2-1 loss.. both games conceded were basically identical, a player running free in right hand side, a low cross into the middle and a comfortable finish. NZs goal came from a corner not long after chiles second, the physical difference between the two sides was quite apparent. NZ blokes were far taller and stronger compared to chiles little blokes, Chile created more chances and were the better team.
Goalscorer James Bulkeley says New Zealand’s U-20 men’s side will learn much from their two-match trip to Chile.
“I think we did well today,” Bulkeley said after Chile’s 2-1 win in the second match of the two-match series used to help both sides prepare for the FIFA U-20 Men’s World Cup later this year.
“Obviously, they were the better team, at the end of the day, but there’s a lot to learn for the boys,” the defender said.
Bulkeley scored New Zealand’s goal in the match at Estadio Bicentenario de La Florida, Santiago, heading home from a corner in the 52nd minute.
Chile won the first game in the series, with a 3-1 win behind closed doors on Thursday.
The two countries will face each other in their group at the World Cup, to be hosted by Chile.
“I think we’ve got 100 days, or something like that, to the World Cup, so we’re really excited to play them in the opening game,” Bulkeley told broadcasters Chilevision.
About the 2-1 loss, Bulkeley said he thought New Zealand played well.
“There was a lot of chances that we could have had in the final third, and it’s just being more clinical with those final (third) chances, and I think if those come off, it’s a different result today.”
Must say it annoys me to see such a shameful effort at signing the national anthem by the the young Kiwis. Almost like they are embarrassed to be there. And then of course that's badly shown up by 2K Chileans singing theirs. Wait until is 40K them in the stadium for the 1st game in September.
NZ started strongly. LBS & Ukich dribbling at the Chileans and then on the other side Loke threads a lovely pass for Putt to shoot. Saved by keeper's legs. If NZ had scored then a massiive confiodence boost.
Soon after in the 9th min Chile get a soft goal (lots of ball watching), and really against the run of play.
Oh and is Greeny not there in Chile? Lots of shots of José Figueira. Him and Paul Temple are the assistants.
https://youtu.be/WQ3RO5qN3zM Watching the full replay it's LBS on the left (mostly) and Ukich on the right. Though at the start Ukich was also popping up on the left.
Supyk little meh so far, but NZ very competitive. LKH must have a niggle. On the pine but I don't think he started either match in Santiago.
Gray direct & long to Ukich works. Stipe a beautiful soft touch and layoff leads to a good chance and off target shot by Middleton. LBS with a shoulder sends an unfortunate Chileano flying!
This time Codey Phoenix with the well off target shot. It's toe for toe. Real pity about the soft ball watching early concede.
They may not hit the heights of Des's 2019 group, but this 2025 version look capable.
Chile start dominating the last 10 mins of the half, but then someone (Middleton or Putt) wins a free kick on the edge of the box. Phoenix whips his left footed deal ball around the wall straight at the keeper.
Loke off at HT, and on comes Dupont. Anyway 1 min in and after a Ukich shot is blocked, swift Chilean counter down down the left (Ukich's side), and they have their 2nd. Nice goal to be fair.
50 mins in, and Keegan Kelly on for an injured Supyk. Supyk actually went pretty well. Good strong outlet when Gray played it long. Impact immediate Kelly! Wins the corner by whipping in a dangerous low cross. Same corner Bulkeley bangs in his header.
Casci for Ukich, Coulibaly for Phoenix & Fergus Gillion for McKenlay. LKH must be lame. Chile now more dominant. Made their subs earlier and I imagine all their players highly motivated to get picked for a home U20 WC. LBS quiet 2nd half. GSR on for someone at 75 mins. James Mitchell another on. Couilably more right sided? Keeps losing the ball on the left, he's been pretty poor.
Bit of a toothless 2nd half. Supyk coming off I suspect part of that, but yeah team also misses that Singh creative midfielder of 2019 or even Conchie/Herdman of 2023. Carsci (spp) who came on with hints he could be that guy. Still 100 days to go. I'm sure NZF are asking FA about some games v Young Socceroos.
Care to expand on that AV. Why wouldn't the two Trans Tasman neighbours who have both qualified and are in different pools not schedule some friendlies?
Care to expand on that AV. Why wouldn't the two Trans Tasman neighbours who have both qualified and are in different pools not schedule some friendlies?
Remember NZ & Aus U20 women doing it.
They wouldn't be able to get squads anywhere close to their World Cup squads assembled and so there would be zero point.
From the 11 who started the 2nd Chilean game (at face value a stronger starting side than game 1), 4 are based in USA or Europe. Bulkeley, Putt, Gray and Ukich. Though wouldn't hurt to have AKH in goal for a few games per WC tourney if he's fit in time.
But with the Young Socceroos it's less a problem. 17 of the 23 man squad that won the AFC U20 Asian Cupearlier this year were from the A League.
But if not August would some games in September just before both teams fly out to Chile make some sense? That's presuming both squads will gather in their home countries for a week or so before flying out??
