However, the remarkable story of amateur side Auckland City FC has flown under the radar, with the Oceania team’s players set to embark on the trip of a lifetime to test themselves against some of the world’s elite.
Based in the North Shore suburb of New Zealand’s largest city, the club boasts a squad comprised solely of players who work or study full-time in addition to their soccer careers.
From forklift drivers to soda salesmen and real estate agents, the rise of the small New Zealand side to the apex of the global club game has been likened by some to the narrative of a Hollywood script.
Having been crowned as the Oceania Champions League winner last year, Auckland City booked its place at the tournament and became the continent’s sole representative in the process.
Drawn in a group featuring 34-time German champion Bayern Munich, Portuguese giant Benfica, and iconic Argentine side Boca Juniors, the Auckland City squad will look to create soccer history as they compete against some of the sport’s greatest players over the next fortnight.
Juggling dreams with reality
Speaking to CNN Sports, team captain Mario Ilich described how his side’s “love of the game” was the driving force behind its historic qualification.
“People say that professional players work hard, which they do, but we are trying to compete at the top level of the game while holding down two, and in some cases three, jobs.”
Ilich, who earns his living as a sales representative for Coca-Cola, detailed the hectic routine most of the squad follows on a daily basis.
Without the multi-million-dollar training complexes available to many elite European teams, Auckland City players need to cram in the majority of their gym and recovery work outside of club facilities.
“My normal day begins around 5 a.m. when the alarm goes off. I’m up and off to the gym for an hour before returning to grab breakfast and make it to the office for 8 a.m.
“I try to finish up before 5 p.m. so I can make it across town to training, which gets underway at 6 p.m. We’ll spend about two hours on the grass, and I’ll get home at about 9 p.m. before heading to bed to prepare to do it all again the next day.”
The Navy Blues train four evenings per week, with their New Zealand Regional League fixtures usually played on Saturdays.
It’s a schedule that doesn’t lend itself to much of a life away from the office or soccer pitch and can take its toll, not just on the players, but on their families and friends too.
“I only get to see my partner on a Friday night really, or the odd Sunday, but thankfully she is very understanding of the finite nature of a player’s career and allows me to pursue my dreams,” Ilich said.
Facing soccer giants
Auckland City FC goalkeeper Conor Tracey recalled the moment he and the rest of the playing squad learned the results of the Club World Cup group stage draw.
“You’ll never forget a moment like that,” Tracey told CNN, describing how the players and management met up at 6 a.m. to watch the draw live from the Auckland City clubhouse before heading to their respective jobs.
“As each team was pulled out, our jaws just kept dropping closer to the floor. Each side has such an incredible history and reputation in the sport – it really is the dream draw in terms of who you want to test yourself against.”
For Tracey, who spends his days on the warehouse floor of a veterinary pharmaceuticals company, the tournament will be “the pinnacle” of his career.
However, with manual handling and frequent heavy lifting required in his day job, he has recently struggled with injury.
“My job can be extremely physical and can take its toll on my body. I’ve been far more prone to injuries than a regular goalkeeper, given the lack of time we have for adequate recovery too.
“I won’t lie – it can be really hard mentally, especially when you’re trying to deal with the dark mornings and nights in winter,” Tracey added.
“There have been a few occasions where I’ve thought about giving up on football, and lots of guys have done that over the years, with it just being too much with family and career. But the Club World Cup has been a goal worth putting in the hard yards for.”
From the mountaintop to the valley and back
The difficulty in dealing with the demands of elite football while attempting to balance an “ordinary” job is one that resonates with Auckland City vice-captain Adam Mitchell.
Mitchell thought he had achieved his childhood dream when he secured a move to former European Cup winner Red Star Belgrade in the nascent stages of his career.
However, a lack of gametime saw him move on to club soccer in Slovenia, followed by a short stint in the lower tiers of English football with Bolton Wanderers.
A point was reached where Mitchell had to decide whether to continue to pursue his professional soccer dream or return to New Zealand, with the prospect of a more secure income from selling real estate proving to be the decisive factor in his decision.
“At a young age, it’s a lot of people’s dream to make the big time and become a professional player, but I think a lot of the time people don’t realize how hard and competitive it can be,” Mitchell told CNN Sports.
“There are thousands of players fighting for just a handful of contracts. So, when you don’t end up in the glitz and glamor of elite soccer – where there are no big houses or flashy cars – you can find it very tough, especially if you are away in a foreign country.”
Thankfully for Mitchell, playing for Auckland City presents him with the opportunity to continue chasing his soccer dreams, albeit in a different way than many would imagine.
As the kickoff to the team’s opening group game against six-time Champions Leasgue winner Bayern draws ever closer, the magnitude of the occasion is not lost on the veteran defender, who hopes his squad’s exploits can stoke a fresh wave of excitement among New Zealand’s sporting public.
“I remember watching the 2010 World Cup in South Africa as a young kid. I have such vivid memories of the excitement when New Zealand got three draws. So it is a huge opportunity to do the same thing at club level and represent our country and region with pride,” Mitchell said.
‘For the love of the game’
With each of Bayern, two-time European Cup winner Benfica and six-time Copa Libertadores winner Boca Juniors boasting World Cup winners among their ranks, the Navy Blues will truly be pitting themselves against the world’s best.
For Ilich, the prospect of facing nine-time Bundesliga winner Joshua Kimmich in midfield is one he relishes.
“As a midfielder myself, I’ve always looked at the way Kimmich plays the game, so to test myself against him will be pretty cool. Jamal Musiala is another who is just an incredible dribbler and creator. Their quality all over the field is insane, to be honest,” he told Worldpress.
Goalkeeper Tracey will line up against the “revolutionary” Manuel Neuer, a player he credits with modernizing the way the position is played. Despite the reverence he holds towards the Bayern captain, forklift driver Tracey is determined to show the World Cup winner that his Auckland City side have not just traveled to the US to take in the tourist sights.
In the defensive line, vice-captain Mitchell can scarcely believe he will be tasked with containing England’s record goalscorer Harry Kane, whom he adamantly labels as one of the best strikers of this generation.
With names of such stature as opponents, the Auckland City squad is “under no illusions” as to how difficult its task is, according to skipper Ilich.
However, the amateur side heads to the United States with an unwavering belief that anything can happen, no matter how great the odds.
“They are on millions and millions of dollars, and we are just amateurs playing for the love of the game,” Ilich said to CNN Sports.
“But what we have is that we are all mates on and off the pitch and are going to compete so hard for one another.
“If we execute our coach’s plan and give it our best shot, who knows what can happen? At the end of the day, it’s just 11 players versus 11 players.
“So, we are just going to go there and do what we have always done: dream big.”
