Scott Musgrave


Who are they? Auckland City FC
Where are they from? Auckland, New Zealand
How did they qualify? As 2008/09 Oceania Champions League Winners

The minnows from New Zealand’s largest city have qualified for the right to be Oceania’s representatives at the Club World Cup. The four time New Zealand Championship winners are largely tipped to have quite a fight on their hands to gain any kind of a result. Although in half decent domestic form, topping the table, the minnows, like Waitakere United before them, will be lucky to win a game.

The New Zealand Premiership is only in it’s relative infancy, starting in 2004, but Auckland have remarkably won four out of the five titles on offer. The road through the Oceanian Cup however saw City meet Solomon team Koloale FC where a 9-4 aggregate scoreline saw them through to a major pay day in the UAE, and possibly the second most prestigious event a New Zealand team can participate in.

Expectations

Auckland City will have to be happy with their achievements thus far, but with very little expectation on them to even score a goal, let alone take a point off their more prestigious opponents, the likelihood of an upset is probably best forgotten. The club have appeared in the Club World Cup once before in 2006, but were comprehensively outclassed by Asian Champions Jeonbuk Motors, and were beaten out soundly by Al-Ahly, 2-0.

Key Players

Ivan Vicelich – Defender: The 33 year-old will be absolutely pivotal to any kind of success of Auckland can muster. A veteran of seven years in the Dutch Eredivisie, Vicelich somewhat surprisingly turned down overtures of national coach Ricki Herbert and the Wellington Phoenix in Australia’s A-League. But Wellington’s loss is Auckland’s gain, as they arguably have the most talented, domestically based New Zealander outside of the Phoenix.

In charge of marshalling the defence, the 65 capped international will be looking to shine on one of football’s biggest stages.

Ki-Hyung Lee – Defender/Midfielder: Another experienced head, the versatile defender-cum-midfielder has found his home in Auckland, and after helping his team to qualification, he will be sure to show his countrymen at Pohang Steelers that he can still turn it on.

The former South Korean international has been a revelation at Auckland and ‘The Cannon Shooter’ as he is affectionately known as, will be looking to hold the midfield and defence together. Unlike previous instances where ring-ins from Asian nations have been a norm, as with Kazuyoshi Miura with Sydney FC, Lee has been plying his trade into his second season. Auckland hopes will be high that he can perform.

Coach

Paul Posa: After taking the reigns at City halfway through last season, the Dental Care practitioner has built a reputation for himself, taking home the title and the OFC. Although not his first title on the mantle in New Zealand football, it is at least mildly surprising that not even being full-time, Posa has kept Auckland’s winning tradition going. Whereas his predecessor failed to win qualification to the Club World Cup, it must be said that Posa has done extremely well in achieving what previous coaches could not.

Prediction

Although arguably the strongest team in Oceania at the moment, City fans might have to brace themselves for a walloping. Though experience in the team points to perhaps not a catastrophic defeat in any case, it is too much to ask for the minnows to pull away even a point.

With Africa and Asia, followed closely by Central America, seen as stronger in comparison to the Oceanian champions, enjoying the experience is the best the City-siders can hope for.

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