Introduction
Alexander John Kosmina (born 17 August 1956), known as John Kosmina, is an Australian former football (soccer) player and manager, who is currently the Senior Coach of the Brisbane City club. He is a member of the Football Federation Australia Football Hall of Fame.
Club career
Kosmina is of Polish Australian ethnicity. He played for Polonia and then West Adelaide, before signing for English side Arsenal in February 1978. However, he only played one first-team league game for the Gunners (as a substitute against Leeds United on 19 August 1978), along with 3 appearances (2 as a substitute) in that season's UEFA cup. As of 2017, he's the only Australian to represent Arsenal. He returned to Australia in May 1979.
On his return, he went on to become one of the National Soccer League's most prolific scorers, with stints at Adelaide City, West Adelaide (for a second time), Sydney City, Sydney Olympic and A.P.I.A. Leichhardt Tigers before retiring in 1989. The most successful of these was with Sydney City, being part of their 1981 and 1982 championship winning teams, as well as being the league's top scorer in 1982.
Managerial career
After retiring, he began coaching the Warringah Dolphins in the New South Wales state leagues, before coaching NSL side Newcastle Breakers, followed by a stint at the Brisbane Strikers. Both stints were largely unsuccessful, his sides reaching the finals only once.
Adelaide United
In 2003, he became the inaugural coach of Adelaide United. Kosmina coached United to an impressive 3rd in the final season of the NSL. Maintaining his job for the inaugural season of the A-League, Kosmina led his side to the Minor Premiership but a poor finals series saw them finish 3rd overall. The next season saw mixed results for Kosmina and Adelaide United.
Finishing 2nd on the table behind Melbourne Victory, Adelaide managed to reach the grand final, only to be thrashed 6–0. Kosmina's criticism of the refereeing of that match, coupled with the devastating loss and a touchline ban earlier during the season for a scuffle with Victory captain Kevin Muscat, saw him forced to resign by the Adelaide board.
He was then appointed by Socceroos coach Graham Arnold as his assistant for the 2007 Asian Cup.
Sydney FC
After the sacking of Branko Culina by the Sydney Football Club Board, Kosmina was confirmed on 24 October 2007 as the new Sydney FC coach. Since signing with Sydney FC Kosmina made an immediate impact; winning his first game with Sydney 3–2 against rivals Central Coast Mariners at the Sydney Football Stadium.
Sydney FC beat the LA Galaxy 5–3 at Sydney's Telstra Stadium in a friendly, and also won a thrilling 5–4 victory against the Central Coast Mariners at Bluetongue Stadium. Following Sydney FC's poor run in the 2008/2009 season (missing the finals for the first time), John Kosmina had his contract terminated in late January 2009.
Adelaide Raiders
He was announced the manager of the Adelaide Raiders, a semi-professional club playing in the FFSA Super League. On 1 September 2011, it was announced he had signed as senior coach of FFSA Super League club Croydon Kings after more than 35 years away from the club. It was announced on 18 December 2011 that Croydon Kings had agreed to released Kosmina from his coaching contract so he could accept the Adelaide United manager position.
Return to Adelaide United
On 18 December 2011 he signed as caretaker coach with Adelaide United for the remainder of the 2011–12 A-League season. On 22 March 2012 it was announced he had signed a one-year contract with the club to stay on for the 2012–13 A-League season. On 28 January 2013 he stood down as manager of Adelaide United, citing a lack of trust at the club.
Brisbane City
In August 2015, Kosmina was appointed senior coach and football leader at National Premier Leagues Queensland club Brisbane City, signing a three-year contract. In November 2018, it was announced that he would join the coaching staff at St Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace, taking responsibility for the Open First and Second XI teams, as well as the Year 10 and 11 teams, as part of a partnership between the college and Brisbane City.
Media
He occasionally appears on Fox Sports as a commentator and football analyst. Kosmina co-hosts a weekly Internet television show about football on Australia Live TV with Ross Aloisi, Two Up Front and the episodes are on AustraliaLiveTV.com.
