It didn’t feel real until they started announcing players. In late May, a quartet of kiwi footballers were unveiled wearing Auckland FC gear and waving scarves around for the cameras. Since then there’s been a steady flow of further announcements, keeping a firm emphasis on kiwi players and especially those who’ve been hanging around in the Northern League. Suddenly we can see a squad emerging. Suddenly we can envisage a team, Aotearoa’s second A-League side, that will further expand the scope of professional footballers from this country... and not a moment too soon.

The announcements are going to keep on flowing and as they do this article will keep getting updated. After all there are plenty more players who’ve been rumoured, some even reported, as having already joined AFC. We’re just awaiting confirmation. What we’ve got here is a series of short profiles on the blokes who’ve signed for the self-proclaimed Black Knights so far. Dropping a little knowledge, offering a little perspective. Familiarising folks with the contracted talent.

Keep in mind that, while they don’t yet have an academy, there will be an Auckland FC team integrated into the Northern League next year in the same way that the Wellington Phoenix Reserves hold a protected place in the Central League. That’s going to make National League qualification friskier, with fourth place potentially no longer qualifying. It also means that three teams could potentially be relegated from the Northerns in 2024. Bottom two go down regardless. First place in the Championship comes up regardless. Auckland FC Reserves pick up the extra spot... then third-to-bottom in tier one plays off against second-place in tier two for another spot. Hence we’ve gotta keep in mind that when AFC are out here announcing scholarship signings, they’re filling out a reserves team for 2025 at the same time that they stack the shelves for the A-League in 2024-25.

Cam Howieson

Midfielder | Born in 1994 | NZ

Player tahi for Auckland FC. Long regarded as one of the premier talents on the domestic scene with his supreme passing skill, both as a deep-lying settler and as a more advanced midfield creator. Immense leadership credentials. Howeison’s won everything there is to win with Auckland City over the years and his quality’s clear from the fact that he’s basically the only amateur domestic lad who has been able to earn semi-consistent All Whites call-ups during this era of record kiwi professional numbers. Prior to this signing, his most recent cap was in 2022 against Australia in Danny Hay’s last tour in charge – Hay is of course an assistant with AFC. He’s since added to that at the Oceania Nations Cup. Early in his career he spent time in the UK and Scotland, first as a scholar with Burnley before making 15 apps for St Mirren in the Scottish second tier back in 2015-16. His lone goal for St Mirren came on debut against Rangers at Ibrox (when Rangers were working their way back up the Scottish divisions after financial dramas). All up he played 192 times for Auckland City scoring 42 goals. A fitting first name on the list.

Francis De Vries

Fullback/Central Defender | Born in 1994 | NZ

FDV is a Cantabrian who spent time in the USA college system before joining the Vancouver Whitecaps system. This was at the same time as Stefan Marinovic, Myer Bevan, and Deklan Wynne were all there. De Vries never played for the Vancouver first team but returned to log a pretty impressive National League season with Canterbury United. He then headed over to the Swedish lower leagues. Third tier with Nyköpings and third tier with IFK Värnamo (where he was paired with Joel Stevens). Then he got promoted. Then he got promoted again. Suddenly, from previously being a fringe professional, Francis De Vries was playing in the top division of Sweden as a starting left back (he’s also played CB and CDM in his time, and only really became a LB specialist with Värnamo). That got him into regular All Whites squads... until he busted his ACL and that was that. He’s been playing for Eastern Suburbs ever since. By his standards he was underwhelming during the 2023 National League but he should be able to scale up with AFC considering the level that he’s previously played at. Expect quality deliveries from the left edge and a bit of set piece prowess (though he’s got plenty of rivals for those dead balls in this squad).

Michael Woud

Goalkeeper | Born in 1999 | NZ

Although this feels like a reset move for Michael Woud, he is still only 25 which is relatively young for a goalkeeper. Woud’s career to date is a good example of how important it is for players to find a club that suits them. Before there was Alex Paulsen, there was Michael Woud dominating in youth grade World Cups and looking like one of our champion prospects, however his club career has yet to catch light as hoped. As a teenager he joined the Sunderland academy from his hometown in Auckland, then he swapped that for Dutch top division club Willem II where he was a regular in matchday squads and managed to make five appearances in the Eredivisie. So far so good at that stage. After which, Woud went on loan to second tier club Almere City, which soon became a permanent deal, and that was when things turned frisky. His first season was really good until the team collapsed in the final month. His second season awful as the team’s performances continued to crumble and a few mistakes crept into his own game.

