Jump to content

2024–25 Auckland FC season

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Auckland FC
2024–25 season
OwnerBlack Knight Football and Entertainment
ChairmanBill Foley
Head CoachSteve Corica
StadiumMount Smart Stadium
A-League Men1st
Top goalscorerLeague: Guillermo May
Neyder Moreno
(4 each)

All: Guillermo May
Neyder Moreno
(4 each)
Highest home attendance26,253
vs. Wellington Phoenix
(7 December 2024)
A-League Men
Lowest home attendance13,138
vs. Newcastle Jets
(30 November 2024)
A-League Men
Average home league attendance17,278
Biggest win4–1
vs. Central Coast Mariners (H)
(28 October 2024)
A-League Men
3–0
vs. Melbourne City (H)
(28 October 2024)
A-League Men
Biggest defeat0–4
vs. Western United (H)
(21 December 2024)
A-League Men
2025–26 →
All statistics correct as of 26 January 2025.
First ever New Zealand derby match between Wellington Phoenix and Auckland FC at Sky Stadium, Wellington on 2 November 2024.
First ever New Zealand derby match between Wellington Phoenix and Auckland FC at Sky Stadium, Wellington on 2 November 2024.

The 2024–25 Auckland Football Club season is the club's first season in existence and their inaugural season in the A-League Men, the top flight of Australian soccer. The season will cover the period from 1 June 2024 until 30 June 2025.

Notable events

[edit]

The rivalry between Auckland and Wellington Phoenix FC – dubbed the 'Kiwi Clásico' by media, in allusion to El Clásico – saw its first match end in victory for Auckland on November 2, 2024. The game occurred at Sky Stadium. Alex Paulsen, who starred in goal for Wellington the season prior, kept a clean sheet for his new Auckland side. However, it was the Wellington goalkeeper Josh Oluwayemi who caught headlines. His mistimed pass in the dying minutes only found the feet of Jake Brimmer, who slotted it past to take Auckland into a late lead. Brimmer then scored his double in the 97th minute; a tap-in on the receiving end of a mazy Luis Toomey run.[1]

The reverse fixture took place at Mount Smart Stadium, on a sunny December 7th afternoon. The build-up had been fiery: fuelled by comments from Wellington manager Giancarlo Italiano delegating Auckland's early success to luck. Steve Corica used this discourse, which he referred to as 'disrespectful', as motivation for his players. Auckland got ahead by two goals; courtesy of an unfortunate Isaac Hughes header into his own net and a Nando Pijnaker set-piece nod. Kosta Barbarouses scored late to give the travelling Wellington crowd hope, but the final whistle blew at 2–1.[2]

Players

[edit]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK New Zealand NZL Michael Woud
2 DF Japan JPN Hiroki Sakai (captain)
3 DF Australia AUS Scott Galloway
4 DF New Zealand NZL Nando Pijnaker
5 DF New Zealand NZL Tommy Smith (vice-captain)
6 MF Belgium BEL Louis Verstraete
7 MF New Zealand NZL Cam Howieson
8 MF New Zealand NZL Luis Toomey (scholarship)
9 FW New Zealand NZL Max Mata (on loan from Shrewsbury Town)
10 FW Uruguay URU Guillermo May
11 FW Australia AUS Marlee Francois
12 GK New Zealand NZL Alex Paulsen (on loan from Bournemouth)
14 FW New Zealand NZL Liam Gillion (scholarship)
15 DF New Zealand NZL Francis de Vries
No. Pos. Nation Player
16 MF New Zealand NZL Adama Coulibaly (scholarship)
17 DF New Zealand NZL Callan Elliot
18 MF New Zealand NZL Finn McKenlay (scholarship)
19 MF New Zealand NZL Oliver Middleton (scholarship)
21 FW New Zealand NZL Jesse Randall
22 MF Australia AUS Jake Brimmer (vice-captain)
23 DF Fiji FIJ Dan Hall
25 FW Colombia COL Neyder Moreno
27 FW New Zealand NZL Logan Rogerson
28 MF Chile CHI Felipe Gallegos
30 GK New Zealand NZL Joseph Knowles (scholarship)
35 FW New Zealand NZL Jonty Bidois (scholarship)

Transfers

[edit]

Note: Transfers' in/out date may refer to the date of announcement and not the date of signing from the mentioned players.

Transfers in

[edit]
No. Position Name From Type/fee Contract length Date Ref.
1 GK Michael Woud Unattached Free transfer 3 years 30 May 2024 [3][4]
15 DF Francis de Vries New Zealand Eastern Suburbs Free transfer 2 years 30 May 2024 [3][4]
7 MF Cameron Howieson New Zealand Auckland City Free transfer 2 years 30 May 2024 [3][4]
21 FW Jesse Randall New Zealand Wellington Olympic Free transfer 2 years 30 May 2024 [3][4]
5 DF Tommy Smith Macarthur FC Free transfer 1 year 3 June 2024 [5][4]
9 FW Max Mata England Shrewsbury Town Loan 1 year 3 June 2024 [5][6]
8 MF Luis Toomey New Zealand Eastern Suburbs Free transfer 1 year (scholarship) 20 June 2024 [7][4]
14 FW Liam Gillion New Zealand Auckland City Free transfer 2 years (scholarship) 20 June 2024 [7][4]
18 MF Finn McKenlay New Zealand Eastern Suburbs Free transfer 2 years (scholarship) 20 June 2024 [7][4]
16 MF Adama Coulibaly New Zealand Western Springs Free transfer 2 years (scholarship) 20 June 2024 [7][4]
19 MF Oliver Middleton New Zealand Auckland United Free transfer 2 years (scholarship) 20 June 2024 [7][4]
35 FW Jonty Bidois New Zealand Tauranga City Free transfer 2 years (scholarship) 20 June 2024 [7][4]
23 DF Fiji Dan Hall Central Coast Mariners Free transfer 2 years 2 July 2024 [8][9]
11 FW Joe Champness Unattached Free transfer 1 year 3 July 2024 [10][4]
17 DF Callan Elliot Unattached Free transfer 3 years 3 July 2024 [10][11]
3 DF Australia Scott Galloway Melbourne City Free transfer 2 years 3 July 2024 [10][4]
22 MF Australia Jake Brimmer Unattached Free transfer 4 years 9 July 2024 [12][4]
2 DF Japan Hiroki Sakai Japan Urawa Red Diamonds Free transfer 1 year 25 July 2024 [13][14][4]
27 FW Logan Rogerson Armenia Noah Free transfer 1 year 29 July 2024 [15][4]
30 GK Joseph Knowles New Zealand Eastern Suburbs Free transfer 1 year (scholarship) 29 July 2024 [15][4]
12 GK Alex Paulsen England Bournemouth Loan 1 year 9 August 2024 [16]
4 DF Nando Pijnaker Republic of Ireland Sligo Rovers Free transfer 3 years 3 September 2024 [17][4]
28 MF Chile Felipe Gallegos Greece OFI Crete Free transfer 2 years 17 September 2024 [18][4]
10 FW Uruguay Guillermo May Argentina Newell's Old Boys Free transfer 1 year 17 September 2024 [18][4]
6 MF Belgium Louis Verstraete Belgium Beveren Free transfer 2 years 17 September 2024 [18][4]
25 FW Colombia Neyder Moreno Colombia Atlético Nacional Free transfer 1 year 14 October 2024 [19][4]
11 FW Australia Marlee Francois Unattached Free transfer 9 January 2025 [20]

Transfers out

[edit]
No. Position Player Transferred to Type/fee Date Ref.
11 FW Joe Champness Unattached Mutual contract termination 23 December 2024 [21]

