Transfermarkt says 0 minutes as teammates. If I remember correctly, Old made his AWs debut in the Eden Park game vs Aussie where Wood came off injured early on.
Wilkins pulls out, Sutton called up. I guess that means Tuiloma becomes the backup RB to Payne.
If so can see Billy T, getting a bit of playing time. TP hasn't played for 2 months, and may struggle to last 70 mins, running up & down.
Gone from just McCowatt out, to now Bindon, Singh & Wilkins all absent as well. Sutton supplants LK-H in the Bazeley LB rankings.
Wellington Phoenix's Sam Sutton has been called up to the All Whites squad for games against Mexico and the USA to replace Dalton Wilkins who has withdrawn with a minor injury. pic.twitter.com/z9L3KcwD6q
Pretty happy with the squad still available, only Singh, McCowatt & Bindon would be any chance to start in a full strength XI.
I myself would pick a really solid midfield of Bell, Stamenic & Rufer and have Garbett in an attacking role but I expect it is almost certain that Bazeley picks Bell Stamenic & Garbett as the midfield three.
So the only questions are who partners Boxall at CB, Pijnaker or Surman (I'm expecting Baze starts Pijnaker) and who joins Wood and Old in the front 3 (probably Kosta).
Central defense is still looking the weak link in our team, is Boxall still able to play in a CB pair at his age (he plays in a 3 at club level)? And none of Pijnaker, Smith, or Surman have really convinced in recent times. Bindon looks good but has only played against very limited opposition internationally. It's a real shame that we won't get a chance to see Bindon & Surman tried as a pair against decent opposition until mid 2025 at least.
A bit harsh on Surman - I can only recall him having one bad game in hist last 30+ which is pretty solid for a young CB.
Pjanker will get the nod one imagines... but his days of being first choice are numbered if he doesn't show good progress at Aucks with Bindon and Surman worthy of getting a chance to push him out.
I would like to see Rufer sitting with Stamenic and Garbett ahead of him this week. He deserves the chance to start and is probably our best DM currently.
Let Stamenic get a little higher along with Garbett to take on players and create a little space. Not sure old is an out and out winger, so will be interesting if he gets to tuck in a little as well.
I still rate Surman highly, before their respective moves I thought he was the most likely to succeed abroad out of the three the the Nix sold, but he didn't have a great Olympics and he hasn't yet convinced that he should be a starter at the World Cup, is all.
Watching Pijnaker in the A-League is going to be very interesting, to see if Hay & Bazeley know what they are doing in playing him so often despite him not playing at a decent club level. MetalLegNZ
A bit harsh on Surman - I can only recall him having one bad game in hist last 30+ which is pretty solid for a young CB.
Pjanker will get the nod one imagines... but his days of being first choice are numbered if he doesn't show good progress at Aucks with Bindon and Surman worthy of getting a chance to push him out.
The Mexican football media, Coach Ricki and Spanish speaker Marco. Fond memories!
Two different Mexican media outlets have gone with the same potential Mexico starting elevens based on how the team has been training this week. So 7 guys from Liga MX, and 4 based overseas.
Seems like they are still struggling to work out their no 1 GK, since Ochoa retired.
Hopefully they have just looked at our low FIFA ranking, and not bothered with much analysis. Read somewhere that in those 4 games we had against them most recently between 2013-2017 we on average only had about 35% possesion.
Our game has evolved hugely since those days. They could be in for quite a shock as we hopefully almost share the possession stakes. I remember the Peruvians post that game in Barcelona in 2022, saying they were surprised how much better we were than the AWs they played in 2017.
Not rocket science but obviously a solid start is what we want to help take the big crowd out of the game. They had a poor Copa America, and the 90,000 could get on their backs if it stays 0-0 for a long time, or dare we hope we get a lead. Losing or drawing against a team ranked 94th would be a national disgrace.
The key players - Boxall, Libby, Stamenic, Old & Wood play well and we are a shout. Can we get some quality balls to Wood? Forever our problem it seems. Can him and Old gell in their first ever game together?
Be interesting to see what plans Mexico have to nullify the Woodsman. RB Araujo who plays in the EPL, will no doubt be sharing some intel. 1.84m CB Vásquez who plays in Serie A probably gets the man marking job. Seems he's their biggest guy at the back.
I watch Mexican football closely & I can tell you it’s in a bad shape… the youth talent they used to produce is not the same.. long answer as to why:
The answer is simple and straightforward: corruption, a lack of accountability, and negligible interest in the sport itself, paired with shortsightedness. The Mexican Football Federation is a private company managed by businessmen and a council composed of the owners of the national league teams. They make decisions for the national team. These individuals are among the richest people in the country and own most of Mexico's largest companies. For them, football is merely a business. Their rationale revolves around maximizing benefits at the lowest possible cost and risk. This perspective leads them to invest not in developing players, but in acquiring inexpensive players from South American countries. These players then become the backbone of their teams for years, hindering opportunities for young, national talents who are undertrained and underplayed.
For international exposure and to maintain their zero-risk, high-profit strategy, the focus is on organizing friendly matches in the U.S., where there is a large Mexican population willing to pay a significant amount for tickets, against smaller-scale rivals that are cheaper to host.
In Mexico, football is viewed more as a business than a sport, following a strategy of zero risk, high profitability, and low involvement. This mindset keeps Mexican football at a mediocre level as long as the profits are deemed "enough". The 2026 World Cup is coming to Mexico, which will be a lucrative opportunity for the federation. However, as of now, there are no plans to improve the team, the league, or competitiveness in general. It appears to be more of the same - low risk, high profitability, mediocre matches, and a subpar level of sport.
As for national disgrace, I’m not sure it will go that far, but will be another chapter of recent Mexican football failures
coochiee
Hopefully they have just looked at our low FIFA ranking, and not bothered with much analysis. Read somewhere that in those 4 games we had against them most recently between 2013-2017 we on average only had about 35% possesion.
Our game has evolved hugely since those days. They could be in for quite a shock as we hopefully almost share the possession stakes. I remember the Peruvians post that game in Barcelona in 2022, saying they were surprised how much better we were than the AWs they played in 2017.
Not rocket science but obviously a solid start is what we want to help take the big crowd out of the game. They had a poor Copa America, and the 90,000 could get on their backs if it stays 0-0 for a long time, or dare we hope we get a lead. Losing or drawing against a team ranked 94th would be a national disgrace.
The key players - Boxall, Libby, Stamenic, Old & Wood play well and we are a shout. Can we get some quality balls to Wood? Forever our problem it seems. Can him and Old gell in their first ever game together?
Be interesting to see what plans Mexico have to nullify the Woodsman. RB Araujo who plays in the EPL, will no doubt be sharing some intel. 1.84m CB Vásquez who plays in Serie A probably gets the man marking job. Seems he's their biggest guy at the back.
Mate you’re nuts if you think Rufer is our best DM right now. Stamenic is an 8 imo and he’s still miles clear of Rufer as a 6.
Rufer was outstanding last season but this is International Football we are talking.
Rufer is too slow and not technically good enough to sit and hold for 90 minutes at this level. He will get out run by more athletic and technical midfielders (Same Issue with Joe Bell). MetalLegNZ
I would like to see Rufer sitting with Stamenic and Garbett ahead of him this week. He deserves the chance to start and is probably our best DM currently.
Let Stamenic get a little higher along with Garbett to take on players and create a little space. Not sure old is an out and out winger, so will be interesting if he gets to tuck in a little as well.
croc Payne- Boxy, Nando, Libby Bell- Stamenic and Garbett Old- Kosta and Wood
Bell was preferred for the Olympics so is clearly Baze’s #6. Based on the Rufer I saw last year I would say he was more mobile than Bell but so hard to be definitive on that point.
I would give Joe 65 mins and Rufer the rest of the 35 (assuming 10 mins extra time which is standard now!).
We need to manage Old well so expect him to give around the same mins. Just has played well in the OFC (one of the better players).
Same with Payne. Sutton was one of the positive stories of the Olympics so have no issues with him albeit the RHS is not his preference.
I’m hoping Wood can bring his form to the national team. He’s better suited to the AW’s now than he was 3 years ago when he struggled with link up play with our ball players. I think he’ll go well.
croc Payne- Boxy, Nando, Libby Bell- Stamenic and Garbett Old- Kosta and Wood
Bell was preferred for the Olympics so is clearly Baze’s #6. Based on the Rufer I saw last year I would say he was more mobile than Bell but so hard to be definitive on that point.
I would give Joe 65 mins and Rufer the rest of the 35 (assuming 10 mins extra time which is standard now!).
We need to manage Old well so expect him to give around the same mins. Just has played well in the OFC (one of the better players).
Same with Payne. Sutton was one of the positive stories of the Olympics so have no issues with him albeit the RHS is not his preference.
I’m hoping Wood can bring his form to the national team. He’s better suited to the AW’s now than he was 3 years ago when he struggled with link up play with our ball players. I think he’ll go well.
I can't see Old starting. Hes coming off an injury and they'll want to be careful with him.
I wouldn't be surprised to see Waine start up front with Wood too.
Worried a potential disaster if Joe Bell gets bogged down and can only resort to pass backs to our equally slow CB Pairings. Mexico will find a window to nip through that lack of pace. But looking forward to seeing some charging bombs to link up with woody in the box from Libby and Oldie! Hopefully we make use of the chances we get!
Yay! Broadcast just starting..... Piney commentating. Very hot - was 44 degrees yesterday..... 6 pm local time and 37 degrees.... Excessive heat warning in the area....
