All Whites at the Canadian Shield Tournament: Squad Yarns & Preview
The last time we saw the All Whites, they were busy qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Now that they’ve booked their tickets for that event it’s time to start preparing for it. The World Cup is being held in North America in June 2026 and that only gives us a handful of international windows in which to get down to business. June, September, October, November, March... and there’s also a window leading into the World Cup for pre-tournament friendlies if you want to count that too.
That’ll should provide a 10-12 opportunities for the All Whites to take the pitch (assuming they use all of the available windows and don’t piss around too much with unofficial closed-door games). The World Cup itself will offer three group stage games and then a maximum of five knockout games so with Chris Wood currently on 82 caps, he’ll almost certainly break Ivan Vicelich’s 88-cap All Whites record this year and he could become the first kiwi bloke to ton-up as soon as we reach the quarter-finals. Okay, probably not. But we are going to be blessed with plenty of All Whites games over the next 14 months... and hopefully at least a couple of those windows will feature home games to build on the hype.
What’s more, these games are almost all going to be against higher-ranked opponents such as they’ll face at the World Cup. That begins with this tour in Canada where they will face Côte d'Ivoire and Ukraine. We’ve just come off a spell where the lads have won 10/12 games across the previous 12 months, with every one of those wins being by at least three goal margins. The two exceptions came in the September 2024 window against Mexico (3-0 loss) and the USA (1-1 draw)... those being the only top-100 ranked opponents we’ve played during this stretch.
The Mexico game was a mess but getting a draw against America was excellent work, with Ben Waine’s late goal rewarding a very good defensive outing against an admittedly dishevelled USA team. The trick is now for that performance to become the baseline, the bare minimum, whenever the AWs face ‘better’ teams. We’re never going to be able to take results like that for granted but if that baseline is there then wins and draws in such fixtures will be a lot more feasible.
It’s not like we don’t have the capability. This squad has a striker in Chris Wood who has hit the 20-goal mark this past Premier League season. Liberato Cacace has played 86 games in Serie A. Guys like Joe Bell and Callum McCowatt are producing regular goals and assists for clubs qualifying for UEFA competitions. Michael Boxall and Finn Surman have been amongst the best defenders in MLS this year. Tyler Bindon was nominated for League One Young Player of the Year and earned a transfer to a Premier League club. Marko Stamenic also earned a Premier League transfer and has won consecutive league and cup doubles in three different countries. Elijah Just keeps scoring sublime goals. Ben Old went straight from the A-League to Ligue 1. Speaking of the A-League, a good chunk of this squad were part of Auckland FC’s premiership campaign.
The quality and depth in this squad is beyond anything we’ve ever seen before. The way this World Cup qualification came about, with an expanded tournament leading to an automatic Oceania presence, may have been fortunate but this group of players is worthy of standing alongside 1982 and 2010. Perhaps they’ll even exceed them... though for now we’re still waiting to see this group reach its potential as a national team. The ingredients are there but we’ve gotta figure out the recipe, particularly against the quality of teams that they’ll meet at the World Cup. Spanning the last two cycles, this is what the All Whites have mustered against the various tiers (including Oceania)...
vs Top-48 Ranked Nations:
9 GM | 0 W | 1 D | 8 L | 2 GF | 17 GA | -15 GD
vs Nations Ranked 49-100:
11 GM | 3 W | 5 D | 3 L | 9 GF | 11 GA | -2 GD
vs Nations Ranked 101+:
17 GM | 16 W | 0 D | 1 L | 68 GF | 3 GA | +65 GD
That’s all based on the current FIFA Rankings and there may have been some fluctuation since the games actually took place. But the rankings are very loose guides anyway so no need to overthink it. The lone loss against the triple-figure crew was against Lithuania in 2019 (Danny Hay’s second game in charge). It was around that time that this current squad began to take over the national team, with the likes of Joe Bell, Eli Just, Callum McCowatt, Nando Pijnaker all debuting on that tour. Sarpreet Singh and Libby Cacace had gotten in a few games prior. Matt Garbett and Marko Stamenic would follow at the next opportunity.