Pre-season and friendlies

[edit]
31 July 2024 Auckland United New Zealand 2–2 New Zealand Auckland FC Auckland
19:35 NZST
Report (NZF)
Report
Stadium: Keith Hay Park
Referee: Ashley Wilson
7 August 2024 Birkenhead United New Zealand Cancelled New Zealand Auckland FC Auckland
19:30 NZST Source Stadium: Shepherds Park
Note: Game was cancelled due to Birkenhead's rescheduled Northern League fixture.[22]
7 August 2024 Auckland FC New Zealand 1–0 New Zealand East Coast Bays Auckland
19:30 NZST
Report (NZF)
Report
Stadium: Fred Taylor Park
Referee: Nick Waldron
13 August 2024 Newcastle Jets Australia 2–2 New Zealand Auckland FC Sydney
Report (Auckland FC)
Report (Newcastle Herald)
Stadium: Leichhardt Oval
17 August 2024 Western Sydney Wanderers Australia 4–2 New Zealand Auckland FC Sydney
13:00 AEST
Report
Stadium: Wanderers Football Park
21 August 2024 Central Coast Mariners Australia 2–2 New Zealand Auckland FC Gosford
13:00 AEST
Report
Stadium: Industree Group Stadium
Attendance: 0 (behind closed doors)
21 September 2024 Melbourne City Australia 3–1 New Zealand Auckland FC Melbourne
Report Attendance: 0 (behind closed doors)
25 September 2024 Western United Australia 1–2 New Zealand Auckland FC Melbourne
13:00 AEST
Report
Stadium: Ironbark Fields
2 October 2024 Auckland FC New Zealand 2–0 New Zealand Birkenhead United Auckland
18:30 NZST Report (NZF)
Report
Stadium: North Harbour Stadium
Attendance: 0 (behind closed doors)
Referee: Luke Gardner
2 October 2024 Auckland FC New Zealand 2–0 New Zealand Western Springs Auckland
19:40 NZST Report (NZF)
Report
Stadium: North Harbour Stadium
Attendance: 0 (behind closed doors)
Referee: Veer Singh
6 October 2024 Auckland FC New Zealand 5–0 New Zealand Melville United Auckland
13:00 NZST Report (NZF)
Report
Stadium: Mount Smart Stadium
Attendance: 0 (behind closed doors)
Referee: Ashley Wilson
11 October 2024 Auckland FC New Zealand 1–1 Malaysia Malaysia Auckland
Report
Stadium: Go Media Stadium
Attendance: 0 (behind closed doors)
16 October 2024 Auckland FC New Zealand 5–0 New Zealand Auckland United Auckland
11:00 NZST Report (NZF) Stadium: North Harbour Stadium
Referee: Ashley Wilson
16 October 2024 Auckland FC New Zealand 5–0 New Zealand East Coast Bays Auckland
12:10 NZST Report (NZF) Stadium: North Harbour Stadium
Referee: Benjamin Norman

Competitions

[edit]

Overall record

[edit]
Competition First match Last match Starting round Record
Pld W D L GF GA GD Win %
A-League Men 19 October 2024 3 May 2025 Matchday 1 14 9 3 2 22 11 +11 064.29
Total 14 9 3 2 22 11 +11 064.29

Last updated: 26 January 2025
Source: Competitions

A-League Men

[edit]

League table

[edit]
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Auckland FC[a] 15 9 4 2 22 11 +11 31 Qualification for Finals series[b]
2 Adelaide United 13 8 4 1 31 21 +10 28 Qualification for AFC Champions League Elite and Finals series
3 Western United 15 7 4 4 28 22 +6 25 Qualification for Finals series[b]
4 Macarthur FC 15 7 3 5 29 20 +9 24 Qualification for AFC Champions League Two and Finals series[c]
5 Melbourne City 14 7 3 4 21 14 +7 24 Qualification for Finals series[b]
Updated to match(es) played on 29 January 2025. Source: A-Leagues
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) goals scored; 4) wins; 5) head-to-head results; 5a) head-to-head points; 5b) head-to-head goal difference; 6) Fair Play points; 7) away goal difference; 8) away goals per match; 9) home goal difference; 10) home goals per match; 11) toss of a coin in an event of a tie of two clubs.[23]
Notes:
  1. ^ Auckland FC and Wellington Phoenix cannot qualify for Asian Football Confederation competitions as they are based in New Zealand, which is part of the Oceania Football Confederation.
  2. ^ a b c The top two teams enter the finals series at the semi-finals, while the teams ranked third to sixth enter the finals series at the elimination-finals.
  3. ^ Qualified for AFC Champions League Two as the 2024 Australia Cup winners.

Results summary

[edit]
Overall Home Away
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts W D L GF GA GD W D L GF GA GD
14 9 3 2 22 11  +11 30 5 1 1 10 5  +5 4 2 1 12 6  +6

Last updated: 26 January 2025.
Source: Ultimate A-League
Away figures include Auckland FC's 1–0 win on neutral ground in Unite Round against Macarthur FC on 24 November 2024.

Results by round

[edit]
Round1234567891011121315141617181920212223242526272829
GroundHHABNHHAHAHBAHAAHBAHHAHAHAAHA
ResultWWWXWWWDLWDXLWDWX
Position2113111111113221
Points3699121518191922232323262730
Updated to match(es) played on 26 January 2025. Source: Ultimate A-League
A = Away; H = Home; N = Neutral; B = Bye; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss; X = Bye

Matches

[edit]

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixtures

19 October 2024 1 Auckland FC 2–0 Brisbane Roar Auckland
17:00 NZDT Report Stadium: Go Media Stadium
Attendance: 24,492
Referee: Daniel Elder
27 October 2024 2 Auckland FC 1–0 Sydney FC Auckland
16:00 NZDT
Report Stadium: Go Media Stadium
Attendance: 14,253
Referee: Shaun Evans
2 November 2024 3 Wellington Phoenix 0–2 Auckland FC Wellington
17:00 NZDT Report
Stadium: Sky Stadium
Attendance: 26,252
Referee: Adam Kersey
24 November 2024 5 Macarthur FC 0–1 Auckland FC Sydney
16:00 AEDT Report
Stadium: Allianz Stadium
Attendance: 4,826
Referee: Ben Abraham
30 November 2024 6 Auckland FC 2–0 Newcastle Jets Auckland
17:00 NZDT
Report Stadium: Go Media Stadium
Attendance: 13,138
Referee: Tim Danaskos
7 December 2024 7 Auckland FC 2–1 Wellington Phoenix Auckland
17:00 NZDT
Report Stadium: Go Media Stadium
Attendance: 26,253
Referee: Shaun Evans
15 December 2024 8 Melbourne City 2–2 Auckland FC Melbourne
17:00 AEDT
Report
Stadium: AAMI Park
Attendance: 5,482
Referee: Ben Abraham
21 December 2024 9 Auckland FC 0–4 Western United Auckland
17:00 NZDT Report
Stadium: Go Media Stadium
Attendance: 13,681
Referee: Casey Reibelt
28 December 2024 10 Central Coast Mariners 1–4 Auckland FC Gosford
17:00 AEDT Report
Stadium: Industree Group Stadium
Attendance: 6,338
Referee: Shaun Evans
1 January 2025 11 Auckland FC 0–0 Melbourne Victory Auckland
17:00 NZDT Report Stadium: Go Media Stadium
Attendance: 14,997
Referee: Alireza Faghani
11 January 2025 13 Perth Glory 1–0 Auckland FC Perth
16:45 AWST
Report Stadium: HBF Park
Attendance: 5,390
Referee: Nathan Shakespear
18 January 2025 15 Auckland FC 3–0 Melbourne City Auckland
17:00 NZDT
Report Stadium: Go Media Stadium
Attendance: 14,131
Referee: Ben Abraham
22 January 2025 14 Adelaide United 2–2 Auckland FC Adelaide
19:00 ACDT
Report
Stadium: Coopers Stadium
Attendance: 12,171
Referee: Alex King
26 January 2025 16 Western Sydney Wanderers 0–1 Auckland FC Sydney
17:00 AEDT Report
Stadium: CommBank Stadium
Attendance: 7,410
Referee: Shaun Evans
1 February 2025 17 Auckland FC v Macarthur FC Auckland
17:00 NZDT Stadium: Go Media Stadium
15 February 2025 19 Western United v Auckland FC Melbourne
18:00 AEDT Stadium: Ironbark Fields
22 February 2025 20 Auckland FC v Wellington Phoenix Auckland
17:00 NZDT Stadium: Go Media Stadium
1 March 2025 21 Auckland FC v Adelaide United Auckland
17:00 NZDT Stadium: Go Media Stadium
9 March 2025 22 Newcastle Jets v Auckland FC Newcastle
17:00 AEDT Stadium: McDonald Jones Stadium
16 March 2025 23 Auckland FC v Central Coast Mariners Auckland
17:00 NZDT Stadium: Go Media Stadium
30 March 2025 24 Brisbane Roar v Auckland FC Brisbane
16:00 AEST Stadium: Suncorp Stadium
5 April 2025 25 Auckland FC v Western Sydney Wanderers Auckland
17:00 NZDT Stadium: Go Media Stadium
12 April 2025 26 Sydney FC v Auckland FC Sydney
17:00 AEDT Stadium: Allianz Stadium
19 April 2025 27 Melbourne Victory v Auckland FC Melbourne
17:00 AEDT Stadium: AAMI Park
27 April 2025 28 Auckland FC v Perth Glory Auckland
17:00 NZDT Stadium: Go Media Stadium
3 May 2025 29 Western United v Auckland FC Melbourne
18:00 AEDT Stadium: Ironbark Fields

