Facing the A-League Men club that sacked him in a grand final, Auckland FC coach Steve Corica insists revenge or redemption hadn't been at the forefront of his mind.
Axed by the Sky Blues in 2023, Corica went full circle at a sold-out Go Media Stadium on Saturday after Cam Howieson's 60th-minute goal fired Auckland to a 1-0 grand final win.
Corica had been associated with Sydney since their inception, scoring the match-winning goal in the club's inaugural 2005 grand final win before guiding the club to back-to-back championship titles in 2019 and 2020.
But that nearly 20-year relationship ended in 2023, as he paid the price in his sixth season in charge when Sydney began their campaign with three consecutive defeats.
