KEY POINTS:
The A-League season is only six rounds old, and the Wellington Phoenix have barely had a chance to lift their wings above the ashes that represented Auckland's bid to run professional soccer teams.
But already, the new venture in the capital is shaping as a brilliant success by New Zealand standards.
Sunday's match, in which the Phoenix beat Perth Glory 4-1, was great entertainment. The skill levels of the Phoenix are way above what we saw in the final sad days of the Auckland-based side.
There is a fluency to the Phoenix game which is extremely promising, and they have created plenty of goal opportunities.
Phoenix coach Ricki Herbert appears to have recruited superbly both local players and previously unknown foreign imports.
Brazilians Felipe and Daniel are standing out, whereas the blokes who turned up in the Auckland sides looked more like accidental tourists.
And the Phoenix is being well supported. The 10,000 crowd for Sunday's match is decent by New Zealand standards, and the atmosphere created at the ground sounds terrific on television.
Actually, it sounds like an overseas football ground and a lot more enthusiastic than you get at many rugby matches in this land.
Most importantly, the Phoenix are scoring goals.
They are actually the A-League entertainers so far with the most goals for and against, not that Herbert will be pleased with the second part of that.
The Phoenix have been able to create a strong New Zealand identity through the make-up of the team, yet retain a club identity.
What I really like is seeing the Wellington name in the results column.
Yes, this is about Wellington, and I'm among many who despair when the league Warriors, who are a club team which should be identified with their city, are referred to as New Zealand.
Parochialism is a key part of building a club identity, and the national name should be saved for representative sides.
So, long may the football fireworks in the capital continue. For a new club in a very competitive league, it has been a very encouraging start.
At the risk of counting this rising bird as a success before it is fully hatched, top marks to Ricki Herbert, the Phoenix owners/management, and the city of Wellington.
