They are not exactly expansion bedfellows, and certainly not friends. But Macarthur FC and Western United bear striking similarities – and not just because they are expansion clubs. The very nature of the both their births, selected by then-Football Federation Australia to join A-League Men in 2018, means comparisons are inevitable.
Off the field, both United and the Bulls have quickly become two of the most universally derided clubs in all of Australian football, the mere mention of their names almost certain to attract cantankerous commentators with grievances to air. Alas, unlike the likes of Melbourne Victory or Sydney FC, this is not born of a disdain derived from envy of trophies or from long-standing historical grievances – marketable hatred – but, instead, their very nature of existence.
