He may only be from across the ditch but Macarthur midfielder Clayton Lewis now knows the pressure that comes with being a visa player in the A-League Men.
Macarthur signed the 22-cap New Zealand international from Wellington Phoenix earlier this year but because he doesn’t have Australian citizenship, Lewis counts on the club’s quota of imports.
ALM clubs can have up to five foreigners on their books and those spots are traditionally reserved for players from Europe.
But the unorthodox roster move spoke to Macarthur’s need for a no-nonsense midfielder like Lewis, 26, to lock things down in the centre of the park.
So far the move looks to have paid off with last year’s wooden spooners undefeated heading into Saturday’s home clash against Western United.
“Coming here as a foreigner puts it in the back of my mind that you need to step up,” Lewis told AAP.
“It’s not normal that a Kiwi gets a foreign spot which I still find pretty bizarre seeing as Australians can go to the Phoenix and not be considered foreigners - hopefully at some stage that will change.
“You're bringing in players from all over the world and from big footballing nations.
“And me, I’m a little Kiwi boy coming over as a foreigner so there’s some responsibility.
“I love that pressure and hopefully I can produce some good performances this year and we can finish in the top six and be fighting at the top.”
Lewis’s move from Wellington was made easier by the fact he played at the Phoenix with Macarthur captain, Mexican magician Ulises Davila.
Davila makes the Bulls tick and it was no coincidence their form tailed off last year with him out of the side with injury.
Playing against Davila in training has its advantages too, with Lewis set to find himself tasked with halting Western's Brazilian maverick Daniel Penha on Saturday.
“I think that’s why he (Davila) wanted me here so he can chill up front and do what he does,” Lewis said.
“He’s a quality player and I’ll do that work for him if he’s going to produce.
“There’s a lot of good players in this league and Uli is one of those, he’s so hard to defend.
“Penha was up there when he was last here and hopefully he’s someone I can contain this weekend.”
