Auckland FC have reached the halfway point of their inaugural A-League men’s football season. Jason Pine delivers the side’s mid-term report card.
Defence
Statistically the best in the competition; only 11 goals conceded in 14 matches, with eight clean sheets. Auckland FC’s rearguard is built on the physicality and consistencyof its defenders, with Nando Pijnaker at the heart and Alex Paulsen behind him having played every minute of the campaign.
Captain Hiroki Sakai is a class act and Francis de Vries has claims to be the best left-back in the league. Even the loss of key centre-back Dan Hall to a broken ankle and Sakai to concussion hasn’t caused any issues with Callan Elliot and Tommy Smith stepping in seamlessly. The only blip came in the 4-0 home loss to Western United shortly before Christmas that is looking increasingly like an absolute aberration.
Auckland FC captain Hiroki Sakai competes with the Wanderers' Zachary Sapsford. Photo / Getty Images
Midfield
Two of the side’s imports, Belgian Louis Verstraete and Chilean Felipe Gallegos, have formed the bedrock of Auckland’s engine room with Australian Jake Brimmer used most often in combination with them to form an effective midfield trio. Much of Gallegos’ work goes unnoticed as he transitions between defensive and attacking responsibilities as required, while Verstraete is quite simply one of the best players in the entire competition. His ability to shield his back four from would-be attacks, but also to provide forward momentum with a wide range of passing, has been integral to Auckland’s success.
Grade: A-
Attack
This is the one area where coach Steve Corica hasn’t settled on his best combination. While impressive Uruguayan Guillermo May has started every game, his supporting cast have taken many different forms with wide players Logan Rogerson, Liam Gillion, Jesse Randall and Neyder Moreno interchanging between starting and impact roles. Corica has even tried a change of formation in recent weeks with Max Mata joining May in a two-pronged attack, while Australian Marlee Francois has been brought in to add another option.
Defence wins championships, but goals, too, are important, and six of the seven sides below them have scored more than the Black Knights. A work-on.
Guillermo May celebrates scoring the only goal against Macarthur. Photo / Photosport
Coaching
Some doubted the appointment of Corica as the club’s maidenhead coach, but the former Sydney FC player and mentor has proved to be an inspired choice, his tactics and selections hard to fault. His celebrations after late goals in the last two matches were perfect evidence of how much his new club means to him.
Alongside him in the dugout, assistant Danny Hay and goalkeeping coach Jonathan Gould have fulfilled their briefs beautifully, forming a brains trust that combines hard-nosed experience with a willingness to be inventive where required.
Grade: A-
Auckland FC head coach Steve Corica gets the message across to his players. Photo / Getty Images
Key staff
Director of football Terry McFlynn has used his knowledge of the A-League to great effect, recruiting shrewdly from home and abroad. It’s rare to get all your imports right in the A-League, but McFlynn has managed it superbly and has now turned his attention to assembling the women’s side for next season.
Chief executive Nick Becker presents a consistently positive image to the media, sponsors and fans and is clearly open to innovation in the running of his club. Behind the scenes, the marketing and media teams have quickly grasped the requirements of their positions.
Grade A-
Depth
Corica has relied on a solid core of a dozen players who have contributed the vast majority of minutes in the first three months of the season with nine featuring in either 13 or all 14 matches. Though 23 players have seen game time, question marks remain about whether those with little A-League experience could step up to play more often if required.
For a group of men unfamiliar with one another to have so quickly forged the culture they have is rare. Team unity often takes several months to build, but Auckland FC’s players already seem willing to go the extra mile for one another and find something extra-deep in games when legs are aching, but points are still on offer. The best demonstration is the late goals they’ve scored – nine after the 80-minute mark and five in added time at the end of matches to secure important results.
Grade: A-
Supporters
Simply unbelievable. No home game at GoMedia Stadium has been played in front of fewer than 13,000 spectators, with two sellouts already and more looming. The Port have quickly become the best active support in the competition, but the Black Knights have also attracted a wide range of spectators, from families to fans who have waited patiently for professional football to return to their region and are now turning up in droves.
Grade: A+
Standout player
Louis Verstraete. Everything this team does revolves in a 360-degree radius around the man in the No 6 jersey. Verstraete has been magnificent upon his first professional foray outside Europe and does countless valuable things for his new side. Auckland’s defensive record owes much to his ability to break up would-be threats before they become dangerous, while his ability to transition his side from defence into attack with incisive passing and ever-present composure has been fundamental to their success. He also has an engine that allows him to continue to drive his team forward or keep them watertight defensively late in matches. When Corica writes down his 11, Verstraete is probably the first name on the sheet.
Auckland FC's Louis Verstraete has impressed this season. Photo / Photosport
Where to now?
No new arrival has ever won the A-League in two decades of the competition’s existence, with Western Sydney Wanderers coming closest when they finished top of the 2012-13 regular-season table before losing the grand final. Auckland FC have every chance of creating history; they already have eight more points than minor premiers Central Coast had at the same stage of last season and have created a home fortress while picking up points regularly on the road. Crucially, they stand up in big moments. If injuries are minimised and focus remains firm, the Black Knights could achieve something truly special over the next few months.
