It’s time for the All Whites to seize the moment.
It’s time to prove something to themselves – and the New Zealand football nation – because there isn’t too much time left. Monday’s match against Chile at Eden Park, which was always going to be important, is now even bigger in the wake of Friday’s disappointing 2-0 defeat to Finland.
While the Fifa World Cup has always seemed in the distance, it’s almost here. There’s no more runway. This is the time to show what they can do and to build confidence and belief. There is no doubting the individual abilities of most of the group, who are the most talented this country has ever seen.
But that doesn’t count for much if they don’t perform as a collective, which is the only way New Zealand can compete against bigger nations. That’s what the sport has been built on – from Steve Sumner to Ivan Vicelich to Winston Reid to Ryan Nelsen – and always will be, given our lesser resources.
The most frustrating aspect of Friday was that the team were a shadow of themselves, compared to recent highpoints. Like the 1-1 draw in Dublin in 2023, holding the United States to the same scoreline in Cincinnati in 2024 and toppling the African champions Ivory Coast in Toronto last June. They were also good value for the 1-1 result against Norway in Oslo and pushed Colombia – who are a brilliant team – to the limit last November, in what was an impressive performance despite the 2-1 loss.
Unfortunately, they have yet to match those efforts on home soil. There was the 2-0 loss to Australia at Eden Park in 2022 – in the last game of Danny Hay’s reign – then the flat 3-1 defeat to the same opponents last September, before the mixed effort against Finland.
Monday is the time to shine, given there is only a maximum of two more matches before the World Cup (England on June 7 in Florida and another possible unconfirmed opponent in early June). Assistant coach Simon Elliott expects a response.
“We did enough good things [on Friday] where we can be encouraged,” Elliott said. “But we weren’t where we wanted to be and we were short in key moments on and off the ball.
" We need to improve but we’re a little bit closer than maybe some folks realise.”
However, it won’t be easy against Chile. Though the Andean nation didn’t make the World Cup, it is the toughest qualifying route in global football and there is no such thing as a poor South American team. Historically, the mix of flair, creativity, technique, grit and street smarts has been too much for the All Whites. New Zealand has lost 15 of 19 previous encounters with Conmebol teams, with four draws, including the 0-0 stalemate against Peru in Wellington in 2017 and the goalless draw with Paraguay in the last match at the 2010 World Cup.
The All Whites have faced Chile on four occasions, with three away defeats and a 0-0 draw in Auckland in 1998, a highly credible effort against the squad that performed so well in the subsequent World Cup in France. This version of La Roja is a younger group, with the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal in the twilight of their careers but who showed their class with a 4-2 win over Cape Verde on Friday, though the Africans had a man sent off just before halftime.
“They didn’t qualify this time around,” Elliott said of Chile. “But every team in South America’s good, so you’re talking about fine margins. They’ve brought a younger group, it’s a new cycle for them and so they’re probably trying out different things but there’s always quality to South American teams. It’s going to be another tough game and really good preparation for us.”
Coach Darren Bazeley is expected to make a few changes to his starting XI. It’s likely that Alex Paulsen will be given a turn in goal – continuing his battle with Max Crocombe – while Joe Bell should start in midfield. Fellow centre midfielder Ryan Thomas missed Sunday’s training session due to his sister’s wedding on Saturday and may be used sparingly, while Andre de Jong or Kosta Barbarouses will be options to start up front instead of Ben Waine.
A big decision will be left back, with Francis de Vries missing for the first time since last June, a run of seven consecutive starts, more than any other individual. Elliott said his calf strain doesn’t appear to be too serious though the verdict won’t be known until a scan on Monday. Bazeley could opt for James McGarry or Ben Old, who has been starting in the defensive position at St Etienne for a few months.
The All Whites looked sharp in their final session on Sunday – with an intense game to end – enjoyed by around 500 fans watching on at North Harbour Stadium.
Michael Burgess has been a Sports Journalist for the New Zealand Herald since 2005, covering the Olympics, Fifa World Cups, and America’s Cup campaigns. He is a co-host of the Big League podcast.