A New Chapter for Steve Corica
Auckland FC coach Steve Corica has found success in a new chapter of his career, leading the club to a 1-0 grand final victory against the A-League Men club that once sacked him. The win marked a significant moment in Corica’s journey, but he insists that revenge or redemption was not on his mind during the match.
The game took place at a sold-out Go Media Stadium, where Cam Howieson scored the decisive goal in the 60th minute. This victory not only secured the title for Auckland but also made Corica the first A-League Men coach to win three grand finals, surpassing former Socceroos boss Ange Postecoglou.
Corica had a long and storied history with Sydney FC, where he played and coached for nearly two decades. He scored the winning goal in the club’s inaugural 2005 grand final and led them to back-to-back championships in 2019 and 2020. However, his tenure came to an end in 2023 after a difficult start to the season, which saw three consecutive defeats.
Now, as the head coach of Auckland FC, Corica has embraced a new challenge. The 53-year-old said that moving to a new market was the right decision for his career.
“I had done everything at Sydney FC, so I didn’t have to prove anything as a coach,” Corica said. “I spent so long there, it was like home, my family still live there in Sydney, but football is my job.”
He added that joining a startup club like Auckland FC provided the perfect opportunity to begin anew.
“What I wanted to bring is joy to the people here in Auckland, because they’ve been so wonderful to me and our players in the first two years. Premiership in our first season and a grand final win in the second year – that’s more than we could have asked for.”
A Celebratory Victory
The post-match celebrations were lively, with Corica’s press conference interrupted by his players. The trophy-winning coach, along with Joe Marston Medal winner Howieson, was sprayed with champagne as the team blasted the 1990s dance anthem “Freed From Desire.”
Corica’s career as a player includes one premiership (2009/10) and two championships (2006, 2010). He later coached Sydney to a 2023 Australia Cup win and the 2019/20 premiership.
“I’m very proud of that as well. Three as a coach, which is brilliant, one as a player as well,” Corica said. “I’m happy, but I’m just more happy for everyone around the club and the players and the staff more.”
Strategic Preparation
Corica, who has one more season on his contract, credited the team’s decision to stay at a hotel during the home game as a key factor in their preparation. Auckland hadn’t won at home since a 3-0 victory over City in February.
“Worked a treat,” Corica said. “Home form wasn’t great, so we needed to change something. It comes at a cost, but we’re very good away from home, and we wanted to replicate that as much as possible.”
He added that reducing distractions during the finals was crucial.
“There’s a lot of distractions, especially in finals … we just tried to keep them away from that as much as we could, just to focus on the game, and it’s paid off.”
