Soccer: Other nations could call on Rojas

Marco Rojas (right) has settled at Melbourne Victory. Photo / Getty Images

Marco Rojas is now playing in Australia - but could he one day play for Australia?

Though it seems unlikely, it is still technically possible for the wonder winger to switch allegiance to either Chile or Australia in the future.

Rojas, who will be the centre of attention today as the Phoenix host the Melbourne Victory, has already played for the All Whites in friendly matches. But under Fifa's current rules, a player is not locked in to a country until he has figured in a 'competitive fixture'. In a New Zealand scenario, this would mean a World Cup or Confederations Cup qualifying match.

There have been recent cases that have clarified the law. Alex Bruce, who had previously played for the Republic of Ireland in two A internationals, has now pledged his future with Northern Ireland. Jermaine Jones, who turned out three times for Germany in 2008, is now playing for the United States and has represented them on 12 occasions.

So in theory, if Rojas was wanted by Chile, he would still be available to play for La Roja but that seems a stretch given the vast playing talent in the South American nation. Australia is a different matter, as the 19-year-old could bring a genuine attacking spark to the Socceroos that was especially lacking in South Africa last year.

However, it would require Rojas being resident in Australia for another four seasons after this one. There are sometimes exceptions made for younger players but generally players have to be resident in a country for five years to qualify, as is currently the case with possible future All Whites Daniel and Andrew Durante.

Rojas is still young and has time on his side but is also highly ambitious, as demonstrated with his unpopular move to the Melbourne Victory. He has Europe in his sights and being in the A-League come 2015 is not on the agenda.

Secondly, there is the question of desire. He has been fully committed to the New Zealand cause since coming on to the scene. Not only at senior level but also at under-20 level, where he came to every training camp and played every game he could, even when his place was never in doubt.

"I can't see it happening", says former All White Harry Ngata. "He has pledged his allegiance to New Zealand and has a role to play with Ricki Herbert."

Even if Football Federation Australia decided to tap Rojas on the shoulder, they would have to move quickly. The All Whites have their first instalment of 2014 World Cup qualifiers in June next year in Fiji; once Rojas takes the pitch in one of those, he is locked in.

Meanwhile, Rojas faces one of the biggest challenges of his burgeoning career today as he returns to Westpac Stadium. He has kept in touch with many of his Phoenix team-mates but there will be no love lost on the pitch; Durante has already urged the crowd to "get stuck into" Rojas and Melbourne's other star, Harry Kewell.

Rojas has mixed feelings about the match. Like the rest of his team, he is desperate to grab their first win - and goal - of the season.

"I'm looking forward to coming home," says Rojas. "I'm not sure what the crowd will do but I can't control that. Anyway, when I play, everything is a blur outside the pitch."

He says he won't celebrate if he scores, out of respect for fan group Yellow Fever that originally gave him the chance at professional football with their scholarship.

The Victory have endured an average start to the year, despite their star-stacked squad, with scoreless home draws against Sydney and Melbourne Heart and a loss to Adelaide.

Apart from the lack of results, the move has worked out well for Rojas. He has seen plenty of game time while stars such as Carlos Hernandez and Danny Allsop can't make the starting 11.

"I thought he would be coming off the bench to start with," says Ngata. "They have a pretty formidable line-up. He has done okay so far but today is a massive task for Marco. He will definitely get some stick."