Soccer: City win warm up match

Luis Corrales of Auckland. Photo / Getty Images

Auckland City will head into the Club World Cup on the back of a morale-boosting win after they beat professional outfit Ryutsu Keizai University 2-1 at Saitama Stadium in Tokyo early this morning.

A tidy finish by Luis Corrales on 27 minutes and a second by Adam McGeorge seven minutes later gave Auckland City a comfortable 2-0 halftime lead in chilly conditions.

Auckland survived a tense finish when Ryutsu substitute Jyosyua scored from what appeared to be an offside position just before the hour mark.

The visitors then missed the chance to restore their two goal cushion after Daniel Koprivcic smashed a penalty against the Ryutsu Keizai upright with 10 minutes left.

"The result is not important but the performance was and we got some answers out of the game and that's what we were looking for," coach Ramon Tribulietx said. "Everyone showed they can compete at this level and that we can take this forward to December 8."

Auckland will meet the as-yet unknown J-League champions for a place in the main draw.

After a good first half performance against Ryutsu Keizai University, Tribulietx made good on his promise to give his fringe players game time making a full range of substitutions.

One player who stood out was McGeorge, whose constant pressure on the Ryutsu defence helped create several scoring opportunities.

"It was an eye-opener to what we are going to play in the Club World Cup. It was definitely a step up in speed of the players and the ball and we took time to adapt to it but I thought we coped well," McGeorge said.

Captain Ivan Vicelich started the match and turned in a typically assured performance at the back.

"With some teams you expect a bad touch every now and then, but it just never came [from Ryutsu] tonight," Vicelich said.

The 2-1 win is the second time Auckland City have beaten a professional outfit in a friendly match this season - a list that includes A-League side Central Coast Mariners.

Auckland City leave Tokyo today for its team base camp in Nagoya where they will play their Club World Cup playoff with the J-League winners.

To prepare, Tribulietx and director of football Aaron McFarland will go to games featuring two of the three possible J-League title contenders.

McFarland treks north to watch second-placed Nagoya play Niigata, while Tribulietx will go to the match between relegation-threatened Urawa Red Diamonds and title favourites Kashiwa Reysol.

"It's always good to watch teams live because you see things you miss if you watch the game on television," Tribulietx said. "But you never know, I might be watching the wrong game."

The other match features Gamba Osaka and Tribulietx doesn't have a preferred opponent.

"The three teams are similar to each other but overall it will be tough no matter who we face, so we'll just get on with the job," he said.

Former Japan international Teruo Iwamoto, who played for Auckland City at the 2006 Club World Cup as well as a handful of NZFC games, believes Auckland can advance to the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup.

"I don't know the Auckland City of this year, but everyone knows that New Zealand football has improved since then and the club is now run very professionally for an amateur team," said Iwamoto, who played nine times for Japan as well as nearly 300 games in the J-League.

"Who knows what can happen in football? I hope Auckland City win. I think it is a possibility."