Australian-based midfielder Jeff Fleming has been handed an unexpected call-up to the All Whites for next week's two-match tour of Chile.
He was called into the squad by coach Ricki Herbert yesterday to replace injured David Mulligan.
Fleming made his international debut when he started in the second of the
two matches against Malaysia in February and is playing for Green Gully in the Victorian state league
Herbert will wait until this morning before making a call on a 19th player for the squad.
He originally named 18 players for the matches in Chile next Tuesday and Thursday, leaving one place open in the hope he could call on either Chris James or Scottish-based Chris Killen.
New Zealand-born James, who plays for Fulham in England, is awaiting a Fifa clearance to play for his country of birth after playing 31 age-group internationals for England.
"We are also waiting to hear from Chris Killen, who has been hampered by a foot injury," Herbert said yesterday.
The coach defended his decision to take such a large squad for the matches in Rancagua and Calera.
"It is going to be tough given there is only 48 hours between the matches.
"We are already without a number of key players including Ryan Nelsen, Mark Paston, Duncan Oughton, Simon Elliott, Brent Fisher, Adrian Webster and Jarrod Smith, so we have to have as much cover as we can."
While Herbert and the bulk of the home-based players will fly to Chile on Friday, Ross Nicholson, Andy Barron and Jeremy Brockie, who will play in Saturday's New Zealand Football Championship grand final at Kiwitea St in Auckland, will leave on Sunday.
The matches in Chile - on the first visit since 1995 - are among 57 international games planned for New Zealand teams this year.
"Last year we had a total of just six international matches," said New Zealand Soccer chief executive Graham Seatter.
"We have just had our under-20 women in Samoa, where they qualified for the world championships in Russia later in the year.
"In May our under-20 men will play three matches against Australia in Canberra as part of their preparation for the second phase of their world championships qualifying round in Asia."
