All Whites Tour of China & Japan: Squad Yarns & Preview
One World Cup cycle ends and another one begins. For some players, the 2026 World Cup appearance was the culmination of their career but for others it was merely a taster for the next one and as worthwhile as it was simply being there to participate... doubtful that anyone’s coming out of that campaign following a 2-2 draw with Iran, a 3-1 loss to Egypt, and a 5-1 loss to Belgium feeling like that was the absolute best that the All Whites could have offered. Considering our standing in world football, our relative inexperience at this level, and the difficulties in going from big fish in a small pond (Oceania) to small fish in a big pond (FIFA), it was a reasonable campaign. Scored in every game. Played some quality footy, especially against Iran. But there were far too many defensive stumbles along the way as the realities of what it takes to be competitive at this level were laid bare.
Okay, alright, can’t change that now. Probably couldn’t have changed that back then either. But what we can do is use that knowledge to build forward over the next four years. We’ve already had a bunch of significant developments in the couple months since thanks to a busy transfer window and the start of a new club season. Elijah Just’s move to Swansea City. Joe Bell’s Champions League debut. Tim Payne becoming the cult hero of Paraguay. Alex Paulsen’s resurgent form at Motherwell. Callum McCowatt’s move to AGF. Not to mention several blokes from outside the World Cup squad who’ve only enhanced their reputations since – some of whom have been called up for this tour.
Keep harping on about this, but the vast majority of player development happens at club level so for the All Whites to reach their potential, it requires those players to continue moving up in the world at their day jobs. That’s not a quick process... and that’s fine because we’ve got four years to work with. Just trust that it’s happening (you don’t even need to trust it – the evidence is right there before our eyes). Better players more acclimatised to elite level intensity means a stronger All Whites team more capable of going toe to toe against the quality of opponent that we’ll meet at World Cups.
However, there is also the other element of what we do with those players while they’re in camp. Like, we can’t be too shocked at a winless World Cup campaign when the All Whites had only won 1/11 games leading up to the event (shout out to a weakened Chile team getting a first half red card on the way to being tonked 4-1 on a wet Monday night in Auckland). It was a blessed improvement to see the AWs actually put the ball in the net in North America, much of which came down to the Elijah Just & Chris Wood combination (aka Elijah Wood, aka Frodo). That’s great but this team also hasn’t kept a clean sheet since winning 1-0 against Ivory Coast in neutral Canada in June 2025. The input has been steadily improving. The output... that still needs work. Win some games. Stop conceding soft goals. Continue this recent attacking development. Simple objectives that are way easier said than done but that’s what we’ve gotta aim for.
The other thing is that we learned during the World Cup just where the line in the sand is drawn between those players who are comfortable at the top level and those who were battling – the metaphor in these pages during the tournament itself was which players are swimming and which are merely staying afloat. It’s a super intense game when you’re up against teams with hundreds of games of Champions League experience and masses of international tournaments behind them.
The definite swimmers in our squad were Chris Wood, Elijah Just, Marko Stamenić, and Finn Surman. Then there’s a large tier of guys who could swim but maybe only in a preferred stroke: Joe Bell, Libby Cacace, Sarpreet Singh, Callum McCowatt, Ryan Thomas, Tyler Bindon, Michael Boxall, Ben Old, Tim Payne. Some of them (Cacace, Singh, Thomas) could have been in the top group if it weren’t for fitness reasons. Others like McCowatt, Bindon, and Old have the ability but didn’t get the minutes to reflect it. McCowatt for example, he only played 59% of the available time but all four goals were scored with him on the pitch. Matt Garbett would be in this group with the potential to scale upwards depending on how the next phase of his career goes... but he was injured.
And with that we shift focus into this upcoming window, the first since the World Cup and therefore the start of a brand new cycle. We’ve seen the progress that’s happened in the past couple months since the fellas went their separate ways to return to club footy. We know that this group are desperate to keep improving, that they’re well aware of the need to build some winning habits. We’ve had an education as to which players we should be building around over the upcoming four years and the time is right to try figure out who else has the potential to get amongst it. Not in a wider squad sense, we’re always going to have enough of those blokes, but in terms of key players – only 13/26 players made starts at the World Cup and nine of them didn’t get minutes at all. We’re looking for future starters here. For example, is Luke Brooke-Smith somebody who can score and create chances in a World Cup environment some day? What about Alex Paulsen, is he ready to ascend to undisputed number one goalkeeper status? Will newer folks on the scene like Owen Parker-Price, Lachie Bayliss, and George Stanger settle in as squadies or do they have deeper potential to them? It’s time to begin pondering some of those questions.
