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OFC Professional League matches thread

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26 days ago
Also looking at the crowds from today's semi finals - maybe OFC should have kept the Semi Finals as originally scheduled. 

There was a solid Vanuatu contingent for the earlier kick off and if they had have been allowed to keep the later kick off, they probably would have had a much larger crowd than this Auckland vs South Island game. 

There really wasn't much difference in crowd numbers between the 2 games despite the early kick off being in the middle of a work day.
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Endorsed by
LT01Southernix
26 days ago
OFC resorting to offering a free Pacific holiday to try entice a crowd. I doubt the Vanuatu RSE workers will be there, can't can't too many days off work.

And reads like Auckland FC may have a few departures this ALM off season?? Not just Randall

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360979767/auckland-fc-are-going-global-fifa-intercontinental-cup-awaits-after-oceania-pro-league-semifinal-win

Auckland will now play South Melbourne in Sunday’s final at Eden Park, where a trip for two to Fiji, the Solomon Islands or Vanuatu will be up for grabs in an attempt to get people through the gates.

Prins’ goal lit up a dour semifinal, played in front of a meagre crowd of a few hundred people – a far cry from the sell-out crowd set to pack the venue for Auckland’s A-League Men grand final against Sydney FC on Saturday night.

It is expected the Auckland team that faces Al Ahli will more closely resemble their A-League Men one than their Pro League one, though off-season departures will mean plenty of changes from how either team looks today.

https://twitter.com/OFCProLeague/status/2057022121101213788

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26 days ago · edited 26 days ago · History
Yep am sure there will be many changes.

Hall and Verstrate the big ones. Two players who are debatably the best players in their positions in the A league over the last two years off contract who will attract attention from overseas (likely Asia). It would be very tough to retain either. They will be sorely missed.

May and Gallegos have probably done their service for the club and it’s time to move them on.

Girdward-Reich, unlikely AFC would ever pay a transfer fee, so will head back to the States.

If there is any truth of this hard cap of 3 million being in place next year, they will want to shed some players in any case and replace with a couple of younger cheaper imports and OFC players.

Crucial win for AFC last night. A bit of coin from going to the intercontinental club World Cup, more exposure for players and sponsors, helps to fill in the pre season and no doubt goes a long way to the big prize of the club world championship. Think they somehow figure out who that is based upon the results of three years - which would disadvantage the Nix if they make it in next year.

Solomon Islands for a holiday - hmmmmmm, don’t know about that one.

Auckland will rise once more

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25 days ago · edited 25 days ago · History
Sounds like a few of the Auckland pro league guys have already signed contracts to be elevated to the first team in 26/27.

I've got a lot of time for the big fella in the bib in this video too. 🙂
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Endorsed by
coochiee
25 days ago
YoungHeartHM wrote:
Sounds like a few of the Auckland pro league guys have already signed contracts to be elevated to the first team in 26/27.
https://x.com/i/status/2057022121101213788

I've got a lot of time for the big fella in the bib in this video too. 🙂
I have also heard that they are releasing quite a few of the younger/academy players. Any idea which of the pro league guys they are signing?
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25 days ago
YoungHeartHM wrote:
Sounds like a few of the Auckland pro league guys have already signed contracts to be elevated to the first team in 26/27.
https://x.com/i/status/2057022121101213788

I've got a lot of time for the big fella in the bib in this video too. 🙂
Yeah nice touch from AFC to get him to do the MOTM presentation.

He’s obviously quickly become a bit of a popular icon at their club. Their own Hard News. The best of The Port

What’s his name?
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25 days ago · edited 25 days ago · History
From their OFC League team Id guess Wynne, Ellis, Fitz Harris and Bailey Ferguson to get ALM contracts

Daniel Normann would be a cheap Verstraete replacement. Prins has been much improved the last few games 

Mourdoukoutas If they need an ALM experienced CB squaddie. I guess is a chance all 3 first team CBs this season - Girdwood-Reich, Hall & Pijnaker - leave

Some of the ALM scholarship players maybe released. Coulibaly and Middleton have barely featured either ALM or OFC Pro

O’Leary and Ashton Burns seem to be rated


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25 days ago
coochiee wrote:
 YoungHeartHM wrote:
Sounds like a few of the Auckland pro league guys have already signed contracts to be elevated to the first team in 26/27.
https://x.com/i/status/2057022121101213788
 
I've got a lot of time for the big fella in the bib in this video too. 🙂
Yeah nice touch from AFC to get him to do the MOTM presentation.

