That previous Football Ferns get-together came about as a sneaky bonus. It wasn’t the most convenient situation with the USA visiting outside an international window, thus limiting the kiwis to a weakened squad, but despite that (or arguably because of that) it ended up being a really valuable camp with record Ferns crowds in both Wellington and Auckland. We saw four players given debuts. A goalless first half in the Wellington game offered some lovely encouragement. Then they shipped nine goals across the remaining 135 minutes of action... but we’re talking about a weakened team against the two-time reigning world champs so gotta keep it chilled.

Really, those two results were irrelevant. The USA series was never about that, how could it have been? It’s only insanity or willful ignorance that could lead anyone to assume that even a full strength New Zealand side should be able to compete with the USA considering the vast difference in resources/population/facilities/professionalism/etc. The Ferns are competitive against teams of a similar stature. Proven fact. We just don’t play those teams often enough for the casual fans out there to notice, perhaps.

The Ferns have two targets in mind this year: 1) win a game at the World Cup, and 2) see if they can get out of their group. Neither of those require being able to compete with the best team on the planet and that style of game, with about 80% of it spent in defence (and almost that much of it without the ball), isn’t at all representative of what they’ll be getting against group stage rivals Norway, Switzerland, and the Philippines.

We know this team’s main struggle comes when trying to score goals. We know they’re a very good defensive team which means that the goal dramas only have to improve so much for the team to be able to hit those targets. And while they did get plenty out of the USA games, they were never going to make any tangible progress as far as learning how to score goals and win games against the calibre of teams that they’ll meet at the World Cup. Nah, that progress may well have continued behind the scenes but for where it counts we were always gonna have to wait for more reasonable match-ups... such as these ones.

The first game is against Portugal in Hamilton. The Portuguese are in town as part of the final World Cup qualifying tournament that’s going on across Auckland/Hamilton later this month. The ol’ intercontinental playoffs... which in this case involve 10 teams split into three groups with the winner of each group taking their place at the big show. In Portugal’s case, they’re a seeded team in Group A. Cameroon plays Thailand with the winner advancing to face Portugal four days later in the final. Obviously Portugal don’t wanna be left undercooked while their opponents are slugging it out so they’ve lined up a match against the hosts around the same time as that other match is happening. Steady business.

Group C has four teams so nobody gets left out there (Chinese Taipei vs Paraguay/Papua New Guinea vs Panama) but Group B does not, with Chile awaiting the winner of Senegal vs Haiti. Clearly the Ferns can’t play two games at once so Argentina are flying over to take on Chile in their warm-up game... then are hanging around for further two friendlies against New Zealand afterwards. One in Hamilton, the other in Auckland.

That means three games in one week for the Fernies and they’re all against teams of a similar quality. The Ferns have met Portugal once in their history, winning 1-0 back in 2016 at the Algarve Cup that the Porties host. Amber Hearn scored the winner. They’ve also played Argentina twice, beating them 1-0 in 2008 (Hearn with the winner that day too) and quite recently beating them 2-0 at the Cup of Nations in Australia back in early 2019 with Katie Rood and CJ Bott doing the damage. You may remember that CJB golazo...

Yes, folks, these are actual legitimate winnable games of football on the horizon and exactly the type of fixtures that this team needs to be playing in preparation for that World Cup. As such, Jitka Klimková has named a 23-woman squad that looks about as strong as it could get right now (barring one or two injuries). This group will form the overwhelming bulk of the World Cup squad in July and it’s time for Klimková’s best eleven to finally get some proper reps together.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t other players who might sneak in there between now and the tournament (particularly after the A-League season ends) and there are definitely a few in this group who could still be auditioning for spots. But the major focus has to be getting that starting eleven in tip-top shape, building combinations and really nailing down the tactics. This is a team that holds a firm shape out of possession, seeking to press the build-up when the opportunity arises. That requires a lot of discipline and a lot of trust in teammates to have your back when you shoot out of the line. The backline also needs to operate as a unit. The midfielders need to know where their options are. Game time is the only way to truly figure those things out.

