Several have already gone on to play for the All Whites and several more will probably do so in the future after getting themselves professional deals around the place. Here are the continuing stories of the 21 jokers that represented Aotearoa at the 2015 FIFA U20 World Cup…
Winston Reid: “It turned into a game that we really didn’t want. They are really good. They have good quality players and have a lot of speed. Everything went wrong.
The FIFA Under 20 World Cup. It’s always a fascinating competition… although you already know that because New Zealand hosted the last one. Ah yes, what an outstanding spectacle it was too.
Hopefully you took the hints from the last few games of the season and said farewell to Welly Nix keeper Glen Moss while you had the chance because he’s just signed a contract with the Newcastle Jets. Speaking of the Jets, guess who their new manager is gonna be?
After a day off following Arsenal’s rather important 2-0 win over Southampton, we now enter some kind of Twilight Zone of football. It’s like stumbling into some eerie fantasy world where everything is just a little too perfect to be true.
Did you know there’s a FIFA Under-20 World Cup on later this month? Well, mate, you do now. They did the draw a little while back and this week the squad was named… a pretty strong squad at that.
Count it as goal #30 for Chris Wood's season, a massive milestone. His 27th in the Championship which is four more than anyone else ended up with. He won the Golden Boot with ease in the end.
A new stadium, an embarrassing European exit, selling their best player, lots of injuries, dodgy transfer returns, Premier League slumps, various formations, no right back, goalkeeping switcharoos, managerial pressure…
It won’t win them the league this week… but it’ll get them ever closer. Seeing Hazard and company tear up Everton last week, that was the last major hurdle. The last team that could beat them on their own terms.
A few weeks ago, New Zealand Football unveiled their new plans for growing the playing base of the Football Ferns beneath the professional ranks. The Football Ferns Development Programme, it was aptly named.
Captain Winston was there to play again, leading the lads out of the tunnel away to Stoke City as they looked to build on a 0-0 draw against Everton in his return. Build on it… how about repeat it exactly?
A Manchester Derby and a London Derby are just the start. We've also got a few cheeky wagers, a fable about silly coloured goal nets, some classic N'Golo Kante tales and plenty of seasons crumbling into the rubble of shattered dreams.
The boy is back and not only did Winston get a start for the Hammers against Everton without being eased back in at all, he wore the captain’s armband too.
Up until recently it seemed a fair question to ask. Leeds were rolling along nicely and looking set for the Championship playoffs while Chris Wood was scoring every flippin' week.
Yeah alrighty then folks, seems we’ve got a title race on our hands after all. It was never a forgone conclusion, clearly, but most of the season it’s felt like Chelsea’s trophy to lose.
You need a last minute equaliser, Chris Wood's your boy. You need a hatty in continental competition then you turn to Jeremy Brockie. You wanna know what's up with the lot of them, read Flying Kiwis.
The little Spaniard, David Silva, joined Manchester City in 2010. There is no player who has created more chances (598) or assists (63) in the time since. Never gets nominated for awards though, the poor lad.
The All Whites named what was supposedly their strongest possible squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Fiji last month. That obviously changed when Winston Reid pulled out injured but the original sentiment still told a story.
That's Chris Wood: EFL Team of the Season selection and runner-up in the Championship Player of the Year (and Month for March) stakes to you there, Jerry.
The playoffs are gone. The draw with Sydney coupled with Perth Glory beating Brisbane 3-1 means the Phoenix’s season has just 90 minutes left, ain’t gonna be no bonus footy for the Wellingtonians. But… the drama!