Auckland FC v Brisbane Roar preview (19 October 2024)

Auckland FC's A-League debut is almost upon us. I preview the match against the Roar, which players likely start, and analyse why Hiroki Sakai is the perfect captain for Auckland's first season.

The wait is almost over

Isn’t it all starting to feel incredibly real?

Auckland FC’s debut into the A-League on 19 October 2024 is now under a week away, and fans have every reason to be excited. Nick Becker, Terry McFlynn, Steve Corica, and the team have put together a squad that stands a strong chance of competing for Finals football.

Their first-ever competitive opponents are the Brisbane Roar, three-time winners of the competition looking to rebound after a disappointing ninth-place finish last season that saw them miss out on the Finals. Keep an eye out for their new attacking signing Rafael Struick from Dutch side ADO Den Haag; the young Indonesian scored a great goal over the international break for his national side. Brisbane’s talismanic Irishman Jay O’Shea will also pose a threat.

Predicted XI

The key question as Auckland FC approaches its A-League debut is which players start. With a large squad—set to expand further with the addition of Neyder Moreno—there are plenty of options. And with every player vying hard for the honour of starting in the club’s first-ever match, picking a starting XI is no easy exercise.

Speaking to Newstalk ZB’s Football Fever podcast, Steve Corica said he has a solid idea of his XI for the opening game. But without direct access to the manager’s thinking and scant evidence to go off from pre-season, predicting who makes the XI is tricky. So far, fans have only seen the team take the field in two friendly games against local opposition—where a lot of the squad was yet to be assembled—and a shoddy stream of the preseason game against Western United with extremely questionable camerawork. All other games have been behind closed doors.

A quick mention of the Niche Cache, who provided an excellent breakdown of Auckland’s initial pre-season games last month, including the lineups Corica fielded. But a lot has changed since then—including the announcement of three visa signings: Luis Felipe Gallegos, Guillermo May, and Louis Verstraete—so the question of who starts on Saturday is still very much up in the air.

This image shared by Auckland FC's social media accounts from their friendly match against the Malaysian national team could offer some clues:

From the photo, we can see that the starting lineup against Malaysia included Sakai, Woud, Hall, Gillion, Gallegos, May, Verstraete, Randall, Elliot, De Vries, and Brimmer. Notably absent were Paulsen, Smith, Pijnaker, Howieson, and Rogerson, all on international duty with the national team set to play Malaysia themselves on Monday.

With only one centre-back in the lineup (Hall) and three fullbacks (Sakai, Elliot, and De Vries), it’s likely that Sakai filled in at centre-back. At six feet tall and with bags of experience, there is no reason why the Japanese star couldn’t play there. Still, the expectation is that he will revert to his preferred position of right back when Pijnaker and Smith return from international duty. But Sakai’s versatility is sure to come in handy throughout the season. With only three out-and-out centre-backs in the squad, it is clearly the position in which Auckland lacks depth the most.

The rest of the lineup sorts itself out. Gallegos, Verstraete and Brimmer make up the midfield trio. While Howieson may push Brimmer for a starting spot—the latter of whom has seemingly brushed off the knock he picked up at Western United—there is no reason the three who started against Malaysia won’t be the same against the Roar.

Up top, May is flanked by Randall and Gillion. There is no Champness, who went off injured in Auckland FC’s first friendly game against Auckland United but has reportedly returned to training. Still, expect Randall to hold onto his starting spot on the left on the 19th. This world-class freekick is reason alone to keep him there.

On the right-wing, Liam Gillion had a strong pre-season, finding the back of the net multiple times, including against A-League opposition. But Logan Rogerson has also impressed during pre-season and has the advantage of boasting international and A-League experience. Anticipate Rogerson reclaiming his starting position once he returns from international duty. Some long-range pings from Pijnaker to Rogerson, like what we saw for the All White’s goal against the US last month, could be something Auckland FC fans can expect.

Michael Woud started against Malaysia, but it seems likely that Alex Paulsen—fresh off winning PFA Young Men’s Footballer of the Year for his stellar season with the Wellington Phoenix—will be the first choice between the sticks this season while on loan from Bournemouth. Frankly, given Paulsen is presumably only on loan for a season, was the best goalkeeper in the A-League last season, and made quite the splash when he joined, it would be surprising if he didn’t start every game.

That’s tough for Michael Woud—who joined Auckland hoping to revive his career —only to be supplanted as #1 before a ball has even been kicked. But he should remain patient; there’s every chance he can have a long and celebrated career as Auckland’s first-choice keeper from next season onwards.

Then there is the question of Neyder Moreno, which is surely the worst-kept secret in New Zealand football. Steve Corica has confirmed the Colombian’s signing, but the club is still waiting for his visa approval before officially announcing it. The early indication is that he primarily plays as either a right-winger or as a 10, meaning he’ll be vying for a starting spot with either Rogerson or Brimmer.

Even if his signing is finalised before the 19th, a week of training likely won’t be enough for Moreno to get fully up to speed. Therefore, expect both Brimmer and Rogerson to start. Auckland fans, however, will be hoping for at least a cameo appearance from the Colombian off the bench.

That said, a week is a long time in football, and a lot can change. All eyes will be on Steve Corica’s pre-match press conference. In the meantime, here’s Talking Black Knights’ best guess at how Auckland FC will line up against Brisbane.

Predicted XI v Brisbane Roar

The captaincy

Lingering questions remain about who will lead Auckland FC in their inaugural season, but all signs point to Hiroki Sakai as the likely captain. In the photo from the match against Malaysia, Sakai is seen wearing the armband, and A-League media are already reporting his selection. Additionally, it was Sakai standing opposite Phoenix captain Alex Rufer during Sky’s A-League season launch.

Sakai is the natural choice. He’s Auckland’s most experienced and accomplished player, having participated in three World Cups and playing in two of Europe’s top five leagues. If he can stay fit and avoid suspension, he should start every match.

However, there’s another contender: Tommy Smith, who missed the game against Malaysia while away with the All Whites but has captained the side on other pre-season outings. And with no official announcement yet, we can’t be 100% sure. However, considering that Alex Rufer was able to attend the Sky launch even while preparing to travel to Port Vila with the national team, it seems likely that the vice-captaincy is in store for Tommy Smith this season.

What may have hurt Smith’s chances is he is arguably not a guaranteed starter. In Hall and Pijnaker, Auckland have two very good centre-backs in their prime years. Hall has two A-League titles to his name, while Pijnaker seems to have edged ahead of Smith in the All Whites setup. Nonetheless, Smith provides valuable experience as a third-choice centre-back and will see significant playing time this season. He is a terrific pick as vice-captain, offering leadership to Auckland’s young squad.

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