented that "the Owls have had a way the last couple years of surprising people," and that while Temple "might still surprise some people, but don't expect it to be with an NCAA Tournament berth."


2009–10 Temple Owls men's basketball team, Season, Preconference season
The Owls kicked off their season on November 14, 2009 with a 76–56 win against the University of Delaware, sending the Fighting Blue Hens to their fourth straight loss as a home opener. On November 17, the Owls failed to capitalize on preseason No. 19 Georgetown Hoyas' sloppy play, as the Hoyas were victorious 45–46. The game featured more fouls (18) and turnovers (16) than completed baskets (15) for Georgetown, playing their home opener at the Verizon Center. Georgetown led 19–13 at halftime, but Temple managed to mount a comeback, as they led with 6 seconds left in regulation until Hoya Greg Monroe scored the winning 3-pointer. After the game, Temple's 68-game winning streak when opponents scored less than 50 points was crushed.


2009–10 Temple Owls men's basketball team, Season, Preconference season
On November 21, Temple beat the Siena Saints, after overcoming a six-point deficit at the half to end the game at 73–69. As a result, the Owls began receiving votes in the 2008-09 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings for the week of November 23. After an easy win against Ball State on November 24, the Owls next faced Virginia Tech in the semifinals of the Philly Hoop Group Classic. Temple overcame Malcolm Delaney's 32 points to defeat the Hokies 60–51 on November 27. Their 4–1 start was the Owls' best since 2000.


2009–10 Temple Owls men's basketball team, Season, Preconference season
The team suffered their second loss of the season by the undefeated Red Storm of St. John's on November 28, in the championship game of the Philly Hoop Group Classic. Temple led 22–21 at the half, but the Red Storm went on a 14–2 run in the beginning of the second half from which the Owls could not recover, and St. John's won 55–48. This caused Temple to lose all support in the national rankings. The Owls rebounded with three consecutive wins: against Western Michigan, Penn State, and Miami (Ohio). The Penn State game was notable in that it was the second lowest scoring game in the 13-year history of the Liacouras Center. Ryan Brooks's 19 points, the only Owl scoring in double figures, helped lead Temple over the Nittany Lions 45–42 in the largely defensive matchup.


2009–10 Temple Owls men's basketball team, Season, Preconference season
Temple entered the top 25 in national rankings for the first time since 2001.


2009–10 Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball team
The 2009–10 Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball team represented the University of Tennessee in the 2009–10 NCAA Division I basketball season. The Lady Volunteers, coached since 1974 by Pat Summitt, play their home games at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Lady Vols, regular-season and tournament champions of the Southeastern Conference, were a #1 seed in the 2010 NCAA Tournament, losing in the semifinals of the Memphis Regional to Baylor.


2009–10 Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball team, Regular season
The Volunteers participated in the State Farm Tip Off Classic, which was held on November 15. Two days later, the Volunteers participated in the ESPN Classic.


2009–10 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team
The 2009–10 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team represented the University of Tennessee in the 2009-10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. This was the fifth season for Bruce Pearl as the Volunteers' head coach. The team, a member of the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference, played its home games at Thompson-Boling Arena. They finished the season 28–9, 11–5 in SEC play and advanced to the semifinals of the 2010 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament before losing to Kentucky. They received an at-large bid to the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, earning a 6 seed in the Midwest Region.


2009–10 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team
They defeated 11 seed San Diego State in the first round and 14 seed Ohio to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. In the regional semifinal they defeated 2 seed and AP #5 Ohio State to advance to the first Elite Eight in school history. They were defeated by 5 seed and AP #13 Michigan State in the regional final to end their season.


2009–10 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team, Preseason
The 2008–09 Volunteers finished the season 21–13 overall, against the second-rated schedule in the nation, with a 10–6 mark in conference play. The Vols won the SEC East crown and appeared in the SEC Championship Game for the first time since 1991. In postseason play, the Volunteers earned a number 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The team went on to lose in the first round to the Oklahoma State Cowboys and finished the season unranked.


