Preparations got underway at the Croatian Club in West Auckland last week as the first-team squad reported for day one of pre-season training with two new faces.
Attacking midfielder Micah Lea’alafa and New Zealand U-20 international Te Atawhai Hudson-Wihongi enjoyed their first training session in Navy Blue with Lea’alafa the club’s first Solomon Islands signing since Henry Fa’arodo in 2008.
Players to exit the club include forward David Browne who signed with Dutch side PEC Zwolle, John Irving who has returned to Welsh football with Bala Town, while Oscar Garcia has signed professional terms with a club in Norway.
Ivan Carril, an integral figure in last season’s OFC Champions League campaign, has joined Norwegian side Club FK Gjøvik-Lyn with goalkeeper Tamati Williams opting to stay in the Netherlands.
With the training schedule just beginning and squad assembly a work in progress, Tribulietx looked ahead to a pre-season schedule that also includes a tough away friendly with Hyundai A-League outfit Wellington Phoenix on 26 September at Westpac Trust Stadium.
“It is a long pre-season this year with the ASB Premiership starting a bit later than last season so we had to sort out a few more games to prepare the team for an intense season.
“I think the games we’ve arranged are of good calibre and will help us tune up for a tough campaign.
“The Wellington Phoenix game is obviously a difficult one as they have been preparing for a long time so the result is not so important.
“I see the Phoenix match as a good opportunity for us to face a professional team and we will try to benefit from the experience as much as we can.
“We will try to implement and practice our own systems with and without the ball against a good football side. I’m happy we’ve managed to secure this fixture,” he said.
Apart from the Wellington Phoenix friendly, Auckland City FC also face ASB Premiership rivals Hawke’s Bay United in Taupo on 3 October, Canterbury United Dragons in Auckland on 17 October and Waitakere United on 24 October.
“ASB Premiership opponents give us an opportunity to compete and practice our movements, our positions with the ball, our defensive structure, the readjustments we think we have to implement against domestic teams in order to be ready for our first official game,” Tribulietx added.
The Navy Blues take on an U-17 selection on 30 September and stage an inter-squad match on 10 October. They then play Team Wellington in the ASB Charity Cup season opener on 1 November at Kiwitea Street.
Auckland City FC’s first ASB Premiership clash is the televised clash with Super City rivals Waitakere United on Sunday 8 November at QBE Stadium at 4.35pm.
While pre-season preparations are underway, Auckland City FC’s FIFA Club World Cup fate will be decided at the official draw in Zurich on 23 September.
The Navy Blues face another play-off qualifier despite winning the bronze medal at last year’s competition after a thrilling penalty shoot-out win over North and Central American champions Deportivo Cruz Azul in Morocco.
Story courtesy of www.aucklandcityfc.com.