Jake makes history in A-League grand final triumph

Jewish Sydneysider Jake Girdwood-Reich – on loan to Auckland FC by Major League Soccer club St Louis City – played his part in maintaining an impenentrable wall of defence in the Black Knights’ history-making 1-0 A-League Men grand final win over his former club Sydney FC last Saturday night, in front of more than 28,000 roaring fans at Auckland’s Go Media Stadium.

In doing so, the reliable, hard-working central defender – whose maternal grandparents survived the Holocaust – became the first Jewish Australian to play in an A-League grand final win.

On target scoring chances were few and far between, as defenders in the two teams with the best defence all season, doggedly applied themselves to their task.

But in a pivotal moment at the hour mark, New Zealander Cam Howieson scored his first A-League goal, when his powerful volley was deflected by a Sydney FC player’s boot into the back of the net, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

The Sky Blues then threw everything into attack, but the Black Knights’ defence held firm, earning Auckland FC the honour of being the first New Zealand club to win an A-League Men’s championship, in just their second season.

Making being part of that even more special was that Auckland’s coach Steve Corica was Girdwood-Reich’s coach during his time at Sydney FC, including when they won the 2023 Australia Cup.

The Auckland FC players deservedly partied all night, and the next day, they soaked up the gratitude of Black Knights fans, who lined Auckland’s streets to cheer them on as they travelled in an open-top bus with the trophy.

To top it off, Girdwood-Reich celebrated his 22nd birthday on Tuesday, with his mum, twin sister, and three of his closest friends, who’d come to watch the grand final.

Girdwood-Reich was also pivotal in Auckland’s two-leg semi-final aggregate win over Adelaide, defending tirelessly, and even scoring a goal with a sharp header in a confidence-boosting 3-0 away win.

In a pre-grand final press conference, he reflected how playing against Sydney FC in the decider was a situation “a bit emotional for me, because I supported them when I was growing up, and started my career there, so it is a little weird, but I want to be an A-League champion.”

Corica described the grand final triumph as “absolutely amazing”, adding his players “handled the pressure really well… I could see their belief.”

Also in Auckland last weekend, Jewish striker and former Sydney FC player Jordi Swibel, 27, played for South Melbourne in the inaugural Oceania Pro League (OPL) grand final at Eden Park, in a 1-2 loss to Auckland FC.

Swibel, Maccabi FC Caulfield’s women’s new head coach, scored 10 goals in the season – second highest in the OPL – including a brace in South Melbourne’s 4-0 semi-final win over Vanuatu United.

Maccabi FC, in a congratulatory social media post, said Swibel’s “dedication – both on the field as a professional, and on the sidelines as a mentor to our girls – is an absolute inspiration to the entire Maccabi family”.