2009–10 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team, Preseason
The Vols lost several players during the off-season. Two seniors from the team graduated: Tanner Wild and Ryan Childress. Philip Jurick did not return to the team and Daniel West did not have his scholarship extended due to being academically ineligible. Also, sophomore forward Emmanuel Negedu underwent surgery and will not play for the 2009–10 season. Negedu had to have a sub-pectoral implantable cardiac defibrillator implanted after suffering a cardiac arrest after a workout in the Neyland-Thompson Sports Complex on September 28, 2009. On October 28, 2009, senior guard Josh Tabb, who was indefinitely suspended on September 18, returned to Illinois in order to care after his ailing mother.


2009–10 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team, Preseason
On November 2, 2009, the SEC released the rosters for the All-SEC first and second teams. Senior guard/forward Tyler Smith was chosen for the first team All-SEC. Wayne Chism was selected for the second team All-SEC.


2009–10 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team, Preseason
On January 1, 2010, Tyler Smith, Cameron Tatum, Brian Williams, and Melvin Goins were arrested for weapons charges and marijuana possession. Coach Bruce Pearl suspended the four players. Tyler Smith was dismissed from the team, and the three other players have since been reinstated.


2009–10 Terceira Divisão
The 2009–10 Terceira Divisão season was the 60th season of the competition and the 20th season of recognised fourth-tier football in Portugal.


2009–10 Terceira Divisão, Overview
The league was contested by 94 teams in 8 divisions of 10 to 12 teams.


2009–10 Tercera División
The 2009–10 Tercera División was the fourth tier of football in Spain. Play started on 29 August 2009 and ended on 20 June 2010 with the promotion play-off finals.


2009–10 Tercera División, Overview
There were 362 clubs competing in  Tercera División (Third division) in the 2009–10 season, divided into 18 regional groups, accommodating between 20 and 22 clubs.


2009–10 Tercera División, Overview
The following clubs finished as champions of their respective groups


2009–10 Tercera División, Overview
The 18 group champion clubs participated in the Group Winners Promotion Play-off and the losers from these 9 play-off ties then proceeded to the Non-champions Promotion Play-off with clubs finishing second third and fourth.


2009–10 Tercera División, Promotion Play-offs, Group Winners Promotion Play-off
Promoted to Segunda División B: Deportivo B, Gandía, Atlético Baleares, Alcalá, Real Sociedad B, Teruel, Badajoz, Caudal and Rayo B.


2009–10 Tercera División, Promotion Play-offs, Non-champions Promotion Play-off
Promoted to Segunda División B: Getafe B, Yeclano, Coruxo, Santboià, La Muela, Alzira, Peña Sport, Extremadura and L'Hospitalet.


2009–10 Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball team
The 2009–10 Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball team represented Texas A&M University in the 2009-10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by third-year head coach Mark Turgeon, who coached the team to a 24–10 record and an NCAA tournament appearance in the previous season. The Aggies play their home games in Reed Arena. The team was picked to finish fifth in the Big 12 in the preseason coaches' poll but finished tied for second.


2009–10 Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball team
With their 22–8 regular-season finish and 11–5 mark in conference play, the Aggies participated in the 2010 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament and defeated Nebraska before losing to No. 1 Kansas in the semifinals. They received an at–large bid to the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament and earned a 5 seed in the South Region. They defeated 12 seed Utah State in the first round before falling to 4 seed Purdue in overtime in the second round to finish their season at 24–10. In the final Coaches' Poll, the Aggies were ranked No. 25.


2009–10 Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball team, Pre-Season
Nearly all of the contributors from the previous year's NCAA Tournament second-round team returned for the Aggies, including seniors Donald Sloan, Derrick Roland and Bryan Davis, along with juniors B.J. Holmes and Nathan Walkup and sophomores David Loubeau and Dash Harris. Despite that, the Aggies began the year unranked. A&M faced a much tougher non-conference schedule than they had played in recent years, featuring a trip to Los Angeles for the 76 Classic. Among the other participants in the tournament were nationally ranked West Virginia, Butler, Minnesota and Clemson. Their other marquee matchup before the beginning of conference play was scheduled against the preseason-No. 14 Washington Huskies. Though the Aggies were not ranked in any major poll, they received votes in both the AP and Coaches' polls.


2009–10 Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball team, Pre-Season, Departures
The main factors contributing to A&M's being unranked in the preseason were the departures of senior guard Josh Carter—the winningest player in Aggie basketball history—and junior post player Chinemelu Elonu, two of the team's starters the previous year. Carter graduated and signed a contract to play in Germany, while Elonu was drafted in the second round of the NBA Draft. The loss of Elonu, who along with Bryan Davis constituted much of the Aggies' inside game, was tabbed as being especially detrimental to the team's hopes for success as the 2009-10 season began.


2009–10 Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball team, Pre-Season, Recruiting
In 2008 the Aggies received commitments from four-star rated Naji Hibbert and three-star prospects Khris Middleton, Kourtney Roberson and Ray Turner. They later added Jeremy Adams to a class that narrowly missed being ranked in the top 25 classes nationally by ESPN. Roberson was later declared ineligible and, after waiting one year, will join the nationally ranked A&M class of 2010. Turner was ineligible for the fall semester and joined the team in January, bringing an immediate impact.


2009–10 Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball team, Pre-Season, Recruiting
While Hibbert, who was the prize recruit of the class, contributed in many ways as a freshman, it was Middleton, called the best-shooting forward in the high school class of 2009 by many, who later became a starter and threw his name into the ring as a potential future star for the Aggies.


2009–10 Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball team, Derrick Roland
On December 22, 2009, senior guard Derrick Roland broke the tibia and fibula in his right leg early in the second half of the Aggies' game against Washington. After going up for a rebound, he came down awkwardly, his leg emitting a loud crack that was heard throughout the arena. The leg bent outwards at a ninety-degree angle in the middle of his shin. Many of the Aggies began crying on the court at the sight, including Roland's childhood friend, senior guard Donald Sloan, who had to be helped off of the court.


2009–10 Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball team, Derrick Roland
Pondexter called it "One of the nastiest things I've ever seen." Turgeon said, "Derrick was the heart and soul of this team. Everyone is devastated. Our guys had their eyes swollen in the last five minutes of the game. They were crying during the game. They never came out of it." The Aggies, who were shaken, stumbled to a 73-64 defeat. After the loss, the previously No. 19 Aggies (in the AP poll) dropped out of the rankings and did not re-enter until February 15, 2010. Roland was treated in a Seattle-area hospital before returning to Texas. At the time of his injury, he was averaging 11.1 points per game, second on the team, and had been named to the All-Big 12 Defensive Team the year before. Roland's injury significantly altered the course and prospects of the Aggies' season.


2009–10 Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball team, Derrick Roland
In A&M's conference play-opening win against Nebraska, Roland returned to the team bench on crutches and watched his teammates play in person for the first time since his injury. Despite missing one of their team captains, their best defender and a viable scoring option—or perhaps using it as motivation—the Aggies continued on to a 22-8 regular-season record and an 11-5 conference record, tied for second in the Big 12. The team became a mainstay in the top 15 of the RPI and ranked in both the AP and Coaches' polls for the entirety of the second half of the season.


2009–10 Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball team, Derrick Roland
Roland's quick progression in his recovery led to rumors that he may have been able to return to the team, able to play, in time for the Big 12 Tournament or the NCAA Tournament, but Texas A&M was reluctant to feed speculation regarding the possibilities and no situation in which he could enter a game ever materialized.


2009–10 Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball team, Derrick Roland
On March 3, 2010, Roland was honored along with fellow seniors Donald Sloan and Bryan Davis at the Aggies' Senior Night before and after Texas A&M's win against Oklahoma State in their last home game of the season. The Aggies' season ended in the second round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament with a loss to fourth-seeded Purdue, and it was announced that coach Mark Turgeon would help Roland pursue a medical redshirt in order to return to the team for the 2010-11 season.


2009–10 Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball team, Derrick Roland
"He's always thought about it, but the thing about it is there is no guarantee," Turgeon said. "Let's just say we're going to try to get him a redshirt year. I'm not going to sit here and fight it in the media. It's something we are going to try. He wants to try but we are fighting an uphill battle on this one."


2009–10 Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball team, Rankings
Note: Team received votes in every poll for which they were unranked, with the exception of Week 12.


