📰 Assessing the Auckland FC 'miracle' – and why Saturday is the biggest chapter yet

By Michael Burgess

How do you measure the success of a sports team?

In the case of Auckland FC, it’s more where do you start.

Is it the 300,000-plus fans that have flooded through the gates to see them play this season, or the staggering 22,000 replica shirts they have sold?

You could look at their record-breaking start to the season, or the other footballing landmarks they have achieved across a historic campaign. Then there are the big-ticket sponsorships and the unprecedented media coverage, from the front pages to the prime-time bulletins.

Or maybe it’s the intangible impact, with the fact that football in Auckland has never been cooler or more popular, from the playground to the boardroom.

But perhaps the biggest thing is simply this: on Saturday evening the city – and most of the country – will stop, for a club football match. That is Auckland FC’s greatest feat, that so many people care so much about the Black Knights and in such a short space of time.

Saturday is the biggest chapter yet, with 29,000 people set to pack an expanded Go Media Stadium for the second leg of the semifinal with Melbourne Victory. The crowd will provide a massive lift – but also a heavy cloak of expectation – as Auckland FC are favourites to progress to next week’s grand final, helped by the vital 1-0 away win last week.

But it won’t be straightforward. Melbourne Victory successfully crashed the party last year in the capital, eliminating Wellington Phoenix at the same stage of what had been a dream season. They will take confidence from that and bring a nothing-to-lose mentality. They are also, given the attacking weapons at their disposal, surely due to break their scoring duck against Auckland FC, which now extends across almost 300 minutes and such a goal could complicate matters.

But Auckland FC are here for a reason. They are a difficult team to beat (only three defeats all season), especially at home. They have faith in their systems – built on a strong defensive platform – and have enjoyed contributions from across the squad. They also, despite the “one dimensional” jab delivered by Victory winger Daniel Arzani, have a variety of ways to hurt teams offensively and plenty of strikepower from the bench.

Saturday is about managing the occasion and bringing their individual and collective best. And if adversity does come, such as an early Victory goal, they will need to be calm and controlled in their response, backing the processes that have got them this far. A draw would be enough to progress but Auckland won’t be focusing on that.

“We have a positive mindset – to go and win the game,” said coach Steve Corica. “We’ve got 30,000 people here [on Saturday] and we want to put on a good performance and win the game. We’ve got to be on the front foot and we’ve got to defend well.”

Corica admits the season has already gone beyond his “wildest expectations”, while he has been thrilled by the way the city has embraced the A-League newcomers.

“You know, people stop me all the time and just say thank you for what we’re doing for Auckland and that makes me really proud,” said Corica.

But he wants more. Corica believes his team will be sharper for last week’s match, which came after a two-week layoff. He’s content with the preparation, which has been “normal”, aside from extra penalty practice, given the possibility of a shootout. And the team will be at full strength, apart from striker Max Mata (hamstring).

“It’s a great challenge for us,” said Corica. “We’re in the box seat at the moment but it’s about maintaining our focus [because] they are going to come here and throw everything at us and we need to be prepared for that.”
 
This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission.