KEY POINTS:
Lack of player depth has prompted New Zealand to withdraw from next month's scheduled soccer international against Ukraine.
The unavailability of eight first-choice players means the All Whites will now play just one match on their European tour, against Wales in Wrexham on Sunday.
The match against world
No 11 Ukraine was scheduled for Kiev on June 7.
New Zealand Football (NZF) chief executive Graham Seatter said the decision to pull out was regrettable, but unavoidable.
"This was a tough decision to take and a disappointing one but it is the right decision," Seatter said.
"The team that would have played Ukraine would have contained very few of the players we expect to put on the pitch for the OFC World Cup qualifiers in October and November and as such, it would not have been worthwhile preparation.
"We have to be honest here -- we do lack depth in our playing strength. Once we get down to our second-tier players, we are not strong enough to seriously compete against the top nations."
Senior All Whites Ivan Vicelich and David Mulligan were the latest scratchings from the match against 2006 World Cup quarterfinalists Ukraine.
They joined Ryan Nelsen (Blackburn Rovers), Kris Bouckenooghe (Red Star Waasland/Belgium), Simon Elliott (Fulham), Chris Killen (who played for Hibernian this season), Jarrod Smith (unattached) and captain Danny Hay (Waitakere United), who all withdrew for varying reasons.
Seatter said NZF had to weigh up the cost of a potential "hiding" against Ukraine as well as the significant expense of keeping a depleted team in Europe for 10 days between fixtures.
NZF had hoped to arrange a third fixture between the Wales and Ukraine matches on June 2 but were unable to secure an opponent.
"The June FIFA windows are very difficult dates, with most countries playing Euro 2008 qualifying matches as well as players looking for a break," Seatter said.
"The fact that we couldn't get a third game in Europe demonstrates how difficult these dates are, not only for our own players but also European teams."
Herbert said the unavailability of so many players would have made the 10 days of training between the Wales and Ukraine matches difficult from a numerical point of view.
He was also reluctant to field a weakened side against Ukraine.
The lengthy process of gaining entry visas for Ukraine meant it would have been difficult to bolster the squad with more New Zealand-based players.
Mulligan is also unavailable for the match against Wales but Vicelich will play against the world's 75th ranked team.
However, Vicelich will not join the All Whites in Wrexham until Friday as his Dutch side RKC Waalwijk face the second leg of their relegation playoff on Thursday.
Killen will assemble with the squad on Wednesday but will be restricted to light training as he continues his comeback from a serious Achilles injury.
All Whites squad:
Goalkeepers: Mark Paston, Glen Moss (both Wellington Phoenix).
Defenders: Andrew Boyens (Toronto FC), Tony Lochhead (Wellington Phoenix), Steven Old (Wellington Phoenix), Duncan Oughton (Columbus Crew), James Pritchett (Auckland City).
Midfielders: Andy Barron (Canterbury United), Tim Brown (Wellington Phoenix), Jeff Campbell (Waitakere United), Jeremy Christie (Wellington Phoenix), Ivan Vicelich (RKC Waalwijk).
Forwards: Leo Bertos (Perth Glory), Jeremy Brockie (unattached), Chris James (Fulham FC), Chris Killen (unattached), Shane Smeltz (Halifax FC).
- NZPA
