There’s a busy schedule coming up for the All Whites over the next couple months, with these September friendly games against Mexico (in California) and USA (in Cincinnati) followed by World Cup qualifiers in both October and November. The lads are facing Tahiti in Vanuatu in the October window, then in the November window it’s Vanuatu in Hamilton and a second round qualifier a few days later. They might be able to squeeze another game into the October window, dunno, but that’s five games between now and the end of the year.

The Oceania games are what they are. The All Whites should win comfortably enough but they can’t afford to be complacent. There’s an automatic spot for Oceania at the 2026 World Cup and that opportunity cannot be wasted, no matter how easy-come it may appear. But, as the Football Ferns can attest, there is a huge gap between qualifying for major events and competing at them and that’s why these next two games in America are also very important. Two top-20 ranked opponents in their own conditions (California is close enough to Mexico that they’ll effectively have a huge home crowd)? Huge test for the lads. Theirs is the standard that Darren Bazeley’s team is aiming for.

On that note... is this the strongest All Whites squad ever assembled? There’s no actual answer to that question, it’s a matter for pub debates and talkback radio, but this is very close to a full-strength group. Only Callum McCowatt is unavailable through injury. We might be able to squeeze Matt Dibley-Dias in there someday but he hasn’t really demanded selection yet as he eases into senior footy on loan in England’s League One. Could possibly gripe about third-choice goalkeeper selections too, though that’d be pretty pedantic.

Nah, just look at the clubs and leagues represented here. Premier League. Serie A. Ligue 1. Top tier clubs in Norway, Denmark, USA, Netherlands, Greece, and Ireland. There’s good experience with three players with 50+ caps and a fourth very likely to join that club during the tour... and also a plethora of emerging players who are only getting better every time they link back up with the national team. The original young core - guys like Joe Bell, Libby Cacace, Marko Stamenic, and Matt Garbett - are nearing their best years. Chris Wood is the all-time leading scorer for this team. There may not ever have been a deeper, more talented group of kiwi male footballers brought together like this. At least not until the next time.

At some stage there will be pressure on this talented All Whites group to actually win some games. So far under Darren Bazeley they’ve won once in nine matches outside the confederation (against China in Wellington), though draws against China, Congo, Ireland, and Tunisia have helped matters. They still don’t score enough goals with only one in their last five non-Oceania matches. Granted, most of the teams they face are ranked considerably higher and all but the two China games were played away or on neutral territory.

It might be that the All Whites never get to where they’re beating these types of nations consistently – that’d hardly be a shocking outcome for a football team from little ol’ Aotearoa. In fact, it might be straight-up unrealistic to expect that of them. The vision is more about an All Whites team that can turn it up on any given day. A team with the potential to cause an upset, even against some of the world’s best. We’re not there yet and we won’t be until they feel like a team capable of scoring goals against stronger opponents. But that’s the dream.

There’s also the question as to whether Darren Bazeley is the bloke to lead us to that place. Tactically he’s got his limitations but then international football isn’t supposed to be tactically complex – there just isn’t the training time to make it possible. He’s a long-time citizen of NZ who has been involved in high-level footy the whole time. The players seem to like him and he’s very good at empowering them in return, leaning on his leadership group where he can, and there’s an impressive staff around him with the likes of Simon Elliott, Tony Readings, Paul Gothard being regular sights on Baze’s bench. Also, while Bazeley may have sorta stumbled into the job as the last man standing after an embarrassing search... let’s just say there may have been bullets dodged given some of the John Herdman revelations since then. Let’s just sit tight and see where things go. Often all you need in international football is a well-liked manager who doesn’t get in the way and if the players are good enough then they’ll do the rest.

