There have been 583 days since it was announced that Auckland would once again have an A-League club.
Club name, crest, kit, players, owners and coaching staff have been significant milestones to date but none are more important than Auckland FC’s first match.
Fans have a chance to get on the bandwagon nice and early before all the seats at the front are gone and can do so by heading along to Go Media Stadium, Mt Smart on Saturday (at the time of writing there were fewer than 4000 tickets remaining so don’t be that person, head to Ticketmaster and get amongst history).
Below is a guide to who Auckland’s best players are, who their opponent is, who the Herald thinks will win and how you can get yourself to the ground with plenty of time to spare:
Auckland’s third attempt at a professional football club after the Kingz (1999-2004) and New Zealand Knights (2004-07) - a 17-year wait for football fans in Tāmaki Makaurau.
They are majority owned by American businessman Bill Foley, who also has stakes in Premier League club Bournemouth AFC as well as Hibernian in Scotland and FC Lorient in France, with part ownership from former All Whites Noah Hickey, Tim Brown and Winston Reid as well as former All Black Ali Williams and his wife entrepreneur Anna Mowbray - while recently adding Kiwi NBA star Steven Adams to the group.
Auckland FC have secured two-time A-League winning coach Steve Corica who enjoyed success across the Tasman as both a coach and player of Sydney FC.
Captain Hiroki Sakai has one of the best resumes of any footballer to grace these shores. A right-sided defender with 74 caps for Japan and a career that has taken him to Germany’s top-flight Bundesliga and France’s Ligue 1 as well as the Europa League, has made him a household name in the Land of the Rising Sun and earned him the captain’s armband for Auckland’s debut season.
Australian Jake Brimmer is a signing that has somewhat surprisingly slipped under the radar. The 2021-22 recipient of the Johnny Warren Medal, which is awarded to the A-League Men’s best player, should tell you that this guy can play. Most comfortable in the middle of the park, Brimmer has a reputation for contributing with goals and has more than 150 A-League caps at just 24. He spent time in Liverpool’s youth system before signing his professional deal with Melbourne Victory.
How on earth Auckland found and signed Uruguayan Guillermo May is anyone’s guess, but they have. Described by Corica as a “technical, creative striker with great movement” May will shoulder a lot of the goalscoring workload for his new club.
He arrives in New Zealand after a dip in goals for his former club, Newell’s Old Boys, but has set the challenge for himself to win the A-League’s golden boot in his first season so you cannot doubt his mindset - one to keep tabs on as the season progresses.
You either live in an area yet to receive internet access or are an avid football detractor (not sure why you’d be reading this if you are) if you haven’t heard of Alex Paulsen.
The Wellington Phoenix were hit with a goalkeeper crisis last season and Paulsen shot himself to fame from relative obscurity by contributing to the Nix conceding the fewest goals in the league and making their historic run to within one match of playing for silverware. His sensational transfer to AFC Bournemouth and even more sensational loan move to Phoenix rivals Auckland makes him the number one Kiwi to watch for more than one reason.
Cam Howieson has long been touted as one of New Zealand’s best domestic players and he has a chance now with his first professional contract to prove those calls right. He faces stiff competition in midfield with Brimmer and visa acquisitions Luis Felipe Gallegos and Louis Verstraete but don’t bet against him being a key player for Auckland FC.
Nineteen-cap All Whites defender Nando Pijnaker joined AFC from Sligo Rovers in the Irish Premier Division, bringing a load of European experience with him to the A-League newcomers.
The club reportedly had to fend off advances from other clubs to secure the central defender but in doing so added a key part of their backline and at just 25 he is entering the prime of his career.
Brisbane have 11 new signings ahead of this season so to say they’re a new look side would be a fair assessment (keep half an eye on 21-year-old Indonesian forward Rafael Struick).
Their coach Ruben Zadkovich made more than 160 professional appearances in England and the A-League and has coached at the Perth Glory before taking the reins at Brisbane, this being his first full season in charge. There’s an interesting storyline in that Auckland FC’s Joey Champness is a former Roar man - so watch out for a bit of niggle there.
The Roar finished ninth last year in the A-League Men but I wouldn’t go counting them out as a load of new signings and a fresh manager will give them a boost ahead of their first match.
That remains to be seen, but if rumours are to be believed the Auckland FC supporters groups like The Port have a few ideas up their sleeves. Keep an eye on Bay 22 in Go Media Stadium’s South Stand and follow their lead.
Interesting odds from TAB for punters with Auckland FC slight favourites at $2.45 to win and Brisbane Roar at $2.70 - a draw is paying $3.40 (the Wellington Phoenix drew 2-2 in their first ever match, do with that information what you please).
Date: Saturday, October 19.
Time: 5pm kickoff.
Where: Go Media Stadium, Mt Smart.
Best option for those in Central Auckland is a train from Britomart to Penrose station and then a short walk to the stadium. There’s one on Saturday that leaves Britomart at 3.48pm and arrives by 4.10pm, giving you plenty of time to stroll to the ground and soak up some pre-match atmosphere and will cost you just $4.01 each way.
A slightly rogue option for those looking to take a rideshare or taxi would be to bring some cash with you to the match. There will be a long line of taxis outside the ground after the final whistle and being cash ready gives you good bargaining power when negotiating a fair to your destination.
Ubers can be pretty chaotic so the Herald does not recommend using that as an exit strategy.
Everyone involved in this fixture wants to see some goals - players, fans and journos alike - but these are two very fresh sides and the stakes are high for them both. The Herald predicts a tight affair but Auckland FC will get their inaugural campaign under way with a 1-0 win and Jake Brimmer will score.
Will Toogood is an online sports editor for the NZ Herald. He enjoys watching people chase a ball around on a grass surface so much he decided to make a living out of it.