A-League's Melbourne City fire coach Warren Joyce

Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Warren Joyce's tenure as Melbourne City head coach has ended after the A-League club opted against renewing his contract.

Melbourne City's season ended last Sunday with a 1-0 loss to Adelaide United in the first round of the playoffs, placing fifth in the 10-team A-League. It was two spots lower than in the 2017-18 season — Joyce's first at the club that is aligned with Premier League-leading Manchester City.

"It's been a challenging couple of seasons, but I have great pride in the players and staff for the progress the club has made," Joyce said in a statement Wednesday. "I've seen real growth from the playing group and within the football organization and the continued development of the right kind of culture."

The team has not named a replacement for the 54-year-old Englishman.

Australia veteran Tim Cahill and club stalwart Bruno Fornaroli were among the high-profile players who left Melbourne City during Joyce's two years in charge. Neil Kilkenny left after claiming the club's player-of-the-year award, captain Michael Jakobsen also departed, as did Fernando Brandan and Anthony Caceres.

Luke Brattan was the only player in Sunday's elimination final loss to have played under a different coach at the club.

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