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Alex Paulsen has yet to play 10 A-League games for the Wellington Phoenix – but is on the way to becoming a cult hero.
The capital club has had some popular goalkeepers down the years, from Mark Paston and Glen Moss to Stefan Marinovic and Oli Sail. Paulsen is thelatest.
The 21-year-old managed another eyecatching performance in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Melbourne City, including his second clutch penalty save of the season.
His display was even more remarkable given the long trip home from All Whites duty in Europe. Paulsen only arrived in Auckland at 11am on Friday – flying from Dublin via Dubai – and was on the field barely 24 hours later.
The 1.83m Paulsen was in economy class – “in the middle aisle, middle seat” – but was unfazed.
”I’m just grateful to be called up to the All Whites,” said Paulsen. “I’m fine in economy; gotta make do with what you have.”
Paulsen passed the time watching movies and TV series - including Money Heist - stretching and sleeping. He arrived jaded but was ready to go, helped by a pre-match pep talk from Phoenix coach Giancarlo Italiano.
”He has come across from the other side of the world after a great experience with the All Whites,” said Italiano. “Sometimes young players can get a little bit ahead of themselves. I told him to stay grounded, stick to what he has done to get to this position and don’t rest on his laurels. He did that on [Saturday].”
Paulsen bided his time behind Oli Sail – with four league appearances over the last two seasons – but has been quick to stamp his mark on the position since Sail’s departure.
After five matches this campaign, Paulsen has already produced two spot-kick stops at critical times.
There was the round-two effort to deny Perth Glory’s Adam Taggart, then Saturday’s brilliant save from Jamie Maclaren.
The Phoenix celebrate Alex Paulsen's spot-kick save. Photo / Photosport
Facing up to Maclaren – who has scored 142 A-League goals, including 26 penalties – wasn’t easy. Paulsen did his usual research during the week, alongside the coaching staff, without an obvious conclusion.
”He is such a well-established striker, it’s difficult to pick a side because he has had like 40 penalties over the course of his career, so it is hard to judge on what is his favourite,” explained Paulsen. “So maybe it is just based on instinct.”
Paulsen went through his usual process, momentarily turning his back on the play to “stay in the zone, be focused and block out any [outside] noise”.
But what is going through his mind, as the kicker starts his run up?
”It’s a lot of self-talk,” said Paulsen. “I always love talking to myself, keep reminding myself of what I need to do.”
Maclaren’s effort was well struck but Paulsen guessed correctly, springing to his left to palm it onto the post, with a follow-up shot blazed over the bar. With the Phoenix hanging on and starting to fatigue, that 74th-minute save was a sliding-doors moment for both teams.
”I wasn’t expecting him to save it,” admitted Italiano.
Paulsen also managed a point-blank stop deep in added time, adding to the sense that he is a man for the big occasion.
He certainly seems unaffected by pressure, given the responsibilities that come with his position.
”He has been in an environment where he has had good [goalkeepers] in front of him,” said Italiano. “He has naturally grown into the role and seen the expectations of what is required. But he is pretty level-headed; there is not a lot that fazes him, a pretty chilled individual.
“I never get the sense that he is stressed or feels like the moment is too big. It’s a good recipe for someone who is going to succeed in the future.”
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics’, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. A football aficionado, Burgess will never forget the noise that greeted Rory Fallon’s goal against Bahrain in Wellington in 2009.
