Big names confirmed in All Whites team to face Australia

By Michael Burgess

Marquee players Chris Wood and Winston Reid headline a strong All Whites squad named to face Australia later this month.

The 24-man contingent was confirmed on Monday, with Joe Bell, Liberato Cacace, Matt Garbett and Alex Greive among the other European based professionals, alongside senior players like Bill Tuiloma and Michael Boxall, who are based in the United States.

The squad features 16 players who were involved in the June programme for the matches against Peru, Oman and Costa Rica.

The All Whites face Australia in Brisbane on September 22 (10pm) before the long awaited homecoming match in Auckland on September 25 (4pm), their first game here in almost five years.

Fullbacks Francis de Vries (knee) and Niko Kirwan (knee) are both unavailable due to long term injuries, while Wellington Phoenix midfielder Clayton Lewis (hamstring) also wasn't considered.

Marco Rojas has elected to stay in Chile – with the blessing of coach Danny Hay – as he tries to establish himself at Colo Colo, after his move there in July.

Senior goalkeeper Stefan Marinovic, who has won 29 caps since 2015 but has been overtaken by Oli Sail in recent times, wasn't selected, while Wellington Phoenix striker Kosta Barbarouses also won't make the trip. Others who were part of the Doha mission but are omitted this time include Joey Champness, Logan Rogerson and Matthew Gould.

There are two new faces. Phoenix goalkeeper Alex Paulsen, who was so impressive for the Wellington club last season when Sail was out with injury, is called up for the first time, along with defender Kyle Adams. The 25-year-old centre back has been based in the United States since 2015, moving there to play college football with San Diego State. He is currently with San Diego Loyal in the United Soccer League, the tier below Major League Soccer.

There is also a recall for Deklan Wynne. The 27-year-old was a regular under Anthony Hudson but has never been selected by Danny Hay. He won the last of his 14 caps in the second leg against Peru in Lima in November 2017. Since leaving the Colorado Rapids in January last year, Wynne has spent time at Phoenix Rising and Oklahoma City Energy in the USL and is currently with Detroit City.

Another fullback has come out of the wilderness with Storm Roux's selection. The 29-year-old made his All Whites debut in 2013 and was a regular in Hudson's first year in 2014 but has made only three appearances since then. The Central Coast Mariners defender was picked in Hay's first team – the match against Ireland in Dublin in November 2019 – but hasn't featured since.

South Africa-based striker Andre De Jong, who was unfortunate to miss the Doha trip, returns to the fold, along with goalkeeper Michael Woud.

The squad will assemble from Monday in Australia, ahead of the first home and away contest against the Socceroos since 2001.

"The players are absolutely buzzing for this," said Hay. "It has been so long since we played at home. The majority of the squad have never represented the All Whites in New Zealand so this is going to be a proud moment for everyone."

"We are all still gutted about the intercontinental playoff result and missing out on the World Cup, but these games, with Australia qualified, gives us the perfect opportunity to prove we belong at this level."

Reid, Wood and Boxall are the only members of the current squad who have faced Australia before, with the last transtasman games in 2011 (Adelaide) and 2010 (Melbourne).

All Whites squad
Kyle Adams* (0 caps) San Diego Loyal, USA
Joe Bell (10 caps) Brøndby IF, Denmark
Michael Boxall (38 caps) Minnesota United, USA
Liberato Cacace (10 caps) FC Empoli, Italy
Andre De Jong (9 caps) Royal AM, South Africa
Matt Garbett (10 caps) Torino, Italy
Alex Greive (6 caps) St Mirren, Scotland
Cam Howieson (15 caps) Auckland City, New Zealand
Dane Ingham (11 caps) Newcastle Jets, Australia
Elijah Just (11 caps) AC Horsens, Denmark
Callum McCowatt (9 caps) FC Helsingør, Denmark
Ben Old (1 cap) Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
Alex Paulsen* (0 caps) Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
Tim Payne (28 caps) Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
Nando Pijnaker (9 caps) Sligo Rovers, Ireland
Winston Reid (32 caps) Unattached
Storm Roux (10 caps) Central Coast Mariners, Australia
Oli Sail (4 caps) Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
Marko Stamenic (9 caps) FC Copenhagen, Denmark
Bill Tuiloma (34 caps) Portland Timbers, USA
Ben Waine (5 caps) Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
Chris Wood (68 caps) Newcastle United, England
Michael Woud (4 caps) Kyoto Sanga, Japan
Deklan Wynne (14 caps) Detroit City FC, USA

*Debut senior call-up

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission