SYDNEY, May 8 (Reuters) - Tony Popovic, the architect of Western Sydney Wanderers' remarkable rise to the pinnacle of Asian football in just two years, has signed a new deal to stay on as coach of the A-League club until the end of the 2017-18 season.
The 41-year-old former Socceroos defender took Wanderers to the A-League championship final in their first two years of existence and last November they became the first Australian club to win the Asian Champions League (ACL).
But the strain of competing in FIFA's World Club Cup, continental and domestic football has taken its toll and they finished second bottom in their third A-League season, while their ACL title defence ended in the group stage this week.