Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Mandalay: Yadanarbon’s recent recruit James Meyer will be hoping the saying ‘third time lucky’ rings true as he looks to reach the AFC Champions League via the Playoffs with his third club after falling at the final hurdle with Brisbane Roar and Pune FC in back-to-back qualifying campaigns.
Having signed for the reigning Myanmar champions at the end of December the 28-year-old Australian, Meyer and his new team-mates will take on Singapore’s Warriors FC in the 2015 AFC Champions League Preliminary Round 1 encounter on Wednesday at Mandalay’s Mandalar Thiri Stadium; the first of three matches Yadanarbon must win to earn the right to participate in Asia’s premier club competition.
“I first found out Yadanarbon were interested around the 17th or 18th and I was on a flight to Yangon by the 21st,” Meyer told www.the-afc.com, setting the scene of his move to the 2010 AFC President’s Cup winners.
“Joining a successful team obviously was a big drawing card and also the opportunity to play AFC tournaments again helped make my decision.”
Meyer first experienced AFC Champions League action in 2012 while at Brisbane Roar, having been signed for the Queensland-based club two years earlier by Australia’s 2015 AFC Asian Cup-winning coach Ange Postecoglou after impressing during his time at Brisbane Premier League club Eastern Suburbs and a subsequent trial with the Roar.
Meyer made his ACL debut in March 2012 when he replaced Brazilian midfielder Henrique with 11 minutes of Roar’s 2-0 win over FC Tokyo remaining before going on to make four more appearances in the competition, including a starting berth in the in the A-League side’s 1-1 draw with Beijing Guoan.
The Roar failed to make it beyond the Group Stage in that season’s ACL but had an opportunity to earn themselves another bite of the continental club cherry the next year via a Playoff with Buriram United of Thailand. However, it was an experience that Meyer would rather not be reminded of having missed from the spot as the match was ultimately decided by penalties after 120 goalless minutes.
“The Buriram game was fairly even which is why it went to extra time and penalties,” recalled Meyer.
“I only came on with three minutes to go until penalties [replacing Ben Halloran], so I didn't play much of a part of the game itself. The penalties…I think we would all rather forget.”
Meyer left the Roar and Australia at the conclusion of the 2012/13 A-League season to join Pune FC in India and for the second time in his career was involved in an AFC Champions League Playoff and for the second time he was to end up on the losing side as the 2013 I-League runners-up missed out the 2014 ACL following a 3-0 home defeat to Vietnam’s Hanoi T&T.
“Hanoi T&T was more difficult,” conceded Meyer, who scored three times in 15 appearances for the Maharashtra-based Red Lizards.
“Honestly they outplayed us so it's no surprise they continued on. India was an interesting experience, both professionally and in personal life.”
Meyer has also found his first few weeks in Myanmar an ‘interesting’ experience but for now the Sydney-born midfielder’s focus has been firmly on the ACL Preliminary Round fixture with the Warriors and the early matches of the fledgling 2015 Myanmar National League, which has seen Meyer and his new teammates begin the defence of their domestic title with three successive wins following an opening day draw with Magway FC.
“We have already begun our season and we have a few matches before we play Warriors. We will make specific adjustments when the time comes but for now we are just working on our game in general.
“With these playoff games there is sometimes a different mindset as they are one-off games. There isn't a second chance. But as I want to win every game so there is no difference for me.”