All Whites vs Australia 2025 Soccer Ashes: Squad Yarns & Preview
As we prepare for a couple more meetings between the All Whites and the Socceroos, it’s worth remembering that these teams went 11 years without playing each other between 2011 and 2022. They’ll have played five times in three years once the 2025 Soccer Ashes are through.
The “Soccer Ashes!?”, you ask with a tone of incredulity. They’re calling it the “Soccer Ashes?”. Yeah... but only because they’re reviving a title that dates back to 1922. It may be a cringey cricket knockoff but it’s a cringey cricket knockoff from a hundred years ago so it’s been legitimised by the passage of history. They found the trophy and brought it back for the games in 2022 and now the honour has been bestowed once again... although we can’t exactly call it a rivalry when Australia has won the last seven meetings in a row and New Zealand hasn’t even scored a goal in the past four of those. We’ve got the games. Now we need the vindication of a result or two against these jokers.
There have been eras when the All Whites and Socceroos have been pretty evenly matched. But not for a long time. If you want to see how bad it’s gotten, here are all of the results between Australia and Aotearoa in senior men’s internationals since the dawn of the 1990s (Michael Boxall is the only player in the current squad who was born before that – he’ll be the last man born in the 1980s to represent New Zealand at football... apologies if that triggers any existential crises):
0-1 (H) & 1-2 (A) in 1991
0-1 (H) & 0-3 (A) in 1993
0-0 (H) & 0-3 (A) in 1995
0-1 (A), 0-3 (H) & 0-2 (A) in 1997
1-0 (A) in 1998
0-2 (N) in 2000
0-2 (H) & 1-4 (A) in 2001
1-0 (H) in 2002
0-1 (A) in 2004
0-1 (N) in 2005
1-2 (A) in 2010
0-3 (A) in 2011
0-1 (A) & 0-2 (H) in 2022
0-2 (N) in 2023
That adds up to 21 games played with two wins, one draw, and 18 defeats. Five goals scored and 36 conceded. The last time the All Whites scored twice in a game against the Aussies was a 2-0 win at Mt Smart Stadium in 1988. Come to think of it... it was also Mt Smart where Ryan Nelsen scored the winner in 2002, the last time that NZ beat them. In fact, the All Whites have won three, drawn three, and only lost once against the Socceroos at Mt Smart Stadium and that just happens to be where they’re playing in the second game of this upcoming series, following a date in Canberra a few days earlier.
There was some logic to suggest that Darren Bazeley might shake up his squad for these games. Early in the new European season with a huge chunk of players having recently gotten transfers... it may have stood to reason to allow a few more of them to do what Finn Surman did to such success earlier in the year when he skipped out on World Cup Qualifiers to focus on embedding himself in the Portland Timbers squad. There are a handful of instances where that has happened... but only because those players are in leagues that don’t break for internationals. Hence no Matt Garbett (Peterborough) or Ben Waine (Port Vale) in England’s League One. Nor Nik Tzanev (Newport County) or Tommy Smith (Braintree Town) beneath that. Those guys haven’t been dropped, they’re simply being given leniency due to their club situations. Ironic for Garbett because he kept being picked while he was in solitary confinement at NAC Breda and now that he’s finally found a new club he gets left out. All with the bigger picture in mind though.
The same concessions could have been offered to Libby Cacace after he picked up a very rare muscle injury that caused him to miss Wrexham’s second game of the season (he never missed a single matchday squad due to injury at Empoli in three and a half years). But nope, he’s here. As is Chris Wood. Joe Bell. Marko Stamenic. Callum McCowatt. Elijah Just. Michael Boxall. Tyler Bindon. Finn Surman. All the fellas. Injuries have ruled out Bill Tuiloma and Nando Pijnaker (Max Mata too but even if he was fit he’d have fallen into the non-window leniency club). Those two and the four aforementioned window conflicts are the missing folks from the squad for the Ivory Coast and Ukraine games in June. Everyone else is here.
That’s despite the fact that nearly half the squad are playing for different clubs than last season. There are 10/23 players that tag applies to (Kosta Barbarouses, Tyler Bindon, Libby Cacace, Max Crocombe, Eli Just, James McGarry, Alex Paulsen, Oli Sail, Sarpreet Singh, and Marko Stamenic) and the number would be higher if Garbett, Waine, Tzanev, and Smith were picked as they ordinarily would be.
