Western United centre-back Leo Lacroix has been recognised for an outstanding debut season at the Club with selection in the starting XI of the PFA Team of the Season.
Lacroix is joined by United teammates Jamie Young, Ben Garuccio and Neil Kilkenny, who all feature on the bench of the 18-man squad.
Arriving from his native Switzerland in the off-season, Lacroix has been immense at the back for John Aloisi’s side, immediately taking to life in Australia.
After winning the first PFA Player of the Month award of the season in November, Lacroix continued to push his game to greater heights throughout the campaign.
His aerial dominance coupled with excellent reading of the game and the ability to help the team play out of the back made Lacroix one of the most feared defenders in the competition this season.
In addition to his defensive prowess, Lacroix also became a target at offensive set pieces, scoring three goals with his head and getting himself in the mix in the attacking box.
Despite keeping the most clean sheets and making the most saves out of any goalkeeper in the league, Young could only make do with a spot on the bench in the side.
The 36-year-old was one of United’s key players throughout the campaign making some stunning saves along the way, and has continued to be vital to the side as it reached its first ever A-League Men Grand Final.
United’s defence has been represented strongly with Garuccio also joining the bench, another player who would have pushed to make the starting XI.
Garuccio provided six assists for his teammates this season – the most of any defender in the league – and scored two goals, including the Isuzu UTE A-League Goal of the Year winner with his brilliant scorpion kick against Western Sydney Wanderers.
Kilkenny has been in many ways the metronome to this Western United team, dictating the tempo from midfield and leading his teammates on the pitch.
Despite spending the entire season without his family nearby, Kilkenny has had a massive impact on the United squad in his first season with the Club, showing his excellence in winning balls in the middle of the pitch but also getting forward and demonstrating his distribution skills.
The United quartet will be fully focused on Saturday night’s A-League Men Grand Final against Melbourne City, where they could all play a part in bringing the first piece of silverware to Western United.
