Below is a guide to who Auckland’s best players are, who their opponent is, who the Herald thinks will win and how you can get yourself to the ground with plenty of time to spare:
Who are Auckland FC?
Auckland’s third attempt at a professional football club after the Kingz (1999-2004) and New Zealand Knights (2004-07) - a 17-year wait for football fans in Tāmaki Makaurau.
They are majority owned by American businessman Bill Foley, who also has stakes in Premier League club Bournemouth AFC as well as Hibernian in Scotland and FC Lorient in France, with part ownership from former All Whites Noah Hickey, Tim Brown and Winston Reid as well as former All Black Ali Williams and his wife entrepreneur Anna Mowbray - while recently adding Kiwi NBA star Steven Adams to the group.
Auckland FC have secured two-time A-League winning coach Steve Corica who enjoyed success across the Tasman as both a coach and player of Sydney FC.
Tell me who the star players are
Captain Hiroki Sakai has one of the best resumes of any footballer to grace these shores. A right-sided defender with 74 caps for Japan and a career that has taken him to Germany’s top-flight Bundesliga and France’s Ligue 1 as well as the Europa League, has made him a household name in the Land of the Rising Sun and earned him the captain’s armband for Auckland’s debut season.
Australian Jake Brimmer is a signing that has somewhat surprisingly slipped under the radar. The 2021-22 recipient of the Johnny Warren Medal, which is awarded to the A-League Men’s best player, should tell you that this guy can play. Most comfortable in the middle of the park, Brimmer has a reputation for contributing with goals and has more than 150 A-League caps at just 24. He spent time in Liverpool’s youth system before signing his professional deal with Melbourne Victory.
How on earth Auckland found and signed Uruguayan Guillermo May is anyone’s guess, but they have. Described by Corica as a “technical, creative striker with great movement” May will shoulder a lot of the goalscoring workload for his new club.
He arrives in New Zealand after a dip in goals for his former club, Newell’s Old Boys, but has set the challenge for himself to win the A-League’s golden boot in his first season so you cannot doubt his mindset - one to keep tabs on as the season progresses.
Those players are all foreign, who are the talented Kiwis?
You either live in an area yet to receive internet access or are an avid football detractor (not sure why you’d be reading this if you are) if you haven’t heard of Alex Paulsen.
The Wellington Phoenix were hit with a goalkeeper crisis last season and Paulsen shot himself to fame from relative obscurity by contributing to the Nix conceding the fewest goals in the league and making their historic run to within one match of playing for silverware. His sensational transfer to AFC Bournemouth and even more sensational loan move to Phoenix rivals Auckland makes him the number one Kiwi to watch for more than one reason.
Cam Howieson has long been touted as one of New Zealand’s best domestic players and he has a chance now with his first professional contract to prove those calls right. He faces stiff competition in midfield with Brimmer and visa acquisitions Luis Felipe Gallegos and Louis Verstraete but don’t bet against him being a key player for Auckland FC.
Nineteen-cap All Whites defender Nando Pijnaker joined AFC from Sligo Rovers in the Irish Premier Division, bringing a load of European experience with him to the A-League newcomers.
The club reportedly had to fend off advances from other clubs to secure the central defender but in doing so added a key part of their backline and at just 25 he is entering the prime of his career.
And what about the Brisbane Roar? Are they any good?
Brisbane have 11 new signings ahead of this season so to say they’re a new look side would be a fair assessment (keep half an eye on 21-year-old Indonesian forward Rafael Struick).
Their coach Ruben Zadkovich made more than 160 professional appearances in both England and the A-League and has coached previously at the Perth Glory before taking the reins at Brisbane, this being his first full season in charge. There’s an interesting storyline in that Auckland FC’s Joey Champness is a former Roar man - so watch out for a bit of niggle there.
The Roar finished in ninth last year in the A-League Men but I wouldn’t go counting them out as a load of new signings and a fresh manager will give them a boost ahead of their first match.
Phoenix fans take their shirts off if winning with 10 minutes to go; what do Auckland FC fans do?
That remains to be seen, but if rumours are to be believed the Auckland FC supporters groups like The Port have a few ideas up their sleeves. Keep an eye on Bay 22 in Go Media Stadium’s South Stand and follow their lead.
