It’s now only a matter of weeks until the biggest game of football that the Aotearoa men’s national team has played for at least four and a half years. Probably more like twelve years given that this particular intercontinental playoff feels a whole lot more plausibly winnable than the previous two. New Zealand versus Costa Rica with the 32nd and final qualifying spot for the 2022 FIFA World Cup on the line. The kiwis are underdogs, no doubt about it, but there are plenty of legitimate reasons to feel optimistic.

Last week the squad was named. A 26-man group which will be slimmed down to 23 men for the Costa Rica game itself. There’s a training camp that’s already underway in Spain for those players who are free to attend already, what with the end of various seasons and whatnot, followed by a friendly against Peru who are preparing for an intercontinental playoff themselves against either Australia or UAE (depending on who wins that AFC playoff a week earlier) as well as a closed-door friendly against a still-unnamed opponent afterwards. Expect a line-up close to full strength against Peru and a rotated group against the other team (assuming they get that fixture over the line... they’ll be able to wrangle something up surely).

26 men and to be honest... not a lot of talking points. We’ve spent the last 7-8 months working through various playing options in friendly games. Danny Hay handed out 17 debuts in his first nine games in charge and that doesn’t count the ten other players who have debuted since the 2017 intercontinental playoffs. That’s a heap of fresh footballers. Lots of options. And over the recent calendar of fixtures the All Whites have been able to whittle things down to something predictable. Come the Costa Rica game it’ll probably be quite easy to predict at least seven of the starters with the rest of the spots likely to be clarified in the preceding couple games.

Two big injury-enforced absences. Ryan Thomas is one that we knew about ahead of time. He’s still recovering from knee surgery and hasn’t played since October. It’s been a long recovery without any definitive timeline with any potential return stretched further and further away. It sounds like there’s some genuine confusion as to what exactly is wrong with him and that’s never a good sign. At his best Ryan Thomas is the classiest player in the All Whites capable of both controlling a game and also unpicking a defence with his silky passing but we’ve known for quite a while that he just wasn’t realistically going to be fit in time. It is what it is.

The other one is Sarpreet Singh. Another frisky injury that’s dragged on a lot longer than initially expected as the dude has been sidelined since February, sadly taking the heat out of what had been a really enjoyable campaign on loan with SSV Jahn Regensburg. Dude scored 5 goals with 8 assists in 25 league matches (plus change in all three counts in cup comps). He was challenging for the most assists in the comp when he went down and still somehow finished tenth-equal despite missing a third of the campaign – curious to see if he’s done enough for a Bundesliga loan next term or if he’ll be back in the second tier.

Helpfully, Singh does at least have a diagnosis to work with, unlike Thomas. “Osteitis pubis” is the yarn. WebMD refers to it as “a painful condition that causes inflammation around the centre of the pelvis”. It’s a treatable thing but that treatment can take a lot of time. Singh’s spoken about intense pain, barely being able to get out of bed the day after games. Danny Hay said it was simply “too much of a task” for him to recover in time and team medical staff signed off on that opinion so, alas, it wasn’t meant to be.

The loss of blokes like Singh and Thomas is gonna be felt harder by a smaller nation like ours with fewer star players to go around. But injuries are part of the journey, you simply cannot expect to be able to roll out the ideal starting eleven for a one-off game like this. You can hope for it but you can’t expect it. The challenge is to have a team environment powerful enough to cover those absences through the combined efforts of everyone else. If ever an All Whites team has been primed for that, it’s this All Whites team.

THE COSTA RICANS

More on the intricacies of Danny Hay’s selection in a second but first... Costa Rica actually beat us to the squad naming.

