Football Ferns vs Haiti/Morocco: Squad Yarns & Preview
The last time we saw the Football Ferns was in World Cup qualifying a few weeks ago when they booked their ticket to Brazil 2027 with a 1-0 win over Papua New Guinea in the final with a performance that asked more questions than it provided answers. PNG were tough, that’s a good team they’re building there. But the wastefulness in front of goal from the kiwis was quite a concern coming from a team with existing wobbles in front of goal. Usually that’s a problem that only haunts them outside the confederation but here it spilled into a home fixture against an Oceania team... and if you watched the other games during qualifying you’ll know that even if the scorelines papered over it, they had a similar slog with converting chances the whole way through.
The reason the Ferns don’t score many goals is usually because they can’t create enough against better teams. Here they created chances but couldn’t put them away... an expansion of the troubles. Not encouraging. The flipside to that is that they played that final missing most of their best finishers so of course it wasn’t going to involve pristine shooting activities. Milly Clegg was an unused sub for some reason (possibly her lack of match fitness). Kelli Brown only featured off the bench. Jacqui Hand played but was stuck at wing-back. Indi Riley was out injured. So was Pia Vlok. Fortunately, Katie Kitching was there to score the winner, carrying weight for this team like she always seems to.
To be fair, we saw a similar thing with the All Whites in their World Cup qualifying final too so gotta keep things in perspective. When there’s a World Cup spot on the line, there is pressure no matter who you’re playing. And pressure makes things difficult. Ultimately the Ferns got the job done and will be in attendance once again when the world’s best amass in a year’s time. Thirteen months to be precise. Not a lot of international windows between now and then so gotta make the most of them.
This particular window offers games against Haiti and Morocco. Those are two rising nations ranked lower than the Ferns but who ought to give them good competitive games whilst still remaining winnable for NZ. Exactly the types of nations we should be testing ourselves against rather than the annual scheduled hidings against USA, Australia, and the like. Perfect scheduling... except for the one drama of playing them in Spain.
Yeah, more neutral territory games in Spain. We’ve just hit the offseason for most clubs in Europe/Australia, where the bulk of our players are being selected from (only about a quarter of this squad will have club games in the week before this window), which means fewer travel conflicts but nah gotta go to Spain yet again. After this pair, we’ll have played more games in Spain than in New Zealand during this World Cup cycle despite never having played against Spain. It’s obviously a financial decision. Conditions would be a factor too. But from a footballing perspective we’re just come through a tricky test where the Ferns had to battle through pressure and expectation and now we’re shifting to empty stadiums on neutral territory with the intensity of a training game. Dunno if that’s the kind of environment we should be seeking out with a World Cup on the horizon.
Football Ferns Host Venues Post-2023 World Cup
Spain – 6
Samoa – 5
New Zealand – 4
France – 4
Solomon Islands – 3
Chile – 2
Colombia – 2
Costa Rica – 2
Mexico – 2
Australia – 2
USA – 1
The French games were for the Olympics (three group stage games plus a friendly). The Solomons and Samoan ones were Olympic and World Cup qualifying in Oceania, as were the two most recent NZ matches. So specifically focusing on friendly tours, this is what’s been arranged for the Footy Ferns...
Away Tours (5 tours, 11 games) – Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico/USA, Australia
Neutral Venues in Spain (3 tours, 6 games) – Japan, Venezuela, Haiti, Morocco
Friendlies in Aotearoa (1 tour, 2 games) – Thailand
But the games themselves are terrific. Two nations we’ve never played before at senior level. Two opponents who’ll test us defensively without being too good for us to do anything on attack. Balanced fixtures like we had against Costa Rica and Venezuela last year – everything since then has been too far skewed against us (Mexico, USA, Australia) or too far skewed in favour of us (Oceania qualifiers). This should be that goldilocks sweet spot.