So, basically, the All Whites have been thrashing lots of weaker teams, stayed competitive against countries of a similar pedigree, and barely scored a goal against World Cup calibre opponents. Defensively they’ve done alright in those games, with only the 4-1 loss to Sweden and 3-0 loss to Mexico spoiling things. Although they’ve also kept zero clean sheets in those matches and when you can’t keep it to zero and you’re not even threatening to score yourselves... it’s going to mean a lot of narrow defeats. But that was then and this is now. The buzz of World Cup qualification has uplifted everyone and there’s a whole year left in which to close the gap.
Michael Boxall: “The last few windows, we’ve kind of only been up against teams from our confederation. So we need to prepare ourselves to play against world-class opposition. It will be a huge step up and it will be a good marker to see where we’re at and what we need to work on heading towards the World Cup.”
That begins with Côte d'Ivoire and Ukraine at the Canadian Shield, with the games all taking place in Toronto. Why are the games in Canada? Probably because Canada organised them. They booked dates against Ukraine and Ivory Coast... except there’s only room for two matchdays during a FIFA window so Ukraine and Ivory Coast needed a fourth nation for the odd-one-out to meet each matchday (they’re all double-headers at BMO Field). And that’s where the All Whites come in handy. Canadian Soccer already owes us a few favours after the Dronegate and John Herdman stitch-ups so we’ll count this towards their reparations.
Ukraine is ranked 25 and Ivory Coast is ranked 41. These are both fixtures that will count towards the top tier of opposition hence it’s going to be tough yakka to get anything from them. But that’s the whole point. It’s a challenge and a fresh benchmark as the fellas enter their next phase.
Don’t expect to see very many new players picked or old ones dropped over the next twelve months. Injuries and form are always going to have a say but, for the most part, Darren Bazeley is likely to stick with what he’s got. The weeding-out process has already happened, that time has passed. Baze now has a settled group of lads that he’ll want to shape and mould for the World Cup. Barring anything funky, the only positions still up for grabs are the third-choice goalie, reserve right-back, and reserve striker. Not saying everyone else is already locked in but it would take something drastic for changes to happen. This is the full steam charge towards the end of the cycle. The stage is set and the parts have been cast.
Therefore, with a peek at this current squad and a little bit of reminiscing upon the previous couple, we can pretty much trust that this is how Darren Bazeley views the current All Whites hierarchy...
GK – Crocombe | Paulsen | Tzanev/Sail
RB – Payne | Roux | Elliot | Tuiloma
CB – Bindon | Boxall | Surman | Pijnaker | Smith
LB – Cacace | De Vries | Sutton
CM – Bell | Stamenic | Rufer | Howieson
FW – Singh | Garbett | McCowatt | Just | Old | Barbarouses | Rogerson
CF – Wood | Waine | Mata
There are 30 players there, not even including guys like Jesse Randall and Liam Gillion who have played small roles lately. Only 23 fellas get to go to a World Cup meaning this is already a bit bloated. Slice one off from each of the seven sections there... except centre-back because Smithy’s gonna be there for his vaunted experience and leadership but that’s okay because we’ll lose two right-backs instead. That’s where we’re at and that’s where we’re likely to stay.
Perhaps Kees Sims could leap up into GK3. If Dalton Wilkins can stay fit in the Danish top division then he’s good enough to give RB2 a nudge (it’s a big “if” based on his recent seasons, sadly). Of course there’s the prospect of Ryan Thomas returning to contention at some stage soon and that’d really cause a selection headache for Baze and his crew. Not sure there’s much that Moses Dyer or Andre de Jong can do to wriggle back into the picture in time. Extend that out to anybody in the A-League. A blockbuster transfer could yet wobble the apple cart, you never know, but even then we’d be talking about spots 20-23 in the squad. Ryan Thomas is the only player capable of coming in from the outer depths and challenging for serious playing time. And that’s a very good thing. It means this squad is right where it needs to be with a major tournament in sight.
