Avondale FC's audacious play for Andrea Pirlo is further proof the FFA Cup quarterfinalists are nothing if not hugely ambitious.

Retired Italian great Pirlo won't be dusting off his boots to make a one-off appearance against Sydney FC on Wednesday night, as Avondale's volunteer committee had dreamed.

But considering where they've come from, it's amazing they had a crack at him at all.

For most of their lifespan, Avondale have been just another amateur soccer club plodding around in Melbourne's north-west.

No...

Sydney FC have signed ex-Premier League player Siem de Jong as their marquee player on a season-long loan from Dutch giants Ajax.

The former Netherlands international, who can play as attacking midfielder or striker, scored two goals in six national team appearances and captained Ajax for two seasons.

He won four Eredivisie league titles in his first spell with the club from 2008 to 2014 and also played in the Champions League.

The 29-year-old de Jong tallied 22 appearances for Newcastle United...

There was no sign of Keisuke Honda but another Japanese player stole the show as APIA Leichhardt Tigers stunned Melbourne Victory 3-2 in the FFA Cup on Tuesday night.

Tasuku Sekiya scored a goal in each half as the former National Soccer League club booked a quarterfinal spot in a thrilling clash at Leichhardt Oval.

It was the seventh time a state-league outfit has managed to beat a top-tier team in the knockout tournament, but this was perhaps the biggest shock yet.

The A-League champions were...

Former Ajax captain and Netherlands national team attacking midfielder Siem de Jong is on Sydney FC's radar as a potential marquee player.

Reports from overseas have linked the 29-year-old midfielder to the Sky Blues, who last week signed former English Premier League striker Adam le Fondre.

The Sky Blues still have two import spots available, one of them a marquee place, after adding le Fondre and Dutch defender Jop van der Linden to a roster which already includes Serbian international playmaker...

Sydney FC have signed English striker Adam le Fondre on a multi-year deal to replace the departed Bobo.

Le Fondre, 31, was released by Bolton Wanderers earlier this week and has signed a contract with the Sky Blues that reportedly runs until 2021.

Brazilian star Bobo, who won the A-League's golden boot last season, has left for Turkish club Alanyaspor.

Nicknamed "Alfie," Le Fondre scored 41 goals in 110 appearances for Reading across three seasons in the English Premier League and second-tier Championship.

"This...