Haiti qualified for the last World Cup so they’ve been doing good things. They lost all three games there but displayed some serious defensive structure, only losing 1-0 to England, 1-0 to China, and 2-0 to Denmark. Three of the four goals they conceded were penalties and the other was a 90+10th minute clincher in the Denmark game. They’re now coached by Swedish legend Pia Sundhage who has previously helmed USA, Sweden, Brazil, and Switzerland at international level. Most of their players are based in France having dipped into the diaspora, including quite a few in the French top division who’ll be familiar to Kate Taylor from her to years with Dijon FCO (no teammates but plenty of opponents).
Morocco only played their first ever game in 1998 but in the last few years have really started to make waves. They also qualified for their first World Cup in 2023... and unlike Haiti or New Zealand they made it through to the knockouts. They were thrashed 6-0 by Germany first up but then had 1-0 wins against South Korea and Colombia to advance, before falling 4-0 to France in the round of sixteen. They were runners-up at the African Cup of Nations in both 2022 and 2024. They also hosted both of those tournaments and will be hosting the 2026 edition too (same as they’re hosting all the Women’s U17 World Cups between 2024-2029). That AFCON tournament begins in July so this game is part of their preparation for that, with a friendly against Cameroon (in France) four days earlier. Morocco are coached by Spaniard Jorge Vilda. Their squad is more localised than the Haitians but they do have a few players scattered around Europe. Coincidentally, Haiti and Morocco played each other in February 2025 and it was a 1-1 draw.
Getting to the Aotearoa squad and there are plenty of talking points in Michael Mayne’s latest offering. Like who the heck is Mae Hunt? Well, she’s a 20yo midfielder (turns 21 in November) who was born in England and is currently doing the USA university thing. Two years with South Alabama and now she’s traded up to the University at Buffalo. Prior to that she spent several years in the academy at Reading FC where she might have had a shot at the first team had not tumbled down the divisions and gone part-time after dropping out of the WSL a few years ago. It was known throughout that she had kiwi heritage however this is her first inclusion in an NZ squad. No U17s or U20s before this.
Her selection is a very surprising one at at time when midfielders like Helena Errington (FH in Iceland), Daisy Brazendale (Wellington Phoenix), and Lara Colpi (Thun in Switzerland) are playing pretty regularly at a professional level and remain uncapped. Clearly there’s something about Mae Hunt’s game that they want a closer look at. In the press release, Coach Mayne said that she’s “an exciting midfielder who we have been tracking for a while” but didn’t get into specifics. It’s a 24-woman squad so there’s room for a bolter and Alina Santos has shown there are gems out there in the college stuff. Curious to see if she plays at all.
The other uncapped player in the squad is Brooke Neary, the third-choice keeper at the Wellington Phoenix who has been selected ahead of second-choice Aimee Danieli... but there’s a very good reason for that and we’ll get into the goalkeepers later. Suffice to say this is another development spot.
Compared to the previous squad, there have been six additions and five subtractions. That sounds like a lot but actually the absentees are all injury based. Pia Vlok was struggling with an ankle injury at the end of the Phoenix season. She played through it for their finals run but obviously needs the rest (she’s also been injured on both previous Ferns tours). When she wasn’t included in the U20s squad that toured Australia last weekend (more on them later too) it did seem like perhaps that was to spare her for this tour but nope she’s just gonna put those feet up after a far more hectic first professional season than anyone was expecting. She’s 17 years old. No stress. No rush.
Mackenzie Barry’s inclusion is a cool one. Recalled after captaining the Wellington Phoenix in a grand final... although that may only have happened because Meikayla Moore is injured. Mouse has been battling a knock since the last window and has only made two subs appearance during Calgary Wild’s four games this season. She wasn’t even in the squad for their most recent match, suggesting she may have had a set-back. In other words, Barry may not have moved up the pecking order at all.