Los Ticos have rolled out a typical group full of a lot of domestically based guys though several of them have had long pro careers in Europe/America and have only recently returned home towards the end of their career. They’ve named 27 dudes who will play not only the NZ game but also two CONCACAF Nations League games beforehand, which is sort of a tricky bit of timing for La Sele. Games against Panama and Martinique probably aren’t the best preparation to be honest. Costa Rica’s match against Aotearoa will be their first outside of their confederation since March 2021 and a 0-0 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Their one superstar fella is PSG goalie Keylor Navas who remains one of the best keepers on the planet and is stacked with big game experience and major trophies. He’s not on that list... but that’s only because he’s not joining up with the lads until they get to Qatar after the two Nations Cup games. They also have to slim the squad to 23 players for the playoff so that’s when Keylor Navas enters the scene.

Otherwise it’s their typical squad of very experienced players balanced with very inexperienced players. A lot of their top guys have played at multiple World Cups and were part of the squad that made the quarter-finals in 2014. We’re talking blokes like Celso Borges, Bryan Ruiz, Joel Campbell, Francisco Calvo, Brian Oviedo, and a few others. Nine guys in that squad with 50+ caps and that’s without Keylor Navas. They’ve also 14 guys with fewer than 10 caps. In comparison the All Whites have 15 players with fewer than 10 caps but only one with 50+ (Chris Wood, ofc).

Costa Rica plays Panama away on Friday 3 June (11.30am NZT) and then are home to Martinique on Monday 6 June (5am NZT). Great scouting opportunities for the All Whites brains trust there. Interesting to note that Danny Hay and his staff have also been tapping the brains of John Herdman, former Football Ferns coach and now the boss of potentially the best Canadian men’s team they’ve ever had, and Anthony Hudson, former All Whites coach and now an assistant with USA. Two strong NZ Football connections now entrenched in CONCACAF footy with recent experience against Costa Rica. That’s convenient. On with the kiwi squad now.

GOALKEEPERS

Stefan Marinovic – Hapoel Nog HaGalil, ISR (29 caps)

Oli Sail – Wellington Phoenix, NZ/AUS (2 caps)

Matthew Gould – Altrincham, ENG (0 caps)

Has Oli Sail’s Nix form been enough to push him ahead of Stefan Marinovic in the All Whites stocks same as he managed to do at the Wellington Phoenix last season? That’s the most pertinent question in the goalkeeping department.

Marinovic has past experience in the intercontinental playoffs which is huge in his favour, though his Israeli club did just get relegated. Then again he made a heap of saves for a bad team, not his fault they sucked. On the other hand, Sail’s been in the form of his life for the Phoenix but only has two caps to his name so far. We’ve not seen them both in an All Whites squad at the same time recently so it’s hard to say where Danny Hay is leaning. Sail gets a lot of visibility but A-League feats tend to be overrated by kiwi fans. Marinovic still feels like the safest bet in the short term however you can’t go wrong with either of them.

That’s the most pertinent point. The most talked about one is Matt Gould getting the nudge as the third GK. Definitely a strange one on the surface but Danny Hay did quickly explain that in his press conference after the announcement – by the way, dig the way they did a proper announcement for this. Taking footy seriously in Aotearoa. Love that.

Anyway, here’s what the Haymaker had to say...

“I think most people that understand the make-up of a football squad will recognise that A number three goal keeper is quite a unique position... the number three needs to be a really selfless individual. They need to be at times a little bit of cannon fodder if someone like Chris Wood wants to do a little bit of finishing. They need to be a major supporter of the other two goalkeepers as well. And they need to be top quality as well because they need to be putting those two under pressure as well.”

Basically, if you were picking the actual third best goal keeper then it would be Michael Woud. Thanks to a shocker game at the Olympics and a mistake or two against Jordan in his last AWs start Michael Woud seems to have a terrible reputation in some circles... but those circles clearly don’t read Flying Kiwis. Michael Woud is a superb goalie prospect who is only 23 years old which is toddler age for a GK when you really think about it. This guy has already played in England, Netherlands, and Japan. He’s had some hiccups but that’s all part of the growth process.

Having said that... this is not the time for learning curves. This stage requires the most reliable glovesman possible hence Marinovic and Sail are comfortably atop the queue. These days Woud’s busy trying to crack the starting team at Kyoto Sanga. Like most leagues, the J-League does break for a couple weeks around the international window so he wouldn’t miss any games but given he’s not going to play against Costa Rica unless two other guys get injured we’ve gotta revert to Hay’s words about the role of a GK3.