One thing to clarify is that this window is different from the usuals. It’s the first instance of a new FIFA approach to be less disruptive for the clubs seasons (clubs always love to whinge about this stuff): the double international window. It used to be that there were three typical nine-day windows in September, October, and November. Three breaks in the club season, with room enough for two international games on each occasion. Now they’re combining the September and October windows into a double window which runs from 21 September to 6 October 2026 (16 days) with room for four international games.
And what do ya know, the All Whites have four international games coming up! The matches in Japan against Panama and either Japan or Ecuador were announced awhile back, the ones in China against Palestine and China were only announced in the last fortnight – even though those ones are happening first. Close enough, we’ll take them all, thanks and good luck. It’s an either/or for the fourth game because they’ve set that Kirin Cup up as one of those mini-tournaments so the winner of New Zealand vs Panama plays the winner of Ecuador vs Japan and vice versa with the losers. We played Ecuador not that long ago, they beat us 2-0 last November in New Jersey... although only six of the starting eleven for NZ that day went on to start games at the World Cup (it was Crocombe; Tuiloma, Surman, Bindon, FDV; Rufer, Stamenić; Just, Singh, Old; Waine).
The last time we faced Japan was way back in 2017 for a 2-1 defeat in Tokyo with Chris Wood scoring the only goal. Dane Ingham started that game, keep that name in mind. China came to Aotearoa for a 0-0 draw and a 2-1 win for NZ (an own goal and a Matt Garbett goal) in March 2023 for the first matches of Darren Bazeley’s interim tenure before eventually getting the job properly. Bazeley’s contract expires at the end of the year so the home games against India in November could be his last... though probably not. He’s done enough to continue thanks to the steady progress we’ve seen in the past 3.5 years combined with that pivotal old principle: Do we trust NZ Football to find anyone better?
These will be the first games the All Whites have played against Palestine or Panama at senior level. Coincidentally (it’s probably not a coincidence), the Football Ferns also have a pair of games against Panama coming up in October, those ones are in Panama. This kinda double negotiation is becoming a regular thing after both the men’s and women’s sides played Haiti within a few days of each other back in June. Hopefully this NZ vs Panama unofficial series is more fruitful than the double defeat we suffered there. Ecuador and Japan were at the World Cup where they both exited in the round of 32. Japan were beaten 2-1 by Brazil while Ecuador lost 2-0 to co-hosts Mexico. Panama were also there but they lost all three games to depart in the group stage without scoring a goal - however they only conceded four total against England, Ghana, and Croatia which is arguably tougher than our group was yet we shipped 10 goals in three games.
For extremely obvious reasons, Palestine have had a tough time getting games of late. They had a pair of 0-0 draws against Kyrgyzstan in June for their only competitive games this calendar year, though they did make the quarters of the Arab Cup in 2025 where they were beaten 2-1 in extra time by Saudi Arabia. They went alright in World Cup qualification but missed out on progression to the fourth round when they conceded a 90+7th minute equaliser against Oman, who therefore finished one point above them. Most of the Palestinian players are based in other Arab nations with Egypt and Qatar being common locales. Slight digression here to point out that more than 1000 Palestinian athletes have been killed since 7 October 2023, and 50 of the 56 sports clubs in Gaza have been destroyed. FIFA helped fund 23 five-a-side football fields in the city and only three of them remain. FIFA has accepted Palestine as a member nation since 1998. The New Zealand Government does not currently recognise Palestine as a state.
Aaaanyway, back to the topic at hand, despite there being four games this window, Darren Bazeley’s only picked a 23-man squad for this tour... sort of. There are rules about squad sizes though with the expanded window there would surely have been concessions allowed. One concession has been used with Moses Dyer added to the squad after the fact for the first two games, since it turns out that Finn Surman and Chris Wood will only be available for the Japan leg of the tour. Nando Pijnaker’s also had to withdraw after picking up an injury during an Auckland FC preseason game... so Bill Tuiloma’s the straight swap there.
