A Few Thoughts From Auckland FC’s A-League Debut
You’ve heard all the platitudes and cliches at this stage. All the yarns about past Auckland professional clubs, the buzz about the new fanbase, the brewing rivalry with the Wellington Phoenix, what this means for the A-League, what this means for New Zealand football. No need to repeat them here. What we witnessed on Saturday afternoon at Mt Smart Stadium was a capital-e Event... but it was also just another game of football. Auckland FC versus Brisbane Roar. Three points on offer. A chance to see the squad that Steve Corica has assembled in a competitive, relevant context. A chance to gauge how they play in a tactical sense. A chance to begin figuring out the pecking order across the various positions. The Black Knights were a blank slate before but now they’re a real, tangible presence so let’s fill in a few blanks.
The First Eleven
That, right there, was the first ever starting line-up to represent Auckland FC. Save it for posterity. We got a pretty consistent 4-2-3-1 formation all throughout preseason but plenty of personnel questions abounded, not helped by one of their imports only arriving a week out and an international break borrowing several of their local players. Alex Paulsen and Nando Pijnaker were the two NZers who were always going to start but the rest of them were up in the air, so it was a lovely thing to see three others picked for week one.
Liam Gillion is only on a scholarship contract but he thrived in their friendly fixtures scoring several goals. Logan Rogerson also earned his way in after some good preseason stuff combined with a fair bit of confidence after getting into All Whites squads for the last two international windows, getting off the bench in each of the last four internationals and scoring an absolute belter against Malaysia at North Harbour Stadium (just on the other side to where AFC have been training for the last few months).
Those two got the wing spots, showing a clear intention from Corica to embrace speedy dribblers in the wide areas. Gillion’s got a bit more to his link-up game, while Rogerson’s sheer athleticism is his unique selling point. We haven’t seen Neyder Moreno yet, their Colombia import winger, but Jesse Randall and Joey Champness also fit the speedy dribbler bill. Randall’s more direct. Champness has the stepovers. Expect some decent wing play from the Black Knights.
The other kiwi in the eleven was Francis de Vries. A few years ago he was an impressive National League player. He’d had some time in the Vancouver Whitecaps system but didn’t break the MLS team. Came back to play for Canterbury United (where he was a CB/CDM) and then went over to the Swedish third tier where he evolved into a fullback and earned two promotions to where suddenly he was a starting left-back in the Allsvenskan and getting All Whites call-ups. But he tore his ACL so IFK Våranmo didn’t re-sign him and it took some time for FDV to build himself back up at Eastern Suburbs. There was no guarantee that Auckland FC were going to get the version of FDV that played top division in Sweden... but it sounds like that’s exactly what emerged through preseason. Hence he earned his way into the inaugural selection.
Beyond that, the Dan Hall x Nando Pijnaker centre-back formation is big and physical. Hall stands at 1.85m and Pijnaker at 1.92m. Tommy Smith was on the bench but these two are the top choice pairing. Hiroki Sakai at right-back with the captain’s armband. That one goes without saying when you’ve played for Hannover 96 (Germany), Olympique Marseille (France), and Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan)... not to mention playing at three World Cups with his Japanese national team. In the midfield Belgian Louis Verstraete played the anchor role with Chilean Felipe Gallegos bringing more of a passing presence. Two more classy imports. Aussie playmaker Jake Brimmer played in behind the striker in possession and alongside him in a 4-4-2 initial defensive shape. Uruguayan Guillermo May was up front looking to move around and combine with those around him. Not a bad group to start with. Not bad at all.
Squad Depth
The Wellington Phoenix may have found themselves with several pesky injuries for their season opener but Auckland FC didn’t have that problem. This eleven might have only been one bloke short of the best possible eleven that Steve Corica could have mustered at this moment in time, with that one missing bloke being Neyder Moreno. Too soon for him to be involved having only arrived about a week ago. We’ll find out what he’s made of in the coming weeks.
Joey Champness was also outside the matchday squad having only played sporadically in preseason. No Scott Galloway either. They didn’t list any injuries for week one so that might have purely been a matter of preference from the coaching staff... or maybe they were hurt and nobody said anything. Information’s not always been easy to come by with this team, to be honest – it was only last week that any contract length information finally came to light. Turns out Brimmer’s on the longest deal. Gallegos is the only import on a multi-year deal, while Rogerson, Champness, and Smith are the only locals on one-year contracts (aside from scholarships and loanees).
