Phoenix enlist Costa Rican help

Wellington Phoenix have enlisted the help of Costa Rican duo Carlos Hernandez and Kenny Cunningham for the 2013/14 A-League season. The signing of Cunningham comes as the first major acquisition of new coach Ernie Merrick, making good on the promise he made to Nix fans to bring quality new players to the club. Hernandez was signed when the club was still under the control of Ricki Herbert but previously played under  Ernie Merrick when he was the manager of Melbourne Victory.

There can be no doubt that Hernandez played a part in the signing of Cunningham with Merrick admitting his attention was drawn to the attacking winger through the recommendation of the fellow Costa Rican. Merrick stated in a recent press release that Cunningham was just the sort of player he had been looking for…

“From the outset I said I wanted an attacking player who can come in from the wing and get into goal-scoring positions. It had to be someone with pace who has a credible footballing background. Kenny Cunningham ticks all those boxes. It is a major coup for the Phoenix to attract such a player.”

Both players have represented Costa Rica at International level with Cunningham having just played in all four of Costa Rica’s CONCACAF matches and recent World Cup qualifiers. He joins the Phoenix having just completed a season in Bolivia with top division team, The Strongest, whose team colours match the yellow and black of the Nix.

The signing of Cunningham coupled with the release of some long-term Phoenix players indicates that Merrick is keen to shake things up at the Wellington club, a move that has been welcomed by Nix fans. When your club finishes dead last you realize that some things need changing and Merrick is doing just that.

Recruitment for the Phoenix is not over yet with Merrick still looking to add a defensive midfielder to the squad, promising fans he will look at New Zealand based players before casting his eye elsewhere.