Same as last tour, there’s nothing scandalous about that. Barry’s been awesome but you’ve gotta respect the quality we’ve got at CB. Stott, Taylor, Foster, Anton, and Bunge are equally proven A-League players and every one of them has also played in Europe whereas Barry has not. Mack will win a tackle on par with any of those options but she’s the worst passer of that group. Barry vs Moore is turning into a genuine contest for the sixth spot... but neither of them will be in much luck if/when Katie Bowen swings back into contention. It remains baffling how our highest-performing pro has only been in one of the last eight squads – though for all we know it could be Bowen wanting to take a step back rather than any coaching shenanigans. We just don’t know. Mayne’s press release quotes did emphasise player commitment though...
Michael Mayne: “Since qualifying, the focus has shifted fully to Brazil, and I am now looking at the next phase of planning to make sure we have covered every possibility, ensuring we have plenty of competition and players who are not only committed to the ambition I have for this team, but who are also in form and prepared to do what we have never done before at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027.
He’s also hinted to media that we’re still in the depth-testing phase: “We'll have our own challenges at time of year of this tour. We've got a lot of players coming off the back of long seasons and moving into off seasons. That's going to be a factor in the squad and what it looks like. But we've still got another window or two where we can really test this wider squad, you know, before we we really sort of start focusing in on that last build through to Brazil.”
Indi Riley is absent having not played since getting injured in the last window. That’s a big loss for a Ferns team that always looks far better when IPR is on the park. The good news is that she’s free from her Crystal Palace prison having run down her two-year contract so she’s looking for a new club in a World Cup year. This time last cycle she popped back up at Brisbane Roar for guaranteed minutes. Don’t rule that out as a repeat destination... although she’s a far more established international player nowadays and can certainly aim higher. Also missing are the Newcastle Jets duo of Kelli Brown and Charlotte Lancaster. Lancs seemed to pick up a bad one in the WCQ final, subbed early and then having to enjoy the celebrations on crutches. Not sure what’s up with Kelli Brown but she’s been a regular under Mayne so an injury is more likely than a dropping. Their A-League season was already over by then, having missed the playoffs, hence no updates on either. Both Lancaster and Brown usually play NPL during their offseasons but neither has turned up there yet. Liz Anton has though – she’s playing for Northern Tigers so no Norwegian excursion for her this year.
The most exciting recall goes to Malia Steinmetz who returns to the Ferns for the first time since the 2024 Olympics. She was a first eleven player at that time. Then came a six-month hiatus for the Ferns followed by an ACL injury and it’s only in the last few months that she’s gotten back on the park. Steinmetz travelled with her FC Nordsjælland teammate Grace Wisnewski to join the Ferns as a training player last window. Now she’s in the squad for real. She got 45 minutes off the bench for FCN last week which is the most she’s played since the injury so she’s still in that ramping-up period and probably won’t be starting games on this tour. But great to have her back.
Also returning is Maggie Jenkins. She debuted for the Ferns way back in 2017 as a teenager (same game as Vic Esson and Liz Anton debuted – a 5-0 win away vs Thailand) and to date that remains her only cap. But she was in a few senior squads around covid time when travel restrictions opened up a few opportunities for college-based players. She was an interesting prospect then, she’s a fascinating one now after a successful year scoring and assisting goals over in Turkey followed by a National League MVP award with Wellington Olympic and a short but spectacular stint with Auckland United prior to joining Australian club Essendon Royals a few weeks ago. Now, ordinarily that’s not a level that will get you national team selection. But think back to the very specific finishing struggles that this team showed last game and now consider this evidence from Jenkins over the past nine months:
15 goals (and 8 assists) in 9 games for Wellington United
16 goals in 7 games for Auckland United
2 goals in a friendly game between AUFC and the Wellington Phoenix
6 goals in 3 games for Essendon Royals
That’s 37 goals in her last 19 competitive games (not even including that Nix friendly). She scored in every game she played for Auckland United, only once scoring less than twice, and has hit the net in a cup debut and two league games for Essendon. That means she’s scored in 10 consecutive matches this year. Astonishing stuff. It was clear from her time in Turkey that she belonged at the pro level and what she’s done since has made it seem borderline negligent that no A-League clubs took a punt on her (let alone the one in her hometown), especially since she said upon joining Essendon that the ALW is what she’s aiming for. Essendon Royals have a couple kiwi connections already with Kendrah Smith (former West Coast Rangers and Southern United) in their backline and former Eastern Suburbs men’s player Jaiden van der Heijden the head coach there.
