Soccer: Turner weighs up Cup hopefuls

All Whites assistant coach Brian Turner was not giving anything away after leaning on the fence and watching the second leg of the New Zealand Football Championship semifinal between Auckland City and Canterbury United at Kiwitea St yesterday.

But it was, no doubt, another late chance to cast an eye over prospective World Cup candidates. Like coach Ricki Herbert, Turner has expressed concern over the failure of players to really put their hands up in the NZFC.

Chad Coombes, James Pritchett, Jason Hayne, Jacob Spoonley (Auckland City) and, as a longer shot, Canterbury's Aaron Clapham were all on show yesterday with an eye on a ticket to the Cup obviously in their sights.

Turner and Herbert met in Wellington on Friday to further discuss their likely 23-man squad for South Africa and while some names are "locked and loaded" others have a last opportunity to force their way into contention at the game between the NZFC All Stars and home-based (including Australia) likely World Cup players at North Harbour Stadium next month.

There are also concerns about how players can bridge the gap between playing in the local competition and the World Cup.

Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek has insisted his players need to be playing in "bigger leagues" with most of his A-League-based players now in Europe on short-term contracts.

Of the 18 players who were in Wellington for November's crucial 1-0 win over Bahrain, most seem certain to get Herbert's tick of approval.

If that is the case there might not be many spaces, especially as newcomers Winston Reed and Tommy Smith and a third goalkeeper - either James Bannatyne or Jacob Spoonley - will almost certainly be involved.

Filling the remaining spots promises to be a close call. Aaron Scott, who continues to play at times for Waitakere United in their hectic late-season flurry, and David Mulligan, who is training in Melbourne with a number of All Whites including Glen Moss, Ben Sigmund, Leo Bertos, Shane Smeltz and Tim Brown, might have the most ground to make up but will almost certainly be involved in the May 9 game at North Harbour Stadium.

The NZFC All Stars will, surely, be selected from players who are "World Cup eligible" and are likely to include those who have been involved in the World Cup campaign including Coombes, Hayne, Cole Peverley, Greg Draper, Pritchett, Scott and Allan Pearce.

Others, like rising stars Tim Myers, Jack Pelter, Ian Hogg, and Clapham plus Jeremy Christie, could well come into consideration.

There will, surely, be places in the "shadow" All Whites team - given no European or US-based players will be involved - for Jeremy Brockie and Costa Barbarouses.

It would seem Moss, Mark Paston, Tony Lochhead, Ivan Vicelich, Ryan Nelsen, Smith, Sigmund, Andy Boyens, Brown, Reed, Bertos, Andy Barron, Simon Elliott, Michael McGlinchey, Rory Fallon, Chris Wood, Smeltz and Chris Killen are on Herbert's World Cup shortlist.

But with Nelsen, Boyens, Reed, Elliott, McGlinchey, Fallon, Wood and Killen ruled out of the May 9 game, there will be plenty of opportunities for wannabe All Whites to impress.