So he made the unusual move to Japan with Kyoto Sanga... and that didn’t work out either. Hardly played. Fell down the depth chart. Struggled to make national team squads. He did somewhat salvage his Japanese stint last year whilst on loan with Ventforet Kofu, a second tier club that had won the national cup the previous season, thus Woud got to make four appearances in the Asian Champions League... including keeping a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw against Melbourne City. But that deal ran out and he was back in the wilderness. Thankfully he was able to negotiate an early release from Kyoto Sanga and it was pretty obvious from then on that this Auckland FC thing was on the cards. A lot of kiwi fans seem to remember him for an error-filled performance against Honduras at the Olympics in 2021 while overlooking how safe he was throughout the rest of the tourney. It wouldn’t be unfair to say that the occasional blunder does creep into his game from time to time, but he’s also a strong shot-stopper with a big left boot. A stable club situation could do wonders for him.

Jesse Randall

Winger/Forward | Born in 2002 | NZ

Randall was the only one of the initial quartet who wasn’t already a full international, though he soon took care of that when he made his All Whites debut against the Solomon Islands at the OFC Nations Cup a few weeks later. Randall is also strongly in contention to make the Olympic squad, having played a big role for the U23s through qualifying. His U20s wave got washed due to covid but he did attend the 2019 U17 World Cup alongside blokes like Marko Stamenic, Matthew Garbett, Alex Paulsen, and Ben Old.

Randall is originally from Wellington yet has bounced around a few senior clubs in his time, starting with intriguing National League spots with Tasman United and Hawke’s Bay United. He followed that with a season at Northern Kentucky University while kiwi Stu Riddle was in charge there – same uni that Alex Greive also went to. Randall scored 10 goals in 17 games there but left when Riddle left. Next came an excellent season with Wellington Olympic where he led the entire National League in assists (7 goals, 9 assists in 10 matches), earning a deal with Charleston Battery in the American USL. But he barely even got a chance there, only making five appearances totalling 111 minutes all season. Since then JR’s resumed his previous antics back at Wellington Olympic. This guy is a winger with lightning pace who can do a job on either side, though with a slight preference for the left. He’s very direct but has an unselfish bend. Decent finisher. Knows how to pick out an incisive pass, particularly with those square-balls and cut-backs from the wing.

Tommy Smith

Central Defender | Born in 1990 | NZ

Now 34 years old, it’s been a funky old journey for Tommy Smith. Born in England but partly raised in Aotearoa with dual-citizenship, he went to the U17 World Cup with England (alongside Danny Welbeck, Jason Steele, and Danny Rose) though didn’t play at that tournament. He then got recruited to the All Whites ahead of the 2010 World Cup where he played every minute and has gone to become the 19th man to earn 50 caps for Aotearoa. Had some wobbles there when he fell out with Anthony Hudson who questioned his commitment to playing for the All Whites... but bridges were built and he’s now considered one of the prime leaders in the national team squad. A reliable veteran presence, same as he’ll hopefully bring to Auckland FC.

Smithy’s club stuff is easily split into two sections. There’s the Ipswich days, working his way up the ranks from academy to valued first-teamer. He made 247 appearances for the Tractor Boys in the English Championship, the peak being the 2014-15 season when they made the promotion playoffs (losing to arch-rivals Norwich, though Smith did score a goal in the second leg). Then came the second section of his career, beginning when he followed Anthony Hudson to Colorado Rapids in the MLS where he played 60 times. When he finished up there he joined Sunderland on a short-term deal but never made an appearance for them. Colchester United followed in League Two (where he was club captain), then a stint with Milton-Keynes Dons, before joining Macarthur FC for half a season... a move that always felt like a precursor to Auckland FC as he acclimatised himself with the A-League. Age isn’t on his side but he’s tended to be a pretty durable dude throughout his career and he brings value to this team even if he’s not on the pitch. But you’d imagine he’s been signed as a first eleven chap.

Max Mata

Forward | Born 2000 | NZ (Loan)

When Max Mata went to the 2017 U17 World Cup he looked like the most talented dude of that kiwi generation. He was holding the ball up, he was creating chances, he was physically dominating. These days Liberato Cacace and Elijah Just have snuck head of him from that squad but he’s still become a regular All Whites international. The journey has been strange though. He moved from Onehunga Sports to join the Wellington Phoenix Academy in his teens before also playing a bit of National League with Eastern Suburbs. Then came a move to Switzerland with Grasshoppers where he only featured for their reserve team during a tumultuous time for the club, though while there he did go out on loan to Nõmme Kalju and scored 11 times in 20 matches, as well as playing against Celtic in a Champions League qualifier.