International goals
- Scores and results list goal tally first.
| No | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Opening Goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 October 1976 | Beijing Workers Stadium | Chinese Selection | 3–3 | 4–5 | Friendly Game | No |
| 2 | 27 October 1976 | Beijing Workers Stadium | Chinese Selection | 3–4 | 4–5 | Friendly Game | No |
| 3 | 9 November 1976 | Eindhoven, Netherlands | PSV Eindhoven | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly Game | No |
| 4 | 2 February 1977 | Olympic Park Stadium | Red Star Belgrade | 1–3 | 1–3 | Friendly Game | No |
| 5 | 20 July 1977 | Sydney Sports Ground | Arsenal F.C. | 1–0 | 3–1 | Friendly Game | Yes |
| 6 | 28 July 1977 | Olympic Park Stadium | Red Star Belgrade | 1–0 | 2–3 | Friendly Game | Yes |
| 7 | 16 March 1977 | Ba, Fiji |  Taiwan |
0–1 | 1–2 | 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC and OFC) | No |
| 8 | 27 March 1977 | Sydney Cricket Ground |  New Zealand |
3–1 | 3–1 | 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC and OFC) | No |
| 9 | 10 July 1977 | Adelaide, Australia |  Hong Kong |
1–0 | 3–0 | 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC and OFC) | Yes |
| 10 | 10 July 1977 | Adelaide, Australia | Hong Kong |
3–0 | 3–0 | 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC and OFC) | No |
| 11 | 28 August 1977 | Sydney Sports Ground |  South Korea |
1–1 | 1–2 | 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC and OFC) | No |
| 12 | 28 August 1977 | Sydney Sports Ground | South Korea |
1–2 | 1–2 | 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC and OFC) | No |
| 13 | 20 May 1981 | Olympic Park Stadium |  Indonesia |
1–0 | 2–0 | 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC and OFC) | Yes |
| 14 | 10 June 1981 | Hindmarsh Stadium | Taiwan |
2–0 | 3–2 | 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC and OFC) | No |
| 15 | 10 October 1982 | Singapore National Stadium |  Thailand |
0–3 | 0–4 | Friendly Game | No |
| 16 | 10 October 1982 | Singapore National Stadium | Thailand |
0–4 | 0–4 | Friendly Game | No |
| 17 | 15 October 1982 | Singapore National Stadium |  Malaysia |
0–3 | 0–5 | Friendly Game | No |
| 18 | 26 November 1983 | Inglewood, Perth | Western Australia | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly Game | No |
| 19 | 30 November 1983 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur FA | 1–2 | 1–4 | Friendly Game | No |
| 20 | 30 November 1983 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur FA | 1–3 | 1–4 | Friendly Game | No |
| 21 | 2 December 1983 | Singapore |  Singapore |
1–1 | 1–3 | Friendly Game | No |
| 22 | 4 December 1983 | Singapore |  China PR |
2–1 | 2–1 | Merlion Cup | No |
| 23 | 10 December 1983 | Singapore | Thailand |
0–2 | 0–2 | Merlion Cup | No |
| 24 | 15 December 1983 | Singapore | South Korea |
0–1 | 1–3 | Merlion Cup | Yes |
| 25 | 18 December 1983 | Singapore | Singapore |
2–2 | 2–4 | Merlion Cup | No |
| 26 | 2 June 1984 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Rangers F.C. | 2–1 | 3–2 | Friendly Game | No |
| 27 | 7 June 1984 | Lang Park, Brisbane | Nottingham Forest F.C. | 1–0 | 2–2 | Friendly Game | Yes |
| 27 | 21 June 1984 | Sydney, Australia | Iraklis 1908 Thessaloniki F.C. | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly Game | Yes |
| 29 | 14 November 1984 | Manchester, England | Manchester City F.C. | 1–2 | 1–3 | Friendly Game | No |
| 30 | 9 May 1985 | Melbourne Cricket Ground | Clube de Regatas Vasco da Gama | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly Game | Yes |
| 31 | 9 May 1985 | Melbourne Cricket Ground | Clube de Regatas Vasco da Gama | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly Game | No |
| 32 | 15 September 1985 | Middle Park, Melbourne | Victorian All-Stars | 0–1 | 2–3 | Friendly Game | Yes |
| 33 | 15 September 1985 | Middle Park, Melbourne | Victorian All-Stars | 0–2 | 2–3 | Friendly Game | No |
Honours
Player
- Sydney City
- NSL Championship: 1981, 1982
- NSL Cup: 1986
Individual
- FFA Hall of Fame: 1999
- NSL Top Scorer: 1982
- NSL Under 21 Player of the Year: 1977
Manager
- Adelaide United
- A-League Premiership: 2005–2006
Kosmina Street in the Sydney suburb of Glenwood is named for him.
John Kosmina Medal
The award given to the player of the match in the National Premier LeaguesGrand Final each year is named in his honour.