This is what Darren Bazeley does. There’s no manufactured rotation, there’s no rest policy. He just picks his best available squad, within reason, every time the All Whites are in action. It’s not uncommon for him and the medical team to keep it cautious with when the actual games swing around, for example Chris Wood only playing off the bench in the previous tour after a gruelling EPL season, but the priority is always to amass the strongest group possible.
Hence we come to the return of Ryan Thomas. Talk about a long and arduous journey... his last international cap came in the 3-1 loss against Ireland in November 2019 – also remembered as the first game of Danny Hay’s tenure as coach. That game brought the international debuts of Joe Bell, Callum McCowatt, Eli Just... and also Elliot Collier. That was almost six years ago and he hadn’t played for two years at that point either, meaning that 18 of his 19 caps came between 2014-2017. We all know why that was: injuries. Thomas earned a dream move to PSV Eindhoven and then busted his knee in the first week of training, which led to the first of three season-ending knee surgeries that he suffered before the age of 30.
Therefore he’s had to be pragmatic even during his flashes of fitness by opting out of the extra workload of international footy. But things have been different this year. Having practically had his knees rebuilt, he slowly built up his match fitness over the second half of last season with PEC Zwolle to where he was regularly playing ninety minutes by the end of it, all the while telling local media how he felt fitter and stronger than he has done at any stage of his career.
Since then he’s had a flawless preseason. No setbacks or niggles. He’s been named club captain by the new manager. He’s played every minute of their first couple games of the Eredivisie. Now he’s feeling good enough to make himself available for the national team again. It’s an incredible comeback story and it’s not only that he’s back... it’s that he’s back and playing wonderfully. Zwolle were in a relegation battle when he returned to the starting eleven and immediately there was an uptick as they only lost twice from his nine starts (those defeats coming against Ajax and Feyenoord – who finished second and third). This season they’ve won two out of two without conceding a goal.
The Ryan Thomas that folks remember from the 2017 Intercontinental Playoffs against Peru is not the guy that we’ll be getting in 2025. As he’s gotten older, he’s settled into a deeper role with fewer runs into the attacking penalty area. These days he prefers back and facilitates with his rhythmic passing and clever vision and for that reason he’ll be offering something different to the All Whites midfield. We’ve got Joe Bell and Alex Rufer as defensive combatants (Bell also adding some creative craft with his passing), Marko Stamenic as a dynamic box to box guy, and Matt Garbett as an energetic force who makes attacking gambles. Thomas is the possession-based fella who could just help this team claim a little more control of games.
Some notable current Aussie & NZ club teammates...
Sarpreet Singh & Milos Degenek at TSC (Serbia)
Marko Stamenic & Cameron Burgess at Swansea City (England/Wales)
Ben Waine & Joe Gauci at Port Vale (England)
Michael Fitzgerald & Jason Geria at Albirez Niigata (Japan)
Joe Bell & Gianni Stensness at Viking (Norway)
Bill Tuiloma & Archie Goodwin at Charlotte (USA)
Max Crocombe & Massimo Luongo at Millwall (England)
Elijah Just, John Koutroumbis & Apostolos Stamatelopoulos at Motherwell (Scotland)
Actually that list is about to get longer because Motherwell have just announced Aussie U23 international Ollie Priestman who has joined from Western Sydney Wanderers, while Minnesota United have added Nectorios Triantis... although the former Central Coast Mariners midfielder recently switched allegiances to Greece so he doesn’t really count. As of the time of publishing, we’re still waiting for Tony Popovich to reveal his Australia squad for these games but it shan’t be long...