He left Europe to sign with American USL club Real Monarchs but struggled to find success there, stuck playing largely as a substitute. Thus he bailed on that after a year and joined Sligo Rovers in Ireland. That proved to be a wise move. After a decent first season, he evolved into one of the best strikers in the league in his second year and was up amongst the golden boot candidates when Shrewsbury Town (English League One) came calling. He got some decent opportunities with that lot to begin with, albeit admittedly without scoring enough goals, but then they changed their manager and he got iced out completely. Mata went back to Sligo Rovers on loan and scored some more goals. Then that loan expired and he was due to return to Shrewsbury Town until it was announced that he’d spend a year on loan with Auckland FC instead.

Mata still has two more years on his Shrewsbury Town contract so if he goes well in the A-League there’s every chance he might be able to leverage that into another shot with the Salop for that final year. Probably not under the managerial reign of Paul Hurst but managers don’t tend to last too long in football. Or maybe they’ve already cut their losses and are going to let him run down that contract in loan stints, who knows. Regardless, Mata’s got a lot in common with other AFC signings like Woud and De Vries who have tasted professional football but without settling on the right fit for their talents. In Mata’s case, he’s a profoundly good hold-up striker who wins heaps of headers and has an effective lay-off game too – meaning he gets a few assists to go with his goals. The goal contributions tend to come in bundles or not at all based on his previous club stints. At Sligo (25g/7a in 72 games) and Kajlu (11g/6a in 20 games) he was magnificent. At Shrewsbury (1g/1a in 26 games) and Real Monarchs (2g in 19 games) not so much. So the question is: which extreme will his Auckland FC stint lean towards?

Luis Toomey

Attacking Midfielder | Born in 2001 | NZ (Scholarship)

Formerly on the Wellington Phoenix Academy, Toomey got as close as making the bench for an A-League game one time but never played for the Welly Nix first team. He was unlucky there as he aged out of the U20s just as more blokes were beginning to get such opportunities. Toomey therefore left and spent some time banging in goals for P-Iirot a couple of divisions down in Finland, meaning he has already had some semi-professional experience. After that he returned to Aotearoa with Eastern Suburbs where he was magnificent in the last National League, at times almost single-handedly carrying that team’s attack with his dribbling ability, his powerful shooting, his set pieces, and his clever passing. AFC lists his hometown as Auckland but he was a junior in the Hawke’s Bay region (playing National League for Hawke’s Bay United prior to joining the WeeNix). LT is an attacking midfielder who can play out wide though is best through the middle as a number ten.

Liam Gillion

Winger/Forward | Born in 2002 | NZ (Scholarship)

There are a few Wellington Phoenix links with these signings - it’s a small country after all – but this is the most fun because Gillion’s brother Fergus currently has a scholarship deal with the Welly Nix and made his A-League debut in a round two win vs Perth Glory last season (one of two sub apps for him). Fergus is a midfielder but Liam (short for William) is a wicked winger, growing in fame for the way he slices inside defenders to threaten the goal. Formerly of the Ole Academy, he’s most recently spent a couple of years with Auckland City back in his hometown where he’s evolved into a crucial player for the Navy Blues. Had some injuries during the 2023 National League but they were always a better team with LG in the side and he’s been in scintillating domestic form during the Northern League this year. Was part of the NZ U23s in their Olympic qualifying last year. Has won the Oceania Champions League on three occasions and did the Northern League/Chatham Cup/National League treble with Auckland City two years ago (scoring in the grand final of the Nats). Got ninety in the latest Club World Cup excursion, where ACFC lost 3-0 to an Al-Ittihad side that included Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, and Fabinho. Oh yeah and not to be outdone, Liam and Fergus’ sister Emily is a futsal international for New Zealand and played National League as a loan player with Eastern Suburbs last year (whom she won the Kate Sheppard Cup with in 2019).

