KEY POINTS:
Annalie Longo is looking forward to is playing in her own age group for a change. Just turned 17, the diminutive midfielder already has an impressive international record.
She became the youngest to play for the full New Zealand side when just 15 in 2006 and the second-youngest
from any country and of either sex to play at a senior World Cup the following year.
She had the chance of an unprecedented 'full house' - the senior, under-20 and under-17 World Cups and the Olympics in two years, until she missed Olympic selection.
Longo has always played against much older opponents. In a couple of weeks, however, she could be the star New Zealander at the under-17 World Cup, which kicks off in this country on October 28.
"It's huge for us to host a tournament like this," she says. "It's the first [women's] under-17 World Cup, so that's pretty exciting. It's great to be playing at my own age, actually."
Given her background, big things will be expected of Longo and she's expecting big things of herself.
"I definitely want to make an impact and play well and hopefully make the Fifa squad they pick after the World Cup," she says.
It would help if New Zealand progressed to the knockout rounds, something no team from this country has ever done on the world stage.
Usually world tournaments are a chance for budding players to impress talent scouts but Longo doesn't need to do that. She has already secured a scholarship to a US university when she finishes high school next year. An offer arrived seven months ago from a university after they saw tapes of her playing against Australian schoolgirls.
"One of the Australian girls sent in the tapes and they noticed me on the same tapes," Longo explains. "She didn't get picked but I did.
"I can't tell you which university yet but after that hopefully I will get a professional contract to play in Sweden or England. Women don't get paid as much as the men but it's pretty decent."
One thing setting Longo apart - aside from the 1.54m and 47kg frame that helped earn her the nickname Flea - is her ability on the ball.
While much of that is due to training under the likes of Wynton Rufer as a junior, she also credits tap dancing with developing her skills.
"I started at the same age as football, at four, and I'm going to the nationals next week," she says.
"Tap dancing helps my soccer. I have good feet, apparently, and when I have the ball I dance a bit."
New Zealand play Canada in Auckland on October 28 in the opening match of the under-17 Women's World Cup. Pool games will be played in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch before the final is played in Auckland on November 16.