Tagged with: A-League
We’re three games into the new A-League Men’s season and both New Zealand teams remain undefeated. Auckland FC are a little higher up on the ladder, in as much as the standings are even worth bothering with this early on…
Auckland FC didn’t carry any baggage or trauma into their second leg semi-final against Melbourne Victory. They were home at Mt Smart Stadium with more than 29,000 fans packed in – their biggest crowd of the season.
This was supposed to be the year that the Wellington Phoenix Women made the finals. Actually, last year was supposed to be the year until they missed out by five points. So this year was definitely supposed to be the year. Except they didn’t even get close.
Clearly, this season was one challenge too much for the Wellington Phoenix. In hindsight, there’s no reason to think a team that lost half of its starting line-up, and then struggled with injuries on top of that, should have any hope whatsoever of reclaiming a semi-finals berth
For the third time out of three, Auckland FC emerged from the NZ Derby with three points... but this win was not like the others. This win was a dismantling
Auckland FC took a risk with how they put this squad together by banking on the quality of players in Aotearoa’s domestic stuff. They only used three local spots on Australians and one of them is currently injured while another has barely even played
Every year the aim has been finals footy for the Wellington Phoenix women. For the first couple years, that turned out to be an unrealistic target and they ended up with a couple of wooden spoons instead. But in year three the dream wasn’t so far-fetched
The last few weeks have been rough for the Wellington Phoenix blokes, beginning with the derby defeat away to Auckland FC. You don’t often need to pay attention to what the Aussie commentators say about the kiwi clubs but…
There was scrap, there was niggle, and there were flashes of high-quality A-League football for all to see. Nothing silly, just good competitive fun. The appetite was there and the meal has been served accordingly.
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.
It’s starting to become real. Auckland FC are signing players, they’re initiating league-wide rule changes, and they’ve even popped over to Australia for a few preseason games
It has been two months since the Wellington Phoenix men’s team ended their season with a semi-final exit against Melbourne Victory. It has been three-and-a-half months since the Wellington Phoenix women’s team wrapped up their campaign with a 2-0 win over Western Sydney Wanderers
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
There were mere seconds remaining when Sam Sutton lumped a hopeful ball forward. The allotted added-time had already been expended and it was up to the referee’s discretion how much longer this game would last.
Most people who’ve been following the Wellington Phoenix throughout this season, especially those who’ve watched the three previous meetings with Melbourne Victory this season, would have probably have predicted this nil-all draw ahead of time
It will be the Wellington Phoenix against the Melbourne Victory for a place in the 2024 A-League Men’s Grand Final. Sunday night at 6pm NZT is the first leg over in Melbourne.
It’s not so easy to compete on an uneven playing field. The Welly Nix Wahine’s lack of imports during their first two seasons (seasons in which they finished dead last both times) was a self-imposed issue, but it did leave them with a pretty significant limitation.
For the third consecutive game, the Wellington Phoenix were involved in some frantic stoppage time antics. Against Central Coast they conceded a 90+1st minute winner. Against Melbourne Victory they scored a 90+5th minute winner. Then against Newcastle Jets…
There was wind, there was rain, and there was the Wellington Phoenix. There were defensive blocks, there were more defensive blocks, there was a begrudging acceptance that a draw was probably a fair result on the basis of the game... and then there was Finn Surman
The Wellington Phoenix Wahine have been a team of constant progress and development since they joined the A-League, though perhaps it’s been slower progress and development than hoped for