Finn McKenlay

Midfielder | Born in 2005 | NZ (Scholarship)

A sturdy central midfielder instantly recognisable by his orange hair, McKenlay was born in England but raised in Auckland where he came up with Onehunga Sports and East Coast Bays, then breaking into senior football with Birkenhead before joining Eastern Suburbs ahead of the 2023 National League. He’s therefore one of three players so far signed out of Eastern Subs, joining FDV and Toomey, and he’s also one of three players to have been signed out of Chris Greenacre’s OFC U19 Championship squad which was named about a week before the six scholarship deals were made public by AFC. The others being Adama Coulibaly and Oliver Middleton. Only played four National League games for the Lilywhites last year but has since established himself as a first eleven player (at age 18) in the Northern League. Very capable of providing a few goals from the midfield.

Adama Coulibaly

Defender/Midfielder | Born in 2005 | NZ (Scholarship)

Possibly the most obscure of the initial six scholarship signings, as Western Springs haven’t played National League these past couple of years. They’re on track to get there in 2024... but Coulibaly won’t be there because he’s moving on to bigger things. This guy is a genuine utility, probably best as a defensive midfielder, someone who can collect the ball and hold it through pressure or carry it forwards, but has also spent time as a centre-back or a more attacking midfielder. That tells you of a very sound technique. Coulibaly is a current U19s rep, who was also called up for the U23s last year for Olympic Qualifying. Didn’t play but given his age that’s another clue as to the talent of the bloke.

Oliver Middleton

Midfielder | Born in 2005 | NZ (Scholarship)

Another of the U19s crew, Middleton’s had a steady career coming up at Auckland United as a ball-playing midfielder. Not a big lad but he’s got great balance and control, plus a good sense of rhythm in his passing game. Middleton’s a slick operator. He made one U20s squad last year though understandably didn’t crack the actual U20 World Cup group given that he was a couple years younger than most other contenders. Despite that age he’s already had a couple of years worth of National League experience, including starting every single game for AUFC during the 2023 edition.

Jonty Bidois

Forward | Born in 2004 | NZ (Scholarship)

What do ya know, another brother. Jonty Bidois is the younger bro of Riley Bidois who made five A-League appearances for the Wellington Phoenix, though he’s been out of that system for a couple years now. Riley spent time in Australia before moving to Loudon United in the American second tier. Jonty, meanwhile, never joined the Nix. He stuck around with Tauranga City AFC where he scored copiously on their way to Northern League promotion last year, winning the golden boot with 22 goals. Did join Christchurch United on a short-term deal for the National League though didn’t get to do a whole lot there... but has been sharp as a tack since Tauranga City’s Northern League stuff began – tied for second top scorer in the Northerns (11 goals) at the time of his AFC announcement. Like his older bro, Jonty is fast and he’s a smooth finisher.

Daniel Hall

Central Defender | Born in 1999 | Fiji/Australia

The first non-kiwi signing for AFC arrived a few weeks after that scholarship boom with the unveiling of Dan Hall, a 25yo centre-back fresh off a treble-winning season with Central Coast Mariners (not to mention back to back A-League championships). Hall was born in Australia but has Fijian heritage and had previously expressed a desire to represent Fiji internationally... although that seems to have cooled since his A-League success began – probably keeping his options open. Hall made his ALM debut in 2021 after working through the CCM ranks and has been a reliable presence ever since, often alongside his fellow Melanesian mate Brian Kaltack.

Out of the two, Kaltack (who also had some rumoured AFC interest, given his Auckland City history) is definitely the more profound of the two. Hall was mostly a substitute throughout the Mariners’ finals run in 2022-23 and he began last season on the bench as well. That was before breaking into the starting eleven immediately after their horror four-game losing start... whereupon he proceeded to play every remaining minute in the ALM, including playoffs, whilst also doing the same for most of the AFC Cup. That means that in 37 games across all competitions last season (excluding the Aussie Cup, because who cares about the Aussie Cup?) Daniel Hall experienced just two defeats. Yes, two losses from 37 games (with 27 wins & 8 draws). No other player who got 1000+ minutes in the ALM last season averaged more points per game from their appearances (2.38).

Hall is a tall defender who is strong in his duels and decent enough in the air. He’s aggressive with his decision-making... and has also scored a goal in each of the past three seasons so he does bring a sneaky set piece threat alongside Tommy Smith. He’s unproven outside of that Mariners system so we’ll see how that translates. But he’s a very good player at this level who has earned the right to step out of the shadows of his more recognised Mariners (ex-)teammates.

