Steve Corica facts for kids
Corica playing for Sydney FC in 2008
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 24 March 1973 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Innisfail, Queensland, Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.74 m | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Innisfail United | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990 | AIS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–1995 | Marconi Stallions | 103 | (14) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1996 | Leicester City | 16 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–2000 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 100 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 43 | (14) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2004 | Walsall | 73 | (9) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2010 | Sydney FC | 106 | (23) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 441 | (67) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1989 | Australia U-17 | 2 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–1991 | Australia U-20 | 6 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–1996 | Australia U-23 | 7 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1993–2006 | Australia | 32 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams managed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Sydney FC Youth | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Sydney FC (caretaker) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2023 | Sydney FC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Auckland FC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Stephen Christopher Corica (born 24 March 1973) is an Australian soccer manager and former player. He used to be the manager of the Australian club Sydney FC. In December 2023, Corica was announced as the first manager for the new A-League team, Auckland FC.
During his playing days, Steve Corica was a very skilled attacking midfielder. He played for the Australian national team over 30 times. He also captained Sydney FC to win both the league and championship in one season. After he stopped playing in 2010, he became a coach. He worked as an assistant coach and youth coach at Sydney FC before becoming the Head Coach in May 2018. He was Sydney FC's longest-serving manager, winning one A-League premiership, two championships, and one Australia Cup.
Playing Career
Early Days
Steve Corica began playing football in his hometown of Innisfail, in Far North Queensland. In 1990, he joined a special program for talented young players at the Australian Institute of Sport.
Marconi Stallions
After his scholarship, Corica signed with Marconi-Fairfield. This team played in the National Soccer League (NSL), which was Australia's top league back then. In his first season, he only started three games. But he soon became a regular player. In the 1992–93 season, he helped Marconi win the Grand Final. He was also named the Under 21 Player of the Year. After a couple of less successful years for Marconi, Corica decided to move to Europe in 1995 to continue his career.
Playing in England
Corica joined Leicester City in England. He played his first game for the club on 12 August 1995 and even scored a goal! Later, in February, Corica moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers, also known as Wolves. He played for Wolves for four and a half seasons, making over 100 appearances. He faced some challenges with knee injuries during this time.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima
In 2000, Corica left Wolves and moved to Japan. He played for the J1 League team Sanfrecce Hiroshima for two seasons. After that, he returned to England and joined Walsall. In September 2004, he left Walsall because he wasn't getting enough playing time.
Sydney FC
After 10 years playing overseas, Corica decided to come back to Australia. He joined the new A-League club, Sydney FC. His start in the new league was a bit rough. He was sent off (given a red card) in Sydney's third A-League match. After a one-game ban, he came back strong. He scored two goals in his next game against Queensland Roar.
Corica played a key role as Sydney FC reached the Grand Final. In that final, a pass from Dwight Yorke allowed Corica to score the only goal. This helped Sydney FC win 1–0 against the Central Coast Mariners. It was the first-ever A-League Championship!
He continued to play for Sydney FC in the following seasons. He was very important in their 2007 Asian Champions League campaign, scoring four goals. On 1 April 2008, he signed a new one-year contract. He had a great start to the 2008–09 A-League Season, scoring two goals in a match against the Central Coast Mariners. He became Sydney FC's highest goalscorer. He also became the third player to play 100 professional games for the club.
On 11 February 2010, he announced he would retire at the end of that season. In the final game of the 2009–10 season, Corica had to leave the field early due to a hamstring injury. Sydney FC won the game and claimed the Premiership. After checking his injury, it was found he had a serious tear, which meant he had to end his season and officially retire from professional football.
International Career
Steve Corica is special because he played for Australia at every youth level (Under 17, Under 20, Under 23) and for the senior national team. He was the first Australian player to do this!
He played for Australia in the FIFA U-17 World Championship in Scotland in 1989. He even scored a goal against Brazil. In 1991, he played in the FIFA World Youth Championship in Portugal, where Australia reached the semi-finals. He then played in two Olympic Games football tournaments. In the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Australia again made it to the semi-finals. Four years later, he was part of the 1996 Olympics team in Atlanta. He was part of a group of Australian players often called the "Golden Generation."
On 16 April 1993, Corica played his first game for the senior national team against Kuwait. He went on to play over 40 games for Australia, scoring 6 goals. This included playing in the 1997 and 2001 Confederations Cups. After not playing for the national team for five years, he returned for an Asia Cup qualifier against Kuwait in 2006.
