The Auckland FC Sentinel
Match21 Nov 2026
Nobody wants to play Auckland FC right now
3 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.
Squad23 Nov 2026
A falling-out at Auckland FC
Louis Verstraete and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Match21 Nov 2026
Auckland FC get the job done against Melbourne Victory
A 2‑1 win over Melbourne Victory, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Player ratings23 Nov 2026
Nobody could get near Lachlan Brook
Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings23 Nov 2026
A masterclass from Sam Cosgrove
Marked 8.39 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings23 Nov 2026
One of those days for Guillermo May
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.07, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
The dugout23 Nov 2026
No hiding place for Logan Rogerson
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Logan Rogerson, and the manager let it.
The dugout23 Nov 2026
A satisfied Tom Craig
“The players deserve the credit. My job was easy today.” It was not, and everybody in the room knew it; after 2‑1, Tom Craig could afford to be generous.
Squad23 Nov 2026
The weekend belonged to Guillermo May
Player of the week, judged against every other man in the division. A small award, and one most careers never collect.
In brief
- The dugout No place in the plan for Cameron Howieson
- Squad Louis Verstraete has taken the shirt
- The dugout Louis Verstraete wants a proper job in this side