GOALKEEPERS
Max Crocombe - Burton Albion, ENG (15 caps/0 goals)
Alex Paulsen – AFC Bournemouth, ENG (3/0)
Nik Tzanev – Unattached (2/0)
Quick note about the club affiliations there, NZF’s announcement had to tow the line with the current clubs but The Niche Cache gets to bend the rules so where things have already been confirmed, we’ve gone with those updates instead. Specifically, the two Nottingham Forest loanees (Bindon and Stamenic) who are confirmed to be reporting for preseason, even if subsequent loan outs are still a high possibility, and also a few of those free agents even though it won’t strictly be true until June 30 when those contracts expire. There are also a few more finicky situations that we’ll get to in due course.
All three of these goalkeepers are in curious situations. Max Crocombe had another outstanding year with Burton Albion in England’s League One where he helped them orchestrate a miracle recovery to dodge relegation. He’s out of contract and has been offered new terms... but nothing’s happened yet. Central defender Ryan Sweeney won Club Player of the Year ahead of Crocombe and then promptly signed with Mansfield Town (a weird sideways move) so it’s clearly not as simple as waiting for confirmation. Crocs might want out as well. We shall see. World Cup qualification will have changed things for him because if he wants to play at that tournament then he’ll need to hold off Alex Paulsen for another season.
Paulsen would have liked to have been an A-League champion when this team coalesced but that’s not how things worked out. However, he did get crowned the best goalkeeper in the A-League for the second consecutive season (with a different team each time). He won’t be back to make it three in a row because Bournemouth are calling. Probably only to send him on loan, possibly to Hibernian in Scotland where he could be playing Europa League. That would be an enormous step up for him, even a loan to a Championship club would still outrank anything that Crocombe has done to date. Meaning that Crocombe might need to move in order to try and match him.
Oli Sail has not stepped things up and that’s why he’s finally been dropped... and Nik Tzanev is the bloke who’s taken that spot. Tzanev did keep goal in a 1-1 draw against DR Congo back in October 2023 so Bazeley knows what he’s getting from him. Perhaps that’s why Tzanev got the jump on guys like Kees Sims and Henry Gray. Gray’s not really in the frame because he’ll be playing for the NZ U20s around the same time with an eye being the number one at that World Cup later this year. Realistically, he’s a couple years away from breaking into the senior national team. Being tagged with that Ipswich Town affiliation is awesome but his senior appearances have come out on loan with Chelmsford City and Braintree Town (he was fantastic for both – in fact he won Young Player of the Year for BT this season despite only joining in January).
It’s unlucky stuff for Kees Sims, though. He’s the back-up for GAIS in Sweden where he played throughout their League Cup run during preseason and that has made him active more than Tzanev recently. Tanz did have a lovely run of form between December and February but then he spent the rest of the season on the bench for Northampton Town. Wasn’t very fair but so it goes. Tanz is leaving so don’t worry about it.
That means we’ve got the back-up for a top tier Swedish club and the back-up for a third tier English club in direct contention. We can stretch that out further because none of these goalies are playing/training at a higher level than Kees Sims right now. Paulsen might soon change that but it’s not the case yet. The major thing in Tzanev’s favour is that he’s six years older and therefore offers more of what they loved in Oli Sail with regards to his leadership, experience, and ability to help the other goalies do their thing. Again, this is a time for proven options. Sims will get his chance eventually... there were rumours of English Championship interest in him last month so there’s another fluctuating situation to track between now and the World Cup. Michael Woud has been promised the AFC starting spot next season too. Alby Kelly-Heald might do similar with the Welly Nix. The only guy staying still is Oli Sail and he’s the one who just lost his place.
DEFENDERS
Tyler Bindon – Nottingham Forest, ENG (15/1)
Michael Boxall – Minnesota United, USA (55/1)
Liberato Cacace – Empoli, ITA (33/1)
Callan Elliot – Auckland FC, NZ/AUS (3/0)
Nando Pijnaker – Auckland FC, NZ/AUS (23/0)
Tommy Smith – Auckland FC, NZ/AUS (56/2)
Finn Surman – Portland Timbers, USA (7/1)
Bill Tuiloma – Charlotte FC, USA (42/4)
Francis De Vries – Auckland FC, NZ/AUS (9/1)
Everybody say welcome back to Finn Surman. The Surmanator had to skip the previous window, against his initial instincts, in order to prioritise his prospects at the Portland Timbers and that turned out to be a pretty astute decision from all parties. A few months later, Surman is now one of the first names on the teamsheet for the Timbers and he leads the entire MLS in defensive clearances. His coach Phil Neville seems to absolutely adore him. It’s hard to imagine how it could have gone better for him. Now he’s back in the All Whites (for a short-ish trip from Portland to Toronto) where he’ll be competing for games against Michael Boxall who, a few months shy of his 37th birthday, continues to set a wall against MLS forwards.