2009–10 Texas Longhorns men's basketball team
The 2009–10 Texas Longhorns men's basketball team represented the University of Texas in the 2009-10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Rick Barnes, who was in his 12th year. The team played its home games at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas and are members of the Big 12 Conference. The Longhorns finished the season 24–10, 9–7 in Big 12 play and lost in the first round of the 2010 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament. They received and at–large bid to the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, earning an 8 seed in the East Region. They were defeated in the first round by 9 seed Wake Forest in overtime.


2009–10 Texas Longhorns women's basketball team
The 2009–10 Texas Longhorns women's basketball team represented University of Texas at Austin in the 2009–10 NCAA Division I basketball season. The Longhorns were coached by Gail Goestenkors. The Longhorns are a member of the Big 12 Conference.


2009–10 Texas Tech Red Raiders basketball team
The 2009-10 Texas Tech Red Raiders men's basketball team represented Texas Tech University in the 2009-10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Red Raiders' were led by Pat Knight in his second full season as head coach. The team played its home games in the United Spirit Arena in Lubbock, Texas and are members of the Big 12 Conference. They finished the season 19–16, 4–12 in Big 12 play. They advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2010 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament before falling to #1 Kansas. They were invited to the 2010 National Invitation Tournament where they advanced to the quarterfinals before falling to Mississippi.


2009–10 The Citadel Bulldogs basketball team
The 2009–10 The Citadel Bulldogs basketball team represented The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina in the 2009-10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bulldogs were led by fourth year head coach Ed Conroy and played their home games at McAlister Field House. They played as members of the Southern Conference, as they have since 1936.


2009–10 Toledo Rockets men's basketball team
The 2009–10 Toledo Rockets men's basketball team represented the University of Toledo in the college basketball season of 2009–10. The team, coached by Gene Cross, are members of the Mid-American Conference and played their homes game in Savage Arena. They finished the season 4–28, 1–15 in MAC play and lost in the first round of the 2010 MAC Men's Basketball Tournament. Head coach Gene Cross resigned at the end of the season.


2009–10 Toledo Rockets men's basketball team, Before the season, Roster changes
The Rockets only return two starters from last year's team, Justin Anyijong and Larry Bastfield. The other three starters from last season, Tyrone Kent, Jonathan Amos, and Anthony Byrd, were high contributors from that year. Kent and Amos both had over 13 points per game, and combined for 9.9 rebounds per game, while Byrd had 5.2 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. Kent found professional play with French team L'Hermine de Nantes. The team also lost senior Ridley Johnson to graduation.


2009–10 Toledo Rockets men's basketball team, Before the season, Roster changes
To replace these seniors, the University of Toledo recruited eight new players, all freshmen, for the 2009–10 season.


2009–10 Toledo Rockets men's basketball team, Roster
Roster current as of August 27, when their summer prospectus was published.


2009–10 Top 14 season
The 2009–10 Top 14 competition was a French domestic rugby union club competition operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR). It began on August 14, 2009 with a match between Toulon and Stade Français at Stade Mayol in Toulon, and continued through to the final at the Stade de France on May 29, 2010.


2009–10 Top 14 season
This year's edition of the Top 14 welcomed Racing Métro, winners of the 2009 title in the second-level Pro D2, and Albi, victors in the 2009 promotion playoffs between the second- through fifth-placed teams in Pro D2, thus becoming the first team to achieve promotion to the Top 14 only one year after being relegated. They took the place of the two clubs from Landes, Dax and Mont-de-Marsan, relegated at the end of the 2008–09 Top 14. Mont-de-Marsan, which had been promoted to the Top 14 for 2008–09, finished bottom of the table and went down. The other newly promoted team in 2008–09, Toulon, finished ninth, sending Dax, who had already finished second-to-bottom the previous season before being allowed to stay in the Top 14 due to Albi's financial troubles, to Pro D2.


2009–10 Top 14 season
The two teams promoted for 2009–10 had very different results. Albi finished bottom of the table by a wide margin and went directly back to Pro D2. Racing Métro, on the other hand, finished sixth, giving them a berth in the newly expanded playoffs and a place in the 2010–11 Heineken Cup. Bayonne finished in the other relegation spot of 13th place, but were reprieved due to the financial problems of 12th-place Montauban.


