Adelaide City to meet Adelaide United in an Australia Cup SA showdown

He’s an Adelaide City legend, but for ex-Socceroos striker Carl Veart, sentiment can only go so far as he plots the Australia Cup downfall of his former club.

The Cup round-of-16 draw has thrown up a classic South Australian derby between former NSL giants City and the Veart-coached A-League club Adelaide United.

To be played on August 17 at Football South Australia’s Gepps Cross headquarters, the do-or-die affair is set to attract a crowd of more than 5000.

“It’ll be a good game for all soccer supporters in Adelaide to come out and see, with one of the greatest clubs in Australian football over the course of history against one of the newer clubs that’s got great history as well,” said Veart. who won an NSL Cup and two NSL championships in the early 1990s with City, who now play in the NPL South Australia competition.

“I’m a life member at Adelaide City so the club means a lot to me, and they’ve had great success in the last couple of years in the local league so it’ll be a challenging game but something that we’re looking forward to.

“It’s going to be a good test for our playing group.”

United’s side for the Cup derby could include attacking weapon Ben Halloran, who has rejoined the club on a two-year deal after a troubled six-month stint in South Korea with FC Seoul.

“It didn’t exactly go to plan,” said Halloran, who only made two K-League appearances

“I didn’t get a look in and I wasn’t really enjoying it there.

“I realised pretty quickly that I really enjoyed my time here and if I was going to come back to Australia, Adelaide was the only place I wanted to come to.”

Seven A-League teams remain in the Cup, but the reign of Melbourne Victory is over, with last season’s Cup winners knocked out Wednesday night when they were beaten 2-1 by A-League champions Western United at AAMI Park.

There is one all-A-League affair in the round of 16, with Melbourne City to host Wellington Phoenix.

Australia Cup round-of-16 draw: Modbury Jets v Macarthur FC; Melbourne City v Wellington Phoenix; Oakleigh Cannons v Brisbane City; Adelaide City v Adelaide United; Bentleigh Greens v Sydney FC; Peninsula Power v Green Gully; Sydney United v Western United; Avondale v Brisbane Roar.