Why he choose us over Aussie... and if he has played a youth game for Aussie before, he he now cup tied to us?
From MM's pre game comments on the previous page it's the winger Cartwright (at Melb City) who's previously played Aussie age group, so is now maybe cap tied to NZ.
Banza (WSW) could presumably still change back to Australia?
You just cross your fingers and hope he doesn't.
And yeah at last year's (U17) OFC qualifiers NZ only beat Vanuatu 1-0 in the quarter final. However that tourney was played in steamy January in Fiji, so maybe a leveller. We did beat then 8-0 back in 2018 in that OFC (U16) tourney. The last one pre Covid??
https://us.soccerway.com/international/oceania/ofc-u17-championship/2023-fiji/s22644/final-stages/
https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2024/07/29/oceania/ofc-u16-championship/new-zealand-u16/vanuatu-u16/4332308/
But yeah who knows this year's crop could well be a talented lot.
Annual U17 WCs will definitely be good for NZ, helping the talent ID process for both the Weenix and future Auckland FC academies. And that's no bad thing for the best use of NZ football's pathways.