Scott Galloway

Right Fullback | Born in 1995 | Australia

Fresh from a mutual termination of his Melbourne City contract, Scott Galloway brings all sorts of A-League experience to Auckland – including a season spent with the Wellington Phoenix back in 2017-18. AFC will be the sixth A-League club that the former Australian U20 and U23 representative will have played for, having bounced around between Melbourne Victory, Central Coast, Wellington, and Adelaide (although never his hometown Perth Glory) before settling in Melbourne City for the past five campaigns. During his time with City, he won three Premiers’ Plates and one Championship – famously scoring in the 2021 grand final.

Galloway’s predominantly a right back although in his time he has played on the left or further forward. Overall he’s got 221 ALM appearances to his name, including playoffs, however he only added 12 of those last season as he battled a calf injury. He probably wasn’t going to be a starter at City next season so it obviously came time for a change of scenery. Galloway’s never played outside the A-League but he did trial with Willem II for a bit back in 2017, about a year before his future AFC teammate Michael Woud turned up there. They didn’t cross paths in the Netherlands but they’re about to in Aotearoa.

Callan Elliot

Fullback/Winger | Born in 1999 | NZ

Here’s a familiar name. Callan Elliot was playing for the Wellington Phoenix as recently as the season before last, his breakthrough campaign in which he made 25 appearances with a goal and four assists from right fullback. But then it seems his contract negotiations got a little messy and he chose to walk away, only to end up without a club until joining Motherwell in Scotland eight months later. That was only a short-term gig until the end of their season and even before he left it was being reported in the Scottish press that he’d already agreed to join Auckland FC. So this one certainly did not come as a surprise.

Elliot’s had a curious career. Born in Scotland but raised in Nelson, he joined the Wellington Phoenix academy as a rugged 19-year-old winger yet found himself, around the same time, filling in as a fullback for the NZ U20s – including at the 2019 U20 World Cup where he was the right back in a fascinating back four of: Liberato Cacace, Nando Pijnaker, George Stanger, and Elliot himself. That was the squad that only lost on penalties to Colombia in the round of sixteen – possibly the strongest NZ U20 wave we’ve ever witnessed, and like most of them he followed that up two years later at the Tokyo Olympics (making three appearances including two starts).

Elliot made his A-League debut under Marko Rudan though it was under Ufuk Talay the following season that he began to show he belonged at that level, getting a run of games after the covid break while Tim Payne was suspended for the infamous golf-cart joyride. Except then he quickly left that level, joining Xanthi in Greece while Tony Popovich was coaching there. That situation didn’t last very long for Poppa which left Elliot stuck there until the end of the season, never making a single appearance for the first team. He then re-joined the Welly Nix and had one okay year and then one great year before the Motherwell stuff happened.

The stink thing is: Elliot never played for Motherwell either. He did make the bench for a few games but nothing more. For the second time in his career he’d spent a season in Europe without getting a first-team debut. His Auckland FC gig was announced about a week prior to his 25th birthday yet he’s only made 47 professional league appearances in his career. CE earned his first All Whites cap against China in March 2023, early in the Bazeley Era, but fell out of favour after he left the Nix so, like the next bloke that AFC signed, it’s been a long time since he last played a competitive game. More than a year in Elliot’s case. Although, unlike the next bloke, he has at least been training consistently at a high level during much of that time.

Joey Champness

Winger | Born in 1997 | NZ

Well now what do ya know? JOWIC is back! Returning to the city of his birth, to the nation that he represents, and to the sport that he represents it in. Champness may have been born in Auckland but he mostly grew up in Australia (he was five when his whanau moved over) and it was the Aussies whom he initially played for at U20 and U23 level. He began his pro career in the Brisbane Roar system but left to sign a scholarship deal with Newcastle Jets in order to get closer to first team football – though first he spent six months on loan with Académica de Coimbra in the Portuguese second tier (along with fellow Jets prospect Antonee Burke-Gilroy). That must have been a wicked experience because he returned with the Jets in 2017-18 with a hiss and a roar, scoring on debut against Central Coast and sparking all kinds of buzz with his speed, his footwork, and especially his stepovers.

His subsequent season was an injury-addled one but Champness returned to play a role off the bench in the grand final as Newcastle were beaten by Melbourne Victory in 2018 (Kosta Barbarouses scored the winning/only goal). Then he retired. Sort of. In August of 2019, at 22 years of age, Champness stepped away from footy in order to move to Los Angeles and chase a music career. He didn’t have a record contract, he didn’t have any major contacts. He was simply a man with a dream. He got as far as getting a single released through World Star Hip Hop but the coronavirus forced him back to Australia and he ended up back in the A-League for the 2022-21 season, where he promptly upset some folks by trying to join Brisbane despite having previously said he’d only return to Newcastle (and, more relevantly, still technically being under contract with Newcastle). That situation was resolved when the Jets agreed to loan him to the Roar.