Not sure why Chris Wood needs his minutes managed when he’s only played 62 minutes across the first five games of Nottingham Forest’s season but those Prem clubs are stingy buggers. Finn Surman could use the rest because he’s one of the three fellas who finished their World Cup campaign and went immediately back into ongoing club seasons without a break – the other two are Joe Bell and Michael Boxall who’ve both been left out of this squad most likely for that reason. Surman isn’t getting a rest though. There are MLS games during the window so this’ll allow him to be available for Sporting KC vs Portland on 27 September NZT thus ensuring he doesn’t miss a match for his club and can still jet across the Pacific Ocean and play a couple games for the national team in Japan. Remember those games in Japan will be the most difficult ones against fellow World Cup competitors.
Changes From The World Cup Squad:
INS: Owen Parker-Price, Henry Gray, Stipe Ukich, Dane Ingham, Sam Sutton, George Stanger, Dalton Wilkins, Moses Dyer, Moses Dyer, Bill Tuiloma
OUTS: Joe Bell, Sarpreet Singh, Ryan Thomas, Max Crocombe, Kosta Barbarouses, Tim Payne, Michael Boxall, Liberato Cacace, Francis de Vries, Tommy Smith, Nando Pijnaker
It may be tempting to look at that selection and think that Darren Bazeley has swung the axe, that he’s made wholesale changes and completely revamped the team for upcoming four-year journey. But that’s not really true. There’s only one player here who wasn’t part of the last World Cup cycle in any way and that’s attacking prodigy Stipe Ukich. Dane Ingham’s last cap was in March 2024 against Egypt. Sam Sutton played against Malaysia in October 2024. George Stanger and Henry Gray haven’t been capped but they were in squads during the run-in to the World Cup as Baze was finalising his depth chart. Dalton Wilkins last played in October 2023 against DR Congo however he was in the squad for the games against Poland and Norway last October before withdrawing due to injury. We’ll get into the specifics of those guys in the positional breakdowns but first we’ve gotta explore who’s been dropped and why so that we can approach this squad through the correct lens.
Joe Bell and Michael Boxall have been left out with the awareness that their club seasons were ongoing when the World Cup came around so they actually haven’t had a break. Bell played for Viking 17 days after New Zealand vs Belgium. Boxall played for Minnesota about a week later than that. So there was a wee gap between games but they would have been quickly back into training without time to fresh and they’ve been at it ever since. Bell’s also had some calf issues this year while Boxall is fit as a fiddle but is 38 years old.
Boxy won’t be around for the next World Cup... that’s no reason to shuffle him out though. He’s still got a lot to offer the young centre-backs in the short term (perhaps he’ll even inherit Cultural Architect status from Tommy Smith)… although from this point onwards it’ll be Finn Surman and Tyler Bindon as the first-choice CB partnership. Boxall’s Minnesota United have games during this window and are trying to get into the playoffs so they’d very much like their captain to be around for that. Same deal with Finn Surman’s Portland Timbers except he’s still going to do the Japan leg of the tour because, well, he’s too important to leave out. Plus he’s 15 years younger than Boxy.
Pretty sure we’ll see Michael Boxall for the national team again, probably in the November window. Beyond that it depends on whether he wants to keep playing since his Minnesota Utd contract does expire at the end of the year. Goes without saying that we’ve surely seen the last of Tommy Smith. The World Cup is the only squad he’s been picked for since leaving Auckland FC and that was for non-playing reasons – word on the street is that he’s going to be the new set piece coach for the All Whites instead which, sure, that sounds like a good idea. Set pieces are a very obvious area where the All Whites should be better than they are and Smithy’s a fella who has always known how to handle that area of the game (both in attack and defence).
It could also be ka kite to Kosta Barbarouses, who has reiterated his desire to keep playing for as long as he gets picked… but then he signed South Melbourne in the NPL after being released by Western Sydney Wanderers so he may not have to worry about that. He held out for another A-League gig but the Wellington Phoenix and Auckland FC obviously had other plans and he’d have had to be an import anywhere else. A fine servant through the years, Barbarouses is the third most capped All White with 76 international appearances (10 goals). If that’s the end of his career then congrats and good luck. Same as 56-cap Tommy Smith. They’re the only two whose absences here feel permanent.
Ryan Thomas put his body through the ringer to be available for the World Cup by regularly turning up for international duty at less than 100%. He played more minutes last season than he’d managed for close to a decade so while he also says he wants to keep playing for NZ, and at 31yo with the level that he’s at he should remain in any top choice squad throughout this four-year cycle, he’d already suggested that he’d need to take a step back in the short term. That’s fair enough. He’s also missed the last two games for PEC Zwolle with injury so the point is moot. In typical PEC Zwolle fashion, they’ve been outscored 10-0 in those two games without him.