2009–10 Top 14 season
The season ended with Clermont winning their first French national title in their nearly century-long history, defeating defending champions Perpignan 19–6 in a rematch of last season's final. This result ended decades of frustration for Les Jaunards and their supporters, who had previously tasted defeat in all 10 of their previous final-game appearances.


2009–10 Top 14 season, Competition format
Each club played every other club twice. The second half of the season is conducted in the same order as the first, with the club at home in the first half of the season away in the second. This season introduced a new format for the knockout stage: the top two teams qualify directly to the semifinals, while teams ranked from third to sixth qualify for a quarterfinal held at the homeground of the higher-ranked team. The semifinals are then held at neutral sites, with the final being played at the Stade de France. This replaced the classical format consisting of semifinals between the top four teams held at neutral sites.


2009–10 Top 14 season, Competition format
Going into the season, the top six clubs were guaranteed of berths in the 2010–11 Heineken Cup. The winners of the 2009–10 Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup are assured of berths in the 2010–11 Heineken Cup regardless of their league standing. This means that if a club finishes in the top six and wins one of the European competitions, the seventh-place team will gain a Heineken Cup berth. However, if French clubs win both competitions, only five clubs will qualify for the 2010–11 Heineken Cup via their league position because France is capped at seven Heineken Cup places.


2009–10 Top 14 season, Competition format
France can also secure a seventh berth if clubs from England's Guinness Premiership, also capped at seven Heineken Cup places, win both Cup competitions, and the top club in the European Rugby Club Rankings among those not already qualified for the Heineken Cup is from the Top 14. As it turned out, France earned a seventh berth when Toulouse won the Heineken Cup; because Toulouse had finished fourth on the regular-season table, the extra berth went to seventh-place Biarritz, who were also their opponent in the Heineken Cup final.


2009–10 Top 14 season, Competition format
The bottom two teams are provisionally relegated to Pro D2, with the possibility of one or both of the bottom teams to be reprieved if a team above them fails a postseason financial audit (mandatory for all clubs in the league).


2009–10 Top 14 season, Competition format
The LNR used a slightly different bonus points system from that used in most other rugby competitions. It trialled a new system in 2007–08 explicitly designed to prevent a losing team from earning more than one bonus point in a match, a system that also made it impossible for either team to earn a bonus point in a drawn match. The LNR chose to continue with this system for subsequent seasons.


2009–10 Top 14 season, Table
Blue background Three to sixth qualify for the playoff quarter finals, and also receive places in the 2011–12 Heineken Cup. Yellow background Seventh place does not qualify for playoffs but does receive place in the 2011–12 Heineken Cup. Pink background Bottom two places are typically relegated to the 2011–12 Rugby Pro D2


2009–10 Top 14 season, Awards, Player of the Month
Players were selected by fan vote from a three-player shortlist on the official LNR site, and the results are posted roughly in the middle of the following month.


2009–10 Top League
The 2009–10 Top League was the seventh season of Japan's domestic rugby union competition, the Top League. The Toshiba Brave Lupus defeated Sanyo Wild Knights by 6–0 in the final of the Microsoft Cup to claim their fifth Top League championship.


2009–10 Top League
The Top League is a semi-professional competition which is at the top of the national league system in Japan, with promotion and relegation between the next level down.


2009–10 Top League, Regular season, Final standings
•  The top 4 teams qualified to the title play-offs. • The top 4 teams also qualified for entry into the All-Japan Rugby Football Championship. •  Teams 5 to 10 qualified to the wildcard play-offs for entry into the All-Japan Rugby Football Championship. •  Teams 11 and 12 went through to the promotion and relegation play-offs against regional challengers. •  Teams 13 and 14 were automatically relegated to the regional leagues for 2010–11.


2009–10 Top League, Regular season, Final standings
Four points for a win, two for a draw, one bonus point for four tries or more (BP1) and one bonus point for losing by seven or less (BP2). If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order: •  Difference between points for and against •  Total number of points for •  Number of matches won •  Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams •  Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled


2009–10 Top League, Title play-offs
Top four sides of the regular season competed for the Top League Championship (the play-offs were not sponsored for the 2009–10 season). The teams competing were Toshiba Brave Lupus, Sanyo Wild Knights, Toyota Verblitz and Suntory Sungoliath.