Crazy thing about MJ’s rapid start with Essendon is that she’s only needed 82 minutes to score those five goals. She went off injured on debut after already scoring twice, then was fine to play the next game but got subbed at half-time after already netting a hat-trick. Probably to protect her for this Ferns call-up since they were already 4-0 up against league leaders Box Hill United, going on to win that game 7-1. Box Hill Utd have Kiara Bercelli in their ranks who has 8 goals and 12 assists in 14 games for BHU this year following an excellent National League championship campaign with Auckland United so perhaps she oughta be viewed in similar territory to Jenkins. But it’s Jenkins who has the particular skill set that the Ferns are desperate for at the moment so she gets this opportunity.
And Wellington Phoenix duo Mack Barry and Manaia Elliott have also been rewarded with recalls. Already mentioned why Barry’s gotten the boost. Elliott was an injury-replacement for Indi Riley last time and she’s still injured so Elliott remains. Simple as that.
Since squad depth has been such an emphasis for Michael Mayne, and a team’s depth is best represented by the players who aren’t selected, here’s a shadow squad of players who won’t be going on this tour (all of whom are current professional footballers)...
GK – Anna Leat (inj), Claudia Jenkins, Aimee Danieli
DEF – Katie Bowen, Meikayla Moore (inj), Marisa van der Meer, CJ Bott, Grace Neville, Lara Wall, Suya Haering, Rebecca Lake, Tilly James, Olivia Page
MID – Macey Fraser, Jana Radosavljević, Helena Errington, Lara Colpi, Alyssa Whinham (inj)
FWD – Indi Riley (inj), Pia Vlok (inj), Kelli Brown (inj?), Charlotte Lancaster (inj), Emma Main (inj), Ava Collins
Goalkeepers
Victoria Esson – Wellington Phoenix, NZ/AUS (33 caps/0 goals)
Brooke Neary – Wellington Phoenix, NZ/AUS (0/0)
Alina Santos – University of Denver, USA (3/0)
It’s a little strange seeing the third-choice goalkeeper for the Wellington Phoenix (Brooke Neary) picked ahead of the second-choice goalkeeper for the Wellington Phoenix (Aimee Danieli)... but there’s nothing to it really. Neary is on track to be the number one at the U20 World Cup in September and this is about giving her a bit of a level-up ahead of that tournament. The All Whites did the exact same thing with Henry Gray a year ago. That’s all this is. Neary was around the team as a training player last squad when they were in Aotearoa (as was Maddie Iro) but this will be her first proper selection and her first away tour experience.
Keep in mind that Anna Leat was presumaably unavailable as she recovers from her latest concussion. She was close to returning before the end of the A-League season so if this was a major tournament she might have been there. But not for friendlies, not after what a difficult time she had getting over the last head knock she suffered while at Aston Villa. A couple of extended concussion stand-downs is very concerning... all the more reason why Michael Mayne’s ongoing search for goalkeeping depth is so pertinent.
Since the Olympics, when Mayne went from caretaker boss to interim boss on the way to becoming permanent boss, the Ferns have played 14 times with Vic Esson getting nine of those starts. Additionally there was one for Anna Leat, three for Alina Santos, and one for Maddie Iro. That’s four goalkeepers right there. Claudia Jenkins, Brianna Edwards, and Geo Candy have also been in squads. Murphy Sheaff was in the Olympic squad as a reserve. Aimee Danieli, Brooke Neary, Una Foyle, and Blair Currie all have professional/semi-pro gigs in various corners of the globe. You can view this situation as a microcosm of the wider squad where we’ve got lots of good options but only a couple of great ones. Of those 12 goalkeepers mentioned, only Leat and Esson have played at a level above the A-League.