Managerial Career
Sydney FC Youth Team
After retiring as a player, Corica became the coach for the Sydney FC National Youth League team starting in the 2010–11 season.
In July 2011, he became one of the Assistant Coaches for the senior Sydney FC team. In 2012, Corica even stepped in as a temporary (caretaker) coach for Sydney FC's main team.
For the 2013–14 season, Corica returned to coach the Sydney FC National Youth League team. He led them to win the Championship that season. From 2015 to May 2018, Corica worked full-time as an Assistant Coach for the Sydney FC A-League team.
Sydney FC Senior Team
2018–19 Season
On 16 May 2018, Steve Corica was named the Head Coach of Sydney FC's senior team. This was after the previous coach, Graham Arnold, took over the Australian national team. Corica's first season as head coach was very successful. Sydney FC almost won the league, and then they went on to beat Perth Glory in the 2019 A-League Grand Final to become champions!
2019–20 Season
Corica continued to bring success to Sydney FC the next season, even though it was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. He brought in strong new players like Kosta Barbarouses, Alexander Baumjohann, and Luke Brattan.
Due to COVID rules, the finals were held at Bankwest Stadium in Parramatta with fewer fans. Corica led Sydney FC to a comfortable 2–0 win over Perth Glory. Then, they beat Melbourne City 1–0 in the 2020 A-League Grand Final. The winning goal was scored in extra time by Rhyan Grant. This win gave Sydney FC their record-breaking 5th A-League finals trophy.
2020–21 Season
Because of travel restrictions from the pandemic, Corica couldn't make many changes to the team. However, he welcomed back Adam Le Fondre and Bobô. The season was again affected by the pandemic, with some competitions being cancelled.
Sydney FC played well and almost won the Premiers Plate, finishing just two points behind Melbourne City. The 2021 A-League Grand Final was a rematch of the previous season. This time, Melbourne City won 3–1 against Sydney FC.
2021–22 Season
For the 2021–22 season, Corica kept most of the team together. However, the team had a difficult start and struggled to win games consistently. They qualified for the 2022 AFC Champions League, but they didn't win any group games and finished last. This poor form continued when they returned to Australia. As a result, Sydney FC missed out on the finals series for the first time in six years.
2022–23 Season
Even though the club had its worst season in six years, Corica was given a new two-year contract. The club moved back to the new Sydney Football Stadium. However, the season had some challenges. Star player Milos Ninkovic left to join rival team Western Sydney Wanderers. Another young player, Calem Nieuwenhof, also moved to the Wanderers.
Corica brought in new players like Robert Mak and Joe Lolley. He also signed Jack Rodwell. Sydney FC started the season with a loss. Throughout the season, the team struggled to play consistently well. A big low point was a 4–0 loss to the Wanderers, with former Sydney FC players Ninkovic and Nieuwenhof involved in all the goals. This led to many fans wanting Corica to step down.
2023–24 Season
Corica started his sixth season as Sydney FC coach strongly. He led the team to win the 2023 Australia Cup, beating Brisbane Roar 3–1 in the final. New player Fábio Gomes scored two goals.
However, on 7 November 2023, it was announced that Corica had left Sydney FC. This happened after the team lost their first three games of the 2023–24 season without scoring any goals.
Auckland FC
Six weeks after leaving Sydney FC, Steve Corica was announced as the first manager for the new A-League team, Auckland FC. He will start with them for the 2024–2025 season. He joins his former Sydney FC teammate Terry McFlynn, who is the club's Director of Football.
Honours
As a Player
Sydney FC
- A-League Premiership: 2009–10
- A-League Championship: 2006, 2010
- Oceania Club Championship: 2004–05
Marconi Stallions
- NSL Championship: 1992–1993
Australia National Team
- FIFA Confederations Cup: 3rd place, 2001
- OFC Nations Cup: 2000
- AFC–OFC Challenge Cup: runner-up 2001
Individual Awards
- Sydney FC Member's Player of the Year: 2006–07, 2007–08
- NSL Papasavas Medal (U-21): 1992–93
- PFA A-League Team of the Decade: 2005–2015
- Sydney FC Hall of Fame: 2015
Special Achievements
- First A-League Finals goalscorer: Sydney FC v Adelaide United – 12 February 2006
- First A-League Grand Final goalscorer: Sydney FC v Central Coast Mariners – 5 March 2006
- First AFC Champions League goalscorer: Sydney FC v Shanghai Shenhua – 7 March 2007
As a Manager
Images for kids
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Steve Corica playing for Sydney FC in 2008
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Corica training for Sydney FC
See also
In Spanish: Steve Corica para niños
