Soccer: Eden Park could be just the ticket

The Phoenix will watch with interest to see if Auckland can attract the kind of crowd that turned up at Christchurch. Photo / Getty Images

While the focus is on Brisbane today, a major touch point of the Phoenix season will come next week at Eden Park.

The match against Adelaide United next Sunday looms as the most important of the campaign so far, both on and off the field.

The team will need to put in a creditable performance on the hallowed turf but it will also be a litmus test of the club's current marketability.

Other franchises like the Warriors and Breakers have proved their ability to draw larger crowds to bigger venues on one-off occasions - now it is up to the Phoenix.

Crowds have dropped recently in Wellington and unless there is a major surprise tonight, they will head into the Auckland match on the back of another negative result.

Football fans in Auckland have proved notoriously fickle over the years; witness the fluctuating support for the Kingz and Knights as well as underwhelming attendances at various All Whites' fixtures.

But it was not so long ago that the Queen City was being touted as a future home of the Phoenix, especially when the depth of Terry Serepisos's financial hole became apparent earlier this year. Looking further ahead, it is also an early chance for Auckland football fans to stake their claims to future All Whites' matches, especially for the big World Cup qualifying matches in 2013 and 2014.

The Phoenix are hoping for a crowd of 10,000-15,000 next week. This would still leave vast swathes of the stadium empty but anything less would make future ventures north less enticing.

"We are counting on Aucklanders to come and support us and show their passion for the game," says Phoenix chief executive Nathan Greenham. "It will maximise the chances to play there again in the future."

The Wellington franchise have already proved the strength of their brand nationally, as they have drawn large crowds to games in Christchurch, Dunedin, Palmerston North and Hamilton and some of those fixtures were only pre-season or friendly matches.

But after two highly successful campaigns it remains to be seen how much damage will be done to their box office appeal if the poor start to this season continues.

While they were unlucky to end up on the wrong side of the ledger against Perth Glory and Melbourne Victory, there were few positives to take out of last week's home defeat at the hands of the Mariners. The recovery mission needs to start today; it is not just about the result but also about the performance.

"Everybody knows how good they are and how tough they can be in Brisbane," says coach Ricki Herbert. "We know what we are up against and we will have to bring a lot to the table. The first 20-30 minutes will be crucial; we need to retain possession when we have it, play our way into the game and get confidence from there otherwise the Roar are the sort of team that can have you chasing shadows all night."

The Phoenix have a poor record against Brisbane, with eight losses, three draws and a solitary win in the 12 matches between the clubs. But the Premiers lost their 100 per cent record with a draw against a nine man Victory last week.

Paul Ifill and Vince Lia are believed to be at least a week away from being available for selection, while Jimmy Downey headed to Brisbane for a scan on his injured knee earlier this week and is expected to be added to the Phoenix casualty ward for a substantial period of time.

Meanwhile, it appears that Ricki Herbert is being lined up to move into a director of football type role in a couple of seasons from now.

His recently signed contract was for two years as head coach, with a two-year option to continue on "football-related matters". The club will be hoping that by that stage they have a reserve team and an academy system in place for Herbert to oversee. There is also the thought that by the end of the 2012-13 A-League season, Herbert may want to focus on the All Whites campaign for the 2014 World Cup.