Esson’s coming off an excellent season with the Wellington Phoenix and there’s no doubt whatsoever that she’s the number one in Leat’s absence. Eight clean sheets in 21 appearances for the Nix last season and the only game in which she conceded more than twice was the grand final. This past year was a rare instance in her career where she was the undisputed number one for a winning team. At Rangers she won a lot but was often rotated with two starting calibre goalkeepers in place. At Avaldsnes (Norway) and SC Sand (Germany) she played a lot but her teams tended to lose more than they won. And nothing’s changed with Alina Santos who has earned a little breathing room ahead of the rest of the chasing pack thanks to some good form in collegeball and some equally good work in Ferns camp. Her NCAA season hasn’t started yet so she’s short on match fitness at the mo’ but she’s here as an alternate so it’ll be fine.
Defenders
Liz Anton – Canberra United, AUS (29/0)
Mackenzie Barry – Wellington Phoenix, NZ/AUS (24/1)
Claudia Bunge – Melbourne Victory, AUS (42/1)
Manaia Elliott – Wellington Phoenix, NZ/AUS (9/2)
Michaela Foster – Durham, ENG (25/2)
Ally Green – FC København, DEN (20/2)
Rebekah Stott – Melbourne City, AUS (112/4)
Kate Taylor – Dijon FCO, FRA (32/3)
There’s not a whole lot to say about this group. Lovely to see Rebekah Stott properly back in the fold having now been in three consecutive squads. She just won the Clare Polkinghorne Medal and was the top vote-getter in the PFA Team of the Season while captaining Melbourne City to a Premiership/Championship double in the A-League. In her ALW career, Stotty has made the grand final more often than she’s missed it. She’s as good as she’s ever been... although note that she’s often been used as a midfielder by Coach Mayne. Nothing she hasn’t done many times before but we’ll see if that stays the case against the non-Oceania sides.
Kate Taylor is pretty much the first name on the teamsheet these days. Middle of the back three. Superb player who could be due another big step in her career as she moves on from Dijon after two years – that club’s run out of money, putting their women’s team in an awkward state that’s going to force players like Taylor to seek alternative employment. It’ll be enlightening to see what kind of level she can get to. Once again, it’s a World Cup year so every transfer is going to happen through that lens. Katie Bowen has announced that she’s leaving Inter Milan. Indi Riley is on her way out of Crystal Palace. Most of the Phoenix girls have re-signed the majority of women’s footballers are on one-year deals so it’s always an option.
It makes sense that Mack Barry is sticking around as the Nix try to win a championship during their two-game Priestman Window. She’s a key player with a defined player that suits her and captained them in CJ Bott’s absence. But it’s her lack of overseas experience (and perhaps a bit less passing capability) that’s preventing her from climbing the Ferns CB ladder. In other words, the most consequential thing she could do to improve her international stocks would be to go abroad. The more experience you’ve got in different environments and at higher levels, the more you’ve got to offer. Liz Anton’s time in Norway last year definitely helped her status. Same with Claudia Bunge in Denmark before that. Hannah Blake broke into the Ferns after moving to England. But she’s got an opportunity here and she deserves it and we’ll see what she does with it.
Based on the last window, the top choice CB trio is (from right to left): Claudia Bunge, Kate Taylor, Mickey Foster. If KT is unavailable then Stott is next up there but if Taylor plays then Stott tends to be unleashed in the midfield rather than RCB or LCB. Barry will be competing for minutes behind Bunge. Anton and Foster are the left-sided contenders, though Anton can cover either side. That’s some quality depth in a squad that doesn’t even have Katie Bowen or Meikayla Moore on hand. Let alone Marisa van der Meer who is part of that same elite Wellington Phoenix defence as Barry yet remains uncapped.