GOALKEEPERS
Max Crocombe – Millwall, ENG (17 caps/0 goals)
Alex Paulsen – Lechai Gdańsk, POL (3/0)
Oli Sail – Auckland FC, NZ/AUS (9/0)
Look at that, all three of these goalkeepers have moved clubs recently. Max Crocombe has continued his steady rise up the English leagues by joining Championship side Millwall, who were looking for a new goalie while their regular Danish international Lukas Jensen recovers from an achilles injury that’ll keep him out for at least the first few months of the season, probably longer. Actually they were looking for two because Fulham loanee Steven Benda was also scooped up and it’s Benda who has been playing the Championship fixtures while Crocombe has had to settle for a pair of EFL Cup clashes so far. That’s normal for Crocombe who always starts as the second choice and then inevitably wins the spot. Crocs has been excellent in those two cup games... although Benda won man of the match in Millwall’s win against Sheffield United last week, making up for a couple of sketchy performances before that. Crocombe only signed a one-year contract so if the worst case scenario sees Jensen return early and Crocs relegated to third-choice, he might be able to wrangle a January loan to keep up his match fitness.
Alex Paulsen was able to train with Bournemouth for the entirety of preseason, learning the names of the folks around the club and learning the level required on the pitch. Cherries coach Andoni Iraola did say outright that he doesn’t think Paulsen is ready for the Premier League yet but that should come as no surprise to anyone. It’s just an honest assessment. So AP went out on loan to Lechai Gdańsk in Poland where his job will be to try and fix the leaky defence of a team that has conceded 17 times in six games. If the Cherries were willing to send him to Poland then they were probably willing to send him anywhere as long as playing time could be counted upon. Which... might not be as easy to find as you’d think. Paulsen’s been incredible in the A-League but to the European eye he’s an unproven foreign prospect. But he should feature prominently for Lechai Gdańsk and that could be a nudge in his favour compared to Max Crocombe, at least in the short term.
Don’t stress about Oli Sail because he’s only here as a placeholder. Sail lost his third-choice gig to Nik Tzanev on the previous tour and Tanz’s superb initial performances for Newport County have done nothing to diminish his status. However, he’s at one of those Doesn’t Break For FIFA Windows clubs and the third choice GK probably isn’t going to play. Don’t need to be risking your club status to fly half way around the world for a seat on the bench. Sail’s move to Auckland FC probably means he’s no longer a starter at club level. Michael Woud’s long since been promised that job after waiting on the sidelines all of last season behind Paulsen. Woud’s been good so far in the Aussie Cup and the Sail announcement was worded in a way where Sail is clearly there to replace the injured Scott Morris as backup rather than to take Woud’s spot (otherwise Woud should have handed in a transfer request tbh). No doubt Sail will be ready to go if Woud falters though.
That leads to a funny situation where it goes Woud > Sail at AFC yet it’s Sail who has been picked for the national team ahead of Woud. Sail’s just got a little more mana right now... but Michael Woud will return to the fore if he impresses for the Black Knights. Kees Sims also made a pair of starts for GAIS recently and guys like Henry Gray, Zac Jones, and Alby Kelly-Heald (when fit) are steadily rising up the ladder. Joe Wallis, currently in the West Brom U21s, is another one to watch out for. But it’s pretty obvious that if the World Cup squad were picked today it would be: Crocombe, Paulsen, Tzanev in that order.
DEFENDERS
Tyler Bindon – Sheffield United, ENG (17/1)
Michael Boxall – Minnesota United, USA (57/1)
Liberato Cacace – Wrexham, WAL/ENG (35/1)
Francis De Vries – Auckland FC, NZ/AUS (10/1)
Callan Elliot – Auckland FC, NZ/AUS (5/0)
James McGarry – Brisbane Roar, AUS (1/0)
Tim Payne – Wellington Phoenix, NZ/AUS (43/3)
Finn Surman – Portland Timbers, USA (9/1)
Normally there are way too many central defenders in any All Whites or Football Ferns squad. We produce a lot of them, what can you say? But with Nando Pijnaker out injured following ankle surgery and Tommy Smith staying at his non-window-adhering club... Coach Baze hasn’t chosen to bring anyone else in that position. Bill Tuiloma might have gotten the nod if he hadn’t been hurt too. Tui was called up as a right-back last window and that’s where he’s predominantly played for Portland Timbers this year but he’s best at CB. Alas, a hamstring injury has come at the wrong time for him. Beyond that, George Stanger must be on the radar after his move to Scottish Premiership club Kilmarnock – although it would have helped his cause if he hadn’t been red carded in the opening week of the season and subsequently lost his starting spot. After him we’re probably looking at Isaac Hughes who has been mostly excellent for the Wellington Phoenix over the past twelve months, a few highlighted errors aside.