Keep that in mind with strikers in particular... the ability to finish chances isn’t the only factor here. That off-the-ball mahi is massive and realistically there isn’t much time left to ingrain anybody else into that. Now, they don’t specifically have to. Milly Clegg, for example, may not have a hope of being a starter at this World Cup but she could be an option for the last ten minutes of a close game when the main plan goes out the window.

That could still happen for her and it could still happen for several other players in wider contention. But between injuries and travel restrictions and international windows, Klimková has barely been able to give her first eleven the repetitions they need and that’s gotta be the priority for now. (Would still love to see Clegg make the World Cup squad... but it’s hardly a travesty if she doesn’t – her time will come in the next cycle and beyond).

That first choice eleven, based on recent selections, appears to be: Victoria Esson in goal; a back four of CJ Bott, Katie Bowen, Claudia Bunge, and Ali Riley; a midfield duo of Ria Percival and Annalie Longo/Betsy Hassett with Olivia Chance on the left of the four and probably Grace Jale on the right; then Hannah Wilkinson and Paige Satchell up front. Percival and Longo are currently recovering from ACL injuries and while Percival is edging closer to a return for Spurs, Longo is no guarantee at all to be ready for the World Cup. She did her injury five months after Percy who still isn’t back on the pitch. We’re now five months out from the start of the World Cup. Do the maths there and it ain’t ideal (especially since Percival has the professional assistance of the Tottenham Hotspur medical team while Longo... does not).

We’ve also had the retirement of Anna Green since the last tour. Some have pondered why anyone would make that call so close to a home World Cup... the reason is pretty simple: she probably wasn’t gonna make the squad. Sure she started both games against the USA, and did pretty well (although not as well as makeshift CB Ali Riley), but that was a bunch of more prominent defensive options unavailable. Greenie has hardly featured for Sydney FC this season. The experience that she offers is matched elsewhere in the squad by the likes of Riley, Stott, Nayler, Hassett, etc. Liz Anton has started six of the last nine games at left back so Green wasn’t getting in there as Ali Riley’s understudy either. No dramas, no scandals. Just a simple honest assessment of the state of affairs from a veteran player who now gets to sit back and enjoy the tournament as a fan.

Tell ya what else... Ferns results over the last decade have been at times frustrating and at other times tragic. They’ve stagnated in attack after a few too many recent retirements, particularly Amber Hearn who now looks like the most underrated player of that early-2010s golden era. But while their first eleven isn’t quite as balanced, there’s more depth than ever before at both the international and the professional level. There are going to be full professionals who miss out on that World Cup squad. There are then going to be heated debates about some of those decisions. It’s a situation we’ve never had before – too many players to choose from! - so keep that in mind while getting annoyed that the coach prefers one player over another.

Naturally there’s quite a lot of change from the last squad to this one. A full international window has allowed Jitka Klimková to pick her strongest available team with only a few pesky injuries getting in the way. Ria Percival and Annalie Longo remain deep in their recoveries. Jacqui Hand was in the previous squad but wasn’t deemed fit enough to play as she comes back from an injury suffered on Ferns duty back in November, she’s now been left out of this group for the same reason. Lily Alfeld also remains injured, having suffered a set-back which saw her replaced from the last squad. Here are the ins and outs...

IN: Katie Bowen, Meikayla Moore, CJ Bott, Vic Esson, Rebekah Stott, Hannah Wilkinson, Anna Leat, Malia Steinmetz, Claudia Bunge, Kate Taylor

OUT: Anna Green, Emma Rolston, Jacqui Hand, Hannah Blake, Ashleigh Ward, Jana Radosavljević, Ally Green, Brianna Edwards, Aniela Jensen, Grace Wisnewski*, Murphy Sheaff, Rebecca Lake, Tayla O’Brien, Deven Jackson

*Wisnewski is joining the current camp as a training player but isn’t in the actual squad

Would be happy to bet that at least 18 of the 23 players in this group will be heading to the World Cup. Probably more like 20-21 of them. The thing about pining for outside players to be picked is that you also have to drop someone to make room for them and that’s not easy to do when (almost) everybody’s available. Still need to make room for Ria Percival and maybe even Annalie Longo from this group. On that note, let’s break down the squad a little further.