Okay then... wing-backs. Ally Green has settled really nicely at Copenhagen and will hopefully earn promotion to the top division in the next few weeks. Feels like there’s untapped potential with her – she hasn’t found a steady home since leaving Sydney FC but signs are good upon her return to Denmark. Gotta wonder if Manaia Elliott might also ponder a move beyond the A-League to gamble on herself ahead of the World Cup. She’s in the same situation as Barry where her place here is contingent on an injured player (Indi Riley) and it’s hard to see her getting picked ahead of other wing-back options like Gabi Rennie or Jacqui Hand who play in stronger club situations.
Jacqui Hand started at RWB in both games last window. She should have been starting up front so that she could put a few of those chances away... that’s the thing with wing-backs though. Unless you’ve got those rare beasts who can do both, you can get caught in between whether that position should go to fullback or a winger. Elliott’s the closest thing to a two-way wide player in this squad.
Midfielders
Maya Hahn – Viktoria Berlin, GER (12/1)
Mae Hunt – University at Buffalo, USA (0/0)
Grace Jale – Wellington Phoenix, NZ/AUS (40/10)
Emma Pijnenburg – Wellington Phoenix, NZ/AUS (10/0)
Malia Steinmetz – FC Nordsjælland, DEN (35/0)
Grace Wisnewski – FC Nordsjælland, DEN (7/0)
Īs this too many midfielders for two games? Mae Hunt’s a development case but keep in mind that Stott’s also in contention in this position. S’pose Malia Steinmetz will also be on limited minutes so we’re probably alright here after all. Steinmetz has played fewer games/minutes than Macey Fraser has in her comeback and we’re still waiting for Fraser to return to the Ferns... but then those are the concessions you make for an established player who debuted nine years ago compared to one with single-digit caps who debuted two years ago.
Happy to say that Grace Wisnewski is playing midfield again (for the most part) after hitting up the previous Ferns squad after an extended run filling in at centre-back for her club. Also helps that her season is still going whereas most others have finished. Wiz and Steinmetz will be playing and training right up until they travel to Spain. None of the A-League players can say that, with those who didn’t make the playoffs having been inactive since early April.
Having mentioned the Phoenix defenders who haven’t been able to scoot up the depth chart very far despite their superb club form, gotta recognise how far both Grace Jale and Emma Pijnenburg have come over the past twelve months. Pijnenburg had only just gotten into Ferns contention when she signed with the Nix. Jale had fallen out of the top choice squad before her midfield conversion completely reinvigorated her. GJ started four of the five games in qualifying so she’s pretty much first eleven now. Wellington Phoenix Player of the Year and Player’s Player of the Year award winner too. She’s another one of those Nix players who feel ready for that next step in their careers... though first there’s some unfinished business in the A-League for one more year. It’ll be funky to see what Bev Priestman does when her Nix stint ends because if she fancies another club gig she’s got the clout to land a very good one... and if she does, fingers crossed she takes a few of her Phoenix faves along with her.
Quick word on Maya Hahn who was a regular starter for Viktoria Berlin in the German second tier. That club had only just been promoted yet they steadied themselves in fifth place. Sort of a lowkey Wrexham situation there with celebrity investment and a big media push behind them. Hahn is under contract for another year and they should rate themselves to push for promotion next term. Hahn has started games in both central midfield and attacking midfield for the Ferns. That only leaves Mae Hunt but we don’t know much about her so there’s nothing to say and everything to learn.
Forwards
Hannah Blake – Durham, ENG (12/4)
Milly Clegg – Vittsjö, SWE (23/4)
Jacqui Hand – FC Basel, SUI (39/9)
Deven Jackson – Melbourne City, AUS (9/1)
Maggie Jenkins – Essendon Royals, AUS (1/0)
Katie Kitching – Sunderland, ENG (28/9)
Gabi Rennie – Eskilstuna United, SWE (47/2)
Here’s a stat... with no Katie Bowen or Meikayla Moore or CJ Bott or Anna Leat in the squad... which player other than Rebekah Stott (June 2012) debuted the earliest from this squad? The answer is Hannah Blake. Way back in 2017 in the first of a two-game tour of Thailand. The second game of that tour saw Vic Esson, Malia Steinmetz, and Maggie Jenkins all debut in a very young squad picked in an interim period in between the Tony Readings and Andreas Heraf eras.