But there are no extra CBs in this squad so the Big Three of Michael Boxall (37 years old), Finn Surman (21 years old), and Tyler Bindon (20 years old) will have to do the job. As they usually do. Boxall’s been an MLS All Star this year and is the captain of Minnesota United. Surman recently captained Portland as a reward for his spectacular rise. Both are pushing for MLS playoff success. In contrast, Tyler Bindon’s settling in at Sheffield United on a season-long loan where things aren’t going to plan around him. The Blades were about twenty minutes away from winning the promotion playoff last year and now they’ve lost three games in a row to start the season and already been knocked out of the EFL Cup. Bindon’s been okay... but it’s hard to impress the fans when you’re caught within such dysfunction (his debut saw him paired with a left-back at CB because of a lack of transfers). A few fresh additions to the squad in recent days should help matters.
One other thing about Bindon is that he’s usually LCB for the All Whites with Boxy and Surman duking it out for the right-sided spot... yet he’s being used at RCB for Sheffield United currently. Some coaches are more fundamentalist about those things than others and Bazeley seems like someone who won’t be bothered too much. He started Boxall and Surman together in the last game (against Ukraine), the first time that combination has ever been used (Boxy was on the left). That was with Bindon required at right-back in the absence of Tim Payne.
There’s an injury cloud over Libby Cacace who has missed Wrexham’s last three games with a hammy strain. He’s back in training already so should be fine for these games but that might explain why James McGarry’s been added as a third specialist left-back. McGarry wasn’t getting picked while he was struggling in Scotland and Greece, often injured, now he’s back after joining Brisbane Roar despite not even having played a competitive game for them yet. Francis De Vries also pads out that left edge. Perhaps FDV and McGarry are being considered as left-footed options further forward? Ben Old is the only left-footed winger in the squad so there could be something in that. We’ve already seen it in patches from De Vries to put him into crossing positions. To be honest, Sam Sutton’s done more to earn this spot... but McGarry’s only international cap came against Lithuania in 2019 (also the debut game for Pijnaker and Mata) so perhaps Bazeley just wants to have a look at him again.
Callan Elliot’s gotten the nod on the right side as Tim Payne’s deputy. No Storm Roux or Niko Kirwan who might have been alternatives. Nobody’s commanded that spot aside from T-Payne so can’t argue with whatever direction Baze chooses to lean into. With the Welly Nix teasing a switch to a back three this season, that’ll mean a different club role for Payne either at right wing-back or right centre-back. Not sure which yet. He was used as RCB in the two Aussie Cup games he played but that was on limited match fitness. That’s something to ponder – if he becomes a full-time RCB then he may lose the conditioning to do what he currently does as an attacking fullback.
If Corban Piper is going to crack an All Whites squad in the next 12 months then this position is where his best chance lies. Similarly, Xuan Loke looks set for an elevation at the Wellington Phoenix and given the All Whites’ instability at RB going back several years... the path to the national team is not as long for him as it would be for most others his age. And as always the smokey bloke is Dalton Wilkins who just returned from five months out injured with Danish Superliga club Sønderjyske. This tour is way too soon for him but if he can stay fit until the Norway and Poland games in October then the door may creak open. Wilkins was picked for the Mexico/USA games in September 2024 but withdrew injured.
MIDFIELDERS
Joe Bell – Viking FK, NOR (26/1)
Alex Rufer – Wellington Phoenix, NZ/AUS (21/0)
Sarpreet Singh – TSC Bačka Topola, SER (20/3)
Marko Stamenic – Swansea City, WAL/ENG (31/3)
Ryan Thomas – PEC Zwolle, NED (19/3)
There are still people out there who think that Sarpreet Singh signing with TSC in Serbia is some kind of downward move when actually it’s the opposite. It’s the first time he’s played top flight footy since his two Bundesliga appearances for Bayern Munich and it’s probably a higher standard that he could have commanded based purely on his resume so shout out to Darije Kalezic for doing us a solid there. Singh has gone straight into the first eleven for TSC but a promising start to the season has been tailed by three straight losses to dampen the mood. Singh needs to supply a few goals and assists to go with his silky football if he wants to hold that spot. He’s handling the physicality well and is getting into good positions so just gotta get something to stick. That Serbian league is tough, mate. We should be stoked to see him battling away there.