GOALKEEPERS

Vic Esson – Rangers, SCO (12 caps/0 goals)

Anna Leat – Aston Villa, ENG (9/0)

Erin Nayler - IFK Norrköping, SWE (81/0)

There are other good goalies out there. Lily Alfeld’s the next cab off the rank but hasn’t been able to play this A-League season due to injury. Brianna Edwards has boosted her case in LA’s absence while fellow 2022 U20 World Cup goalie Murphy Sheaff was included in the USA tour squad, initially ahead of Edwards who was then called up after Alfeld was ruled out.

But there’s absolutely no doubt that this trio is the best going around and with three goalies required in World Cup squads it’s the easiest position to take care of. Esson is the starter following a series of superb performances for the national team since Klimková took over. Esson’s worn the gloves in five of the team’s six positive results across in that time. Plus while she’s got herself a job-share situation going on with Rangers she has looked good whenever her turn to keep has come around - conceding just one goal in seven league matches as well as starting all four of their UCL qualifiers.

Anna Leat is second choice and her efforts with Aston Villa should not be slept on. Leat has the highest potential of the trio, is nearly a decade younger than the other two, and is playing at the highest level. Not only that but she seems to have ousted England backup Hannah Hampton as the preferred starter at Villa. Leat’s not quite as good a shot-stopper as Esson is but she’s better with her feet and also has that crucial tournament knack for saving penalties (although Esson saved one in her last int appearance too). Leat has missed her last couple games with a minor back injury, should be back this weekend by the sounds but it’s worth a mention just in case.

And while Erin Nayler has dropped to third choice following after several years as the top dog... she’s still clearly a first-choice squadie. Some outrageous saves across the two USA games made that abundantly clear. Goalkeepers are set in stone. Nobody’s touching this triumvirate, barring injuries.

DEFENDERS

Liz Anton – Perth Glory, AUS (17/0)

Mackenzie Barry – Wellington Phoenix, NZ/AUS (5/0)

CJ Bott – Leicester City, ENG (36/2)

Katie Bowen – Melbourne City, AUS (87/3)

Claudia Bunge – Melbourne Victory, AUS (16/0)

Meikayla Moore – Glasgow City, SCO (60/4)

Grace Neville – London City Lionesses, ENG (1/0)

Ali Riley – Angel City FC, USA (149/2)

Rebekah Stott – Brighton & Hove Albion, ENG (87/4)

Kate Taylor - Wellington Phoenix, NZ/AUS (6/0)

The major starting eleven question here was who’d fill Abby Erceg’s boots... well, Katie Bowen making the permanent shift to central defence for Melbourne City after some impressive work there for the Ferns seems to have taken care of that yarn. She’s not Erceg but she’ll do as good a job as any. Her midfielder’s skill set will be a huge benefit for the team’s build up and she’s got a solid grasp on the positional aspects of the gig.

Next to Bowen on the current depth chart stands Claudia Bunge who’d started the previous eleven Footy Ferns games in a row prior to being unavailable for the USA games. That’s as first choice as it gets. Hasn’t been on quite the same level this season for a Victory team that’s looked surprisingly dodgy at the back but is still a player destined for a much higher grade sooner rather than later. The World Cup should be nicely poised to put her in the shop window for European clubs.

However this spot isn’t entirely cut and dried. Meikayla Moore remains right up there as a centre-back (and also a back-up right fullback) and if she can nail down a starter’s gig with Scottish powerhouses Glasgow City then that’ll help her cause plenty. Plus Rebekah Stott’s return to fitness with Brighton could be a game-changer. She was really good against a Leat-less Aston Villa side last weekend and if Stotty can become a regular under new manager Jens Scheuer then there’s every chance she breaks into the national team 1st XI too. Another skilled ball-player never goes astray.

Beyond that you’ve got Liz Anton as a backup CB and also the backup LB, already mentioned how she’s started six of the last nine on the left of the four. She’ll be going to the World Cup in that capacity which probably means no room for Ashleigh Ward or Ally Green (although Green does have an outside chance if she can make an instant impact with AGF having recently signed with the Danish club). This is the same frantic hustle for places that Michaela Foster is moving towards. There are only so many left-backs that you’re going to pick in a squad, right? And the starter is the captain, Ali Riley, so yeah.

