Chris Macpherson 
Auckland FC 2024/25 A-League season preview. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ Photosport New Zealand, supplied by APL. Design: Round Ball Australia
The new kids on the block in the A-Leagues will be aiming to hit the ground running in a similar vein to their sports stablemates under the Foley Entertainment Group – the Vegas Golden Knights.
Auckland are aiming high and intriguingly have endeavoured to set themselves as the powerhouse of New Zealand football before they kicked a single football.
Everything that Auckland has done since their inception has been done with what appears to be forethought for maximum impact, from their branding and electric blue primary kit, through to the signing that had everyone talking transfer rules with Alex Paulsen.
Auckland’s management have clearly set the bar high and are aiming for finals in their first campaign, and a view to quickly establishing themselves as big brother in the “Kiwi Clasico” when they go head to head in the A-Leagues newest derby.
The Manager: Steve Corica
An established manager who had driven a lot of success as the man at the helm of Sydney FC, Corica was fresh in the unemployed manager’s queue when Bill Foley and co came calling.
Corica will have a task ahead of him as he works across the ditch to establish his style onto a blank canvas, with the assistance of former Sydney FC club mate and now Auckland head of football Terry McFlynn.
It will be interesting to see whether given the cattle at his disposal, Corica deploys the compact defence with the ability to counter attack that brought him success in his earlier years at the helm of Sydney FC.
Or could we see him reinvent his side leaning into his visa player’s strengths and the shape of his squad rather than imprint his way of doing business. Only time will tell.
The Squad
Speaking of a blank canvas, putting together a squad and everything that comes with it in less than 12 months is never an easy accomplishment. Corica, McFlynn and the management have put together a squad on paper that shows reason for optimism.
The headline act is the club’s inaugural captain in Hiroki Sakai, a Japanese international who has plied his trade at the Olympics and World Cup for his country as well as having rolled out his trademark defensive prowess in club football in Japan, Germany and France.
Sakai will likely be joined in defence by co-captain Tommy Smith who is a New Zealand national but has played for over a decade in the UK as well as spending time in the MLS before a stint with Macarthur on a short term contract last year.
Alongside the leaders in defence will be A-League journeyman Scott Galloway. With 221 games of A-Leagues experience across 5 clubs he will form a dangerous component of the Black Knights defence which is certainly replete in experience. Expect Galloway, Sakai, and Smith to be complemented by former Central Coast defender and Fijian national Dan Hall.
The makeup of the likely midfield four and attacking duo has a few more questions than the defensive unit, however expect a mix of the visa players in midfield with Louis Vestraete (Belgium) and Felipe Gallegos (Chile) expected to feature early, potentially alongside the likes of Jake Brimmer.
Up front it will potentially be a shoot out between New Zealand national Max Mata who is on loan from EFL League 1 side Shrewsbury, South American marquees Neyder Moreno (Colombia) and Guillermo May (Uruguay), as well as former Brisbane Roar and Newcastle Jets striker (and who can forget R&B artist) Joey Champness.
The biggest talking point of the Auckland squad will be the man between the sticks, former Wellington Phoenix shot stopper Alex Paulsen.
He was part of a transfer rule change saga in the off-season which saw him head from Wellington to Auckland via a transfer to Auckland’s sister club AFC Bournemouth and then a subsequent loan to Auckland.
They have the talent in the starting eleven if they can gel and their visa signings hit the ground running to be a contender for finals football.
The Off Field: A new era and the leagues newest rivalry
There will be a lot of firsts this year and many will feature the electric blue of Auckland.
There will be three editions of the Kiwi Clasico this season. Three chances to set the tone for of who is the premiere club in the land of the long white cloud.
There will be a new distance derby versus Perth, and new clashes and dynamics that emerge as Auckland embark on their first campaign.
The story lines will write themselves. Sides will not want to be the first victim, the first side to lose to Auckland at home, or any of the other firsts the Black Knights will look to claim in season one.
It will be a watch and wait to see if they can meet their own and their fans lofty expectations in their inaugural season.
Being part of a multi-club ownership structure which is lead by a Premier League outfit in AFC Bournemouth, there is backing, a clear strategy to engage with the Auckland community and resources to lean on all in the lens of a desire to perform.
Wellington set the bar high last season for what we are now expecting of New Zealand teams in the league. Auckland’s entrance and high goal setting from with in only adds to that.
The newest kids on the A-Leagues block will not die wondering and would love nothing more than to be the ones who wield the sword of elimination in the finals or finals race for their nearest neighbours.
Expectations
The bar has been set for recent expansion clubs with both Western United (5th) and Macarthur (6th) having made the finals in their first seasons. Auckland’s ownership and management have clearly been ambitious and will undoubtedly be hoping they can emulate the prior expansion sides with a finals berth in season one.
The challenge for Auckland is a mix of a new squad coming together, essentially unknown quantities in their overseas signings, and trying to tap into a new market in New Zealand’s largest city. A lot will fall to their known quantities, especially Sakai and Brimmer.
The glass half full optimists will present these challenges as opportunity, a new wave of fans, a new era of potential A-League stars and cult heroes all steered by a man in Corica who knows what Championship success looks like.
It would be the ultimate of fairy-tales if they could make a deep run, however realistically not finishing in the bottom five would be a success. With the experience in their backline, should they get some delivery from their imports, finals isn’t out of the question.
All in all, put together the know how of launching a franchise from the Foley Entertainment Group, Corica’s championship winning experience and a squad that on paper certainly presents some potential and Auckland should land either side of the finals cut off, with an optimistic view of continuing the run of expansion sides qualifying for finals and finish 6th.