All Whites’ Defender relishing career restart at Auckland FC

By Michael Burgess

As Auckland FC defender Francis de Vries emerged to face the media on Saturday night, he was still smiling from ear to ear.

And with good reason.

The 30-year-old had managed a rare goal – to seal the 2-0 win over Newcastle Jets – two weeks after scoring for his country at the same stadium. But beyond the individual achievements, it feels like de Vries is living the best episode of his eventful footballing career.

It’s been a snakes and ladders-type journey, with as many lows as highs, befitting the cut-throat nature of the global professional game.

A move to FC Basel as a teenager in 2012 hinted at big things for the Christchurch product, before a deal with Vancouver Whitecaps in 2017 seemed like another chance, after four years at college in the United States. Neither worked out.

There was a return to local domestic football, before another opportunity in Sweden, where he fought his way through the divisions, making almost 100 appearances for IFK Varnamo, including a season in the top tier, against the likes of Malmo and Gothenburg.

He came home in March 2023 – turning out for Eastern Suburbs in the Northern League – before getting this chance with Auckland FC. It’s been quite the ride, with five successive victories and a record equalling run of clean sheets and he is revelling in it.

“The intensity of the feelings of pride, of gratitude, of satisfaction are massive, once you know you’ve gone through some of those really low moments,” said de Vries.

“And to have people who have been supporting you the whole time being able to come to the stadium now is so cool. It stretches beyond yourself; you see how happy they are and it makes you even more motivated to keep going.

“It is amazing. Sweden was cool because I was at Varnamo for a long time so you get embedded in the community, get to know the people, hang out outside the field. So it’s really cool but Auckland is even better because everyone is Kiwi. It is massive to see the impact this club is having.”

From the opening match against Brisbane – where he was a standout – de Vries has looked at home, defensively solid and an attacking threat.

His deep ball set up Logan Rogerson’s goal in the inaugural match, while another swinging cross led to Neyder Moreno’s decisive finish on Saturday.

His delivery has stood out at All Whites level – rated the best by some of his national peers – and is a source of pride, after years of work.

“When I was younger, I was never really in academies or anything so a lot of practising by myself, down at the park,” said de Vries of his crossing technique.

“That is one of things you can work on, learn how to put more spin on the ball, more accuracy, more power. To be able to show that now here is quite cool; it’s something that I’ve worked on a lot without anyone ever seeing, [so to] bring it out in a professional environment is pretty cool.”

What remains a work in progress is his goal celebration, after finding the net for the first time in a professional match in more than three years.

“I didn’t quite know what to do,” he laughed. “It has been a long time coming.”

The ball fell to him, lurking on the edge of the area, after a free kick. His initial thought was to “smash it” before he remembered a skied attempt last week against Macarthur.

“I thought I would try to place it in the corner but I scuffed it so it wasn’t the cleanest finish,” said de Vries. He admitted he “got very lucky” – as the ball evaded a mass of bodies and went through two defender’s legs – but it didn’t detract from the feeling.

“You hear the noise and it is an incredible feeling.”

He also enjoyed Moreno’s strike, after watching the Colombian exhibit his silky touch at training.

“What a finish,” said de Vries. “I’ve seen him put a couple of absolute rockets in the top corner. This was a different skill but the timing on it, just perfect.”

Auckland remain top of the table, anchored by their remarkable defensive record, yet to concede in more than 470 minutes of football. That statistic was down to a collective output, with the midfield and attackers setting the tone.

“It’s the whole team,” said de Vries. “You can see how hard the boys up front work, how much the midfielders run, how well they tackle, how much they press. Outcomes are the result of processes. So if we stick to our processes of staying tight, staying strong, covering each other. [Goalkeeper] Alex Paulsen made a couple of worldies, that helps us massively.”

The next Auckland FC chapter might be the biggest yet, with the return derby match, after the memorable spectacle in Wellington a month ago.

“There is a genuine rivalry building between the clubs and obviously what happened last time is going to contribute to that,” said de Vries.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission