All of a sudden, the A-League Men title race feels wide open.
After an off-season of upheaval, the league got a shot in the arm when the APL reversed the drastically unpopular decision to sell the grand final hosting rights to NSW.
Now it needs the on-field action to deliver - and its next stars to emerge.
Powerhouse Melbourne City overhauled their squad following their humiliating 6-1 grand final loss to Central Coast.
Despite a scratchy pre-season, City still have plenty of quality - and a burning desire for redemption, driving them forward.
"I was hurting the whole off-season, trying to understand it and trying to understand why after four grand finals I’ve only got one championship in my locker," captain and star striker Jamie Maclaren told AAP.
"It does hurt, you can give me as many golden boots as you want but when you're playing in a team it’s about being a team player and being successful.
"We have won three premierships in a row but in this country, we have a grand final and we haven't been able to produce the last couple.
"We don't judge ourselves on that, we like to be a consistent mob, and that's what we’ve done - we’ve drawn a line in the sand and we move on.
"We’ve changed our squad and I’m really excited about what we can achieve with this bunch of boys."
Champions Central Coast lost Jason Cummings, Nectar Triantis, Sammy Silvera and coach Nick Montgomery, and will be up against it to defend their title.
Melbourne Victory are attempting to bounce back after last season's disastrous campaign, headlined by the derby pitch invasion.
"I think we're gonna gel together really well and we're gonna really be a force to be reckoned with," recruit Daniel Arzani told AAP.
A rejuvenated Sydney FC will attempt to kick on from their Australia Cup triumph, while Marko Rudan's Wanderers need to progress from last season's brief finals return.
"We're going to have even more pressure - we're not happy to be in the top four," playmaker Milos Ninkovic said.
Brisbane and Perth will be clubs to watch after appointing Ross Aloisi and Alen Stajcic respectively as their new coaches.
Adelaide United have farewelled talismanic captain Craig Goodwin, while Western United have turned to youth.
United striker Noah Botic is among the youngsters attempting to push for a Socceroos breakthrough, while becoming one of the league's next big things.
"It's exciting to see that Australian football is moving in the right direction," Botic told AAP.
"Especially after the Women's World Cup, it's just grown and hopefully it can continue to grow through the A-League.
"To see how many fans we'd get if it keeps growing would be great, because it just opens up a bigger path for us youngsters to get out in the footballing world.
"Because obviously, people overseas, they look at Australia and they wouldn't think much of it as a footballing nation but it's the complete opposite."
A-LEAGUE MEN ROUND ONE (ALL TIMES AEDT)
* Adelaide United v Central Coast Mariners, Friday 7.45pm, Coopers Stadium
* Macarthur FC v Brisbane Roar, Saturday 3.30pm, Campbelltown Stadium
* Melbourne City v Western United, Saturday 5.30pm, AAMI Park
* Sydney FC v Melbourne Victory, Saturday 7.45pm, Allianz Stadium
* Western Sydney Wanderers v Wellington Phoenix, Sunday 3pm, CommBank Stadium
* Perth Glory v Newcastle Jets, Sunday 7.45pm, nib Stadium
