Latest news with #GuillermoMay
RNZ News
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Auckland FC dominate A-League Team of the Season
Auckland FC's Alex Paulsen. Photo: Shane Wenzlick / Auckland FC missed out on the A-League Grand Final but six players and the coach have been recognised in the annual player-voted Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) A-League Men Team of the Season. The squad is made up of 18 players, with Premiers Plate winners Auckland FC having the most representatives of any club. Auckland FC goalkeeper Alex Paulsen will captain the side, for the second consecutive season, after he received the most votes of any player. Paulsen, who was on loan to Auckland FC from English Premier League side Bournemouth, will move on from the A-League next season. He could not believe he was named captain. "I'm still taking it in to be honest. "I'm thankful to everyone who voted for me, it means so much. I want to thank my teammates, the coaching staff and my family who have all supported me over this past year and encouraged me to become a better person and a better goalkeeper. "It is a huge honour and privilege to be represented on behalf of Auckland FC." Joining Paulsen in the PFA team are Auckland's Francis de Vries, Hiroki Sakai, Louis Verstraete, Guillermo May and Nando Pijnaker. Guillermo May of Auckland FC. Photo: Mark Evans / Steve Corica has been voted as coach. Only five players from the two A-League Grand Finalists were included. Melbourne City have four players in the squad, including two starters in defence with Kai Trewin and Nathaniel Atkinson voted in the back four, while Aziz Behich and Marco Tilio are among the substitutes. Melbourne Victory have only one player, midfielder Ryan Teague. The team is comprised of a 4-3-3 formation, with seven substitutes on the bench. All selected players received the most votes among their peers by PFA A-League Men members at the conclusion of the regular season. The members also voted on their coach of the season. Goalkeeper: Alex Paulsen (Auckland FC) Defenders: Francis De Vries (Auckland FC), Kai Trewin (Melbourne City), Nathaniel Atkinson (Melbourne City FC), Hiroki Sakai (Auckland FC) Midfielders: Angus Thurgate (Western United), Ryan Teague (Melbourne Victory), Louis Verstraete (Auckland FC) Forwards: Adrian Segecic (Sydney FC), Archie Goodwin (Adelaide United), Nicholas Milanovic (Western Sydney Wanderers) Substitutes: Lawrence Thomas (Western Sydney Wanderers), Aziz Behich (Melbourne City), Nando Pijnaker (Auckland FC), Anthony Caceres (Sydney FC), Guillermo May (Auckland FC), Marco Tilio (Melbourne City), Noah Botic (Western United) Captain: Alex Paulsen (Auckland FC) Coach: Steve Corica (Auckland FC) Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
26-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Football: Disallowed Auckland FC goal 'doesn't sit well' with Steve Corica
Cam Howieson of Auckland FC holds his face in dejection as Melbourne Victory players celebrate their 2-0 win, A-League semi-final, 2025. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ The disappointment for Auckland FC and coach Steve Corica is going to linger for a long time. The A-League men's premiership winners fell at the season's penultimate hurdle on Saturday night, when they lost 2-0 to Melbourne Victory before 29,000 fans at Mt Smart Stadium in the second leg of their semifinal tie. Auckland FC just needed a draw to go through, but it is the Victory - with a 2-1 aggregate score - who will play Melbourne City in the grand final this Saturday. Corica railed after the game about [ a ruling that denied them a goal after Logan Rogerson headed a Guillermo May high cross into the net in the 69th minute. It appeared that the linesman had judged that May's cross had drifted out of play before the goal. "The referees made a bad decision -the linesman has and so has the VAR, whoever is in charge up there because that would have obviously helped us get back into the game," Corica said. His attitude had not changed when he spoke to RNZ's Morning Report on Monday. "Pretty disappointed still, just the way the game finished with the disallowed goal. For us, it probably would have changed the game. "I think it would have helped us. Obviously goals change the momentum of games and also if we scored that, the game would have gone to extra time and I think we were looking the stronger of the teams to finish well.'' That said, he acknowledged Victory's performance. "Melbourne were a good team, they obviously deserve to be in the final now. It's just a little bit disappointing with that disallowed goal, it doesn't sit too well for me. "It's going to be a long off-season I suppose, thinking about that too much. Auckland FC's head coach Steve Corica during the A-League men's second leg semifinal against Melbourne Victory. Photo: Shane Wenzlick / "Overall I am really proud of the players and all the staff, it's been an incredible season for us winning the premiership in our first year. But we probably finished one game short, I think." Corica did not feel that just needing a draw to make the grand final affected the players' thinking. "I don't think so, that wasn't our mindset going into the game. I don't think we were at our very best, I think they changed a little bit, their structure, which they hadn't done all season. I think that was a little bit harder for us to break them down - they went more defensive, so they were quite solid, and we were finding it tough to get into good areas and create a lot of chances. "That is why that disallowed goal would have been so important for us - because it would have helped us and momentum would have changed, and we would have had a very good opportunity to move forward into a grand final. "But that's in hindsight now. It is hard to take but I suppose that is football, sometimes you get the luck go your way and sometimes you don't. Despite the disappointment, the club had plenty to celebrate in its inaugural season. "We've broken a lot of records, won the premiership in our first season, we have had over 200,000 supporters come through the gates, that's amazing really, I think we are the highest crowd in the A-League," Corica said. "The derbies have been amazing as well this season. And I have told the players and the staff that I am really proud of what they have achieved in their first year. It's never easy to build a squad and win a premiership in your first year. "Our aim was to get into the grand final and win that as well - that is going to have to be on hold until next year. "Maybe that is a real motivation to go one better next year." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
23-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Auckland FC v Melbourne Victory, A-League semi-final: What you need to know
Photo: RNZ Auckland FC v Melbourne Victory Kick-off: 6pm Saturday, 24 May Go Media Mt Smart Stadium Live blog updates on RNZ Sport Auckland FC are one win or draw away from hosting the biggest football event the city has seen in years. Auckland have the advantage going into the second A-League semi-final against Melbourne Victory and success in front of their home fans will secure a place in the Grand Final. Finals football comes with nerves and tension but Auckland coach Steve Corica said his side were ready for the pressure of playing at home. "The boys have worked it out now how intense the finals are but I think our players did rise to the level that we expect of finals and we're going to have to go a little bit better than that this weekend and if we get the job done this weekend the final is even more immense." As the goal-scorer in the first semi-final, Logan Rogerson said 1-0 is a "niggly scoreline". "It's over two legs they could get right back into it so we need to be fully focussed and hopefully we can score early and see how the game plays out." Guillermo May of Auckland FC Photo: AAP / Joint leading goal-scorer Guillermo May has been nursing a knee injury and has been on limited training since the start of the playoffs but the Uruguayan said he was "never" going to miss the return leg of the semi-finals. Max Mata did not travel for the first semi-final due to a hamstring concern. Corica said he was "touch and go" ahead of the second semi-final. Corica made clear not much would change tactically in the second semi-final - despite his side being called one-dimensional by Victory player Daniel Arzani after the last game. But he said the team had learnt from the slow start in the first semi-final. "We want to start the opposite now, we want to start on the front foot, we're at home we want to take it to them straight away and hopefully get another goal." Victory have not scored against Auckland in more the 270 minutes of football this season and Corica said Auckland were prepared should Victory finally break the goal drought. "We've spoken about if that happens, they've got to go back to being positive and a draw is not the worst for us. If we can get a draw we go through but if they score and we go down it's just about getting a goal and moving forward, getting good numbers forward, getting balls into the box like we do and creating problems for them." Corica expected physicality to be let go by the referees like it was last week. "I don't think there was any bad fouls it was just physical. It's a tough game sometimes and we'll be up for it and I know they'll be up for it. Goalkeepers: Alex Paulsen, Michael Woud; Defenders: Hiroki Sakai, Nando Pijnaker, Dan Hall, Tommy Smith, Francis de Vries, Callan Elliot; Midfielders: Louis Verstraete, Cameron Howieson, Luis Toomey, Jake Brimmer, Felipe Gallegos; Attackers: Max Mata, Guillermo May, Jesse Randall, Logan Rogerson, Neyder Moreno, Marlee Francois, Liam Gillion (two to be omitted). Lachlan Jackson of Victory Photo: AAP / Photosport Victory have been hit by injuries to several of their defensive players. Captain Roderick Miranda was a late withdrawl from the first semi-final and his replacement in the backline, Brendan Hamill, suffered a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury during the game. Victory coach Arthur Diles said Miranda had returned to training this week but a decision on whether he would travel would be left as late as possible. Diles said they did not fear the task ahead of them against the Premiers. "It's our job to try and knock them off their perch, it's backs to the wall for us guaranteed but there is a big party waiting there to be spoiled and we've got to do everything we can to spoil that party." In a must-win match Diles said he wanted more "purpose and intent higher up the park". "They're very well organised defensively and they make things really difficult for you. "We've got to be willing to be patient, not lose structure, stick to the process and eventually you can break them down. They were probably more disciplined and patient than we were last week for 100 percent of the game and we were for 97 percent of the game and in the end that's probably the difference and in these matches it's those small details that make a big difference." Goalkeepers: Jack Duncan, Daniel Graskoski; Defenders: Lachlan Jackson, Roderick Miranda, Joshua Inserra, Joshua Rawlins, Kasey Bos; Midfielders: Ryan Teague, Zinedine Machach, Jordi Valadon, Fabian Monge, Reno Piscopo; Forwards: Daniel Arzani, Nikolaos Vergos, Bruno Fornaroli, Clerismario Santos Rodrigues, Nishan Velupillay, Jing Reec, Alexander Badolato. Auckland FC fans and supporters celebrate a goal by Neyder Moreno. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ A-League players have this week voted Mt Smart Stadium as having the best atmosphere of any stadium in the competition. In the club's first season, Auckland averaged the highest attendance's across the league (18,101) with another sell-out crowd, the fifth of the season, expected for Saturday's semi-final. Additional seating has been put into the north end of the stadium to accommodate demand. Auckland FC CEO Nick Becker paid tribute to the club's fans for making the stadium a "fortress". "They have brought the noise, the atmosphere and created an environment that the team love being a part of. We have the best average attendance in the league, the best fans in the league and now officially the best atmosphere to go with it." Corica said people stopped him in the streets to thank him for what the club was doing for football in the city. "That makes me really proud, obviously the boys have done a fantastic job on the field, marketing off the field as well, but they've really got behind us, the supporters, from the moment we kicked off. The Port's been amazing it's growing all the time and they're going to bring the noise and that's what we want. "All of Auckland have got right behind us and we appreciate it ... that's what footballers are all about playing in front of big crowds and we've been lucky enough to play in front of sell-out crowds so it is amazing." The A-League winners trophy Photo: David Woodley To reach the Grand Final, Auckland can win or draw. Victory must win by two goals. If the aggregate goals are the same between both teams at full time the game will go to extra time. Should the game need to go to penalties, both sides said they had been preparing. Auckland had not taken a penalty all season, something which May said was "strange" and Corica said he hoped "we won't have to" take penalties to decide the outcome. In the other semi-final, Melbourne City have a three goal advantage over Western United ahead of the second leg of the tie and are favourites to move on to next week's showpiece event. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
11-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Auckland FC semifinals: Black Knights to face Melbourne Victory in A-League playoffs
Auckland FC will square off against the Melbourne Victory in a home-and-away semifinal series for a spot in the A-League men's grand final. The Victory upset the Western Sydney Wanderers, who were unbeaten in 14 matches, 2-1 in Saturday's elimination final to earn the right to meet the Black Knights, who finished top of the table to claim the Premiers Plate in their inaugural season. The first leg will take place at Melbourne's AAMI Park next Saturday, May 17 at 9.35pm before the second leg at Mt Smart Stadium the following Saturday, May 24, at 6pm. Auckland have had the better of their two regular-season meetings with the Victory, playing out a goalless draw on New Year's Day, before claiming a 2-0 win in Melbourne last month, thanks to goals from Louis Verstraete and Guillermo May. Victory boss Arthur Diles knows they will have to be at their best to beat Auckland.
NZ Herald
09-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
‘A great adventure': The wonderful, unexpected journey of Colombian winger Neyder Moreno at Auckland FC as they chase A-League glory
But Moreno has thrived, even if it was a slow burn at first. From 22 appearances and just 10 starts, Moreno has accumulated eight goals (only exceeded by Guillermo May's nine) and three assists, including some of the most important strikes of the season. 'It's been a great adventure,' Moreno tells the Herald in his first extended interview. 'Honestly, it was a big change coming here, very impactful – but positive. People had told us it's a very developed country, very safe, with exceptional education for our daughter. So it was a nice change, and we settled in well. We knew that adapting at first would be difficult, but the club was very accommodating and assisted us with everything we needed.' It has helped that fellow Latinos Felipe Gallegos (Chile) and Guillermo May (Uruguay) also live in Takapuna, and the trio have developed a strong bond. Adapting on the field was also a process, despite Moreno's impressive CV, including some of the biggest teams in Colombia. '[The A-League] is very competitive and intense, with highly demanding matches, back and forth, physically challenging,' says Moreno. 'At first, it was tough. As we say in Colombia, you have to 'apretar dientes y trabajar extra' [grit your teeth and work extra hard]. After practice sessions, I stayed behind to build up my physical condition.' The recipe has worked. Considering all the adjustments, Moreno has had a profound impact, with big moments and big goals, including a brace against the Wellington Phoenix, a 96th-minute winner against Western Sydney Wanderers and an equaliser with the last kick of the match against Melbourne City. 'He's done really well in the scheme of things – from where he came from to now,' Auckland FC coach Steve Corica tells the Herald. 'He had to get used to the league and to what I expect from wingers. He has scored vital goals for us, he's creative, and he works hard for the team. He has fitted in great.' Moreno is a bona fide talent, with almost 200 matches in Colombia behind him – but his path in the sport wasn't straightforward. Indeed, by the age of 20, he thought football might have passed him by. Growing up in a working-class suburb in Medellin – the second-largest city in Colombia – Moreno had been obsessed with the game, like most of his compatriots. He kicked a ball as soon as he could run and by 7 years old had joined an academy at Envigado, in the Colombian top flight. There were long train trips across the city to training and games (one hour each way) and numerous other hurdles. His grandparents helped financially, while Moreno also worked as a teenager to support his family. He had talent, but it took time to make the breakthrough in the football-mad country of 53 million people. 