Soccer: Latins barely stir the blood with Phoenix

Phoenix coach Ricki Herbert. Photo / Getty Images

Forget about Samba swing - it's more a Latin Letdown at the Wellington Phoenix.

South Americans are lauded the world over for their footballing finery but have failed to make their mark in the capital.

In their short history, the Phoenix have brought eight Latin American players to Wellington and almost all have failed to have the expected impact.

Far from the kind of men you build a team around, most have not even managed to secure a regular start.

Phoenix coach Ricki Herbert admits it has been disappointing and offers his own reasons.

"It's not always about ability," says Herbert. "Often they have struggled with off-field issues. Some have come with quite an opinion - they don't want to accept the league for what it is - which generally leads to problems. You can't underestimate this competition."

Herbert cites Daniel as one of the few success stories.

"From day one, he was part of the club. He was determined to fit in and came with no ego and no expectations."

Daniel has made 85 appearances, albeit mainly as a substitute. He became a New Zealand citizen in 2008 and will be eligible for national selection in 2012.

Back in 2007, a quartet of Brazilians arrived amid much fanfare but they were far from an awesome foursome. Two (Cleberson and George) had gone a few months later, having played seven games between them. Strangely, George became somewhat of a cult hero and Bring Back George T-shirts are still hot-selling items among the Yellow Fever.

Daniel also arrived in 2007, as did Felipe, who had a solid season but left after a contractual dispute in 2008.

Marquee player Fred was a standout during his brief stay the next year, while the talented Adrian Caceres - who won a championship with Melbourne Victory - had moments but failed to nail down a first team spot in 2009-10.

Most memories of 'Toto' Hernandez will centre around a physical altercation against Boca Juniors as he has otherwise rarely left the bench this season. Diego made just 12 appearances in the past two seasons, though his stay was blighted by injuries.

Former All White Fred De Jong says the universal problem of settling in off the field is a major issue; perhaps more pronounced given Wellington's climate. There are also purely footballing factors.

"The Phoenix's style is not that conducive to Brazilians," says De Jong. "The Phoenix are a physical team. When playing well, they are very much an 'in your face' team; not the most creative. They have not been constructed with jogo bonito [beautiful football] in mind."

The recently departed Diego, who starred for Adelaide in the Asian Champions League, made a similar observation.

"They're not a team that keeps the ball," he said. "For players who grew up in South America, we play in a certain way. [In Wellington] it is a physical style of play. When you look at Phoenix play, we just run our asses off. It's a very fit team. Some of the South American players aren't used to that. Maybe that's a reason."

The problem is not unique to the Phoenix, though there are Latin Americans such as Cassio (Adelaide), Marco Flores (Adelaide), Reinaldo (Brisbane) and Carlos Hernandez (Melbourne Victory) who have thrived in the A-League.

Those teams tend to play a more deliberate, constructive style, which offers more chances to get on the ball, but you still need to adapt fast.

"It is a hard-working, no-nonsense league and you need to get to grips with the physicality quickly," says De Jong. "Pure technicians tend not to succeed."

De Jong says the club should not rule out South America, citing the example of Felipe, a star of their debut season.

"He could play but he was also tough, nuggety and had some fire in the belly."

Unfortunately Felipe was a handful off the field and has since shuttled between various clubs in the Middle East.