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What's gone wrong with Auckland FC?
Henry Lee • February 4th, 2026 3:03 pm
Auckland FC head coach Steve Corica | Photo: Andrew Cornaga/Photosport
Auckland FC and Steve Corica are in unfamiliar territory.
It shouldn’t be panic stations just yet, but the Black Knights suffered yet another disappointing result in the A-League Men’s competition last weekend.
It couldn't have ended much worse for Corica and his side, as they lost all three points in the blink of an eye.
Auckland FC were one-nil up when second-choice keeper Oli Sail went down with what looked like a season-ending injury, before Michael Woud, who’s copped his fair share of criticism in recent weeks, was in goal while Perth scored in quick succession.
This isn’t the first poor performance of late, and the Aucklanders will want to resurrect their season sooner rather than later.
What happens between the sticks?
Switching goalkeepers is always a tough decision, as one mistake often costs you three points, whereas an outfield player can make three or four mistakes per game and not be punished.
That’s football, though, and Woud, in my opinion, took a deserved spot on the bench in Perth.
But now that Sail’s injured, Woud will have the gloves this weekend against Sydney at Mt Smart.
It will be interesting to see where Corica goes for a bench keeper this weekend, with many suggesting an SOS call to Papua New Guinea, where Oscar Mason and Blake Callinan are away with the OFC Pro League team.
For Woud, he desperately needs confidence, which will only come from a couple of great saves at Mt Smart on Saturday afternoon and a victory in front of the Port faithful.
There are questions to be asked, solutions needing to be found, but most importantly, Woud must find some confidence ahead of the biggest game of the season, and his Auckland FC career.
Time to mix up selection?
Something has to change.
Corica is a loyal coach, and for the most part, the former Sydney FC stalwart persists with the players he trusts and has performed well in the past.
Logan Rogerson, despite scoring a number of crucial goals last year, has had a poor year and continues to be picked on the right wing.
Guillermo May hasn’t lived up to last year’s heights, and his combination with Sam Cosgrove and Lachie Brook on the same field, at the same time, is almost non-existent.
Cosgrove was brought in to disrupt defenders, annoy them, and create havoc all across the field, which he has done efficiently.
Yes, at times he has gone down easily, and doesn’t link the play up as well as Max Mata did last season, but he’s a completely different player, and the side seems to still be adjusting to the big English import.
Auckland FC looked at their best with Brook up top next to Cosgrove against Western Sydney Wanderers away from home, with Randall running in behind the defence.
But since they have gone away from that and brought May back in, the linkup play has struggled, the efficiency of passing has dropped, and the overall attack just lacks fluidity.
Whether it be Marlee Francois, who has hardly been convincing himself, on one wing, or even a change of Auckland FC’s normal 4-4-2, something has to change.
The club’s vice captain, Jake Brimmer, deserves to come back into the lineup after returning from his short-term injury.
Jake Girdwood-Reich is likely to come back into the starting lineup with Nando Pijnaker nursing a groin injury, forming a centre-back partnership with Dan Hall.
The vulnerability of the Black Knights in defence and inability to put games away in attack means something has to give.
Lachian Brook | Photo: Photosport
Will Corica change the shooting drill at training?
To the coaching staff’s credit, Auckland FC are creating more chances than they did in 2025 when they won the Premiers' Plate.
But they are also missing more chances than they did in 2025. The Black Knights have currently made 50 big chances this season (2nd in the league), missing 34 of them (2nd in the league).
Randall’s pace has caused teams trouble time after time, and Brook’s quality is proving nearly impossible to stop, but it still hasn’t fully clicked.
This is an overreaction when you look at the table and see Auckland FC currently sitting third, while losing the fewest games out of any team this season.
But the Black Knights have struggled to put teams away in multiple games this season.
It started early in January, when Corica’s side didn’t extend their lead away at Macarthur, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
The Black Knights then should have been two or three goals up against Melbourne City at AAMI Park in mid-January, before the last two games against CCM and Perth Glory followed the same formula.
If Corica can get something to click going forward, whether it be a change in decision-making during the final third or making the extra pass, the team can start to take games away from teams before they even know about it.
Brisbane Roar's Youstin Gomez contests Auckland FC's Francis de Vries at Go Media Stadium | Photo: Andrew Cornaga/Photosport
Imports: Yay or Nay?
In the 2024-25 season, Neyder Moreno was a hero, often coming off the bench to score in front of the Port to clinch victory in the dying stages.
Club captain Hiroki Sakai was a fan favourite, and the two import midfielders - Felipe Gallegos and Louis Verstrate - oozed class all across the pitch.
May, as mentioned previously, was the club’s golden boot winner and player of the year, needing no explanation of the extent of his impact.
Cosgrove has looked underwhelming, but the numbers suggest otherwise, sitting in equal top with goals and assists with nine, six of those being goals.
Gallegos hasn’t been as effective this season, and whether May is still being weighed down by his knee injury from early on in the campaign is yet to be seen.
Some will argue Corica and the club should’ve been busier in the transfer window, but with the makeup of the squad and the contracts, you can see why no moves were made.
Auckland FC haven’t exactly upgraded or downgraded from their inaugural season; Corica’s side just aren’t on the same wavelength compared to 2024-25.
What’s going wrong for Auckland FC in the closing stages?
In their first season in the A-League, Auckland FC were the kings in defence.
Rock solid, with an uncanny ability to close out games from winning positions, whether it be at Mt Smart or across the ditch.
A large part of that was veteran defender and vice captain Tommy Smith, who came on thirteen times last season under varying circumstances.
What can’t be overlooked is what void Smith has left at the club, especially when coming on to steady the ship when the Black Knights were leading games.
This is no disrespect to Callan Elliot and Jake Girdwood-Reich, who have been superb this season, all things considered, but these two defenders don’t instil the same sort of confidence coming on with 20 minutes to go.
It hasn’t helped that Corica and his coaching staff have often decided to go to a five at the back formation to close out games, inviting pressure and giving the opposition chances.
Attack is the best form of defence, and Auckland FC must start searching for and landing the killer blow in games, as they did against Western Sydney Wanderers and the Brisbane Roar away from home.
What's up with Auckland FC's finishing? | Mornings
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