The last time the All Whites came up against a South American team was in 2022 against Peru. Photo / Photosport
The All Whites face a step into the unknown over the next four days.
Not only are the upcoming clashes with world No 13 Colombia (Sunday 1.30pm NZT) and world No 23 Ecuador (Wednesday 130pm NZT) potentially the most challenging of the year, they are also unusual, given New Zealand rarely faces South American opposition. In the entire history of the All Whites there have only been 17 meetings, with just 10 this century.
They included games with Colombia (2003), Chile (two matches in 2006), Brazil (2006) and Venezuela (2007). There were a couple of clashes with Paraguay in 2010, including one at the Fifa World Cup, while probably the most memorable were the home and away ties with Peru in the Intercontinental playoffs for the World Cup in 2017. The All Whites faced “La Bicolor” again in 2022 in Barcelona.
South America is one of the hotbeds of world football, only behind Europe in terms of status, pedigree and results. South American teams bring special challenges, shown by New Zealand’s record, with no wins, four draws and 13 defeats in the 17 matches. Although styles vary across the continent, South American teams generally value the technical side of the game and individual skills, with an ability to increase and decrease the tempo as required.
Colombia have former Liverpool star and current Bayern Munich winger Luis Diaz, along with luminaries like James Rodriguez, Dávinson Sánchez and Jefferson Lerma, while Ecuador can call on Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo, who cost around £100 million ($231m) when he moved from Brighton to Stamford Bridge in 2023.
“It’s definitely going to be a tough challenge, but one that we’re excited about,” said All Whites coach Darren Bazeley. “These are the games that you always want to play; against top teams, top players and a chance to really test ourselves. Come the World Cup, these are the type of teams that are going to be there.”
South American sides are also clever and skilled with gamesmanship, using every trick to get an advantage or unsettle the opposition, something the team was aware of.
“They’ve got this reputation, I suppose, of knowing the dark arts a little bit and playing on the edge at times,” said Bazeley.
“We’ve talked about it and it’s something that we probably need to keep developing ourselves. My memories of the Peru games back in [2017] and Costa Rica [2022], those type of teams, they’ve got this real football understanding of certain ways of playing, street knowledge, game intelligence at times.”
Veteran defender Michael Boxall has a good perspective, given his international experiences and long career in the MLS (Major League), and he concurs.
“It’s one of those things where you can give advice but in the heat of the moment you find players who could be crafty and get under your skin,” said Boxall. “It will be a good learning experience.”
But the main challenge for the 85th-ranked All Whites is nothing new: retaining enough possession to take the pressure off defensively and creating opportunities in the final third. The absence of injured captain Chris Wood will be keenly felt, with Kosta Barbarouses expected to start.
Bazeley confirmed the formation and shape would be unchanged, though there would be “tweaks” to the game style. Ben Waine and Andre de Jong are the other striking options, with the versatile Jesse Randall also a possibility.
“We won’t change too much about how we play, but obviously Woodsy brings different strengths,” said Bazeley. “If we’re playing one of the other three, there are differences in the final ball in to them or the final cross that the team need to adjust to.”
The All Whites will also miss the thrust, pace and defensive nous of Libby Cacace, along with the all-round skillset of Ryan Thomas, who is among several frontline players out with injury.
The defensive unit will have the toughest test, given the Colombian side’s pace and movement.
“If we’re anything but at our best, we’re going to create problems for ourselves,” said Boxall.
“Against top players like these, it’s never an individual performance, it’s the whole collective. So not just the back four and goalkeeper, it’s the 11 guys, keeping things as compact as we can.”
November International window
Sunday, November 16
Colombia v New Zealand, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 1pm NZT
Wednesday, November 19
Ecuador v New Zealand, Harrison, New Jersey, 1.30pm NZT
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.