That’s Ali Riley who’ll earn her 150th international cap with her next appearance, by the way. Big yarns. Ria Percival (currently on 161) is the only kiwi player to have previously hit that milestone.

There are two players in this squad who are probably still auditioning for their places. One is the obvious pick of Grave Neville. Made a very tidy debut against the USA but had to fly back to London before the second game so gotta at least get her back and see how she stacks up with all the top choice players back around her. The other is Kate Taylor who missed the previous games through injury and with (at least) four established central defenders ahead of her in the pecking order she’ll need to show something special to make a full-strength 23 this soon in her career.

Taylor may well be a starter once the 2027 World Cup rolls around but this is still early days for her. She’ll at least have this tour to show otherwise... but it kinda feels like there’s only going to be room for one out of Taylor and Welly Nix defensive partner Mack Barry. Since Barry can also provide cover at fullback (and has outperformed Taylor in the ALW this season) that probably tips the scales in her direction. Elsewhere, Marisa van der Meer is another Phoenix player who is nudging closer and closer.

Ah, but the biggest talking point amongst these defenders isn’t on the edge of the squad but right at the very heart of it. Catherine Joan Bott, ladies and gents. A few pesky injuries have meant she’s only started two of the last eleven internationals and one of those was as a wide midfielder. However she’d previously started 15 in a row at right back and if you’ve been paying attention to the Flying Kiwis column lately then you’ll know that CJB is in career-best form these days. Been absolutely outstanding for Leicester City in their last couple WSL matches. Doing a little bit of everything for her team... it’s not an exaggeration to say that a healthy CJ Bott could, in a funky way, be the most positively impactful difference to the team’s attack that we see across these three games.

MIDFIELDERS

Olivia Chance – Celtic, SCO (39/2)

Daisy Cleverley – HB Køge, DEN (26/2)

Betsy Hassett - Wellington Phoenix, NZ/AUS (138/14)

Grace Jale – Canberra United, AUS (12/2)

Malia Steinmetz – Western Sydney Wanderers, AUS (13/0)

It looked lonely having just the three main central midfielders in here so the wide mids are filling out this section too. Liv Chance did start the last game at CM and it is her preferred position... although lately she’s been used as a wing-back by Celtic. Making use of her silky left foot same as the Ferns are trying to do with Chance at LM. Might as well. Wherever Chance plays, she’s NZ’s most creative player and needs as much of the ball as possible.

Chance doesn’t last play the full ninety for the Ferns but you’d imagine she probably will at the World Cup. That makes the left mid spot less competitive but that’s not the worst thing given there’s no other specialist in that spot. It’s either push Ali Riley further forward or it’s chuck the likes of Grace Jale, Indi Riley, or Ava Collins onto their less favoured side. Jacqui Hand is the one exception and she’s currently injured... but that could be the factor that gets her into the World Cup squad in five months, should she make it.

Over on the right edge it looks like a shootout between Grace Jale and Indiah-Paige Riley. Two players currently starting every week in similar spots for A-League clubs... though Jale’s been in better form and has started the last three internationals in a row in this position. She’s also a bit more ingrained in the Ferns squad than the more recently capped IPR although you can expect them both to get opportunities across these three games (three games in a week... doubt anyone’s starting the full trio). Both can cover any of the front four spots so whoever isn’t starting is still likely to rack up the substitute minutes.

Also don’t sleep on the possibility of CJ Bott’s boundless energy being utilised further forward, especially as a late-game switch. She was used there quite a bit by Leicester City earlier in the season (before claiming the starting LB role) and started the win against the Philippines as a wide midfielder. If that’s a genuine possibility for Klimková, and it probably is (as a backup plan, anyway), then that boosts the chances of a specialist backup RB like Grace Neville being selected.