There are plenty of other dudes in the mix. Max Crocombe won the starter’s role at Grimsby Town during the season and is currently trying to guide them through the National League playoffs and into the EFL stuff. He could be playing against Nik Tzanev in League Two if that comes to pass, Tzanev having been unseen in All Whites squads since his vax status caused a hurdle. Jamie Searle was just released by Swansea and is looking for a new club but earned his first cap in OFC qualifying.

All six of these other goalies have started for the All Whites within the team’s last 14 matches. Matthew Gould is the only one of the seven main options who has not been capped and he plays at the lowest club level (same division as Crocombe but didn’t make the playoffs and spent time out on loan during the season). If it was about forming a depth chart of the best goalkeepers then Matthew Gould might well be in seventh place but it’s not about that so Gould’s gotten the GK3 nod. He’s available for the full camp. He’ll stay late after training allowing Chris Wood to get some shots in or Bill Tuiloma to work on free kicks. That aspect is potentially more important to the team’s success so if Danny Hay reckons Gould is the best guy for that role then no dramas here.

DEFENDERS

Michael Boxall – Minnesota United, USA (36 caps)

Liberato Cacace – Empoli, ITA (8 caps, 1 goal)

Francis De Vries - IFK Värnamo, SWE (5 caps)

Dane Ingham – Newcastle Jets, AUS (9 caps)

Niko Kirwan – Calcio Padova, ITA (6 caps)

Tim Payne – Wellington Phoenix, NZ/AUS (25 caps, 2 goals)

Nando Pijnaker – Sligo Rovers, IRE (7 caps)

Winston Reid – Unattached (30 caps, 1 goal)

Tommy Smith – Colchester United, ENG (47 caps, 2 goals)

Bill Tuiloma – Portland Timbers, USA (31 caps, 4 goals)

Michael Boxall is back. Missed the OFC stuff due to MLS conflicts but he’s one of those blokes whose commitment to the cause has never been in question (though his club hasn’t always been the easiest to deal with). Boxy’s been really good for the All Whites for a long time... though with Winston Reid available and Nando Pijnaker preferred at left CB that either means a shootout between Boxy and the in-form Bill Tuiloma for the third CB spot or it’ll be a back four with neither of them. Curious one there.

Tuiloma’s scoring goals for fun these days, a genuine set piece menace both with his headers and also his own direct free kicks. That could be what tips things in his favour. Then there’s Tommy Smith there with little chance of starting but a decent chance of being that steadying late closer as a substitute. Smithy is the only bloke to have played in all 11 matches under Danny Hay – four as a starter and seven as a sub. And Tim Payne does the CB thing pretty handily himself although you get the feeling he’s a much stronger chance to get a go at right back.

Nando Pijanker’s had a wee injury recently that’s seen him drop to the bench for Sligo Rovers yet thankfully it doesn’t sound like anything to worry about. Similar deal to Chris Wood’s recent hip injury. Sligo Rovers did just sack their manager last week so that could make things a little slippery for him trying to impress a new gaffer but on the whole he’s been in really good form for Rovers in 2022, finally getting a run of senior footy and showing what he can do.

As for Winston Reid, he may not be getting regular footy but this is Matua Winston we’re talking about, folks. Even though Danny Hay made a point (a very valid and exciting point) about emphasising club form and regular football in his selections if ever there was a case to make an exception for it’s Winston Reid. Hay said he was 100% convinced of Reid’s fitness. Still doesn’t have a club having effectively been a full-time international player this European season but would imagine he sorts something out for next season. In the meantime he began his international career with a World Cup appearance and he wants to bookend the other side of it with another one. Legendary areas.

It’ll be curious to see which three players get cut when they have to narrow the squad down for the Costa Rica game. Any injuries will simplify that task. Defs a couple too many forwards for the formation that they’re going to be playing and would bet a lot of money that at least one fullback gets the cut too. Libby Cacace and Francis De Vries cover the left. Tim Payne, Niko Kirwan, and Dane Ingham cover the right. Someone like Bill Tuiloma can fill in on both sides as well. Lots of options and almost all of them have been playing well at club level lately. Cacace and Payne should be the frontrunners.

Guys who’ve played fullback/wingback under Danny Hay not to be selected: James McGarry, Kelvin Kalua, Storm Roux, and Dalton Wilkins. Maybe the squad would’ve been better suited with an extra midfielder in place of Dane Ingham but otherwise hard to argue that Hay’s got the order right. Ingham lacks the chops that the other FBs in this squad possess but he built up a lot of credit with the coach at the Olympics.

MIDFIELDERS

Joe Bell - Brøndby IF, DEN (8 caps, 1 goal)

Matthew Garbett – Torino, ITA (8 caps, 1 goal)

Clayton Lewis – Wellington Phoenix, NZ/AUS (18 caps, 1 goal)

Marko Stamenic – HB Køge, DEN (6 caps)

Where are all the midfielders? Eh, this is standard areas for the All Whites. Four chaps to cover 2-3 spots and if they need someone else then they could, at a stretch, use Bill Tuiloma or Tim Payne or Eli Just.

Cam Howieson wasn’t picked for this squad having added two caps to his tally in the Oceania games. He was coming in from amateur stuff in Aotearoa so that tells you there’s not a current abundance of midfielders to choose from, can’t recall a time when there ever has been. S’pose Alex Rufer might have been in contention if he were fit while Ryan Thomas is obviously injured. The starting midfielders for the Nov 2017 away leg in Peru were Mike McGlinchey and Bill Tuiloma so yeah (Ryan Thomas started the first leg at CM but was a false nine the second – shout out Anthony Hudson).

Not that you should care about depth when Joe Bell and Marko Stamenic are gonna be starting. Like, those are the guys. Don’t worry about it. Both of them have the capacity to be playing Champions League football... potentially in as soon as two years’ time. Bell is 23yo. Stamenic is 21yo. Bell’s Brøndby are still in the mix for Conference League next season while Stamenic’s parent club FC København just won the Danish title (while he was excelling in the second tier on loan with HB Køge). The pair are already excellent players and are only going to get better.

Then there’s Matt Garbett battling away to be the second kiwi to play Serie A after Libby Cacace, he made the bench twice for Torino this past season. And Clayton Lewis who at this stage in his career has now found his best position and is emerging not only into a reliable international backup but is also emerging as a bit of a leader. Ufuk Talay is having the coaching impact on Clay that Anthony Hudson once thought he was having.

FORWARDS

Kosta Barbarouses – Sydney FC, AUS (49 caps, 4 goals)

Joe Champness – Unattached (5 caps)

Alex Greive – St Mirren, SCO (4 caps, 2 goals)

Elijah Just - FC Helsingør, DEN (9 caps, 1 goal)

Callum McCowatt - FC Helsingør, DEN (8 caps, 1 goal)

Logan Rogerson – FC Haka, FIN (8 caps, 1 goal)

Marco Rojas – Melbourne Victory, AUS (42 caps, 5 goals)

Ben Waine – Wellington Phoenix, NZ/AUS (2 caps, 1 goal)

Chris Wood – Newcastle United, ENG (65 caps, 33 goals)

You can tell that the attacking third is the one that Danny Hay and his staff are most concerned about because they’ve picked nine players to cover what’s effectively only three positions... and you already know that Chris Wood is taking up one of those spots. All time leading Aotearoa men’s goal scorer and plain and simply the best player. Coming off a deceptively impressive half-season with Newcastle in which his goals didn’t match expectations but his influence was huge in helping that club turn things around.

Wood will either have a strike-partner and a number ten behind him or he’ll have two wingers or maybe he’ll have wingers and a ten though a 4-3-3 might be considered too expansive in a game like this. Which is where we miss someone like Sarpreet Singh who can drift and do both whilst also being a top tier incisive passer and crosser. Ah well, gotta make do with whoever’s available.