Boxy’s Minnesota United are tracking even better than Surman’s Timbers - they shut down Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami the other week. Plus this year has seen a resurgence of an old favourite trick: Boxall’s long throws. Definitely the kind of thing that Bazeley will be thinking of integrating into the All Whites. For now, the experience of Boxall probably tips the scales in his favour, especially since it’ll be Tyler Bindon starting as the left-sided central defender. But Surman’s keeping everyone on their toes and will surely get one of the starts in Canada.
Speaking of Bindon, he’ll be reporting for Nottingham Forest preseason soon enough with an aim towards earning a spot for their Conference League quest (if not then he’ll still get a healthy progressive loan somewhere else). Bindon was absolutely superb for Reading FC in England’s League One last season and now it’s time to see how that translates to a higher standard. It’s actually hard to understate what a talent he is. Smart, skilled, brave, athletic, humble, dedicated. He’s got every seal of approval so far.
Nando Pijnaker started 16/23 games for the All Whites between October 2021 and May 2024, getting partnered with Winston Reid, Michael Boxall, Tommy Smith, Bill Tuiloma, and sometimes even Tim Payne in back three formations. He was the first choice CB for the national team over that span and since then he’s played career-best footy for Sligo Rovers and Auckland FC... yet he’s dropped down to fourth choice with the national team. That’s how good Finn Surman and Tyler Bindon have been (while Boxy was probably already first-equal, to be fair).
Then there’s the prerequisite Tommy Smith inclusion because off-the-pitch matters nearly as much as on-the-pitch. These may be Smithy’s last 12 months of international footy. He and Chris Wood the only fellas left from the 2010 campaign (although Kosta Barbarouses should have been there) and having that coach-to-squad communication bridge is pretty valuable. You can’t really begrudge him being there.
Bill Tuiloma’s sudden recall has not come as a central defensive option. At best, he’s the sixth man in that conversation (don’t think Smithy won’t play if he’s needed to – he did a very good job of it for Auckland FC when called upon). Billy T is only here because he can play right-back and both Tim Payne (injured/wife giving birth) and Storm Roux (injured) are unavailable. Payne is top choice. Roux only recently came back into the mix and he wasn’t all that great for Central Coast this past season, hence why Payne’s back-up is one of the contentious areas. Callan Elliot has also been re-summoned. Chances are, Tui and Elliot split the two games in order to offer their auditions. Elliot made 20 appearances for AFC last season, although only six of those were starts. As for Tuiloma... yeah let’s talk about that.
Bill Tuiloma is in footballing exile at Charlotte FC where he’s been an unused substitute in all 16 (sixteen) MLS games so far this season. In fact, if you go back to the injury he suffered in mid-2023, he’s only played 197 minutes of league football across four appearances whilst serving as an unused sub on a ridiculous 47 occasions (and counting) since that date. The ironic thing is that he captained the team in the two US Open Cup games that he played this year (alas, Charlotte are now out of the cup). Admittedly that’s in rotated line-ups but that still gives you an indication of this weird conundrum that he’s stuck inside. See, Charlotte FC love him. He’s seen as a worthy leader in that squad whom they’re happy to keep around, particularly since he’s got a green card so he’s not using up an international roster spot. They love him... they just don’t seem to rate him. They don’t want to trade him but they don’t want to play him. Plus he’s on decent coin so a move outside the MLS probably wouldn’t suit. This is the last year of his contract so he’ll be plying his trade somewhere else by the time the World Cup squad is picked. Although, given the stocks at CB, it’s only RB where he’d have a shout of getting selected.
