Soccer's new overseas import' introduces himself

New Zealand under-20 representative Luke Rowe during a recovery session on Long Bay Beach. Photo / Paul Estcourt

It was very much a case of "Hi I'm Luke" when Luke Rowe joined his New Zealand Under-20 teammates this week ahead of next week's crucial Oceania qualifying tournament.

Little surprise in that. After all, Rowe has never lived here. A holiday as an 8-year-old before he had even kicked a soccer ball and another four years later were, until he arrived this week, the only times he had been here. It was at the time of his second visit that the decision "to give football a go" swayed them to shelve plans to move to New Zealand.

Born in Coventry, Rowe, with a Maori father (from Hawkes Bay) and English mother, was eligible to play for either country.

But when push came to shove - after national under-20 coach Chris Milicich had travelled to Britain to watch him play - Rowe had no hesitation in jumping to pitch his lot with New Zealand.

"It certainly wasn't a hard call. There are thousands of kids in England who dream of playing for their country," said Rowe. "I knew my chances of ever making it to play for England were pretty small. I certainly had no hesitation in deciding to go with New Zealand.

"I'm proud to be a New Zealander. Mum and dad are coming out to watch us play. I know it will be the proudest moment for us all when I get to play."

Rowe made his decision just before last year's World Cup and then took especial satisfaction in watching the All Whites perform so well in South Africa. "Everyone in Britain was surprised by what New Zealand achieved."

A natural left side player who slots in well at left back at Birmingham City playing either in the reserve team, for whom he has played 20-30 games, or their academy side, Rowe has already caught the attention of All Whites' coach Ricki Herbert.

Circumstances prevented him from joining the national side at a training camp in Austria and more recently for the game in China.

Milicich watched him play for the City reserves against Watford.

"He is a very good player. By halftime in that game I could see he was a player who would be more than useful for us," said Milicich who faces perhaps the biggest test of his coaching career as he chases a spot in the Fifa Under-20 World Cup in Colombia in July-August.

The hardest job for Milicich, assistant coach Andy Hedge and technical adviser Allan Jones will be blending the players who come from disparate backgrounds into a winning unit. Half of the squad are New Zealand-based, the rest play professionally around the world.

New Zealand have pool matches against the Solomon Islands and New Caledonia before, hopefully, semifinals and finals.

All matches are to be played at Centre Park which will come in for some scrutiny after being preferred ahead of more favoured venues.

Timetable (Centre Park, Mangere).
* April 23: v Solomon Islands 3.30pm.
* April 25: v New Caledonia 3.30pm.
* April 27: Semifinals.
* April 29: 3rd /4th playoff; final.