Really hope Bindon & Surman are the Olywhites Paris CB pairing. Will be fascinating to watch them on that big stage, against some of the world's best young players. Wouldn't surprise to see Surman head north after this ALM campaign plus Olympics.
Bazeley & Hay before both love a left footed CB. So don't rule out Pijnaker from staying in the AWs squad, and even starting alongside Boxall. Sure Nando is in a very average league, but don't think Baze is going to discharge him completely just yet. He's played in alot of big AWs games now. Jack Iredale also a possibility.
Watched highlights of Minnesota verus Columbus yesterday in the MLS. Columbus have a gun striker 24 yr old from Colombia. Scored 21 MLS goals (33 games) last year as the Crew won the title. From highlights Boxy looked somewhat his 36 years as he and his team mates struggled to close down the Crew. So yeah is going to be tough for him to hang in for the 2026 WC, played in a US summer - but he'll be desperate to do so.
A WC possibly a career highlight for a guy like Boxy, and yeah seems he keeps himself in top physical shape. Tough bootcamping in the NZ summer his regular thing with Coach Sunz (AWs trainer, plus Adesanya and Kai Kara France).
Tuiloma was on goal scoring fire for Portland in 2022, and so Hay picked him alongside Pijnaker and Reid in the big Costa Rica playoff - when apart from the Wood the AWs goal scoring threats were limited. Great at attacking headers & also a free kick threat. But yeah his defensive frailities are always there, and he may not have played a MLS game by this UAE tourney. He could drop out.
Bazeley & Hay before both love a left footed CB. So don't rule out Pijnaker from staying in the AWs squad, and even starting alongside Boxall. Sure Nando is in a very average league, but don't think Baze is going to discharge him completely just yet. He's played in alot of big AWs games now. Jack Iredale also a possibility.
Watched highlights of Minnesota verus Columbus yesterday in the MLS. Columbus have a gun striker 24 yr old from Colombia. Scored 21 MLS goals (33 games) last year as the Crew won the title. From highlights Boxy looked somewhat his 36 years as he and his team mates struggled to close down the Crew. So yeah is going to be tough for him to hang in for the 2026 WC, played in a US summer - but he'll be desperate to do so.
A WC possibly a career highlight for a guy like Boxy, and yeah seems he keeps himself in top physical shape. Tough bootcamping in the NZ summer his regular thing with Coach Sunz (AWs trainer, plus Adesanya and Kai Kara France).
Tuiloma was on goal scoring fire for Portland in 2022, and so Hay picked him alongside Pijnaker and Reid in the big Costa Rica playoff - when apart from the Wood the AWs goal scoring threats were limited. Great at attacking headers & also a free kick threat. But yeah his defensive frailities are always there, and he may not have played a MLS game by this UAE tourney. He could drop out.