As for the other four midfielders in this group... it’s not too much of a stretch to say that they’re all cult heroes at their clubs. Alex Rufer and Ryan Thomas are club captains. Joe Bell is vice captain. And Marko Stamenic may have only played about 95 minutes of football for Swansea City but suffice to say they already love him. That move feels like a perfect fit for Stamenic. Forget about the Nottingham Forest scenario, all that did was provide a bridge for Stamenic to get where he is now. Long may this continue because Marko has looked like a man on a mission so far... must be something about a white jersey, aye?
Just quietly, Matt Garbett’s initial impressions at Peterborough offer similar possibilities... albeit in a division below Stamenic. He’s not in this squad though. Gotta let him settle after going eight months without a club appearance. Ryan Thomas has had a couple of extended breaks like that, all due to injury, but here we are. Already talked about him in the preview section. Joe Bell’s been a key player for an excellent Viking team that’s defying the odds to mount a title challenge. Alex Rufer is Alex Rufer, he won’t let you down. Sweet as.
We’ve literally never had an All Whites midfield as stacked as this one right here... and that’s without Matt Garbett who’ll probably be back in contention next window. How do you fit them all into the same team? You don’t... nor should you try. The point is that we now have enough depth and tactical flexibility that we don’t have to rely on any individuals. Injuries are going to happen. Sometimes rest and rotation is required. Looking at the current All Whites scope, it’s probably only Chris Wood and Libby Cacace who remain irreplaceable.
FORWARDS
Kosta Barbarouses – Western Sydney Wanderers, AUS (69/9)
Elijah Just – Motherwell, SCO (36/8)
Callum McCowatt – Silkeborg, DEN (24/4)
Ben Old – Saint-Étienne, FRA (14/1)
Jesse Randall - Auckland FC, NZ/AUS (4/1)
Logan Rogerson - Auckland FC, NZ/AUS (15/2)
Chris Wood – Nottingham Forest, ENG (84/44)
Remember how there was chat about Ben Gibson of the Newcastle Jets being looked at for this tour? Well, he got named in the Australia U23s this week so we can park that idea for now (although maybe not permanently... see: Stensness, Gianni). No worries there. Pretty sure most fans are more than happy to see Jesse Randall picked instead on the back of some sharp Australia Cup form with Auckland FC. Randall’s previous All Whites caps have all come against Oceania opponents hence this’ll be a new step for him. Logan Rogerson has also found his way back into the group. Frankly, he was very unlucky not to be there for the previous tour given that his pace and directness as an out-and-out winger make him a unique option in a squad full of linkers and drifters. They, like Callan Elliot, are benefiting from the Auckland FC shine. Deservedly so.
Chris Wood’s Nottingham Forest play West Ham on Monday morning (1 September NZT), one of his favourite opponents having scored eight goals in 14 Premier League appearances against them in his career. West Ham have been pants lately... and Wood needs one more goal to tie Mark Viduka with 92 EPL goals. Viduka holds the Australian record. Two goals and he’ll surpass him, meaning that the NZ record will be higher than the AU record. To do that in the final game before a two-game series against the Socceroos? Those would be some sumptuous footballing antics. He’s also never scored against Australia... but that’s no surprise given that the All Whites as an entity have only scored once in the past seven games combined against their Trans-Tasman rivals. That was Chris Killen in a very feisty 2-1 loss prior to the 2010 World Cup.
Callum McCowatt seems to be a very underrated player within the fanbase. Probably because he’s yet to produce the same consistently great performances for the national team that he does for his club. McCowatt is a locked on starter for Silkeborg, who’ve won a Danish Cup in his time there and twice played in European competition (McCowatt scored in a Conference League qualifier a few weeks ago). He’s not had the same impact for the All Whites... but let it be known that he’s more than capable.