Sarpreet Singh was reportedly due to be selected until withdrawing with a minor niggle. He’s settling in nicely with Farense in Portugal, playing ninety minutes last week for the first time in about ten months, but now is not the time to be aggravating anything. Having said that he’s since played another ninety minutes in a cup game so the caution must have been plentiful with this one. Understandable that he feels the need to prioritise his new club at the moment but that’s a risky approach for Singh – leaving the door open for others to challenge for his first eleven role (Singh has started 16 of the last 18 All Whites games).
Francis de Vries and Libby Cacace haven’t been picked either. Cacace is injured while FDV is off-season with Auckland FC and although he’s the same age as Ryan Thomas, he probably doesn’t have the same staying power. Ben Old is our best left-back whenever Cacace is injured – in fact, if Cacace continues to be in and out of availability, it’s not out of the question that Old could overtake him. In the meantime, there are a couple other fullbacks that Bazeley wants a geeze at so FDV has been rotated out. Would imagine that he and a few other A-League players return for the home games in November (when, on the flipside, there might be a few more Euro-based players spared the travel).
Tim Payne remains our best RB and it would have been interesting to see if his game has adapted at all since moving to Paraguay. Alas, Olimpia have games right through this window so Payne’s staying back to work on convincing the Paraguayan public that he’s more than a gimmick signing (so far it seems he’s convinced everyone except his own coach). He’s been starting alternating games and can’t really afford to miss any... this could be an ongoing issue in November too, by the way.
Then there’s Max Crocombe who could have played since Millwall are at a level that respects the window... but he hasn’t been tracking well enough and lost his interim number one spot this week. He’s in a perilous spot, having failed to take his opportunity. As far as the All Whites go, that World Cup was always going to be his window and that’s got nothing to do with age, it’s all about the talent of the other goalkeepers coming through. Alex Paulsen has probably overtaken him as top choice now and even Paulsen is going to be under pressure soon from the likes of Henry Gray, Kees Sims, and whoever else is able to kick on in the future. Right now Gray leads the chasing pack and has earned selection for this tour
Add that all together and we’ve got 11 World Cup squadies not participating in this window. Four of them are injured. Three of them need the rest or have club games during the window. Two have been temporarily rotated to look at other options. Only two of them have probably been given retirement notices (and one of those was basically retired anyway). Nothing wholesale about, although it must be said that seven of the eight oldest players from the World Cup are among those absentees. Most of them will return at some stage, yet this does gives us a clear vision of the future of this team. Now let’s get specific with it.
All Whites Fixtures - September/October 2026 Window (NZT)
New Zealand vs Palestine - 9.30pm on Thursday 24 September - Chongqing, China
New Zealand vs China - 12.35am on Monday 28 September - Chongqing, China
New Zealand vs Panama - 7.05pm on Thursday 1 October - Yokohama, Japan
New Zealand vs Ecuador/Japan - TBD on Monday 5 October - Tokyo, Japan
GOALKEEPERS
Henry Gray – Wellington Phoenix, NZ/AUS (0 caps/0 goals)
Alex Paulsen – Motherwell, SCO (8/0)
Michael Woud – Auckland FC, NZ/AUS (6/0)
After a couple of years of jostling between Max Crocombe and Alex Paulsen for the number one jersey, with Crocombe deservedly winning out for the World Cup thanks to a far superior club season just gone, we’ve had a pretty massive change in circumstances since then. Paulsen has revived his European career in the space of a few months thanks to a prosperous loan deal to Motherwell. He’s back to making killer saves whilst playing for a team that’s leaning into his ability on the ball more than any he’s ever played for before. That does lead to some mistakes, including a very costly one leading to a 1-0 defeat against Rangers recently. But he’s got a manager who trusts him and who understands that the occasional drastic error is part and parcel of that style of play and that the positives outweigh the negatives on the whole. Having this version of AP could unlock more of a short passing game for the All Whites... although whether that’s something worth testing out is another matter. Not sure we’ve got the ball-playing defenders to make it work. It’ll definitely shift a little more in that direction with AP over Crocs though.