As for the middle of the park, Betsy Hassett is proving an adequate placeholder while Ria Percival is injured. Wasn’t available for the second USA game but before that had started six in a row at CM. Malia Steinmetz and Daisy Cleverley have been splitting duties alongside her, with Steinmetz currently ahead in the queue – helped by the fact that Cleverley’s still in a long winter break in Denmark whereas MS is playing every week for Western Sydney... and playing very well. Grace Wisnewski is included as a training player despite missing selection. Wiz earned her first two caps against USA and has also been in fine A-League form. Beyond that the likes of Stott, Chance, and Bowen are all more than adequate midfielders – something which might help them sneak an extra attacking option into the group for the WC, who knows.

FORWARDS

Ava Collins – St John’s University, USA (9/0)

Gabi Rennie – Arizona State University, USA (20/2)

Indiah-Paige Riley – Brisbane Roar, AUS (6/0)

Paige Satchell - Wellington Phoenix, NZ/AUS (37/2)

Hannah Wilkinson – Melbourne City, AUS (108/27)

Finally the strikers... Hannah Wilkinson has only played one of the last six games for a variety of reasons. Her scoring rate’s not been flash in recent years but it’s still been better than anyone else’s. Has hit the net a couple times for Melly City since returning from injury. Wilkie’s the first choice centre-forward so don’t overthink things. Might not necessarily have enough of a leash to be given ninety minutes but she’ll be starting.

Paige Satchell will be starting too. Pretty much whenever those two have been concurrently available to Coach Klimková, they’ve been the strike pairing. Haven’t seen Satchell kick on with the Phoenix as hoped but she performs an important role for the national team thanks to her raw pace and energy. It’s not an ideal combination. Wilkie/Satch don’t really link together at all and their profiles don’t even match up much (Satch can’t deliver the service Wilkie wants, Wilkie can’t keep up on the counter as Satch would prefer)... but they’ve each earned their spots and we need to see that partnership given more time to flourish. Same as we also need to see with that Jale/Bott combo down the right.

Gabi Rennie and Ava Collins don’t supply much creativity yet but they work hard off the bench and are well-drilled in their roles. Maybe someday we’ll have game-changing forwards to bring on when we need a goal but right now this is where we’re at and Rennie and Collins do a good job – as well as being young players who’ll continue to get better. Rennie in particular has always been a goal scorer through the grades and she did score on international debut. She’s on track. This is one of the annoying things about the USA college system though: these two are still playing predominantly against those their own age and younger (and are also currently in their offseason). While CJ Bott can pop back up four months later as an improved player, the bulk of Rennie/Collins development is being done by the Ferns themselves. That also speaks to a lack of professional depth in the forward positions.

Which is why players like Milly Clegg and Mickey Robertson definitely aren’t out of the race despite not being included here. Klimková has suggested with Clegg in particular that she wants to let her finish the ALW season without any added distractions and that seems fair enough – she’s literally only started four professional games in her life. Hannah Blake is another one. She scored on ALW debut for Perth last week and if she keeps that up then who knows? Blake was part of the USA squad but didn’t feature in either match. Even the two most recent debutants: Tayla O’Brien and Deven Jackson. They’d be useful alternatives having spent some time with the group now. Not to mention Jacqui Hand once she’s fit. Doubt we see Katie Rood back having not been picked for the last eight squads now but she is scoring/assisting goals for Hearts in Scotland.

But for now it’d be extremely useful to see what the incumbents actually look like against an evenly matched opponent. When the Ferns played (and beat) Mexico and Philippines, there was no Wilkinson or Jale while Chance played the second match in midfield. It was Indi Riley’s debut tour, starting both games but still learning the tactical ropes. Since then it’s all been higher ranked opponents (Japan, South Korea & USA) against whom there ain’t much attacking gets done. Let’s get an actual idea of what we’re working with before panic-diverting to bolters.

This is the strongest squad that Klimková has picked at least since the SheBelieves Cup almost exactly a year ago. We’re missing Ria Percival but other than that the team that walks out against Portugal should be almost identical to the one that starts the World Cup opener (possibly accounting for some rotation across these three games). This is the best opportunity we’ve had in a long time to really get a gauge on how the Fernies are progressing, particularly in attack, and depending on how that goes we oughta get a pretty clear indication on how that World Cup squad is shaping up... and which areas might yet need a little something more.

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