The same thing could have been said about Elijah Just up until recently and he’s now scored in six of the team’s last eight internationals. Just has been a roaring success with Motherwell in Scotland where he’s playing as a central attacking midfielder and leaving magic dust all over the field. He made the SWPL Team of the Week recently after a pair of assists against Hearts (where he dominated Aussie midfielder Cammy Devlin in their head to head). The fan favourite status that Marko Stamenic seems to be accruing at Swansea City has already been awarded to Eli Just at Motherwell.
If Callum McCowatt is underrated then Ben Old, sorry to say it, has become a wee bit overrated. You can’t turn down a move such as the one that came his way from Saint-Étienne but while Surman and Paulsen were clearly ready to advance their careers, Old perhaps could have used another year in the A-League to keep ironing out a few elements of his game in a friendly environment. Old’s pace and dribbling and fitness are incredible. Especially as a left-footer, adding another element of rarity to his profile. But his final product was still dodgy when he left the Nix and he’s not the effective defender you’d think he would be. The hope was that ASSE’s relegation would give him that room to keep developing, particularly after knee surgery kept him out for so much of last season, but now it sounds like Saint-Étienne are trying to loan him out before the window closes. Ideally outside of France where he won’t benefit a rival.
It’s not a matter of giving up on him as much as Les Verts thinking he needs some more sharpening up. That club is desperate to get promoted back to Ligue 1 and need to be winning most weeks, limiting their allowances for any project players. His All Whites situation is similar. Old’s got a unique and exciting profile but his only AWs goal was the fourth in a 4-0 win against Vanuatu and his only starts against non-OFC teams were a 3-0 loss to Mexico (within arguably the worst All Whites performance of the Bazeley era) and the 4-0 win against Malaysia at home. He hasn’t done the stuff that guys like Singh, Just, Garbett, Waine, even McCowatt have done in a white jersey. Not yet, anyway.
Ben Waine is unavailable while trying to nail down his role with Port Vale. He did recently play 90 minutes in a league game for the first time since he was at the Wellington Phoenix so things are trending in the right direction – though, like Singh, he really needs some early goals/assists to stay ahead of the encroaching shadows. Max Mata is injured, such a bummer. At least it looks like he’ll get a decent chance with Shrewsbury Town once he returns. From outside this squad, Moses Dyer took himself out of contention as quickly as he’d gotten back into it when he left Galway United to move to Cambodia. So it goes. Andre De Jong remains the forgotten man. Admittedly, it’s hard to see a footballing role for him as a guy who sort of fits in between all the attacking roles without having a speciality. Ideally he’s a ten... but we’ve got Singh, Just, McCowatt, Stamenic, and Thomas who can all play there in this squad alone.
A sneaky name to consider is Owen Parker-Price after he catapulted himself up the Swedish ladder by leaving lower-mid table third tier club Torslanda to sign with promotion-chasing second-tier club Örgryte IS. He scored on debut in a cup game and got thirty minutes off the bench in his first league match. If he can handle the jump the way that his old Ole teammates McCowatt and Just did when making similar progressions then OPP should move right into All Whites consideration. Albeit, he’d have the same issues as ADJ in that he’s not really unique enough to stand out above the existing options. Definitely one to watch though.
Same with Luke Brooke-Smith. He wasn’t overexerted in the Wellington Phoenix’s very underwhelming Aussie Cup run but the 17yo kinda looked like their most dangerous player whenever he was out there. Right now he’s nowhere near the national team but if he hits the ground running when the A-League season begins then it could be a steep rise. Here’s a guy who does have a point of difference. He’s a dribbler with serious strength as well as good speed and a knack for creating goals.
LBS is probably going to the U20 World Cup in a few weeks. He’s also still eligible for November’s U17 World Cup if the Phoenix are willing to release him. In other words, Brooke-Smith has the potential to do a Milly Clegg by getting selected for all three age-tiers of World Cup within the space of 12 months. But he’ll have to be amazing for the Nix if that’s to happen because Darren Bazeley’s already done his depth-testing for this World Cup cycle therefore nobody should be expecting any unnecessary rotation between now and June 2026.
Cheers for reading... all the work we do at The Niche Cache is made possible by our generous subscribers on Patreon, Substack, and Buy Me A Coffee – get amongst the whanau if you’re able
Also helps if you whack an ad, share the yarns on socials, and tell your mates about us