It was after that season when he made the switch to Aotearoa with an eye on playing at the Olympic Games in 2021... which he did, making three appearances including one start. JOWIC (which is his rapping name, by the way – pronounced: Joey C) went on to make his senior All Whites debut against Bahrain in November 2021 and currently has eight caps to his name. He left the A-League after his Olympic experience to join Turkish top division club Giresunspor on a three-year contract but the tempo shifts in his career were not done yet. He only made 11 league appearances, all off the bench, for Giresunspor (scoring two goals) before leaving before his first season was over due to a dispute over unpaid wages. That drama made it all the way to the FIFA Disputes court where Champness won big time – getting awarded a payout of NZ$1.3million. Needless to say, it was a wee while before he found his way back into footballing activities. When he did, it was with Adanaspor in the Turkish second tier where he never really kicked on and then left early due to recurring injuries.

It’s been a hugely unique career and the bloke is still only 27 years old. With the dribbling skills that he possesses, he provides a directness that very few established kiwi attackers can match... but he’s just been so sporadic. He hasn’t played competitive football since November 2023, meaning he’s now had three separate gaps of at least nine months in his career. It would not be unfair to ponder whether his heart is entirely in this thing... therefore this Auckland FC deal is his opportunity to prove otherwise.

Jake Brimmer

Midfielder | Born in 1998 | Australia

On the same day that the Wellington Phoenix unveiled Marco Rojas, Auckland FC announced that they’d signed Jake Brimmer. A Johnny Warren Medalist for each of the kiwi franchises, that seems fair enough. Brimmer won his in 2022 and he’s still only 26 years of ago so this is about as big of a local signing as they could possibly muster. They were actually going to unveil him a week earlier, along with the previous bunch of players, but Brimmer got sick so they pressed pause on that and things worked out for the best thanks to that Rojas x Brimmer alignment (the two having been teammates at Melbourne Victory for a wee while).

Brimmer was born in Melbourne, where he lived through one of those dream circumstances by being scouted from local junior footy by none other than Liverpool, where he would subsequently spend three years of his late-teens. He got a small amount of reserve team footy there but by the time he was 19 he was back in Australia playing for Perth Glory, where he would win the ALM Premiership in 2018-19 (though they lost on penalties to Sydney FC in the final). JB then moved back to Victoria to play for Melbourne Victory and it was there that he truly began to shine. The Victory finished 12th in 2020-21 but Brimmer started 25 games with five goals and five assist. The following season he went slightly better with five goals and six assists for a second-placed Victory side – this was his Johnny Warren campaign.

Unfortunately a knee injury in 2023 left him on the sidelines for eight months and he wasn’t quite himself throughout last season. Didn’t score a goal in 29 appearances (11 of those as a substitute) and didn’t start either leg of the semi-finals against Wellington Phoenix or the grand final against Central Coast, although he did get at least half an hour off the bench in each of them. That was JB’s second grand final following that Perth one, by the way. Only Scott Galloway has more ALM appearances in this Auckland FC squad than Brimmer (at the time of his signing).

This bloke’s looking for a fresh start to regain his peak form and they don’t come any fresher than this. By his own admission, he’s best suited as a number ten, operating between the lines and making things happen via his own boot. He’s a relatively small fella at 5’7 but he’s got plenty of range on his passing and a shot that can threaten from distance. Lots of his goals have come from penalties and free kicks so the set piece stuff is a speciality. He’s played at both U17 and U20 level for Australia though not at senior level. Certainly still has the potential to do so, plus he could also use a strong season in Auckland to launch himself into an opportunity overseas. Plenty of motivation here.

Hiroki Sakai

Fullback | Born 1990 | Japan

Here he is, finally. It had been rumoured for weeks upon weeks but the 34-year-old Japanese fullback has now been unveiled as AFC’s first visa player. And what a get this was. Sakai has been to three World Cups and two Olympics and played several seasons at both Hannover 96 (German Bundesliga) and Olympique de Marseille (French Ligue 1) – winning OM’s player of the season gong in 2018–19. He was an unused sub in the 2018 Europa League final which OM lost 3-0 to Atletico Madrid. Since 2021 he’s been back in Japan with Urawa Red Diamonds where he won the AFC Champions League in 2022 and was awarded the tournament MVP award after his dominant defensive efforts combined with a few assists.