And lastly was Greeny coaching the team in Chile? If you watch the 2nd game replay he isn't seen. It's José Figueira in charge. So if Greenacre wasn't there in Chile even more of a reason to get the team together, even if not full strength.
Hazy memory but I remember Des making a big effort pre the 2019 event, meeting up with yes his mostly domestic based squad regularly in the buildup. That squad predominantly coming from the Nix/Weenix and Eastern Suburbs (Wests in disguise). But you still had Bell and Woud overseas
Based on posts on Instagram from coaches and players, I don't think Greeny was there, unsure why.coochiee
Yes that's fairly true of the NZ squad.
From the 11 who started the 2nd Chilean game (at face value a stronger starting side than game 1), 4 are based in USA or Europe. Gray, Bulkeley, Putt and Ukich. Though wouldn't hurt to have AKH in goal for a few games per WC tourney if he's fit in time.
But with the Young Socceroos it's less a problem. 17 of the 23 man squad that won the AFC U20 Asian Cupearlier this year were from the A League.
But if not August would some games in September just before both teams fly out to Chile make some sense? That's presuming both squads will gather in their home countries for a week or so before flying out??
And lastly was Greeny coaching the team in Chile? If you watch the 2nd game replay he isn't seen. It's José Figueira in charge. So if Greenacre wasn't there in Chile even more of a reason to get the team together, even if not full strength.
Hazy memory but I remember Des making a big effort pre the 2019 event, meeting up with yes his mostly domestic based squad regularly in the buildup. That squad predominantly coming from the Nix/Weenix and Eastern Suburbs (Wests in disguise). But you still had Bell and Woud overseas
Was a little curious what the prep was like for Des's 2019 cohort.
Admittedly back then was alot easier as yes most of the squad was based in NZ, plus the U20 WC (May-June) was pre A League training starting at the Nix. Basically Des had access to his players for longer. No doubt him & his old mate Greeny caught up when Buckingham was recently in NZ to chew the fat.
The 2019 squad had 2 weeks in Poland prior tourney starting, and warmup games. Sth Korea (D) & Mexico (W).
Buckingham and assistant coach Hiroshi Miyazawa had already begun their wider analysis of the World Cup participants prior to the draw and that process will now step up a level with confirmation of the teams they will be directly competing against in Group C.
“We’ve literally just stepped out of the draw so there’s a lot of people running around here now trying to make plans,” Buckingham says.
“The good thing is that we’re about to go to a team dinner where we will engage quite heavily with people from the other confederations that have played against Honduras, Uruguay and Norway to see what we can find out on top of what we already know. We’ve already done some research but we’ve got enough time between now and when the tournament starts to make sure what we need to do is done well and we can prepare as well as we can.”
An important development in those preparations took place earlier this month (Feb 2019) when a four-day training camp brought 33 players together in Auckland under the watchful eyes of Buckingham and Miyazawa. None of those players were part of the 18-strong squad that qualified New Zealand for the World Cup by winning the OFC U-19 Championship in Tahiti last August, illustrating the depth of talent available for selection.
The coaching staff have left no stone unturned to make sure no players slip through the cracks with Buckingham spending few nights in his own bed in recent weeks.
“I’ve spent about 75 per cent of my time on the road this year,” he says. “That’s been largely getting around to all the ISPS Handa Premiership clubs to spend time in those environments and of course getting across to Europe to see the players we have over there. And the day before the camp started I was over in the USA to engage with players and staff but, more importantly, to see the environment we’ve got players working in. It’s important to gain a greater understanding not just of the player but of the person as well because we’re going to be away together for a substantial period of time.”
Buckingham is pleased with the level of talent he has at his disposal and clearly has a welcome selection headache on the horizon. Over 50 players have now been looked at and the most impressive of those will be brought into another camp in Auckland at the start of April.
“As soon as the ISPS Handa Premiership is finished, we will bring the majority of the 18 players who qualified the country back in and will add to that group from the other players that have stood out and maybe one or two others,” Buckingham explains.
The 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup will take place in Poland from 23 May to 15 June. Article added: Monday 25 February 2019
Was a little curious what the prep was like for Des's 2019 cohort.
Admittedly back then was alot easier as yes most of the squad was based in NZ, plus the U20 WC (May-June) was pre A League training starting at the Nix. Basically Des had access to his players for longer. No doubt him & his old mate Greeny caught up when Buckingham was recently in NZ to chew the fat.
The 2019 squad had 2 weeks in Poland prior tourney starting, and warmup games. Sth Korea (D) & Mexico (W).
Buckingham and assistant coach Hiroshi Miyazawa had already begun their wider analysis of the World Cup participants prior to the draw and that process will now step up a level with confirmation of the teams they will be directly competing against in Group C.
“We’ve literally just stepped out of the draw so there’s a lot of people running around here now trying to make plans,” Buckingham says.
“The good thing is that we’re about to go to a team dinner where we will engage quite heavily with people from the other confederations that have played against Honduras, Uruguay and Norway to see what we can find out on top of what we already know. We’ve already done some research but we’ve got enough time between now and when the tournament starts to make sure what we need to do is done well and we can prepare as well as we can.”