What to expect from these Mexico and USA games then? Well, the USA game could be significant because they sacked Gregg Berhlater as manager back in July (after a first-round Copa America exit... even though that’s not even their own confederation tournament). They haven’t officially replaced him yet but it sounds like Mauricio Pochettino is going to get the gig. Basically the opposite archetype to that previous paragraph, with Poch being a very tactically demanding bloke who is going to need to adapt to have any chance of this succeeding... either that or he’s just keen on a pay-cheque. However, a hold-up there means that interim coach Mikey Varas, one of Berhalter’s assistants, will probably take charge of the September window (which also involves USA vs Canada a few days prior to the NZ game). Varas coached the USA team at the U20 World Cup last year... a team that beat a Darren Bazeley-coach New Zealand 4-0 in the round of sixteen. Bazeley has a terrible record against USA in age grade tourneys...

And yet the last time that the All Whites played America, they drew 1-1. That was back in 2016 under Anthony Hudson courtesy of a Monty Patterson goal. The starting line-up that day was:

Marinovic, Graham, Durante, Reid, Boxall, Colvey, McGlinchey, Lewis, Rojas, Patterson, Wood

Might as well add that this is another opportunity to gloat about Tyler Bindon committing his allegiances to Aotearoa. Also got both Michael Boxall and Finn Surman in this squad who play in the MLS, as well as Tommy Smith with past experience (and Tim Payne, sort of, though he never played MLS).

As for Mexico, they’ve also changed managers. Jaime Lozano was made the interim boss for the Gold Cup after Diego Cocca had been fired after a disappointing 3-0 defeat to USA in the Nations League semis. Lozano led Mexico to the Gold Cup title and was rewarded with the permanent head coaching role in August 2023... only to be sacked in July 2024 after Mexico also exited Copa America in the group stage. Javier Aguirre is the new hombre in charge. Mexico have had four different head coaches since the start of 2022 and results have been pretty erratic in that time. They’re also playing against Canada in this window, three days after they play NZ. The MEX vs NZ game is at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles, venue of the 1994 World Cup final, which can seat beyond 90,000 spectators. The most recent meeting between these two nations was a 2-1 win for Mexico at the 2017 Confederations Cup. Boxall, Smith, Wood, and Barbarouses all played that day.

(Sidenote: The NZF cap counts in their announcement seem to include the abandoned Qatar game from last June... including Marko Stamenic being credited with an international goal. That’s never been made entirely clear but, in theory, just because it was abandoned doesn’t mean it shouldn’t count. It was started. It just wasn’t finished. So the stats here are following suit accordingly and this is simply a note to explain why there might be discrepancies in how All Whites cap counts are reported around the places)

GOALKEEPERS

Max Crocombe – Burton Albion, ENG (9 caps/0 goals)

Alex Paulsen – Auckland FC, NZ/AUS (1/0)

Oli Sail – Perth Glory, AUS (9/0)

The goalkeeping depth that we have right now is pretty astounding. The only issue is that a few too many of them are playing below the level they’re capable of. It’s hard to get those opportunities as a goalkeeper, with any move upwards coming at the serious risk of not getting to play. Alex Paulsen made a gigantic leap from the A-League to the Premier League and now he’s back in the A-League. Max Crocombe spent a decade just earning the chance to be a starter in League One and then got dropped for the first game of this season despite being the reigning Player of the Year at Burton (though it only took one week for him to win that spot back). Good news for Crocs is that Burton’s game against Crawley Town has been postponed since Burton have hit the three-player threshold on international call-ups. That means he won’t have to miss a game for this tour, as has been an issue in the past. Terence Vancooten of Guyana is one of the other internationals at the Brewers... he and Crocombe are the only capped players in the Burton squad but obviously someone else had to have been summoned.

In our newsletter a few editions ago, I power ranked the top men’s goalkeeping options. Crocombe and Paulsen are the clear top two, with Crocombe edging the number one status having started six of the past seven All Whites fixtures. Paulsen has the higher ceiling but Crocombe has earned it in the meantime... plus to be honest Paulsen’s Auckland FC loan does kinda stunt some of his recent momentum. He’s still the clear back-up though.

Oli Sail is perhaps a little fortunate to be here. His last year with the Nix wasn’t great and then his first year with Perth was worse, getting dropped before eventually commanding his spot back later in the term. There’s no guarantee he’ll be their number one next season (although he should be). Sail was also the third-choice at the Nations Cup earlier in the year. Didn’t add to his cap tally.

Thing is, beyond him it’s all younger options who don’t play regularly like Henry Gray (Ipswich), Scott Morris (Stoke), Jamie Searle (Forest Green), and Alby Kelly-Heald (Wellington Phoenix); or it’s more experienced dudes who aren’t playing much like Nik Tzanev (Northampton) and Michael Woud (Auckland FC). Ironically, the bloke who has played at the highest level of any of them, Kees Sims at GAIS in the Allsvenskan (Sweden), hasn’t been selected. Sims has popped by All Whites squads in the past but the 21yo is currently uncapped. He was Paulsen’s backup at the Olympics and Bazeley also coached him at an U20 World Cup so he’s gotta be close. Perhaps they just wanted the more experienced Sail for that third-choice spot given that they’re not likely to play.

DEFENDERS

Tyler Bindon – Reading, ENG (10/0)

Michael Boxall – Minnesota United, USA (49/0)

Liberato Cacace – Empoli, ITA (25/1)

Tim Payne - Wellington Phoenix, NZ/AUS (38/2)

Nando Pijnaker – Sligo Rovers, IRL (19/0)

Tommy Smith – Auckland FC, NZ/AUS (55/2)

Finn Surman – Portland Timbers, USA (5/1)

Dalton Wilkins - Sønderjyske, DEN (3/0)

Very cool to see Dalton Wilkins included, the one bloke here who you’d really say earned his way in from the outside thanks to excellent form. Sønderjyske lost on the weekend but they conceded the winner after Wilks had been subbed off which means he’s still the only player in their squad with a positive on-field goal difference. All five of Sonders’ goals have come in the 225 mins that Wilkins has played. They’ve conceded eight without reply in the 315 minutes he’s watched from the sideline. There are other good left-back options – James McGarry, Sam Sutton, Lukas Kelly-Heald – but Wilkins is arguably in a tougher division than any of them and also has the added bonus of being able to play on the right side if required, which saves Tyler Bindon from having to be used out of position.

Other than Wilkins, everyone else brings continuity from recent squads. There are no uncapped players. 13 of these players went to the Nations Cup. Nine of them went to the Olympics. Naturally there are some good players to have missed out but only at the expense of even better or more established dudes. Perhaps Tommy Smith is scraping by in a squad that has four other centre-backs already... but Smithy’s been a lock throughout Bazeley’s tenure and it’s as much for his off-field leadership as anything. He’s a valuable veteran presence in the group and has earned that via years of service... though it will be curious to see how much he plays for Auckland FC, which could determine how much longer this protected status lasts.

Does Tyler Bindon have a shot at overtaking Nando Pijnaker for the left-sided CB role? He should do. Pijnaker’s been immense for Sligo Rovers this season with only a couple broken ribs able to hold him back. He did miss their most recent game due to a small knock (they lost 7-0 to Drogheda without him, yikes) but that shouldn’t keep him out of this tour. In the League of Ireland, Pijnaker has made 14 appearances during which Sligo Rovers have taken 27 points with a +11 goal difference. In the 14 games that he’s missed, they have taken just 13 points with a -18 goal difference. So don’t go thinking Nando is dragging the boat down... it’s simply that Tyler Bindon is consistently amazing for Reading competing in a tougher standard of footy.

Beyond that, Michael Boxall remains the finest CB of the current crop, though there’s little doubt that the Olympic duo of Tyler Bindon and Finn Surman are the long-term blokes. Boxy will earn his 50th cap with his next appearance, something that only 19 other New Zealand men have achieved. On that note, Kosta Barbarouses’ next cap will bring him equal with Ricki Herbert for fifth all-time while Chris Wood continues to hack chunks out of Ivan Vicelich’s record 88 caps for NZ. Woodsy’s up to 74 and is closing quickly. At current pace he might even reach that milestone at the 2026 World Cup.