He’s obviously quickly become a bit of a popular icon at their club. Their own Hard News. The best of The Port

What’s his name?
Big Red. 

But Blair to those that know him. 🙂
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Endorsed by
coochiee
25 days ago
coochiee wrote:
From their OFC League team Id guess Wynne, Ellis, Fitz Harris and Bailey Ferguson to get ALM contracts

Daniel Normann would be a cheap Verstraete replacement. Prins has been much improved the last few games 

Mourdoukoutas If they need an ALM experienced CB squaddie. I guess is a chance all 3 first team CBs this season - Girdwood-Reich, Hall & Pijnaker - leave

Some of the ALM scholarship players maybe released. Coulibaly and Middleton have barely featured either ALM or OFC Pro

O’Leary and Ashton Burns seem to be rated


 
Normann is off to Cambodia I believe, and Nathan Lobo is being lined up by Sydney Olympic.

All I'll say (can say - it's not my place sorry) is that the names I've been told aren't in your first sentence there. 🫣
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25 days ago
Interesting. Melting in Honiara should prepare Nowegian Normann for Cambodia. 

If not AFC then I hope the Nix look at Wynne and Ellis for the A League.
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25 days ago
Youngheart you are a great source of information.

If you are in the know, could you possibly throw a bone if a European midfielder may have possibly resigned?

Auckland will rise once more

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Endorsed by
ob
25 days ago · edited 25 days ago · History
AucklandPhoenix wrote:
Youngheart you are a great source of information.

If you are in the know, could you possibly throw a bone if a European midfielder may have possibly resigned?
No real mention of it sorry. Could also be a case of people being tight-lipped too. 🤔

My scope usually covers the Kiwis and the younger ones coming through. Seldom do I really get too much information regarding the visa/foreign player movements. To their credit both the Nix and AFC seem to run a pretty tight ship in that regard. 

Perhaps someone like Andrew Voerman might like to impart some wisdom though (if he see's this).
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Endorsed by
AucklandPhoenix
24 days ago
https://twitter.com/OFCProLeague/status/2057665835318247817
https://twitter.com/OFCProLeague/status/2057025159559856209
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22 days ago
https://twitter.com/OFCProLeague/status/2058261682288472392

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22 days ago · edited 22 days ago · History
So the final has four things riding on it for AFC.

1: First ever champions and bragging rights.

2: 25 per cent of the total payout from the OFC pot. Runners up get 15 per cent and the remaining 6 clubs, 10 per cent.

3: While they have already qualified for the club intercontinental championship, the big prize is the club world championship, held every four years where the millions are earned (think Auckland city last year). Qualification is based upon results over the first three years I of the OFC league. The exact formula hasn’t been released but I daresay winning a competition must give you a decent chunk of points.

$7.6 million was earned by Auckland City last year.

That is the big prize and would likely make AFC financially stable even in the toughest A league climate and giving them a serious competitive advantage over other A league clubs.

Even if the Nix got into the comp next year, failing to appear this year would mean it’s unlikely they could qualify.

As we know Sth Melbourne can never qualify for these FIFA cash cow tournaments so AFC’s rivals over the three year period are the cumulative results of the other OFC clubs. 


4: Ensuring the Australians don’t get their hands on an Oceania trophy!!

Auckland will rise once more

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22 days ago
Was just thinking Auckland were looking really likely and had started on top... then they go and score 1-0.

Add OFC Pro League title to the long list of achievements they've had before the Nix  🙄 
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22 days ago · edited 22 days ago · History
South Melbourne seem to have got a decent amount to the game which is good to see despite having to travel over from Aus, and they seem to be quite vocal too
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LT01Noah4thenixSouthernix
22 days ago · edited 22 days ago · History
Fairly impressed by the standard of this final.

A lot of these AFC players wouldn’t go amiss in A league squads or even some in starting line ups.