Statistics

[edit]

Appearances and goals

[edit]

Includes all competitions. Players with no appearances not included in the list.[24]

As of 26 January 2025
No. Pos Nat Player Total A-League Men
Apps Goals Apps Goals
Goalkeepers
12 GK New Zealand NZL Alex Paulsen 14 0 14 0
Defenders
2 DF Japan JPN Hiroki Sakai 11 1 11 1
3 DF Australia AUS Scott Galloway 4 0 0+4 0
4 DF New Zealand NZL Nando Pijnaker 14 3 14 3
5 DF New Zealand NZL Tommy Smith 13 0 6+7 0
15 DF New Zealand NZL Francis de Vries 14 1 14 1
17 DF New Zealand NZL Callan Elliot 7 0 5+2 0
23 DF Fiji FIJ Dan Hall 6 0 6 0
Midfielders
6 MF Belgium BEL Louis Verstraete 13 0 13 0
7 MF New Zealand NZL Cameron Howieson 8 0 2+6 0
8 MF New Zealand NZL Luis Toomey 5 0 0+5 0
16 MF New Zealand NZL Adama Coulibaly 1 0 0+1 0
18 MF New Zealand NZL Finn McKenlay 2 0 1+1 0
22 MF Australia AUS Jake Brimmer 13 3 10+3 3
25 MF Colombia COL Neyder Moreno 12 4 4+8 4
28 MF Chile CHI Felipe Gallegos 14 0 13+1 0
Forwards
9 FW New Zealand NZL Max Mata 11 1 3+8 1
10 FW Uruguay URU Guillermo May 14 4 14 4
11 FW New Zealand NZL Marlee Francois 2 0 0+2 0
14 FW New Zealand NZL Liam Gillion 12 0 11+1 0
21 FW New Zealand NZL Jesse Randall 8 0 3+5 0
27 FW New Zealand NZL Logan Rogerson 14 3 10+4 3
35 FW New Zealand NZL Jonty Bidois 2 0 0+2 0

Disciplinary record

[edit]

Includes all competitions. The list is sorted by squad number when total cards are equal. Players with no cards not included in the list.[24]

As of 26 January 2025
Rank No. Pos. Nat. Name A-League Men Total
Yellow card Yellow card Yellow-red card Red card Yellow card Yellow card Yellow-red card Red card
1 16 MF New Zealand Adama Coulibaly 1 0 1 1 0 1
2 6 MF Belgium Louis Verstraete 4 0 0 4 0 0
28 MF Chile Felipe Gallegos 4 0 0 4 0 0
4 4 DF New Zealand Nando Pijnaker 3 0 0 3 0 0
7 MF New Zealand Cameron Howieson 3 0 0 3 0 0
6 9 FW New Zealand Max Mata 2 0 0 2 0 0
27 FW New Zealand Logan Rogerson 2 0 0 2 0 0
8 5 DF New Zealand Tommy Smith 1 0 0 1 0 0
15 DF New Zealand Francis de Vries 1 0 0 1 0 0
17 DF New Zealand Callan Elliot 1 0 0 1 0 0
18 MF New Zealand Finn McKenlay 1 0 0 1 0 0
21 FW New Zealand Jesse Randall 1 0 0 1 0 0
22 MF Australia Jake Brimmer 1 0 0 1 0 0
23 DF Fiji Dan Hall 1 0 0 1 0 0
25 MF Colombia Neyder Moreno 1 0 0 1 0 0
Total 27 0 1 27 0 1

Clean sheets

[edit]

Includes all competitions. The list is sorted by squad number when total clean sheets are equal. Numbers in parentheses represent games where both goalkeepers participated and both kept a clean sheet; the number in parentheses is awarded to the goalkeeper who was substituted on, whilst a full clean sheet is awarded to the goalkeeper who was on the field at the start of play. Goalkeepers with no clean sheets not included in the list.

As of 26 January 2025
Rank No. Nat. Goalkeeper A-League Men Total
1 12 New Zealand Alex Paulsen 8 8
Total 8 8

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Burgess, M. (2 November 2024). "Auckland FC v Wellington Phoenix result: New boys claim first derby in A-League round three". New Zealand Herald.
  2. ^ Burgess, M. (7 December 2024). "Auckland FC v Wellington Phoenix result: Black Knights take bragging rights in Kiwi derby. The New Zealand Herald". New Zealand Herald.
  3. ^ a b c d "Auckland FC unveil first signings ahead of debut season". Auckland FC. 30 May 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Voerman, Andrew (18 October 2024). "2024–25 A-League Men season preview: How will newcomers Auckland FC fare?". Stuff.
  5. ^ a b "AFC blend youth with experience as two more signings announced". Auckland FC. 3 June 2024.
  6. ^ "Max Mata Joins Auckland FC on season-long loan deal". Shrewsbury Town. 3 June 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "Six players secure scholarship contracts with Auckland FC". Auckland FC. 20 June 2024.
  8. ^ "Auckland FC welcomes back-to-back championship winner Dan Hall to the club!". Auckland FC. 2 July 2024.
  9. ^ Rollo, Phillip (2 July 2024). "Why A-League winner Dan Hall is swapping Central Coast for new boys Auckland FC". Stuff. Hall has committed to a two-year contract.
  10. ^ a b c "Three more signings for Auckland FC, with two bringing All Whites experience". Auckland FC. 3 July 2024.
  11. ^ @ByPhillipRollo (3 July 2024). "Elliot is three years but have asked for the rest" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  12. ^ "Australian football superstar crosses the ditch to join Auckland FC". Auckland FC. 9 July 2024.
  13. ^ "磐田戦後 酒井宏樹、アレクサンダー ショルツあいさつ" [After the match against Iwata, Hiroki Sakai and Alexander Scholz gave speeches]. Urawa Red Diamonds (in Japanese). 30 July 2024.
  14. ^ "Japanese defender Hiroki Sakai joins Auckland FC". Auckland FC. 25 July 2024.
  15. ^ a b Pisani, Sacha (29 July 2024). "Auckland FC make two signings, incl. New Zealand international who played for A-Leagues rivals". A-Leagues.
  16. ^ "Auckland FC sign Alex Paulsen on loan from AFC Bournemouth: Full details". A-Leagues. 9 August 2024.
  17. ^ "All Whites Defender Nando Pijanker to Join Auckland FC". Auckland FC. 3 September 2024.
  18. ^ a b c "Three overseas imports bring quality and Experience to Auckland FC". Auckland FC. 17 September 2024.
  19. ^ "Auckland FC complete team with final signing". Auckland FC. 14 October 2024.
  20. ^ "Marlee François joins Auckland FC". Auckland FC. 9 January 2025.
  21. ^ Becker, Nick (23 December 2024). "Club Update". Auckland FC.
  22. ^ "A-League's Auckland FC to play East Coast Bays in second pre-season friendly". Friends of Football. 3 August 2024.
  23. ^ "Ladder change reverts as A-Leagues confirms updated rules & regulations for season 2024-25". A-Leagues. 17 October 2024.
  24. ^ a b "Auckland FC – Squad". soccerway.com.