MIDFIELDERS

Joe Bell – Viking FK, NOR (18/1)

Matthew Garbett – NAC Breda, NED (22/3)

Ben Old – AS Saint-Étienne, FRA (8/1)

Alex Rufer - Wellington Phoenix, NZ/AUS (13/0)

Marko Stamenić – Olympiacos, GRE (21/1)

There are a bunch of fellas who’ve been around these squads who didn’t make this one. Obviously Clayton Lewis remains unavailable. Already mentioned guys like James McGarry and Sam Sutton. Up front there’s a noticeable lack of Max Mata or Alex Greive. None of those are controversial decisions though. Well, maybe Lewis but that’s a different type of controversy. As for the rest of them, there have simply been higher performing players selected ahead of them. Even if Lewis was available, there’s a strong case that Alex Rufer has earned the spot ahead of him.

The same goes for Matt Dibley-Dias. As hyped as we are to get him into the kiwi system, which still feels like something that’ll happen in due course, and as exciting as it is to have a guy like that on the fringes of a Premier League club... in terms of the here and now for this tour there’s just no way he’s getting in ahead of Bell or Garbett or Stamenić. Dibs is 21 years old and has only played a handful of senior footy games. He’s on loan in League One. Huge prospect. Probably wasn’t going to accept a call-up for this tour as he tries to embed himself with his new loan team (a process that’s already been slowed down by illness). Probably wouldn’t have been called up even if he had been available.

The midfield is arguably the strength of this squad now with Joe Bell dragging Viking FK towards a title challenge in Norway with consistently outstanding performances, with Marko Stamenic having just signed with a Premier League club and currently seeking to win a league and cup double in a third consecutive season in a third different country, with Matt Garbett having been promoted to the Eredivisie where he’s starting games and already scoring, with Ben Old going straight into the starting line-up for Saint-Étienne in Ligue 1. Alex Rufer was the inspirational captain for the Wellington Phoenix’s most successful season ever and he’s probably just there to make up numbers in training. Maybe hold things down as a late sub if the game is close. The sun never shone so brightly on this part of the field before.

FORWARDS

Kosta Barbarouses – Wellington Phoenix, NZ/AUS (60/7)

Elijah Just – SKN St Pölten, AUT (26/2)

Sarpreet Singh – União de Leiria, POR (14/1)

Ben Waine – Plymouth Argyle, ENG (16/5)

Chris Wood – Nottingham Forest, ENG (74/36)

Fresh off the press as this piece was being written (but missing out on our podcast recording, d’oh) was the news that Sarpreet Singh has joined União de Leiria in Portugal. He’s leaving Germany after several accursed years of back luck and hoping to revive his club career in the Portuguese second division, where UD Leiria have won one, drawn one, and lost one to being their new season.

Yes, it’s a bit annoying that he’s ended up at a second division club. Same deal with Elijah Just whose move to St Pölten was even more baffling since the pathway to promotion in Austria is so tough. Only one team goes up each year and St Pölten aren’t exactly runaway contenders there... he might as well have stayed with AC Horsens in Denmark who have a similar chance of going up. Not sure what the vision is there but hopefully it allows Just to emerge as a key player for the Wolves. Worth noting that Just’s deal is only a loan move with an option to buy at this stage so there is an escape rope if things don’t go as planned.

Meanwhile Singh’s second tier move has a bit more sauce to it. UD Leiria were a pretty solid top tier club for a number of seasons until around 12 years ago when they collapsed in debt and had to rebuild from down in the third tier. It took them many years of close calls before finally winning that thing in 2022-23, and last season they were able to finish a commendable enough 12th out of 18 teams in the second div as well as making the quarters of the national cup – their best run for over twenty years. They could be a feasible promotion candidate if Singh comes in and serves up the goods, as we know he’s capable of. Fun fact: UD Leiria was Jose Mourinho’s second managerial job. He spent a year and a half there before Porto headhunted him. Less than three years later he’d won the Champions League.