While Paulsen’s been reviving his confidence, Max Crocombe seems to have lost his. He’s been left out of this squad in one of the definite examples of rotation, putting his international future in a tricky spot, and has failed to grasp a lifeline at his club that could have saved him. He began the season as Millwall’s number two behind the fit-again Lukas Jensen... only for that bloke to get injured and give Crocs a crack. He played five games and conceded 13 goals from 26 shots on target faced and then got dropped for the derby against West Ham with a new signing taking his spot. When Jensen gets fit, Crocombe may only be third choice at the Lions. That’s not going to get him starts for the national team (although he might well still make a few squads depending on the wheres and whens – Darren Bazeley’s loyalty is a common point in these yarns).
Bottom line is that Alex Paulsen is about to get a run as the top choice keeper... and behind him we’ve got the prospective starting goalkeepers for the two NZ A-League sides. Henry Gray has joined the Wellington Phoenix on loan from Ipswich Town, another progressive temporary move from a fella who has made good use of those in his career thus far. Michael Woud finished last season in wonderful form, winning an ALM championship and earning World Cup selection ahead of Gray and a few others. It’ll be fascinating to track how Henry Gray compares to Michael Woud this ALM season. Same level, rival teams, with Woud the current gatekeeper for All Whites squads having been GK3 at the World Cup. There are lots of other prospective challengers for squad places but the problem they’ve all got is that none of them are playing games at the moment: Kees Sims, Joe Wallis, Nathan Garrow, Dublin Boon, Alby Kelly-Heald, Oli Sail, Nik Tzanev, et cetera. Wouldn’t be surprised if all three keepers get a start during this tour. Gray and Woud on the China leg, then Paulsen with both games in Japan.
DEFENDERS
Tyler Bindon – Charlton Athletic, ENG (28/1)
Callan Elliot – Auckland FC, NZ/AUS (12/0)
Dane Ingham – Sabah FC, MAL (13/0)
Ben Old – AS Saint-Étienne, FRA (37/2)
George Stanger – Kilmarnock, SCO (0/0)
Finn Surman – Portland Timbers, USA (22/3)
Sam Sutton – Perth Glory, AUS (5/0)
Bill Tuiloma – Wellington Phoenix, NZ/AUS (47/4)
Dalton Wilkins – Sønderjyske, DEN (3/0)
In Darren Bazeley’s first game in charge, he picked a back three formation. That proved unpopular after a dull 0-0 draw with China and for 36 games in a row ever since it’s been a back four. That incorporates basically the whole of the last World Cup cycle and these were the centre-back combos used...
Surman & Bindon (11)
Surman & Boxall (7)
Boxall & Pijnaker (6)
Boxall & Bindon (5)
Boxall & Smith (2)
Surman & Pijnaker (2)
Bindon & Pijnaker (1)
Boxall & Tuiloma (1)
Bindon & Smith (1)
There were also three games together for Surman and Boxall at the Olympics in 2024... and it’s safe to say we’re moving fully into the Finn Surman and Tyler Bindon era now. Hopefully Boxy hangs around but he’s no longer gonna be contending for first choice selection. He hasn’t actually dropped off very much at 38 years of age, it’s just that Surman and Bindon (the two youngest players in the World Cup squad) continue to advance in leaps and bounds. Not without difficulties, admittedly. Surman’s Portland Timbers have only kept one clean sheet all year and are stumbling once again as they seek an MLS playoff spot while Bindon’s trying to settle on loan at Charlton, where he dished out a beautiful assist on the weekend but also got hooked at half-time within a poor team performance (the coach said he’d have subbed nine of them if he could’ve). That’s all part of the journey. They’re our two best CBs and will probably remain so for many years to come.
All the same, we’ve gotta have a look-see at what else is out there and the time is right for George Stanger to make a belated senior debut. His move to Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership got him into a few squads over the past twelve months but so far a debut has eluded him. Didn’t make the World Cup squad... but he did make this squad. And he celebrated that selection by scoring the winning goal for Kilmarnock against Aberdeen one day after it was announced. Killie were rubbish to begin the season but have improved greatly since moving to a back four with Stanger heavily involved in that. They recently knocked back a transfer bid from Burton Albion (England’s League One) for the former NZ U20s rep. Stanger will surely get some minutes here and they’ll be important ones as he auditions for more regular selections.
This would have been a nice window for Nando Pijnaker too if he hadn’t gotten injured. Without him there’s no left-footed CB in this squad... although Bindon and Stanger have been playing LCB for their clubs recently. Bill Tuiloma instead gets the late call-up to try and earn the three caps needed to tick over the half-century. Elijah Just is probably going to get there on this tour too. Both Nando and Tui need to stay fit during the upcoming A-League term – not only for themselves but also because their teams are going to rely on them massively. Both have the capability to be amongst the best centre-backs in that competition... yet there’s usually only going to be room for one of them in any given All Whites squad so keep an eye on the head to head.
Now we come to the fullbacks. That’s the main fascination of this squad because the two starters from the World Cup, Tim Payne and Libby Cacace, are both absent. No Francis de Vries either which means plenty of room for experimentation. Callan Elliot and Ben Old should be the incumbent next-man-up options but Dalton Wilkins is back fit after a rotten run of injuries and he can cover either side (and has even started his last couple games on the wing). For talent alone, Wilkins should be in every All Whites squad... he just cannot seem to stay fit. Knock on wood those worries are behind him now. Wilkins plays for Sønderjyske in the Danish Superliga, same as Callum McCowatt does for AGF. Sam Sutton has also been recalled having last been capped in October 2024. He’s a victim of too many left-backs in the hunt. James McGarry is injured, if you were wondering, so it’s taken Cacace, FDV, and McGarry to all miss out for Sutts to get back on the horse. Big opportunity for him.
It’s the opposite for depth on the right edge where Dane Ingham has been recalled out of the blue from Malaysia, where he’s been going pretty well for Sabah FC (though he often gets used as a winger). Right-back has long been a spot of minimal depth but if T-Payne’s unavailable these next couple windows then we’ll soon see what else is out there. Wilkins and Elliot should be alternating. Maybe some Ingham if he impresses in training. Honestly, with Ingham getting summoned from Malaysia it was a tad confusing why Moses Dyer wasn’t originally given the call outta Cambodia for his sheer weight of goals, albeit at a lower standard than would ordinarily be considered. Our striker depth is no less glaring behind Chris Wood. Fortunately for Dyer, he got his summons eventually as the logistics became clear. Ingham has made two appearance under Bazeley (China in March 2023, Egypt in March 2024) but Dyer has been on the outer for eight years dating back to a goal-scoring bench cameo against India in June 2018 (back in the Fritz Schmid days). All his other caps came under Anthony Hudson. It’s taken a lot of hard graft to get back here.
Returning to the right-back question, just know that Alex Leinard captained NZ U19s at the Oceania Champs recently. He’s in the Sunderland academy and looks superb. The new A-League season could also push the cases of guys like Matt Sheridan, Xuan Loke, and Ronan Wynne between this window and the next. Strange how we’ve got such depth at LB and such a dearth at RB though the times may be a-changing there.
MIDFIELDERS
Lachlan Bayliss – Auckland FC, NZ/AUS (4/0)
Owen Parker-Price – Örgryte, SWE (3/0)
Alex Rufer – Wellington Phoenix, NZ/AUS (26/0)
Marko Stamenić – Swansea City, WAL/ENG (42/3)
Not a lot of optoins in the midfield here. Marko Stamenić is getting huge minutes for Swansea City this season (he’s been terrific for them too) and there’ll be a burden on him hold things together on this tour too with no Joe Bell or Ryan Thomas. Lachlan Bayliss is more of an attacking player and only has four caps. Owen Parker-Price is even less experienced internationally. Alex Rufer is a trusted veteran but someone whose game is a tad too rudimentary for the top level. Rufer has only started 2/17 games for the national team since the start of 2025 and didn’t get any minutes at the World Cup. Those two starts were the 2-0 loss to Ecuador and 4-0 loss to Haiti which were both pretty bad. He’s also still in preseason mode, same as all the other A-Leaguers.
Therefore this shapes as a significant tour for Owen Parker-Price, who was the unluckiest player to miss out on the World Cup squad. Left his run too late in the end but it was a coin toss between him and Lachie Bayliss and Bayliss won out due to his superior versatility (though let’s be honest there was room for both if they didn’t hold a spot open for the Cultural Architect). OPP has continued to look fantastic in the midfield for Örgryte in the top tier of Sweden where he may not be the biggest lad but he regularly covers more turf than anyone else in his games. Very sharp passer. Capable of scoring goals from midfield. With no Bell or Thomas, he’s an obvious inclusion and we should see him starting a few of these games. His Swedish club is hurtling towards relegation but OPP has enough admirers that he’ll probably get sold and stay in the division.
