A fresh, crisp new kit, new player announcements, and a new fixture list have all arrived. With just over a month until the 26/27 Isuzu UTE A-League season kicks off, the excitement is building, and fans are preparing to get back into the swing of things.
They’ve shared their expectations for the team and are eager to see what the new faces to the squad can bring to the table.
Let’s crack into it
After another successful season winning silverware, the club were quick to plan for the 26/27 season. They had to act fast – with the heartbreaking news that Steve Corica would no longer be at the helm. No time was wasted in the search for a new Gaffer. They took their time to announce the new Head Coach, but finally found the man they think will be perfect for the job. The new Head Coach was announced in late July.
Introducing AFC’s Portuguese Head Coach, Pedro Moreira
Moreira arrives with an impressive CV, having coached both youth and senior men’s sides. The most notable club is Sporting CP in Lisbon, Portugal. He boasts an impressive roster of clubs in which he was assistant coach: FC Porto, FC Shakhtar Donetsk, and AS Roma. Being the 2IC to the likes of Paulo Fonseca and coaching some of the world’s best players will bode well for AFC. Here’s hoping he can hit the ground running.
Fans Reactions:
“How the heck has the club managed to find a coach with this much experience? On paper, he’s already one of the best managers in the league. Whether or not it works out in terms of team performance and success in the league is yet to be seen, but on paper, we can all be excited and somewhat expectant that we’ll be challenging for silverware again this season!”
“I’m excited to watch the new coach do well & show his magic, having stepped into Steve Corica’s shoes. This job is not for the faint-hearted after his successful tenure with a great squad.”
“Hopefully the new Gaffer can make a couple more signings of his own.”
“I’ve seen that he’s worked at some big clubs, so he comes with a great amount of experience, but he definitely has big shoes to fill.”
Auckland FC had some fans feeling rather anxious at the start of the off-season. There were some major announcements that key players for the club wouldn’t be returning.
Louis Verstraete, Jesse Randall, Guillermo May, Dan Hall, Jake Girdwood-Reich, and Liam Gillion were just a few of the departing players, and the heartbreak was real. The bond between fans and players had come to a halt, and once the news broke that they weren’t returning, fans were desperate to find out who the club would sign next.
Never fear, Auckland FC are here! It took a while for the new signings to be announced, but once they had been, the response from fans was mostly excitement and curiosity. Lachie Bayliss, Aaron Calver, Aaron Cartwright and Marley Leuluai are now officially playing for the black and blue.
Lachie Bayliss
Lachie Bayliss joins the squad with great experience for a 24-year-old. He played his senior career in Australia, representing Central Coast Mariners in their academy, and boasted an impressive 23 goals in 46 appearances. Surprisingly, he didn’t get the call-up for the first team and was released by the club. The Newcastle Jets jumped at the chance to sign Bayliss. In fact, the day after his release from the Mariners, the Jets signed him.
Bayliss had a successful stint with the Jets between 2023 and 2026, making 62 appearances, scoring 6 goals and picking up two pieces of silverware along the way. Fun fact which we love here at Auckland FC: Lachie Bayliss has scored the second-quickest goal in the A-League’s history.
He scored after just 21 seconds! And who was it against? You guessed it, the Wellington Phoenix. Born in Australia, but representing New Zealand in football, he’ll feel like he’s finally at home, playing in front of the fans at Go Media Stadium. Definitely a player to watch and a great signing by Auckland FC.
Fans Reactions:
“From the new signings, I’m extremely excited with the addition of Lachie Bayliss. If he plays anywhere near his form from last season, he could be a game changer for Auckland FC with goals and assists.”
“Lachie Bayliss is a top-draw signing for AFC. Great player and should be in the starting XI every game this season. Had a great season with the Jets last season and won the Premiership and Australia Cup. Big loss for the Jets.”
“I’m interested to see if he can continue his form from the Jets.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing Lachie Bayliss scoring against the Phoenix again.”
“Lachie Bayliss has a decent amount of A-League games under his belt for someone his age. He’s represented New Zealand a couple of times as well, so I’m interested to see what he has to offer”.
“The expectation is that he should hit the ground running. He’s experienced in the A-League and should be approaching his peak, with the best yet to come for us. Lachie is more attacking but also doesn’t shy away from defensive duties. He’s hard-working, and I think he will strike up a good partnership with Lachie Brook and Felipe Gallegos in the middle of the park.”
“I know next to nothing about any of them, but that’s what I’m most excited about this season. Getting to know the new players, seeing new faces in the team, seeing whether any squad players from the last two seasons can make the step up to be starters, etc.”
Aaron Calver
This man comes into the squad with some big experience to his name. The 30-year-old plays in central defence, but has the versatility of being able to fill in at right-back role if needed. The best part about Aaron is that he’s a seasoned pro when it comes to A-League football.
He’s played for Sydney FC, Western United, and Perth Glory, picking up two Premierships, as well as one Championship. Here’s hoping he adds more to that collection with Auckland FC.
Two fun facts about Calver: the first one is that in 2015, after watching the Sydney derby, he was slapped in the face by a Western Sydney Wanderers fan. He declined to press charges. Perhaps Aaron is more of a “let’s make peace, not war” kind of guy.
Second fun fact – Calver is the second-youngest player to take the field in Sydney FC’s history. He was just 16 years old and played alongside Terry McFlynn.
Fans Reactions:
“A great addition to the squad with a wealth of A-League experience and knows about winning it too.”
“Calver is an experienced head who has been round the block and should add some stability at the back.”
