Mallory Weber has hinted she may return to the City of Churches next season. Adelaide United fans will be praying they see the American in Red.
Weber proved to be one of the club’s best-ever captures from overseas during the 2019/20 Westfield W-League season.
A National Women’s Soccer League Championship winner with Portland Thorns in 2017, silverware was not quite in the making for the current Utah Royals player during her first stint in Australia.
Adelaide finished eighth after a campaign which saw Ivan Karlovic’s side fail to turn very promising performances into results. Much of that was down to their own misfortune.
Just look at the opening fortnight of the season – Adelaide were rocked by a seemingly-harmless stoppage time Kyra Cooney-Cross free kick on the opening night 2-1 defeat to Western Sydney Wanderers, before next weekend, the Reds comprehensively outplayed reigning Champions Sydney FC at home but lost 1-0.
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Mallory Weber's 2019/20 stats
The rest of the season followed a similar tune, but the fact that Weber managed to produce at such a consistently high level in every match is testament to her quality and speaks volumes of just how good the forward was for the Reds.
In 11 games, the 25-year-old finished as Adelaide’s leading scorer with four goals. Another season, one that did not see Adelaide run into bad luck at every turn, may have seen her double that tally.
Weber opened her account with a stunning long range shot against Brisbane Roar in December. That low drive beat Westfield Matildas goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold all ends up and had brought Adelaide back to 2-2 in the 76th minute.
They would lose 3-2 thanks to Hayley Raso’s goal five minutes later.
Weber shone in a 2-0 December defeat to Sydney in another match that saw the Reds dominate the reigning Champions but leave empty-handed.
But fittingly, she was the inspiration for Adelaide’s first win over the year, a thrilling 3-2 triumph over Premiership-chasing Western Sydney Wanderers on January 25.
Weber notched a classy double and might have had a hat-trick on a that day but for the goalkeeping of Wanderers’ ‘keeper Courtney Newbon.
And in February, Weber helped Adelaide’s frustrating campaign end on a high when she netted her fourth goal of the season in a 2-1 win over Newcastle Jets.
“We’ve been pushing and giving everything all season so to finally be rewarded for that and get off the bottom for the last game I couldn’t be happier,” the American told Fox Sports after the match.
“[It’s been] very frustrating for me to not put more [goals] away
“[But] I’m looking forward to coming back next year and doing a little better.”
With superb turn of pace and control of the ball, fans across the Westfield W-League will hope this isn’t the last we have seen of the United States youth international.
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