There was that rumour of Singh maybe linking up with Des Buckingham at Oxford United or possibly QPR in the Championship. That rumour seems to have stemmed from Football Insider 24/7 which is the same website that used to link Matt Garbett to a new English club every time he did something notable (he ended up with NAC Breda in the Dutch second tier). Not saying they’re unreliable... but this does seem to be a website that traffics in agent-friendly rumours, if you catch the inference. Gardeners know that this is a good time for planting. But hey if that rumour helped Singh make a little more money on his UD Leiria contract then fair enough it served its purpose.

This attacking group is by far the most interesting in the squad. Not only because of the team’s known weakness when it comes to scoring goals but also because of all these individual situations. Just and Singh have just made curious transfers. Chris Wood’s had a great start to Nottingham Forest’s new campaign but that club are working hard to sign a striker before the window closes (here’s hoping they don’t). Ben Waine’s Plymouth stocks were looking alright when he scored in the EFL Cup but then Wayne Rooney signed another striker and Waine hasn’t even been in the last two matchday squads. Wood’s worst case scenario is going back to being a trusted back-up. Waine might have to be looking at a loan out if he wants good minutes though. At least Kosta Barbarouses is keeping things stable.

This is also the area which Auckland FC’s emergence has the most potential to impact. Max Mata has been the number nine through preseason so far – he could do exciting things that have him rivalling someone like Waine. Guys like Logan Rogerson, Joey Champness, Liam Gillion, Jesse Randall, and Luis Toomey are also capable of breakthroughs that could surge them up the charts.

We’re only a few months away from adding another 15-20 kiwi professionals which is only going to make the competition for selection even more fierce. Poor old Andre de Jong has scored in three straight games to begin his latest South African term and nobody’s even talking about him. The Olympics also showcased guys like Jay Herdman and Lachie Bayliss. Callum McCowatt will be back by the next time the All Whites coalesce. Marco Rojas could easily return to the picture - he’s capable of the same resurgence that Kosta Barbarouses had over the past 12 months. Alex Greive might have found some more consistent form. Options galore.

To further prove this point, here’s a shadow squad of 21 alternates as picked in a different Niche Cache newsletter recently...

• GK – Kees Sims, Nik Tzanev, Henry Gray

• DEF – Bill Tuiloma, James McGarry, Sam Sutton, Kyle Adams, Lukas Kelly-Heald, Niko Kirwan, Nikko Boxall

• MID – Matt Dibley-Dias, Ryan Thomas, Marco Rojas, Jay Herdman, Cam Howieson

• FWD – Callum McCowatt, Max Mata, Alex Greive, Andre de Jong, Oskar van Hattum, Lachie Bayliss

Nothing wrong with that. That there’s a squad that would cruise through an Oceania Nations Cup. Every single one of them is a full professional and most of them have already been capped at senior level.

However it’s still the attacking areas that are the funkiest... those positions contain the most scope for things to drastically change. It’s going to take some sustained magnificence for a goalkeeper to come through and bust up the duopoly at the top, or for a midfielder to demand starts ahead of Bell/Stamenić/Garbett/Singh/Old/etc. But up front? Other than Chris Wood and Sarpreet Singh, both of whom have had recurring injury niggles in the past, it’s not so certain. McCowatt and Just are pretty well established at this point but if someone from outside this squad went on a bender for a few months, scoring copious goals, including potentially in the A-League, then they could absolutely rustle their way into a top strength All Whites squad. Keep in mind this is only a 21-man group whereas a World Cup, for example, would require 23 players.

That’s now the challenge for all of those chaps. This team needs goals. That means there’s a ticket up for grabs for anyone who can provide them over the upcoming season. With this many options, surely at least someone will do so. It’s just a matter of which blokes rise above the crowd to claim their opportunity.

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