Not one.

That’s right, not one Adelaide United player was selected in the 16-man A-League team of the season.

Sure, Professional Footballers Australia’s members voted for Guillermo Amor to be the coach – and he’s done a brilliant job – but what about the chaps who did the business on the pitch? You know, winning the premier’s plate and earning a home grand final?

It’s an outrage.

Or perhaps what it really shows is there were no passengers at United this season – every player was an important part of the Reds’ surge to the top.

Some of the most important contributors won’t even be in the starting eleven in Sunday’s grand final.

Jimmy Jeggo certainly won’t be as he moved to Austrian club Sturm Graz in January. But not before he helped steady United’s ship after the horror start to the season.

Jeggo and Victory’s Rashid Mahazi contest the ball. Photo: AAP.

It was Jeggo who dominated play (and nearly scored a winning goal) way back in round 7 in a goalless draw with Newcastle – the Reds’ most encouraging performance in those winless opening eight rounds.

That crucial round 10 win over Sydney FC which gave United a second consecutive victory and some momentum? Another outstanding performance from the indefatigable midfielder. And he was man of the match in the hard fought away draw against Western Sydney on New Year’s Day.

I maintained that Jeggo – who played in all of the first 15 rounds – would be missed if he were ever out of the team for an extended period. That didn’t turn out to be the case because the club recruited Stefan Mauk during the transfer period.

Mauk came in exchange for Osama Malik who went to Melbourne City (though United’s original target in that swap deal was David Williams who declined Adelaide’s offer).

But on the pitch Mauk was more of a Jeggo replacement. They are different types of players but both were highly effective in the Reds’ midfield.

Jordan Elsey will probably start as a substitute, just as he did the day he showed how valuable he’d be in United’s campaign. Again it was that first meeting with Newcastle when the Reds didn’t have a win on the board. Elsey, who hadn’t played in the A-League for a year and a half because of a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, replaced Osama Malik early in the game and turned in a superb performance.

Jordan Elsey tries to get the ball out of the Victory goal area. Photo: Tracey Nearmy, AAP.

The young defender would win a place in the starting team and keep it. But the round 23 match against Melbourne City – United’s only loss after round 8 – didn’t work out well for him. Elsey, who normally operates in the centre of defence, was moved to left back to cover the injured Tarek Elrich. He had a difficult night, was booked, and his tally of yellow cards meant he’d be suspended for the next game. He hasn’t returned to the first eleven.

It may not make any highlight reels but Elsey provided one of United’s moments of the season. In the second half of their round 16 match in Brisbane, the Reds conceded a (dubious) penalty which allowed Roar to score an equalising goal.

But the United players responded and lifted their intensity. Nothing epitomised their fight back better than a massive (and legal) sliding tackle by Elsey. The Reds would go on to record a 4-1 win – one of their best.

United’s opening goal in that crucial win in Brisbane was officially an own goal. Which is a pity because Pablo Sanchez made it happen. It was his perfectly timed run and shot that forced the ball to be deflected in off a defender.

Pablo Sa‡nchez Alberto reacts after scoring a goal. Photo: David Mariuz, AAP.

Early in the season I pointed out that in 2014/15 Sanchez managed to get eight goals from 17 starts and nine appearances as a substitute. And that on average he scored once every 197 minutes.

He has eight goals again this season from just eight starts and 16 appearances as a substitute… and on average he’s scored once every 111 minutes.

But as well as being the Reds’ most efficient goal scorer, he too was crucial when the going was tough early in the season. His goals in the horror 4-2 losses to Melbourne City and Wellington provided some hope. Then, in a rare start, he scored the winner in the round 9 game that gave the Reds their first victory.

I wouldn’t underrate the importance of Pablo’s round 15 goal against Central Coast either. The Mariners had equalised after United took the lead and at the time it was the kind of match you could imagine the Reds dropping. With around 10 minutes remaining Sanchez scored with a superb header and that win consolidated a spot in the top six.

It’s been nearly three months since Sanchez was in the starting team. Perhaps he’s a victim of his success off the bench and has been typecast as a super sub.

Even Tarek Elrich, who was called up for the Socceroos at the beginning of the season, might start on the bench – as he did in the semi-final against Melbourne City.

Who needs players selected in the team of the season when you’ve had so many excellent contributors that you can start the biggest match of the year without a few of them?

Western Sydney comes to Adelaide as the underdog but with appearances in two A-League grand finals and an Asian Champions League triumph to boast from its short existence. And the Wanderers and the Reds have drawn all three of their encounters this season.

It would be surprising to see United’s opponent defend as badly as it did in its semi final against Brisbane so the Reds may need one of their players to be a match winner.

But they don’t need to find a hero. They’ve haven’t had to all season.

Paul Marcuccitti’s regular soccer column is published in InDaily on Mondays. He is a co-presenter of 5RTI’s Soccer on 531 program which can be heard from 10am on Saturdays.