Wouldn’t have thought that of Hannah Blake but there you go. She’s been an underrated player everywhere she goes, including this season at Durham. Hopefully that’s changing now that she’s become a more consistent international presence. Not that any of these forwards, aside from Kitching, is very settled at the moment.
Milly Clegg was strangely unused during the last window – gotta imagine that was down to a lack of match fitness (even though she played fairly prominently during the group stage in the previous window even deeper into her offseason). She’s underway in Sweden now though is having to fight for her minutes off the bench. Jacqui Hand is settled in the squad (and at club level, having signed a multi-year deal with Basel after bouncing around a few clubs) but not with her position as she alternates between wing-back and striker. Gabi Rennie is the same and only recently worked her way back into the national team. Really awesome in getting Eskilstuna United promoted... hasn’t quite hit the ground running in the top division though. She’s started 6/7 games and the team’s been going well but no goals or assists yet for Rennie.
Deven Jackson was the main culprit with the bad finishing in the WCQ final. She’s part of a very good Melbourne City team... but mostly plays off the bench there (with only 11 mins combined in their three finals games) and scored just one A-League goal last season (at least she was more prolific in the Asian Champions League). And Maggie Jenkins is here as a non-professional whose only cap came nine years ago while she was preparing for her U17 World Cup.
A full strength squad would most likely have Indi Riley, Pia Vlok, and Kelli Brown in it. People have gotta make way for that to happen and that puts the heat on this crew of forwards to do something on this tour. This is what Michael Mayne has been trying to instil. He wants depth, he wants competition for places. He didn’t need to do anything to find it with his central defenders. He’s manufactured it by constantly rotating his goalkeepers. But the forward positions are where it all comes together naturally. We have lots of options and only a couple of them have done enough for club and country in their careers to stand above the crowd. Everyone else will be judged by what they put on the table. Score some goals against Haiti and Morocco and the chips are yours. Don’t and you might be not be part of the next selection.
Unless you’re Katie Kitching who just polished off another wonderful season at Sunderland and continues to perform for New Zealand on the regular, including popping up with important goals. She’s a free agent at Sunderland and might fancy a crack in the top division of English football... although with her team having just gotten new ownership it might be safer to try do it the old fashioned way by sticking around for a promotion quest.
And Then There’s The U20s
There’s also an U20 World Cup coming up later this year and same as with the past two cycles NZ Football have managed to organise a couple mid-year friendlies against their Aussie rivals for preparation. The Australians didn’t actually qualify for the World Cup itself but that’s their problem. We did and with Japan, Italy, and USA in our group in September we need all the practice we can get. Both games were in Canberra and neither of them were broadcasted. We drew them both: 1-1 in the first, 0-0 in the second. Mikaela Banagalan scored a late equaliser in the former. They didn’t give us line-ups for the games but they did give us a squad...
Pretty stock standard stuff there, with the most notable omission being Pia Vlok but it’s obvious why that’s the case. The U20 World Cup is in September (hosted by Poland) so there’s a good chance she’s involved then for what will be the first of two U20 WCs that she’s going to be eligible for. The ALW season doesn’t usually start until October. It’d mean missing a chunk of preseason but it’s also great for her development so even Bev Priestman probably isn’t going to stand in her way there.
