CNN
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As FIFA’s improved expanded club World Cup begins in the US on Saturday, most fans’ eyes will be firmly locked in a wealth of football superstars up to $125 million, including Lionel Messi, Killian Mbappe and Erling Haaland.
However, the amazing story of Auckland City FC on the amateur side flew under the radar, with the players of the Oceania team going on lifelong trips and testing themselves against some of the world’s elite.
Based outside the North Shore, New Zealand’s largest city, the club boasts a team consisting only of players who work and study full-time in addition to their football careers.
From forklift drivers to soda salesmen and real estate agents, the small New Zealand rise has been likened to the story of Hollywood scripted scripts, from the pinnacle of the global club game.
Auckland City, which was won last year as the Oceania Champions League winner, booked the position in the tournament and became the only representative of the continent in the process.
The Auckland City team, portrayed in a group featuring 34-time German champions Bayern Munich, Portuguese giant Benfica and iconic Argentine side Boca Juniors, hopes to make football history in the next two weeks when they compete with the sport’s best players.
Talking to CNN Sports, team captain Mario Ilich explained that his team’s “love of the game” was the driving force behind his historic qualifications.
“People say professional players are working hard, but we’re trying to compete at the top level of the game, holding back two, sometimes three jobs.”
Ilic, who makes a living as a sales representative for Coca-Cola, detailed the busy routines that most teams follow every day.
Without the multi-million dollar training complex available to many elite European teams, players in Auckland City will need to cram in most of their gym and recovery work outside the club facility.
“My normal days start around 5am. The alarm goes off. I’ll be out for an hour at the gym, have breakfast, and come back to go to the office at 8am.
“I’m going to finish it before 5pm so I can train across town. I’ll spend about two hours in the grass at 6pm. I’ll head home around 9pm and head to bed to get ready again the next day.”
Navy Blues It is a New Zealand regional league fixture and is usually performed on Saturdays.
This is a schedule that you don’t lend to living away from the office or soccer pitch, and can be sacrificed not only to players, but also to family and friends.
“You can meet your partner on a Friday night or on a strange Sunday, but thankfully she has a very understanding of the finite nature of a player’s career and is able to pursue her dreams,” Ilich said.
Oakland City FC goalkeeper Conor Tracy recalled the moment when he and other teams learned the results of the Club World Cup group stage draw.
“You’ll never forget that moment,” Tracy told CNN, explaining how players and management met at 6am and how they watched a live Oakland City Clubhouse draw before heading to their respective jobs.
“When each team was pulled out, our chins kept approaching the floor. Each side has such an incredible history and reputation for the sport.
For Tracy, who spends his days on the veterinary pharmaceutical company’s warehouse floor, the tournament will be the “pinner” of his career.
However, he has been struggling with injuries recently, as manual handling and frequent heavy lifting are required in his daily work.
“My job is very physical and can cause a blow to my body. Given that we don’t have time for a proper recovery, I tend to get hurt a lot more than a regular goalkeeper.
“I don’t lie, especially when I’m trying to deal with the dark winter mornings and nights,” Tracy added.
“There were some opportunities I was thinking about giving up on football, and many have done it over the years, and there are too many people in their families and careers.
From the summit to the valley and on the back
The difficulty of dealing with the demands of elite football when trying to balance “normal” jobs is a job that resonates with Auckland City Deputy Captain Adam Mitchell.
Mitchell thought he had achieved his childhood dreams early in his career when he secured the move for former European Cup winner Red Star to Belgrade.
However, due to a lack of games, he moved to Slovenian club football, followed by a short stint in the lower tier of British football with the Bolton Wanderers.
Mitchell reached the point where he had to decide whether to continue pursuing his professional football dream or return to New Zealand.
“It’s a dream for many people to make big time and become professionals when they’re young, but I think people often don’t realize how difficult and competitive it is,” Mitchell told CNN Sports.
“Thousands of players are fighting for just a handful of contracts. So when it doesn’t end up with the glamor and charm of elite soccer (without big houses or flashy cars), it can feel very tough, especially if you’re not in a foreign country.”
Thankfully, playing for Oakland City, Mitchell presents him with the opportunity to continue pursuing his football dreams in a way that many imagine.
The veteran defender won’t lose that opportunity as the team’s kickoff to the opening group game against six-time champion Liesug winner Bayern approaches. The veteran defender hopes the team’s exploits will blow fresh excitement among the New Zealand sports masses.
“I remember seeing the 2010 World Cup in South Africa as a young child. I have vivid memories of the excitement of New Zealand’s three draws. So it’s a great opportunity to do the same at the club level and proudly represent our country and region,” Mitchell said.
Bayern, two European Cup winners Benfica and six Coparibatadores winners, Boca Junior, each boasting the World Cup winners, Navy Blues You’re really against the world’s highest.
For Ilich, the prospect of facing Bundesliga winner Joshua Kimmich in the midfield is something he enjoys.
“As my own midfielder, I’ve always seen how Kimic plays the game. Testing yourself against him is pretty cool. Jamal Musiala is just another incredible dribbler and creator.
Goalkeeper Tracy is alongside the “innovative” Manuel Neuer, a player who believes he has modernised the way he plays his position. Despite paying homage to the Bayern captain, forklift driver Tracy is determined to show the World Cup winners that his Auckland City side has not traveled to the US to incorporate tourist attractions.
On the defensive line, it’s hardly believed that vice captain Mitchell will be tasked with including England’s record-breaking goalscorer Harry Kane, who is firmly labelled as one of the greatest strikers of this generation.
According to Skipper Ilich, the Oakland City team is “no fantasy” about how difficult the task is, as such a height name is like an enemy.
But the amateurs head to the US with the unwavering belief that anything, no matter how big it is, can happen.
“They’re millions of dollars and we’re amateurs who play for the love of the game,” Ilich told CNN Sports.
“But all we have is that we are all friends on and off the pitch and compete hard with each other.
“Do you know what happens when you run your coach’s plan and pass on the best shot? At the end of the day, there are 11 players and 11 players.
“So we’re just trying to go there and do what we’ve always done.