Lachie Bayliss has never started an international game. We’ll see how that goes here but note that he’s going to be used as a central attacking midfielder by Auckland FC. Could be a gargantuan season from him, that role on that team is a perfect fit for Bayliss, who should be brimming with confidence and ready to make things happen. May have to operate a little deeper here though. Looking around the rest of the group, Elijah Just and Callum McCowatt are capable of playing in midfield threes yet it does feel like they’re a midfielder short here. There were other options. Cam Howieson is sitting at home. Matt Garbett is still working his way back from injury. Matt Dibley-Dias is a sneaky one now that he’s getting some decent minutes on loan at Newport County... though this window has probably come a little too soon for him. He’d be missing club games if he was picked and right now he just needs to focus on that stuff in a critical season for him, his last under contract with parent club Fulham.
FORWARDS
Moses Dyer – Phnom Penh Crown, CAM (11/1)
Elijah Just – Swansea City, WAL/ENG (47/12)
Callum McCowatt – Aarhus GF, DEN (35/4)
Jesse Randall – Dundee United, SCO (14/2)
Logan Rogerson – Auckland FC, NZ/AUS (18/2)
Stipe Ukich – NK Istra 1981, CRO (0/0)
Ben Waine – Port Vale, ENG (32/9)
Chris Wood – Nottingham Forest, ENG (93/45)
Stipe Ukich is the bolter. There are a couple other uncapped fellas (Gray, Stanger) but he’s the only one of them who’s never been picked in a squad before. Ukich is 19 years old and plays for NK Istra in the top division of Croatian football, whom he joined last January upon his 18th birthday following some outstanding work for Auckland City (including winning man of the match in a Chatham Cup final). He debuted for Istra in a cup game last season though otherwise spent most of his first 18 months there playing either U19s footy or out on loan with their lower-league affiliate. This season he’s stuck around the first team and has made a couple of substitute appearances as well as scoring his first goal in a cup game recently. Very premature for an international call-up, even accounting for his immense potential; chances are that Ukich has been the beneficiary of Luke Brooke-Smith’s injury - one attacking prodigy out, another attacking prodigy in to replace him. If we’re doing this right, then Ukich and Brooke-Smith ought to get plenty of development opportunities with the national team over the next four years.
You know what? This may be a statement never before uttered but: the forwards are the form group in this All Whites squad. Not so much Chris Wood who has been pushed into back-up striker territory with Nottingham Forest since Liam Delap turned up. He’s still getting minutes, just not very many of them. Granted, one injury to Delap would change things in a hurry. Also can’t say anything about the form of Logan Rogerson since he’s still in his preseason. AFC haven’t yet announced a fifth import, expected to be a winger to take Rog’s spot, so for now he shapes as a first eleven dude. Gotta try get back to the production he managed in his first year with Auckland rather than the downswing last time, though as always you shouldn’t overlook the defensive efforts he puts in whether the goals are flowing or not. Late inclusion for the World Cup after Garbett’s injury. Fringe selection moving forward with some good young talent in his position.
And there’s not much to say about Ben Waine who has started half of Port Vale’s eight League Two games since relegation and not really done much in any of them except for heaps of running around. The usual story. Waine’s been a protected presence in these squads yet he must have come close to being dropped during some of his wilderness months early last season... and having sunk down the divisions in England he remains vulnerable supposing anyone else should come along and take it from him. Does have a great scoring ratio or the All Whites, albeit most of that has come against Oceania nations.
Which brings us to the form four. Moses Dyer has scored four goals in three games to begin his second season in Cambodia, carrying on the same way he did last time. Waine plays at a stronger level but Dyer’s specific skills winning headers and leading the line might prove simpler to build around. He’s at least got the chance to put a case forward. Then we’ve got Elijah Just who is steadily getting acclimatised to the English Championship after his stellar year in Scotland. He showed at the World Cup exactly how far a cup full of confidence can take a player and is now undeniably one of our key players.
Haven’t quite had that kinda proclamation from Callum McCowatt on the international stage yet but he was sneakily effective at the World Cup and has been in sizzling touch for the last 18 months or so playing in Denmark, carrying that on with a few goals over the week after transferring from Silkeborg to AGF. And Jesse Randall has started scoring goals for Dundee United where he’s made a relatively smooth adjustment since graduating from the A-League. With Ben Old required at left-back, there should be room for a few Randall starts on this tour.
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