'Everyone there wants to play professional football, but there are few spots available – very few,' Moreno tells the Herald. 'There's so much talent, so you have to insist and persist a lot.' Moreno steadily climbed the ladder at Envigado – through the junior and youth teams – but couldn't take the final step. A meniscus injury – which sidelined him for a year – hampered progress, and doubts began to surface. 'If you haven't made it by 20, there are people telling you, it's too late, try something else – work, study,' explains Moreno. 'Because over there, between the ages of 16 and 18, you are already playing in the first team. So, at 20, they already see you as someone who didn't make it.' But Moreno persevered and eventually made his professional debut in August 2017, five months shy of his 21st birthday. Two years later, Moreno landed a move to Atletico Nacional, the biggest and most successful club in Colombia, with 18 league titles and two Copa Libertadores crowns (1989 and 2016), eventually making 41 appearances for El Verde. 'Whichever stadium you play in [for Nacional], it's always full, brimming with energy, songs and noise,' says Moreno. 'And all the teams in Colombia want to play their best against Nacional, so the matches feel extra special.' Moreno also had time at Independiente Santa Fe, with 74 appearances (nine goals) for the Bogota giants, turning out alongside many national team players. 'It was also a wonderful experience,' says Moreno. 'I feel I did well and made some great friends. It's a big club, and what stands out with those teams are the fans. [Atletico and Santa Fe] are teams that demand you to give your absolute best in every match because the fans only like it when you win. They require you to win every weekend. So you have to be mentally prepared and well-trained to compete, because these teams have high expectations.' Following eight years in Colombia, Moreno sought a change of scenery after last season, when he barely played. There was plenty of interest – including clubs from Brazil and Argentina – before the Auckland FC deal was done and he packed up his life in Colombia. Once he arrived, only a few weeks before the season started, he had to work hard to achieve match fitness. 'He was well behind the others when he first got here,' says Corica. But his quality was obvious in training and quickly became apparent in games. In his third match, he scored a spectacular late volley in the rain against Newcastle – breaking a 0-0 stalemate – with the strike recognised as Auckland's goal of the season this week. A fortnight later, there was the audacious 96th-minute free kick against Melbourne City and Moreno was truly under way. Corica puts big defensive demands on his wide men – which doesn't completely suit Moreno – but his impact has been undeniable, with a catalogue of precious goals and important moments, in the most prolific season of his career. Away from the pitch, Moreno is relaxed and friendly. He's passionate about his country and tires of some of the Hollywood-driven stereotypes of the nation. He speaks with the distinct, melodic rhythm of Colombians – often considered the easiest Spanish to understand – and slows down further for the benefit of the Herald. He has thoroughly enjoyed his time here, even if there have been considerable adjustments, especially with the cultural differences. '[Here] people close their businesses at 5pm,' says Moreno. 'In Colombia, 5pm is just the start of the night, which lasts until 1 or 2am. Here, by 7pm, the streets are empty and everyone is at home relaxing and resting. Colombia is more lively; people are exuberant, with an atmosphere of partying and festivities. So it's very different, calm and peaceful. But this is also good at times, and the kindness of the people has been incredible.' A striking contrast came after Auckland's first defeat of the season, a 4-0 home humiliation at the hands of Western United just before Christmas. 'It was a bad match, but the fans still supported us, encouraged us,' says Moreno. 'Then they came and asked for photos and autographs after the match. That was incredible for me because in Colombia, losing 4–0, especially at home, means the fans whistle at you, treat you poorly, and you need to leave quickly.' He has missed simple things – like the vast array of tropical fruit – 'you walk down the street and the trees have mangoes' – and the mostly tropical climate, compared with Auckland's variable weather and distinct seasons. The language barrier hasn't been easy. Gallegos and May help with translations where needed at training, while Black Knights mental performance coach Hamish Barton is also fluent in Spanish. Moreno and his wife are taking language classes, while their young daughter has made good progress. 'She's a bit shy with us, but when you see her with other kids, she starts talking,' laughs Moreno. 'She makes herself understood.' Overall, it has been an unforgettable journey, with maybe the best yet to come in the A-League semifinals over the next two weeks. 'I'm truly happy with what I've achieved so far,' says Moreno. 'A lot of that comes from the support the club has given me, the quality of the training sessions and the confidence they instil in me on the field. These moments here have been very special. The least I can do [now] is give back to those who brought me here from Colombia and perform my best. I'm hoping we can finish this season the way it was envisioned when the team hired me – competing for the championship.'
