Melbourne City supporters have plenty to be excited about after a strong run of visa signings. Danish attacking midfielder Emiliano Marcondes arrives from Norwich City, Brazilian Matheus Rossetto brings composure to the middle of the park, and Julian Cascante comes straight from the MLS as a tough central defender.
But with their absence in round one, City fans had to rely on a couple of youngsters to provide entertainment in a difficult trip away to Auckland FC. Quinn MacNicol looked hungry to get on the ball in positive positions, creating two chances while taking four shots on goal in his first 75 minutes as a City player.
The other player who shone brightly was surprisingly Kavian Rahmani. The 19-year-old has been around the senior squad for a couple of years now, notching 53 appearances in the process. Yet this was the first time he has made a case to be a proper starter. In previous years, he has looked nervous and not ready for the physicality and speed of the A-League. However, against Auckland, the young man showed a great desire to get into the thick of it.
Rahmani bagged an assist, accurately completed 80% of his passes, and created three chances as he played out a full 90 minutes. As part of a three-man system, Rahmani was the most influential player in the middle of the park, getting on the ball 61 times. This was almost double the amount of MacNicol touches.
The two boys linked up crucially in the 42nd minute to pull the game back to 1-1. It was a special goal, reminiscent of the free-flowing attacking play we have seen from other City sides in the Premiership years. Rahmani pounced onto a loose ball at the touchline and only required four touches to cut inside and chip a lovely pass into the path of MacNicol. The 18-year-old didn’t think twice. Quinn ran onto the ball, and smoothly hit it down at the pitch into the bottom right corner.
It is a goal so subtly good that it may fly under the radar for a lot of fans. How many players have you seen in that position who have decided to load up the cannon and smash it straight into the flailing hands of the keeper? Instead, as level headed as it gets, MacNicol intelligently found the side-netting with an expert finish.
Watch the goal here:
With Marcondes out for at least another few weeks while he recovers from ankle ligament damage, MacNicol is in prime position to really stake his claim for that starting role in the meantime and potentially beyond. The philosophy at City has definitely been if you’re good enough, you’ll play. Why can’t he keep that spot if he pushes on in chance creation and impact?
As for Rahmani, I want him to start against Victory. He was our best player against Auckland, and if that is the standard he is setting, we could be witnessing yet another breakout season for a young City player.
Finally, I want to touch on Medin Memeti. I am a huge fan of Medin, but was left a bit disappointed in his performance over the weekend. In the 56th minute, he had a magnificent chance where he broke the offside trap, and with the Auckland keeper Michael Woud in no man’s land, he couldn’t remain composed to float it into the back of the net. Instead, the ball sailed over the byline.
Memeti also had a chance to cut the ball back to find Max Caputo at the near post, yet mishit his strike, and I still don’t know if he was going for goal or the cross. There was hope for a late consolation in the 93rd minute as Memeti had his header clawed out of the top corner by Auckland’s Woud.
By no means is this a ‘drop Memeti’ attack. He has immense potential and is tipped to do great things, but he needs to perform. Memeti has what it takes to tear up the A-League and become a Socceroo in the future. Let’s see it.
Final score: 3-1 L
MOTM: Kavian Rahmani
Call to action! Get your asses to Bay 14 to support the City boys in the Derby this Saturday, 24th of October 2026.
Want to hear Regan in a more candid format? Check out The City Loop podcast!
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