A remarkable six months for Alex Greive has surged him all the way up into second striker status with the national team. His tireless workrate and defence-stretching runs could be a key part of the game-plan if he gets the start. Could play on the wing or through the middle. Ben Waine also holds his place having debuted in the OFC games. They’re the three who can play as proper centre-forwards.

Tell you who’s not here: Andre De Jong. By the looks of the squad, Ben Waine has been picked ahead of him, though Danny Hay did at least go out of his way to mention ADJ as “very unlucky” and then added that more regular club appearances would aid his cause. That’s slightly unfair. ADJ goes through streaks of playing and not playing for AmaZulu in South Africa but he has been in one of his playing phases recently and whenever he does take the field he looks pretty sharp. Definitely improved as a footballer in South Africa. Particularly his facilitating and movement.

The other thing that the coach said was that they were looking for a variety of options specific to their opponent with the insinuation being that ADJ doesn’t fill that mould. That also feels harsh seeing as there’s no other player in the group who compares directly with ADJ’s style... unless the point is that they didn’t feel they needed a strong pass-first backup striker who’ll drop in and seek the ball. That would make some sense – this is a very physical Costa Rican defence and it does take an absolute unit like Chris Wood to push them around. ADJ might have been Steven Adams vs the Timberwolves-ed.

Dunno how the variety of options thing works with Logan Rogerson and Joe Champness both being picked seeing as they’re kind of the same dude. Rogerson is more of an off-ball runner whereas Champness has mean stepovers but both of them are speedy wingers with good creativity levels and a deficiency when it comes to the pesky ol’ final product. Rogerson is playing regularly in Finland. Champness is a free agent after leaving his Turkish club early. Could be a head to head there for the final 23-man group.

Hey look Marco Rojas is back! He last played for the All Whites in a 1-0 loss to Lithuania in Hay’s second game in charge. Been in sizzling form for Melbourne Victory this season – “exceptional” was the word that Hay used, also saying it was a “no brainer” to include him in the squad. Kosta Barbarouses wasn’t quite as effective for Sydney FC, in fact he’s just been released as a free agent, but he made his similarly long-awaited All Whites return last tour and could earn his 50th cap on this trip. Both were involved in not just the last intercontinental playoffs but the ones before that too. Tommy Smith, Bill Tuiloma, and Chris Wood are the others who could feature in a third straight WCQ playoff (Winston Reid was injured in 2013).

Callum McCowatt hasn’t been in the last couple FCH squads so there could be something to be aware of there. Eli Just has been playing through. Helsingør finish their season this weekend and will probably welcome the shift in focus to this intercontinental playoff given the shocking collapse they just experienced at club level to go from eight points clear in first place heading into the championship rounds to missing out on promotion entirely with a game still to spare. You get the feeling that Eli Just could be a crucial player in the absence of Sarpreet Singh as someone who can do similar things with a creative pass. Just’s off-ball movement is always great as well.

Hay did mention Elliot Collier as another unlucky exclusion. EC is scoring a few for San Antonio in the USL which is beautiful to see... but it’s not the highest standard. There are 28 clubs in MLS and they’re expanding again next year so the tier below that where there are another 27 clubs... the nutella gets spread pretty thin over the toast, just saying. Max Mata is unluckier given he’s been really good for Sligo Rovers although his last month has been plagued with injury niggles. And someone like Ben Old is still a few years away from full strength All Whites selection.

Not too many debatable ones when you basically pick everybody (everybody except Andre De Jong). The real pondering is how the hell you limit things down into a starting line-up. In the OFC final it was Greive and Rogerson as wingers around Wood though that was without Rojas, Barbarouses, and Waine available. Just and McCowatt both came off the bench however they started the semi. A lot will depend on how they think they can break down this Costa Rican team and we’re not gonna know that until kickoff in Al Rayyan at 6am NZT on 15 June. Can you feel those anticipation levels rising? Absolutely you can.

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