Other right-back options would include Dalton Wilkins (if he can stay fit) and Niko Kirwan. The latter is expected to be released by Calcio Padova despite helping them to promotion into Serie B. Kirwan was in a job-share situation at right wing-back for those guys last season (even though he was club captain) and there’s a limit on over-21s players in Serie B so they’ve decided to proceed with the other bloke. Kirwan has said he intends to seek a move that improves his national team chances so we’ll see what that looks like. Neither NZ A-League side needs a right-back but there are many other outlets that would aid that objective.
As for left-back, Liberato Cacace is a key figure for the All Whites and Francis de Vries has pulled away from the pack as his deputy, with that crossing majesty offering a very useful tool off the bench if we’re chasing a goal in the latter stages. Don’t fall for the trap of Cacace starting in attack and FDV at left-back though... Cacace’s defensive skills are far too important against the better sides. De Vries can hold it down against Brisbane Roar and Wellington Phoenix but Cacace does the same and more against Juventus and Inter Milan. Albeit Empoli’s relegation means there’s a very high chance he’s about to make a transfer. Last season he was directly linked with Besiktas, Bologna, a couple of German sides, and a couple of Serie B sides. The current rumour is even better than those: Roma. Definitely a pocket to pay close attention to.
MIDFIELDERS
Joe Bell – Viking FK, NOR (24/1)
Matthew Garbett – Unattached (30/5)
Alex Rufer – Wellington Phoenix, NZ/AUS (19/0)
Marko Stamenić – Nottingham Forest, ENG (29/2)
What a sturdy quartet we’ve got here. Alex Rufer is a step below the others but he makes up for that with his attitude and positional discipline. The ideal midfield duo is always going to be Bell and Stamenić yet Rufer’s gotten quite a few starts lately when Bell’s been absent... and it was Rufer and Bell together that hampered the USA in that game. Two defensive-minded options for extra insurance. Stamenić played as the number ten in that match (no Sarpreet Singh) with Garbett squeezed out to the wing so there is a way to make that work. And it’s not a strategy to shrug off considering we’re going to be up against much more renowned teams from here on out. It’ll be a conversation that gets had. Stamenić is dynamic enough to get back and defend though, so ultimately Rufer probably stays on the bench unless Bell gets hurt.
That’s also something to consider if Ryan Thomas comes back into the squad. Alex Rufer isn’t here for giggles, he’s a serious member of the group who offers something a little different to everyone else with his willingness to fight in the trenches. Ryan Thomas likes to operate deep but he’s more of a passing technician. Stamenić also drops deep but he wants to charge forward and make things happen. Bell does a bit of everything and you’ll be happy to know he’s currently in outstanding form for a Viking FK side that are sitting atop the Norwegian league. Bell was challenged to add more creative output to his reliable midfield exploits and he’s done exactly that, regularly creating multiple chances every game (both from set pieces and open play). Nope, if Ryan Thomas returns then it’ll likely have to be one of the forwards (or a second right-back) who misses out. But we’ll cross that bridge if/when we come to it.
Stamenić is coming off a frustrating season with Olympiacos where he often was asked to be too defensive and then got blamed for being too defensive. They signed him to be their third central midfielder (on loan from sister club Nottm Forest) only for one of the local kids to emerge as a fan/coach favourite and knock him down to fourth. 18-year-old Christos Mouzakitis is already being linked to clubs across Europe so nothing to be ashamed of there. At least Olympiacos’ success meant there were lots of games and enough rotation for Stam to still get a few appearances. And he did win a league and cup double for the third straight year in a third different country and that was History with a capital H. Wherever he goes he wins stuff. It’s not impossible he earns a spot in the Nottm Forest first team next term, though it’s less likely for him than it is for Tyler Bindon. Nevertheless, a more suited loan move will continue his ascent.
