Soccer: $1.6m at stake for NZ's best club sides

Auckland City coach Allan Jones says home advantage alone will not be enough to assure his side victory in the Oceania Club Championship which kicks off at North Harbour Stadium today.

With a US$1 million ($1.6 million) carrot being dangled in front of the eight teams, it promises to be an uncompromising tournament.

The days of being able to shrug off sides from the island nations as just making up the numbers have long gone as losses at international level can attest.

The technical ability and pace of the three Solomon Island players in the second New Zealand representatives, YoungHeart Manawatu, underline that.

Jones and in particular YoungHeart coach Colin Tuaa are happy that Alick Maemae, Benjamin Totori and veteran Commins Menapi are in the Manawatu-based team rather than the Solomon Islands representative Marist FC.

"The unpredictable factor has gone from the island teams," said Jones. "We know how good they will be and what to expect.

"Most teams for this year's tournament are basically the same but with a 40 to 50 per cent turnover in playing staff. You can assume from that the poorer players have been replaced by better ones."

Jones has bad memories from last year's attempt to win through to the Fifa World Club Championship.

Beaten by favourites and eventual winners Sydney FC in the tournament opener, Auckland City's hopes of making it past pool play were dashed in their next game when beaten 1-0 by Tahitian side AS Pirae.

Even playing away from home - Tahiti hosted last year's tournament - the Tahitians will be a threat.

AS Pirae have been in Auckland for some time and have enlisted players from New Caledonia, Samoa and Tonga to bolster their squad. They play City in what promises to be a crucial clash next Tuesday.

Auckland play Sobou FC, the Papua New Guinea champions for the past five seasons, in the late game tonight.

Sobou have three PNG internationals and Solomon Island representative Joel Konofilia in their side.

Vanuatu representative Tafea FC - perhaps YoungHeart Manawatu's strongest opponent in pool B - boast 12 current internationals in their 20-strong squad. Nokia Eagles United, from Fiji, have nine current internationals in their team.

"You can see from the strength of these teams it is not going to be easy," said Jones. "We have only four current All Whites."

But they also have the New Zealand Football Championship golden boot winner Keryn Jordan to lead the hunt for goals.

Roger Wilkinson will be an interested spectator at City's matches following his appointment as Jones' successor at Auckland City. Jones soon takes over as national women's coach for New Zealand Soccer.

Wilkinson, a former NZS director of coaching, beat Tuaa and Chris Milicich in the final vote for the job at the two-time NZFC champion club.

If City or Manawatu win the tournament and go on to Japan they will split the $1.6 million three ways between the NZFC, the club and the players.

* NZS boss Graham Seatter yesterday confirmed a fourth game for the All Whites on their upcoming European tour with a match against Hungary in Budapest on May 24.

FIRST ROUND OFC CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES (ALL AT NORTH HARBOUR STADIUM):

Today: Marist FC (Solomon Islands) v AS Pirae (Tahiti) 5pm; Auckland City (NZ) v Sobou FC (Papua New Guinea) 7.30pm.

Tomorrow: AS Magenta (New Caledonia) v Tafea FC (Vanuatu) 5pm; YoungHeart Manawatu v Nokia Eagles (Fiji) 7.30pm.