Naturally, a bloke with that kind of resume is also going to be hugely experienced at the international level. Sure enough he’s got 75 caps for Japan, the most recent coming at the 2022 World Cup in a knockout defeat vs Croatia. Sakai was also one of the three overage players picked for Japan’s home Olympic campaign in 2021, alongside Maya Yoshida and Wataru Endo – although he didn’t play in the penalty shootout win against New Zealand due to yellow card suspension. Michael Woud did though, putting in a performance that helped get him signed to a Japanese club soon afterwards.

Hiroki Sakai has the potential to be one of the better imports in the league assuming hasn’t lost anything in his legs. Not sure if he speaks English... Woudy might be able to help out there. Either way, Sakai’s obviously a bright bloke because he’s also a published author. By trade the bloke is a right-back, although he might not play there for AFC since they already have Callan Elliot and Scott Galloway in that position. It was notable to see Steve Corica make a point of talking about his versatility in the press release, hyping up Sakai’s ability to play anywhere in the backline. He’s certainly shown that before in his career but right-back has overwhelmingly been his main position. He’s tall enough to be a centre-back though, and with the technique to do a job on the left (although Elliot and Galloway can also play left-back). We’ll soon see what Corica’s got in mind.

Joseph Knowles

Goalkeeper | Born in 2004 | NZ

One thing that The Black Knights have done well from day one is sourcing the local scene for top young kiwi talents. Here’s another. Joe Knowles started a Chatham Cup final with Eastern Suburbs a couple of months before his 18th birthday which is already pretty amazing. He’s still only 19 and is in his third year as a Northern League starter, doing so for a Suburbs team that has consistently been one of the best defensive units in the division while he’s been there – particularly during 2023 when they went undefeated through the winter season (finishing second behind the also-undefeated Auckland City) with Knowles keeping 10 clean sheets from his 19 matches and conceding only 15 goals. He’s also had two National League campaigns already: one on loan with Miramar Rangers, the other with Eastern Suburbs.

Knowles joined St George City in the Aussie NPL at the start of the year though was carrying an injury and soon ended up back at Eastern Suburbs and has picked up where he left off. Knowles played for NZ in qualifying for the last U20 World Cup but didn’t make the cut for the actual tournament (on account of Kees Sims, Henry Gray, and Alby Kelly-Heald... no shame there), plus he was also involved in the Olympic qualifying squad last year. Knowles is one of a bunch of trialists who’ve popped up at AFC training lately – word is he beat out Oscar Mason (Western Springs) and Freddie Martin (ex-Takapuna) for this contract. There were probably others too. It’s not immediately clear if Knowles has signed a scholarship deal or if he’ll be the main backup to Michael Woud. S’pose we’ll find that out if/when they sign another goalie.

Logan Rogerson

Winger | Born in 1998 | NZ

Here’s a well-known name. Rogerson first emerged with the short-lived Wanderers SC team in the National League (established to prepare players for the U20 World Cup that Aotearoa hosted in 2015 – though Rog’s U17WC opportunity came two years later in 2017... as a teammate of Michael Woud), before joining the Wellington Phoenix Academy. For a while there he was one of the WeeNix’s top attacking talents, earning a first-team contract and going on to make 11 A-League appearances for the club scoring two goals. He also had quite a bit of success with the reserves team... though this was a wonky period in Nix history so when contract negotiations stalled he chose to leave and sign with Carl Zeiss Jena in the German third tier, the first exotic journey in what was to become a nomadic career.

Rogerson struggled for game-time in Germany and suffered a long-term injury, leading him to return home to play for Auckland City where he thoroughly reinvigorated his career via two seasons of general excellence. That led to a move to Finland, joining perennial Veikkausliiga contenders HJK in 2021. He only ever played for their reserve team, however a loan move to FC Haka proved to be a wise decision. That loan would become a permanent transfer and he went on to make 52 league apps for the club, scoring 7 goals with 11 assists – mostly as a speedy right-winger. He even scored a goal in Europa League qualifying against Crusaders of Malta. When Haka didn’t retain him at the start of 2024, he left for FC Noah in the Armenian league. Only got six games for them. Now he’s at Auckland FC.