Other than that, there are 15 players from the U19s team that strolled through Oceania qualifying last year scoring 33 goals in five games without conceding. That was an 18-woman squad so the only players who haven’t retained their spot in this expanded team are: Sophie Campbell, Isla Cleall-Harding, and Mackenzie Longmuir. ICL hasn’t featured for the Nix Reserves yet this year; could be that she’s left or it could be that she’s injured. Campbell is part of a goalkeeping reshuffle for this squad as they look at a few other options, the only position that’s had that treatment. Both she and Longmuir have been West Coast Rangers players. Longmuir has returned from USA college to play for Rangers this year while Campbell is leaving to go the other way (Washington State Cougars – the same school that Charlisse Leger-Walker began her college basketball career at)... although she hasn’t left yet, with both Kenzie Longmuir and Sophie Campbell getting full games in WCR’s 1-1 draw with Auckland United last weekend. Longmuir is a centre-back and pretty unlucky to miss out, granted it’s not this squad but the next one that matters.
This squad also includes a handful of standouts who’ve been promoted early from last year’s U17 World Cup. Bangalan introduced herself to Wellington Phoenix fans a few weeks ago in Brisbane. Charley March has been starting games at LWB for Auckland United all season. Des Fountain was featured in TNC’s latest top Welly Nix prospects yarn after a strong National League campaign. Grace Duncan is one of the many Tauranga products making youth squads these days, now prepping for her freshman year at University of Washington. And Bennett is from the other major WaiBOP production line at Melville United where she’s been scoring goals in the top northern division even as her team’s been struggling. All excellent prospects who were among the most prominent figures at that U17 World Cup. Holly Robins and Katie Pugh are two others from that squad who might have been in contention. Plus Pia Vlok, of course.
Part of the 2025 U19s Squad:
Alyssha Eglinton, Amber De Wit, Brooke Neary, Charli Dunn, Charlotte Mortlock, Daisy Brazendale, Ela Jerez, Emily Lyon, Grace Bartlett, Lily Brazendale, Mackenzie Greene, Mary Brown, Penny Brill, Poppy O’Brien, Zoe Benson
Part of the 2025 U17 World Cup Squad:
Mikaela Bangalan, Charley March, Freya Des Fountain, Grace Duncan, Laura Bennett
Not Part of Either:
Lily Joy Taylor, Phoebe Riley, Riley Sheldon, Scarlett Gray
Okay so who are those last four? Lily Taylor and Scarlett Gray are the two new goalies (joining Brooke Neary). Both are based in Australia. Taylor is a dual-national who is in the Macarthur Bulls academy and was involved in an NZ camp for the first time here. She had a one-week training experience with VfB Stuttgart last year though has otherwise come entirely through the Aussie system. That’s not the case for Gray who is a Christchurch product, having played National League for the Pride (and had a stint last year with Eastern Suburbs up in Auckland). She’s now playing for the Central Coast Mariners youth team – their equivalent of the Phoenix Reserves playing in the third-tier of state league. Having reliable goalkeepers tends to be critical at major tournaments and we’ve been conceding a lot of goals at those things in recent years so Coach Holmes is taking a good look at all his options.
Phoebe Riley is also a dual-nat who was born and raised in Sydney however she’s been on the kiwi scene before – she played in the equivalent U20s games against Australia back in 2024, though didn’t make the World Cup squad. Still eligible this swing after a year at uni in the States. She’s a forward. And Riley Sheldon is defender who played for Northern Rovers and Auckland United before heading to the States where she’s played two years for University of the Incarnate Word and is going to spend her offseason playing for Albion Colorado in the USL’s “pre-professional” W-League, a pretty common path for college athletes to stay busy between seasons. Sheldon’s been involved in both U17s and U20s camps before but hasn’t made a proper squad until now.
Unlike last time, we don’t have any overseas pros to call upon. Rebekah Trewhitt misses out on eligibility by less than a month and there’s nobody else who’s made an early move (like Emma Pijnenburg, Kiara Bercelli, Olivia Page, and Suya Haering from the 2024 group... albeit none of them are still with those clubs two years later). But there are two players returning from the previous wave so shout out to Zoe Benson and Daisy Brazendale. This isn’t the final World Cup squad but there’s nobody else from the last one who’s still eligible.
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