Soccer: Which club will gather Moss?

When the All Whites boarded the plane for Chile on Friday, there were many reasons why each of them wanted to do well.

They were obviously representing their country in one of the hotbeds of world football and they also wanted to put themselves in the frame to take on glamour boys Brazil in June.

But for Glen Moss, there was an added motivation. That's Glen Moss, club unattached.

It's a somewhat bizarre situation for the 23-year-old former Knights custodian. In the absence of the injured Mark Paston, Moss is considered New Zealand's No 1 keeper, yet he's struggling to find himself a club to ensure he stays there.

In the cold, hard world of professional football, promises are broken, contract talks fall over and careers can be messed with, but that will come as little consolation to Moss.

He was repeatedly told by Knights boss John Adshead that the club would re-sign him for next season until the bombshell hit during February's series against Malaysia.

He was told they had picked up Michael Turnbull to join Danny Milosevic, meaning there was no room for Moss.

"I came out of camp with the All Whites and John told me he had signed another keeper," Moss recalled, still struggling to come to terms with the shock. "It came as a massive surprise. I feel let down... and I'm a bit bitter about it.

"We are professional players and if they had told me they weren't happy with me and I was free to look for another club I would have copped that on the chin. But the fact they were deceiving me... I still haven't been given a reason."

There was one line of thought that the Knights expected Milosevic, who has been outspoken in his criticism of the club, to move on despite the fact he had two years on his current deal. Milosevic, though, is back for at least another season at the troubled club.

It's because of his unattached status that next week's two games against the 67th-ranked Chile are vitally important for Moss' future. Play well and he can attract some interest. But play poorly and, well, it's not something he wants to contemplate.

With no vacancies at the remaining A-League clubs, he's recently acquired a British passport which would allow him to ply his trade in Europe. But he doesn't have an agent nor any contacts there who could help him line up any trials.

"Chile is massive for me personally," he said, "because in the back of my mind I realise I need to find another club. I guess I can't expect to be selected [for the All Whites] every time if I don't have a club.

"If you can send a video of yourself playing well against the likes of Chile to an English club then they are going to take notice. I'm dying to get over to England because I am curious to see if I can make it. It's just a matter of lining up a few trials.

"With the All Whites going over there in August to play the likes of Blackburn and Charlton, then maybe that's the time for me to go."

All Whites coach Ricki Herbert and New Zealand Soccer have stepped in to help Moss try to find a club, warning that he needed to be playing if he hoped to figure in next year's World Cup qualifiers.

For Herbert, the Chilean series is a significant step-up since winning both games against Malaysia.

Without a number of his recognised 'stars', this week will be something of a voyage of discovery as he attempts to find a squad capable of helping the All Whites win next year's Oceania qualifiers.

"I want to be really clear in my mind that come September next year [when the World Cup qualifiers start] we have the right players to do the job, no excuses," he said.

"If that means making a mistake now, that's fine. We need to look at some players to see if they can step up to the next level. We might not get that chance in the future."

Herbert decided not to call in a 19th player after both Chris Killen (injured) and Chris James (not yet received Fifa clearance) were unavailable. Vaughan Coveny will miss Wednesday's first game because he is a late arrival after he struggled to get released by his South Melbourne club.