Football: Unknown teen squad put round-ball game on map

Sport Editor - Digital·NZ Herald·

29 May, 2015 05:00 PM5 mins to read

David Mulligan celebrates with his teammates after scoring New Zealand's first goal in the 1999 Fifa U-17 World Cup opener against the USA. Photo / Getty Images

With a right foot like a wand, a prominent ruthless streak and a footballing eye for goal, 16-year-old midfielder David Mulligan captured the Kiwi public's imagination back in 1999.

It was November 10 and 14,000 fans braved horrendous weather at North Harbour Stadium to support the Junior All Whites as they opened their Under-17 World Cup against the United States in a floodlit match.

New Zealand were hosting a Fifa tournament for the first time and Mulligan - on the books of English club Barnsley - headlined a team of teenagers 99 per cent of Kiwis had never heard of, let alone seen before.

Yet the Junior All Whites soon became the biggest show in town, as the opening match kicked off a dream 17 days at a tournament when attendances and performances exceeded expectations.

Organisers will be hoping for a similar "soccer spiral" to take effect when the Fifa Under-20 World Cup tournament launches at the very same venue today with New Zealand facing a tough Ukraine team at 1pm in front of an expected sellout crowd.

It will certainly help fans assume a sense of ownership of this tournament if someone in the Kiwi ranks can make the same early impact Mulligan did in 1999. He put New Zealand 1-0 up after just 16 minutes and, unexpectedly, the public found themselves caught up in the magic of an age-group World Cup.

"When you're that young, the scale of what you're involved in doesn't really hit you," said Mulligan, now a player-coach at Forrest Hill Milford. "But I remember it being very bittersweet. I was the first player to get the first yellow card, the first to score and the first red card at the tournament. From hero to villain."

The Junior All Whites lost that match 2-1 with US striker Landon Donovan pinching the winner in the 79th minute.

"I was absolutely gutted. I felt like I let the players down, my family down and the country down," said Mulligan. "But thankfully I was able to pull it together for our last game, where we were the first [New Zealand] team to win at a Fifa tournament. It was a rollercoaster, but in the last game I scored again and got man of the match."

Those not attending matches happily digested it on TV. For the first time since 1982, people were talking football. The world came to visit, and the tournament soon brought the code into contact with government and sectors of the business community it wouldn't ordinarily reach. It was even discussed in question time in Parliament. It captured the imagination of people otherwise unconnected with the sport.

If Mulligan was the heart and soul of the 1999 team, 16-year-old striker Allan Pearce was at the pointy end. Pearce was a bleached-blond, pacy, tireless striker who was arguably New Zealand's player of the tournament and scored their winning goal against Poland.

Today, Pearce is again back on World Cup duty at North Harbour, this time as physio for the New Zealand under-20 side.

"Most of these boys have already played at World Cups and understand what they're about and how to deal with it. But I try to chip in with little bits and pieces that can help. I don't really give them any football advice because that's not my role, but I can help manage their expectations."

Pearce remembers waking up on the first morning of the 1999 tournament filled with excitement, and predicts the current squad will be exactly the same. "Jeremy Christie was our captain and everyone thought he was the wonder kid and Mulligan was up there, too. They were both the stars."

Mulligan, now 33, also has vivid memories. "These guys will remember everything that goes on. I hope they can soak it all up and enjoy it."