New Zealand. Germany. New Zealand. Finland. Armenia. New Zealand. It’s been a journey. Rogerson’s game is built around his insane speed; he’s a lightning dribbler who makes clever runs and, especially for Auckland City and FC Haka, he tends to create plenty of goals from those actions. His finishing isn’t on the same level but he makes things happen, that’s what counts. Rogerson has played at U17, U20, and U23 level for New Zealand and has nine caps for the All Whites. None since Darren Bazeley became the head coach though – interesting that both he and Champness will be teammates to try and revive their international stocks as speedy direct wingers.

Alex Paulsen

Goalkeeper | Born in 2002 | NZ (Loan)

The deal that brokered a rule change. Back when Alex Paulsen’s services were bought by Bournemouth, there was a little thing called the Caceras Rule designed specifically to stop foreign parent clubs buying and loaning A-League players (named after Anthony Caceras and inspired by Melbourne City’s former antics). But then, in early July, the A-League announced that they were considering removing the rule and within hours Alex Paulsen had been announced as an Auckland FC player. Took awhile for that amendment to become official but it was only ever a matter of time. The Wellington Phoenix supported the change, by the way, and while they might be a bit miffed seeing their academy product pop up at a new rival... they did also make enough money from the deal to probably fund the entire football operation for next season on its own so they’ve been generously recompensed.

The question is whether this was always the plan between Bournemouth and Auckland FC. It feels like a sideways move for Paulsen, though to be fair his big money transfer did also come very early in the picture with only one season under his belt as a number one senior goalkeeper. The pathway was there for Bourney to try and integrate him into their preseason or maybe send him out on loan somewhere in the United Kingdom where he could begin getting accustomed. Perhaps they tried and simply couldn’t find a better option than this. Perhaps they only ever intended to send him to Auckland. Regardless, they spent multiple millions of dollars on him and gave the bloke a four-year contract so it stands to reason that he remains a valuable prospect for the Cherries (whose goalkeeping situation is even murkier now after they loaned out Neto and loaned in Kepa Arrizabalaga – it’s all very impermanent at the moment).

In the meantime, the reigning ALM Goalie of the Season will get the opportunity to try and win the title again. He’ll also be hoping to solidify his place in All Whites squads, having earned his first cap against the Solomon Islands back in June. But while his breakthrough season with the Nix may have seemed like it came out of the blue, AP’s been an elite prospect all the way through the age grades. Could tell ya more about that but there’s already an article on his career to date that you can read instead.

Nando Pijnaker

Central Defender | Born in 1999 | NZ

Another current All White for the cause... and a pretty established one too. But then we should have known this was coming from the moment that Max Mata joined. See, those two have basically been tethered throughout their careers. Mata is from Auckland and spent time in the Wellington Phoenix Academy. Pijnaker is from Ngongotaha and was an Ole Academy fella (part of the Eastern Suburbs group that won the 2019 National League). Those may have been contrasting beginnings but they went to the same U20 World Cup in 2019, a squad that also included Michael Woud and Callan Elliot, and they’ve been bumping into each other ever since.

Mata was already at GC Zurich in Switzerland when that U20 WC happened. Pijnaker would join him there soon afterwards, even managing a sneaky first team debut which is something Mata never achieved. Grasshoppers were in a rough state after relegation so Mata left for America while Pijanker joined Rio Ave in Portugal. Nando couldn’t repeat the dose there, unable to go further than the U23 team, and he also had a disappointing loan out at FC Helsingor where he only made one substitute appearance. However, by this time he was a capped senior international – debuting against Lithuania in 2019... in the same game as Max Mata, of course.

Fortunes changed when Nando joined Sligo Rovers in Ireland, initially on loan but it would become a permanent move. There he linked up with Max Mata once again and the pair quickly evolved into excellent League of Ireland performers. Pijnaker’s 85 total appearances for Sligo Rovers over the past two-and-a-half years include a small handful of Europa Conference League qualifiers. On the international side of things, Pijnaker started all four games at the 2021 Olympics and also started the intercontinental World Cup qualifying playoff against Costa Rica in 2022 as part of his 19 senior caps (and counting).

Now he’s been bought by Auckland FC where he’ll team up with Mata at a third different club in a third different country. Pijnaker only had three months left on his Sligo contract so the transfer fee won’t have been much, but it’s still significant that AFC stumped up cash for him. To be honest, a progressive transfer was long overdue for the big left-footer, and this probably does count as that (even if it’s not as much of a jump as some might have hoped). With his size and his passing range he’s got the tools to be one of the better defenders in the Australian league. A statement signing from AFC.

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