Opportunity beckons for a clutch of All Whites named yesterday for next month's tour of Europe.
Nine of those who appeared on the trip which included internationals against Hungary, Georgia, Estonia, and Brazil, are absent primarily because of club commitments.
So coach Ricki Herbert has taken the chance to reselect
several who played earlier in the year against Malaysia and Chile. His long-term goal is preparing for next year's World Cup qualifying programme and he estimates he's got about 50 per cent of his ideal squad in mind.
"Our strong focus will be on how players perform individually, so we can come away and give another four or five guys a tick," Herbert said last night. "Of course we want to play well, of course we want to score goals and win football matches, but at some stage, given the circumstances we always face, sometimes we have to put other things at the top of the list."
Several players will come and go from the squad, which has a 21st player still to be named, perhaps today, and likely to be a defender.
Experienced midfielder Ivan Vicelich is available for the opening match against English premier league side Charlton Athletic, before returning to his new Dutch first division club, RKC Waalwijk; strikers Chris Killen and Brent Fisher are available only for the final game against Uefa Cup champions Sevilla in Spain; and there's a question mark over defender Ryan Nelsen at Blackburn Rovers.
Herbert is hoping Blackburn manager Mark Hughes will release Nelsen to play for the All Whites against his club on August 12, but accepts it's a touch-and-go situation. If Blackburn's preparation for the premiership, which starts the following week, is going well it might prompt a generous attitude from Hughes.
The nine absentees from the European trip in May include midfielders Leo Bertos and Jeremy Christie, striker Vaughan Coveny, defender Che Bunce and goalkeepers Glen Moss, whose fine form secured a contract with Dinamo Bucharest, and Ross Nicholson.
That means Mark Paston and James Bannatyne get a chance to press their goalkeeping claims after lengthy layoffs. Danny Hay captains the squad which has six American-based players and four from New Zealand clubs.
NEW ZEALAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Mark Paston (unattached), James Bannatyne (Team Wellington)
Defenders: Danny Hay (c, unattached), Steven Old (St Johns University, US), Tony Lochhead (New England Revolution, US), Duncan Oughton (Columbus Crew, US), Michael Wilson (Minnesota Thunder, US), Kris Bouckenooghe (Red Star Waasland, Belgium).
Midfielders: Tim Brown (Richmond Kickers, US), Ivan Vicelich (RKC Waalwijk, Holland), Jeff Fleming (Green Gully, Australia), Andrew Barron (Team Wellington), Chris James (Fulham, England), Raf De Gregorio (Team Wellington)
Forwards: Paul Urlovic (Auckland City), Jeremy Brockie (Sydney FC), Shane Smeltz (Wimbledon, England), Jarrod Smith (University of West Virginia, US), Chris Killen (Hibernian, Scotland), Brent Fisher (Bodens, Sweden).
ITINERARY
August 6 (kickoffs NZ time): v Charlton Athletic, London, 2am;
August 13: v Blackburn Rovers, Blackburn, 2am;
August 16: v Sevilla, Seville, 7.45am.
Opportunity beckons for a clutch of All Whites named yesterday for next month's tour of Europe.
Nine of those who appeared on the trip which included internationals against Hungary, Georgia, Estonia, and Brazil, are absent primarily because of club commitments.
So coach Ricki Herbert has taken the chance to reselect
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