"We put (last season) behind us after the last game that we lost, to Brisbane at home," said Popovic. However, after a lengthy preseason working with his team, Popovic is confident they will improve on last season's showing. "I think the performance showed that we're not the same team as last year. Getting an away win against Sydney in the Big Blue, the fans going home happy, that's the icing on the cake. "But I thought the performance showed where we're heading and there's a lot more to come."

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Persons: Tony Popovic, Bruno Fornaroli, Zinedine Machach, Popovic, we're, Michael Church, William Mallard Organizations: Melbourne Victory, Sydney FC, FFA, Melbourne City, Sydney, Thomson Locations: Brisbane