[Source: Reuters]

Steve Corica has been confirmed as the first coach of the new Auckland-based A-League team six weeks after being sacked by five-times champions Sydney FC.

Corica won back-to-back championships with Sydney FC in 2019-20 but departed last month after a poor start to the season.

He will work with the Auckland team’s recently appointed director of football Terry McFlynn, a former Sydney FC team mate, to build the club’s roster before they join the Australian top flight from the 2024/25 season.

The team’s billionaire owner Bill Foley said Corica was a “proven winner” as a player and a head coach.

“His philosophy is aligned with what we want to achieve at the club, to be successful and to entertain the fan,” Foley said in a statement.

Auckland will join fellow New Zealanders Wellington Phoenix, the first time the nation has had two teams in the A-League.

Wellington top the table eight games into the season.