National soccer coach Ken Dugdale hopes the New Zealand under-20 team's achievement in getting so close to a place in the world championship will lead to offers from the Football Kingz or other National Soccer League clubs.
Dugdale said he would like to see the players getting the exposure and the standard of football they need.
"All players, apart from those already with overseas clubs, would benefit from playing in the Australian League," said Dugdale. "As we have seen, it is hard to step up to the international game."
Dugdale said the Chris Killen-led team had done well to get to within 10 minutes of the world championships in Argentina.
After New Zealand taking an early, if somewhat unexpected, lead with an 18th-minute Killen goal, in the second leg of the Oceania qualifiers in Coffs Harbour on Sunday night, Australia got back to 1-1 before going ahead 2-1 in the 80th minute for a 3-3 aggregate. The game was then decided with a sudden-death Scott McDonald golden goal in extra time.
Australia took the series 4-3.
"When you look at the Australians - and they were quicker, more athletic and technically better than us - you can see why they have become so good," said Dugdale.
"The overall ability of players in the NSL shows just how good it is.
"But we shouldn't take anything from our players. The Australians poured millions of dollars into their programme. New Zealand, with no preparation, won five of their six games and that loss only in extra time. How much better would we have been with the right preparation?"
Football Kingz general manager Chris Turner said some players in the under-20 squad "were being looked at."
But until the new football manager role is filled - and Turner says he does not know when that will happen - it will be difficult for the club to approach many players, if any.
"Our priority is to get the football manager in place and resign the players we already have on our books," said Turner. "There is no question some [under-20] players could slip between our fingers."
And that, for players who deserve a chance of playing at a higher level, has to be a concern.
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