Matt Garbett is pretty lucky to even be here having not played a proper club game since December. You know the story by now, how he got iced out at NAC Breda after the coach decided he didn’t fit his system. The important thing is that NAC Breda did right by him in the end by not taking up his contract option and thus allowing him to leave on a free. Bazeley stuck with Garbett throughout that ordeal that tells you plenty about how embedded he is in this squad. It’s anyone’s guess where Garbs will end up next but you know he’ll be prioritising game time when those negotiations come around. There’s a good chance he’s already got something lined up given how long he’s had to ponder things... that might even be why he didn’t move in January when he had the chance.
FORWARDS
Kosta Barbarouses – Unattached (67/9)
Elijah Just – SKN St. Pölten, AUT (34/7)
Callum McCowatt – Silkeborg IF, DEN (23/4)
Ben Old – AS Saint-Étienne, FRA (12/1)
Sarpreet Singh – União de Leiria, POR (18/3)
Ben Waine – Unattached (23/8)
Chris Wood – Nottingham Forest, ENG (82/44)
Oh mate, Kosta Barbarouses in the unattached club? His excellent Wellington Phoenix form earned an All Whites recall not so long ago but now he’s risking that status by declining his second-year option and leaving the Nix one year out from the World Cup. Probably for a rival A-League club. There were some words about that whole situation in our latest Substack newsletter if you’re interested. Kosta still plays most games off the bench for the All Whites and he scored in both the semi-final and the final of the WCQs. Dunno though, this could be a slippery slope for him. We shall see.
Sarpreet Singh had moments of greatness playing for União de Leiria this season but he was also annoyingly in and out of the starting line-up over the second half of the term and he missed the last four games entirely, presumably because of injury. He signed a one-year deal with a club option for an additional two seasons. It’s not yet clear if they’ll pick that up or not. There’s a similar situation with Elijah Just where he also struggled with injuries that kept him from being an every-week starter for St. Pölten during his loan. Nothing wrong with the production: Singh averaged 150 minutes per goal contribution while Just averaged 138 mins per goal contribution (and some of his goals were sheer works of art). It’s more about how that inconsistent availability affects them moving forward. St. Pölten have an option-to-buy which they’ll surely want to take. But we don’t know what the agreed price is or if there’s any way AC Horsens can wriggle out if they get a better offer.
No complications about Ben Waine’s situation... he’s a free agent after his loan with Mansfield Town ended and Plymouth Argyle opted against the final year of his contract. Good riddance because both those clubs treated him stink. Waine’s still got the ambition to stick around in Europe and his scoring rate has been pretty decent in England when he’s been given the chance to play (which, granted, has mostly been in cup competitions). He should be able to find something... though with Max Mata nipping at his heels and the prospect of Ryan Thomas squeezing someone out and his own evident low confidence (remember when he missed a penalty in the WCQ semi against Fiji?), he’s going to need that to be a happy home.
Finally, we get around to Chris Wood and Callum McCowatt who are each in the form of their lives. McCowatt did sadly lose the Danish Cup final with Silkeborg (beaten 3-0 by FC Copenhagen) so they won’t make Europa League... but there is still a chance of Conference League if they can win their playoff. There’s a timeline where that could bring him up against Chris Wood or Joe Bell. McCowatt had some injuries to begin with but since the winter break he’s been awesome and is now concreted into the Silkeborg starting eleven thanks to regular goals and assists. Chris Wood is continually getting fresh accolades after having joined the illustrious 20+ goals in a Premier League season club. Wood’s the captain and best player of these All Whites. The only question is how to maximise his goal scoring for the national team when world class defenders start targetting him. Meanwhile, McCowatt started both the semi and final of the WCQs but wasn’t as potent as he ought to have been, getting subbed off at half-time in the final. Then again, his best stuff for Silkeborg has happened since then.
Oh yeah and one other thing: where’s Logan Rogerson!? Well, that’s the problem with depth. Ben Old has returned to the squad after injury and Rog has had to make way as the obligatory speedy winger in the group despite his fantastic mahi for Auckland FC. Old’s just been relegated with Saint-Étienne but that might not be the worst thing for him, as the lower level (and an expected immediate promotion) should help him integrate better into the side after he missed most of his first campaign with a knee injury. Rogerson is right there waiting if anything goes awry but some very good players are going to miss the cut whenever All Whites squads get named from now onwards. That’s the new reality. The bar has been raised.
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