While many NPL teams have opted for familiar names or established league players to fill their Visa spots, Northcote City’s signing of Englishman Michael Cunningham from the American third division rounds out a foray into the unknown for the club.
He joins Michalis Karvouniaris as City’s second foreign addition, with the latter joining from Greek second division team Panahaiki.
The central defender previously played for Kissamikos in the lower leagues where he captained the side, before joining Panachaiki, narrowly missing out on promotion to the Greek Superleague via the promotion playoffs.
With family in Australia aiding his journey to the country, the 22-year-old has featured for the club in pre-season training and friendlies, including a 3-1 win over Oakleigh Cannons.
He lists his heading ability and speed for a defender as his key attributes, and had a glowing first impression of the club and coach Alex Gymnopoulos.
“I like the coach’s mentality, because he has influence on us because when I hear him speaking, he makes me want to play for him,” Karvouniaris told the club.
“The players want to give 100% for the club and for him and he gives you motivation.
“I see a lot of young kids in the team and this is good, the kids try a lot.
“We played good football [against Oakleigh], I really enjoyed it. After the game I thanked everybody because they made me enjoy the football we played… [it feels] like I’ve been in this team for years.”
Meanwhile, Cunningham was born in Nottingham and played for Luton Town before moving to America and playing college football at Roberts Wesleyan College.
He recently achieved championship honors with third-tier United Soccer League club Rochester Rhinos, having also previously featured for Vermont Voltage and Southern California Seahorses.
The 24-year-old can play anywhere across the front third and had been previously courted by former coach Goran Lozanovski to the club.
“I love travelling and my family’s a big bunch of travellers. I heard great things about Australia and knew they played a nice technical style of soccer out here,” Cunningham said via a press release.
“That is more a part of my roots so I wanted to get into a more familiar style of play.
“I got some good offers but I just felt a good welcoming feeling from Northcote. It was actually the previous coach who invited me in but when Alex [Gymnopoulos] took the job he seemed just as welcoming.”
The duo are Northcote’s third and fourth signings of the summer, with the club having already agreed terms with returning player Anthony Rizk from Melbourne City youth, and young goalkeeper Phil Petrovski from Goulburn Valley Suns.
As Northcote looks to consolidate their position in the Victorian top flight following two relatively safe mid-to-lower table finishes in the NPL era, Karvouniaris and Cunningham will be viewed as mature heads expected to play a leading role in guiding Alex Gymnopoulos’ largely youthful side to achieve their objectives, despite both players also being 22 and 24-years-old respectively.
Images: Northcote City FC