Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) has announced their annual player-voted Isuzu UTE A-League Team of the Season ahead of Saturday night’s blockbuster Grand Final between rivals Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory.
The 18-player squad features five players who will step out in front of a sell-out crowd at AAMI Park this weekend, but it is unsurprisingly dominated by reigning premiers Auckland FC following their history-making debut season.
Auckland have seven representatives in the squad – led by Alex Paulsen, who has been named captain for the second successive season while Black Knights boss Steve Corica is head coach of a team that features a starting XI and comprises of seven substitutes.
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Francis de Vries, Hiroki Sakai, Louis Verstraete, Guillermo May and Nando Pijnaker are the other Auckland players included, while Grand Finalists Melbourne City have players in the squad – Kai Trewin and Nathaniel Atkinson as the starters and Aziz Behich and Marco Tilio among the substitutes.
Ryan Teague is Melbourne Victory’s sole representative.
“I can’t quite believe this,” Paulsen said. “I’m still taking it in to be honest. “I’m thankful to everyone who voted for me, it means so much.
“I want to thank my teammates, the coaching staff and my family who have all supported me over this past year and encouraged me to become a better person and a better goalkeeper. It is a huge honour and privilege to be represented on behalf of Auckland FC.”
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At the end of each season, PFA members from the A-Leagues are asked to vote on their best XI. The composition of the team is based on the number of votes tallied for each player in
each position, with the substitutes bench comprising those players who finished below those in the starting XI positions.
The player with the most votes is determined the Team of the Season’s captain.
The 2024-25 Team of the Season is headlined by a 4-3-3 formation.
Joint Golden Boot winners Adrian Segecic and Archie Goodwin are also in the starting XI, along with Johnny Warren Medallist Nicolas Milanovic, who has earned a move from Western Sydney Wanderers to Scottish Premiership club Aberdeen.
Goalkeeper:
Alex Paulsen (Auckland FC)
Defenders: Francis De Vries (Auckland FC), Kai Trewin (Melbourne City), Nathaniel Atkinson
(Melbourne City FC), Hiroki Sakai (Auckland FC)
Midfielders:
Angus Thurgate (Western United), Ryan Teague (Melbourne Victory), Louis Verstraete (Auckland FC)
Forwards:
Adrian Segecic (Sydney FC), Archie Goodwin (Adelaide United), Nicholas Milanovic (Western Sydney Wanderers)
Substitutes:
Lawrence Thomas (Western Sydney Wanderers), Aziz Behich (Melbourne City), Nando Pijnaker (Auckland FC), Anthony Caceres (Sydney FC), Guillermo May (Auckland FC), Marco
Tilio (Melbourne City), Noah Botic (Western United)
Captain:
Alex Paulsen (Auckland FC)
Coach: Steve Corica (Auckland FC)
