 In 2007, he returned to coaching at A-League club Sydney FC.Sydney had accepted the resignation of former coach Terry Butcher at the close of a disappointing 2006–07 season, and on 13 February 2007 appointed Culina in an interim role, for initially six months, to guide the club in its first Asian Champions League campaign.Culina then led Sydney FC to five wins in eight games, including a historic 2–1 away win against Shanghai Shenhua – the first-ever victory recorded by an Australian club in the AFC Champions League.