“Aaron Calver comes over with experience; he’s won the Championship with Sydney FC. He’s still only 30, so will have a lot to offer.”
“Calver is a well-travelled journeyman who will offer experience in the heart of our defence. He’ll help fill the hole left by the departures of Dan Hall and Jake Girdwood-Reich. But he’s more of a defensive player than Girdwood-Reich. Dan Hall was a crowd (Port) favourite and has been a big part of Auckland FC’s success, but Calver has the experience to slot into Hall’s position well. He won the 2019 Grand Final with Steve Corica and Sydney City FC, so he knows what it takes to win a Grand Final.”
“Aaron Calver, with his previous A-League experience, looks like a solid addition to the defence”
Aaron Cartwright
Aaron Cartwright, despite his Australian background, is another New Zealand representative in the squad. He’s our youngest signing at just 18 years old. He’s an attacking player down the right wing, and he’s been part of the Melbourne City squad prior to signing for AFC. He’s had experience playing alongside the likes of A-League stars Patrick Beach and Mathew Leckie, and would have gained valuable knowledge from them. At the OFC U16 Championship, he won both Golden Boot and Golden Ball accolades. Fingers crossed he’ll be a sharpshooter for us as well.
Fun fact about Cartwright – he represented Australia in Australian youth teams, but pledged his allegiance to New Zealand.
Fans Reactions:
“Another quality signing, talented youngster with a lot of prospects. Hopefully he gets to show us what he can do in a step up in the A-League.”
“Aaron Cartwright is only 18, I think, so there’s always a bit of excitement when a young player comes through. How many opportunities will he get this season, I don’t know.”
“Aaron is a young scholarship player who plays right winger. I think his game time to start with will be limited, but he will come on and will want to continue his impressive youth career by proving himself at a new club. He’ll come off the bench and make an impact. My thought is that signings like this also give the club a good mix of youth with experience. A good balance.”
Marley Leuluai
Marley comes into the side as a trialist but an exciting young prospect. He’s had experience at youth level at both Blackburn Rovers and Burnley. After being sighted at a youth tournament, he joined Manchester City, where he spent the next five years progressing through their academy.
On his 17th birthday, he was signed by Burnley. He would have hoped to follow in the footsteps of Chris Wood and Cam Howieson, but unfortunately he didn’t make a first-team appearance and was sent out on loan.
Fun fact about Marley – he comes from a New Zealand sporting heritage. He’s the son of Kylie Leuluai, the NZ Maori Rugby League player, and cousin of Thomas Leuluai, the former Warriors player. It will be a proud day for Marley’s family when they see another Leuluai step foot onto the field at Go Media Stadium.
Fans Reactions:
“I don’t really know much about this young lad and have never seen him play, but he’ll be bringing some good experience from training in England for some good teams, so fingers crossed he’s another good prospect, and we get to see him get some minutes.”
“I’m hoping he gets the Pacific Island community interested in the game and actually how much involvement he has in the season”
“I support Man City in the Premier League, and Marley has come through the academy there. I’ve watched him represent NZ a couple of times at youth grade level; he’s looked good, and I think he even captained the side, but it’s always hard to get a gauge. But I’m excited to see what he can do.”
“He’s 19 but has the experience of pro football in England with some big clubs. He’ll be wanting to prove himself (and his sporting family) by getting some consistent game time and making the step up from youth football. He is a defensive midfielder, so it’ll be interesting how he slots in with midfielders like Gallegos but also sitting just in front of fellow new signing Calver. He came on in the second half against Spurs in the pre-season friendly and instantly chopped down Richarlison, which was brilliant, but he’ll have to rein that excitement in when the season starts, and he hopefully gets his opportunity to shine.”
Expectations for the upcoming season:
First season, Premiership. Second season, Championship. With a new-look squad, who knows how this season will go. Do we write this team off? I don’t think so.
No one expected us to win anything with our brand new squad in 2024, but we made history anyway. We’ve got youth talent, and we’ve got experienced heads who know exactly what it takes to win. So what do fans expect this season?
“My expectations for the season are fairly realistic, I think. I’m under no illusion that we will dominate as much as we have the last 2 seasons, but with that said, I’m confident that we can get a top 4 finish though. Going into the finals is a bit of a lottery; anyone can win on the day, so who knows. Going into the Final Series on a good run of form is key, and hopefully the more games at Go Media Stadium, the better. The fans are Auckland’s 12th man. It will be a tough season with a lot of our favourite faces missing from the squad and a new Gaffer, but that’s the nature of football; players and staff come and go.”
“Can’t wait for the new season and to catch up with the football family I’ve made along the way. Let’s smash the Nix and make it 9 games to nil. The WAIBOP Crew will be there through thick and thin”
“Most looking forward to Wellington away just before Christmas. Expectations would be top 6, then a good run in the Championship “
“Super pumped for the season ahead. I was in the stadium to watch the lads lift the trophy in May. Just crazy that in such a short space of time, the club has already given me one of the best memories of my life. When you consider what the club has given us already in just two seasons, you can only be hopeful when you look ahead.”
“I think this season is important for us to demonstrate that last year wasn’t simply a one-off and that we genuinely deserve to be respected as one of the best teams in the league.”
“The big thing is we have lost a LOT of experience and class. The cool thing is the pathway is obviously there, and the younger boys have had 2 seasons to learn from some of the guys who have left. A little trepidation having lost so many good players, but excited to see the young guys come in and get us to the playoffs at least.”