I imagine AFC will be all over them but I hope the Nix are watching closely as well and make a couple of offers.

Understand that Norman is off to Cambodia which is a shame as I think he would be worth a cheap import spot in either squad.

Auckland will rise once more

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22 days ago
From AFC I think Norman has been superb in every game I’ve seen. The only issue is he’s Norwegian so would likely take up a visa slot?

Otherwise I think Zorocich, Wynne, Mourdoukis, Prins would be solid A league squaddies.

It’ll be interesting now to see who goes where…
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22 days ago
For Auckland this has been a weekend to never forget, and more me a weekend I'll be wanting to forget.

As much as I wanna be mad you can't deny how great this has been for NZ football
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Endorsed by
coochieeco
22 days ago · edited 22 days ago · History
It annoys me that both teams in the final were there at all. Sure it will redress some injustice if Nix also get a team next season but even then, AFC and the Nix will have massive advantages over the Island teams and SIU, and they'll also have advantages over the rest of the A-League teams, having the ability to offer prospective players a far greater likelihood of playing in the two FIFA Club Cups as well as the associated prize money for the clubs themselves. 

Wish they would just form an independent Auckland entity that could run a SIU clone.

As for South Melbourne's involvement, what is the point, other than offering benefits to one specific second-tier Australian club? 
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Endorsed by
Southernix
22 days ago · edited 22 days ago · History
It might be that very few of the OFC Pro League guys get to the Intercontinental Cup. Sounds like it will be their A League team playing Al Ahli in Saudi.

Do Auckland FC get all the FIFA Intercontinental Cup participation dosh?
Does some of it go to the OFC Confed, or the Pro League itself, ie split amongst all 8 clubs?
 
I remember NZF and Auckland City were in arbitration, re the FIFA participation slush fund available after last year's CWC in the States.

Blame Sth Melb in this league on the CCP. It's an open secret Australia is throwing cash into the Pacific via sports teams, as a push back on China's encroach. The new PNG NRL club being the masthead of that, with the Australian Government investing $600 million over 10 years in that new club! But football is also an important heads & minds vehicle to utilise.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360979768/auckland-fc-beat-south-melbourne-fc-inaugural-oceania-pro-league-final

 By finishing as the highest-placed non-Australian team in the Pro League, Auckland qualified for the FIFA Intercontinental Cup later this year.

They are expected to face Asian champions Al Ahli – a Saudi Arabian club – in August or September, with a squad resembling their A-League Men one more so than their Pro League one. 
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22 days ago
imanixsupporter wrote:
It annoys me that both teams in the final were there at all. Sure it will redress some injustice if Nix also get a team next season but even then, AFC and the Nix will have massive advantages over the Island teams and SIU, and they'll also have advantages over the rest of the A-League teams, having the ability to offer prospective players a far greater likelihood of playing in the two FIFA Club Cups as well as the associated prize money for the clubs themselves. 

Wish they would just form an independent Auckland entity that could run a SIU clone.

As for South Melbourne's involvement, what is the point, other than offering benefits to one specific second-tier Australian club? 
Calling out South Melbourne for being in the OFCPL as nix fans feels like throwing stones from a glass house
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co
22 days ago · edited 22 days ago · History
TonyHibbert wrote:
From AFC I think Norman has been superb in every game I’ve seen. The only issue is he’s Norwegian so would likely take up a visa slot?

Otherwise I think Zorocich, Wynne, Mourdoukis, Prins would be solid A league squaddies.

It’ll be interesting now to see who goes where…
Hearing Normann talk it sounds like he's spent some time in the North of England. Shades of Spain's finest A-Rod the Geordie.

Normann named player of the OFC Pro League.
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22 days ago
I thought the South Melbourne thing was a recognition of their history as "Oceania Club of the Century"

Ramming liberal dribble down your throat since 2009
This forum needs less angst and more Kate Bush threads



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22 days ago
Doloras wrote:
I thought the South Melbourne thing was a recognition of their history as "Oceania Club of the Century"
The main reason was wanting a stable club that could tap into the Australian market, and South just so happened to be a stable club from Australia that also just so happened to have history in Oceania.
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LT01
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