Other than Galloway and Champness, it was only the scholarship and youth players who missed out. Cam Howieson would make an overdue A-League debut off the bench while Max Mata and Jesse Randall got more timely ALM introductions. Tommy Smith also found some minutes near the end – brought on as a defensive closer just like assistant coach Danny Hay used to do all the time when he was in charge of the All Whites. Additionally, Michael Woud, Callan Elliot, and young midfielder Finn McKenlay were unused subs.
Howieson is probably closest to cracking the starters but unfortunately for him there are two imports and a former Johnny Warren Medalist in the midfield trio and the he’s next man up. The rest are alternative options. Mata’s not going to start ahead of a fit Guillermo May but his size and aerial ability will offer a useful point of difference. Randall might give a nudge to Gillion/Randall but remember Moreno’s going to come into contention very soon. The wingers are pretty interchangeable, really.
Smithy’s a veteran depth presence in case Pijnaker gets hurt. He generally plays LCB so not sure what’ll happen if it’s Hall who is unavailable. Maybe Sakai at RCB and Callan Elliot comes in at RB? Maybe Smith plays RCB without any hassle? We’ll find out eventually. Finn McKenlay is also a scholarship lad so he’s in the big time making an A-League bench at the first attempt. Tall, ginger-headed defensive midfielder. Excellent at the Oceania U19s for Aotearoa earlier in the year. And Michael Woud is the reserve keeper. Harsh on him since he probably signed with intentions of being the number one only for Alex Paulsen to get in the way... but remember Paulsen is on loan while Woud apparently has a three-year contract.
Beyond that, Scott Galloway is further fullback cover. Both he and Elliot can play either side so that could be something to keep an eye on with only room for one or the other on the bench. Luis Toomey will be eyeing up the Brimmer role as attacking midfielder. Joey Chamness is a winger. Adama Coulibaly can play anywhere but seems to have been mostly used as a midfielder in preseason, same position as fellow scholar Oliver Middleton plays. Joseph Knowles is GK3. Jonty Bidois is another striker cover who can maybe do a job on the wing. Blake Callinan (goalkeeper), Codey Phoenix (fullback), and Carlos Ranui (CB/CM) have also been signed as youth players, which is a step below the scholars. Equivalent to Phoenix Reserves.
Curiously, in a squad from which only eight players had ever played A-League before, there were only four of those eight guys in the starting team against Brisbane: Brimmer, Hall, Paulsen, and Rogerson. Elliot and Smith were on the bench. Galloway and Champness weren’t involved at all. Ten ALM debuts were forthcoming throughout the match with seven of them in the starting line-up. That’s probably to be expected from an expansion team, in fairness.
Corica-Ball
Now that we’ve got an idea of the selection hierarchy, it’s easier to view the tactical picture. The point about the speedy wingers obviously spills into how AFC want to play their footy. Francis de Vries looked comfortable at this level and so did Liam Gillion ahead of him, those two already building a solid combination on the left. They’ll need that because there’s big competition for those spots. There was less interplay between Sakai and Rogerson but there was enough to be very encouraged... specifically how they linked for that first goal.
But, much like the Wellington Phoenix last term, it looks like everything Auckland FC do will grow out of a sturdy defensive shape. And that foundation was rock solid... at least against this limited Brisbane Roar side. Tougher tests will follow, no doubt. Across the ninety minutes, the Roar did have 12 shot attempts but only two were from within sixteen yards and there was nothing that threatened Alex Paulsen, who enjoyed that old familiar feeling of an A-League clean sheet. He’s now kept 13 cleanies in his past 30 ALM matches. Nothing to worry about there and you can say similar things about Dan Hall’s record. The Wellington Phoenix and Central Coast Mariners were the two best defensive sides last season and Auckland FC have managed to scoop up a signing from each of them. Nando Pijnaker’s stats with Sligo Rovers were similarly comprehensive earlier this year. There’s form there, that’s for sure.
AFC didn’t create a whole heap themselves but they picked two very good times to score and managed the game nicely around those goals. Assists from each of the fullbacks goes a long way. Hiroki Sakai’s low cross was turned in for an own goal after only eight minutes, while Logan Rogerson nonchalantly converted a lovely ball from De Vries on 74’ to seal the deal. Sakai’s was especially great because if you watch the wider replay he got clattered after feeding an inch-perfect pass up the line into the stride of Rogerson...
But then got back up without even a hint of complaint to burst forward in a completely untracked overlapping run which Guillermo May smartly picked out with his one-touch pass...
There actually wasn’t much going on in the middle when Sakai crossed that ball. Gillion had to check his run so he was out of the equation while Brimmer and May were both hunting cut-backs so Harry van der Saag had no sane reason to go bundling the ball into his own net with such a hesitant touch. The first ever Auckland FC goal was scored by an opponent. Jot that one down for the Book of Funky Facts.
Great to see the fullbacks supporting the wingers. Great to see the wingers given early ball with the directive to make things happen. Especially Gillion, since a lot of the play came down his side. He’s only a scholarship player but he’s a scholar with some fine pedigree thanks to his Ole Academy roots and especially his experience at Auckland City – where he was one of their absolute best players these past two seasons. Went to the Olympics too. He’s not the bolter that some would take him for... but there’s always an adjustment required at a new level. Gillion made some mistakes but he also did some awesome things. Count the involvements and that’s what matters. He’s going to be a very good player for this team.
Guillermo May’s a sneaky one up top. Huge pedigree having played in his native Uruguay and also a little bit in Spain with Depor Fabril then more recently in Argentina with Newell’s Old Boys. Lots of clubs for a 26-year-old but he does have a useful goal-scoring record. From the impressions of this first game, he’s not necessarily the striker you’d expect Auckland FC to have signed. He’s taller than he looks but he’s probably not going to be barging defenders and rising for headers. Looks much more like a guy who’ll drop into pockets and whip out a few slick touches under pressure, plus he’s already hinted at a penchant for the funky stuff.
May will probably need a few weeks to settle... but hopefully not much more than that because the pressure’s going to be on him to provide goals and assists since most of the other attackers are unknown quantities. Except for Jake Brimmer but he was probably the quietest AFC dude on the park in game one. Neyder Moreno will help out once he’s ready to rock. In the meantime, guys like Logan Rogerson and Liam Gillion can use this window of opportunity for their own benefits. So far so good.
Luis Felipe Gallegos was also quiet but he was quietly efficient, completing 40/43 passes and doing some fine defensive work. He and Louis Verstraete already seem like a proficient midfield pairing – Verstraete was the best player on the pitch in the first half just muscling dudes off the ball and flexing a touch like velcro on the half-turn. He and Gallegos absolutely dominated that midfield... at least until a bit of fatigue slowed them down. Verstraete was subbed on a yellow before the game was through which seems to be a clue in that direction. The imports were among the last to arrive for the Black Knights. Not necessarily at the same level of conditioning yet: in fact, Verstraete hadn’t played a competitive game since April.
It takes way more than one game to get an idea about a team but the initial signs were bright. Powerful in defence. Combative in the midfield. Lots of tackles and interceptions. Pace out wide. Fullbacks getting forward in support. A skilful link man at striker. That’s a formula that tends to go pretty well in the A-League.
24,492
What scenes, what glorious scenes, as a sellout crowd of a shade under 25k filled Mt Smart Stadium for this match. There’d been plenty of chat about what to expect, with supporters groups and chant sheets and marketing ploys and whatever else all flooding the landscape over recent weeks. Some of it kinda cringeworthy but all of it with good intentions. Ultimately it’s the matchday experience that dictates these things and that’s going to grow organically out of the passion of the supporters.
Happily, there was plenty of passion on display from a crowd that, numbers-wise, rivalled the brilliant crowds that the Warriors NRL team have been getting at this ground all year. The Warriors had a down year in 2024 and still sold out every single home game. Their magnificent run in 2023 arguably reignited kiwi sporting attendances in the post-covid era and hopefully there’s some morphic resonance in those beautiful blue seats that’ll allow this standard to remain throughout the season.
There was a lot of chat about where the crowd figure would rank compared to other A-League team home debuts (it was second to Sydney FC’s 25,208 in the end)... but those are historical numbers. They’re for the record books, not particularly relevant to the current A-League climate. Much more telling is the fact that this figure would have been the sixth highest attendance of last season, including finals – the highest of course being the Wellington Phoenix’s 33,297 for the home semi-final against Melbourne Victory. No ALM club even averaged 15k for home games in 2023-24. This was a massive sellout crown within the context of this competition... now the trick is to see how well they can maintain it going forward.
Funnily enough, this wasn’t even the biggest crowd of the round. Western Sydney Wanderers piled 27,496 into CommBank Stadium to see Juan Mata make his debut against Douglas Costa’s Sydney FC... with Mata getting half an hour off the bench and Costa playing most of the match as Sydney FC won 2-1. Actually, it may have been Bozhidar Kraev that they turned out to see. Either way, huge crowd. A few of the others in week one were pretty minimal though, which goes to show what Auckland FC can offer to this league right from the outset. The A-League needs a spark. The Wellington Phoenix didn’t get a great crowd for week one but they did heaps for the fan culture last season and the presence of AFC should only reinforce that. We could well see the two kiwi fanbases leading the way in this competition. How’s that for metrics?
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