An important development in those preparations took place earlier this month (Feb 2019) when a four-day training camp brought 33 players together in Auckland under the watchful eyes of Buckingham and Miyazawa. None of those players were part of the 18-strong squad that qualified New Zealand for the World Cup by winning the OFC U-19 Championship in Tahiti last August, illustrating the depth of talent available for selection.
The coaching staff have left no stone unturned to make sure no players slip through the cracks with Buckingham spending few nights in his own bed in recent weeks.
“I’ve spent about 75 per cent of my time on the road this year,” he says. “That’s been largely getting around to all the ISPS Handa Premiership clubs to spend time in those environments and of course getting across to Europe to see the players we have over there. And the day before the camp started I was over in the USA to engage with players and staff but, more importantly, to see the environment we’ve got players working in. It’s important to gain a greater understanding not just of the player but of the person as well because we’re going to be away together for a substantial period of time.”
Buckingham is pleased with the level of talent he has at his disposal and clearly has a welcome selection headache on the horizon. Over 50 players have now been looked at and the most impressive of those will be brought into another camp in Auckland at the start of April.
“As soon as the ISPS Handa Premiership is finished, we will bring the majority of the 18 players who qualified the country back in and will add to that group from the other players that have stood out and maybe one or two others,” Buckingham explains.
The 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup will take place in Poland from 23 May to 15 June. Article added: Monday 25 February 2019
Norway have this dude Erling Haland (Alf-Inge’s son) who they reckon could be a star in the making so they’re not to be underestimated.
As someone who was following this very closely at the time, a lot of those camps were casting a very wide net. When it came to time on the grass the dozen players that ultimately mattered in Poland, it really was only that fortnight before in Poland and that would have been different had the Phoenix made a finals run + to a lesser extent the post-NL camp mentioned here, though that didn't have core Nix pros and the key Olé guys left for oversea trials after a couple of days. Since 2019 there's been a (budget-related, and questionable) shift from camps towards ID matches at NZ Football. Budget also a factor in why you are unlikely to see half-squad Australia matches. The full-bore AWs and FFs schedules since Covid-19 require trade-offs.
Greenacre had to miss the Chile trip at short notice for personal reasons.
New Zealand and the United States are the only two teams to have qualified for each of the previous five Men’s U20 World Cups. USA taps out at six, whereas NZ is about to be attend a seventh U20MWC in a row. The tournament will begin in late September.
New Zealand have also won at least one game and advanced to the knockouts of each of the previous four U20 WCs, making this easily our most successful international team.
Additionally, there were seven Nix players picked and that’s without either Alby Kelly-Heald or Nathan Walker, who were both injured but will surely go to the World Cup provided they recover in time. Walker should make it, his was the injury he suffered in the Aussie Cup game a few weeks back. It’s a leg fracture that should only take 1-2 months. AKH will be touch and go after needing shoulder surgery in March.
U19 Oceania Champs squad not selected to tour Chile:
Lachlan Candy (Wellington Phoenix), Bruce Izumi (Western Suburbs), Seth Karunaratne (Wellington Phoenix), Alby Kelly-Heald (Wellington Phoenix), Daniel Makowem (Wellington Phoenix), Eamonn McCarron (Wellington Phoenix), Lewis Partridge (Wellington Phoenix), Rico Pradhan (Christchurch United), Nathan Walker (Wellington Phoenix), Ryan Watson (Wellington Phoenix)
Two of those blokes were injured. Of the rest of them, Ryan Watson is the unluckiest as he was a key player during qualifying. He’s an attacking midfielder from the Nix Academy who played the fifth-most minutes at the 2024 OFC U19s, scoring three goals.
Meanwhile, these are the only dudes from the 2023 U17 World Cup in this group:
Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues, Luka Coveny, Luke Supyk, Noah Dupont, Stipe Ukich (and Nathan Walker)
That’s not a lot of progression, although maybe that’s for the best because those U17s did pretty terribly (losing all three games by a 10-1 aggregate).
And this was the team that was used in G2...
Henry Gray | Xuan Loke (Noah Dupont HT), Luka Coveny, James Bulkeley, Codey Phoenix (Adama Coulibaly 64’) | Finn McKenlay (Fergus Gillion 64’), Oliver Middleton (James Mitchell 72’) | Stipe Ukich (Harry Casci 64’), Troy Putt (Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues 72’), Luke Brooke-Smith | Luke Supyk (Keegan Kelly 51’)
Five players started both games, those being: Bulkeley, Phoenix, McKenlay, Middleton, and Putt. There were seven substitutes used, meaning that only three fellas didn’t take part. One of those was Lukas Kelly-Heald who didn’t start either game but was pictured getting time in game one. Keeper Joe Wallis started game one. The other bloke was Jayden Smith who you’d assume got some minutes off the bench in the closed-door match unless he picked up a knock along the way.
Chile’s two goals both came from crosses from NZ’s left edge created by pace in behind. Tricky times for Codey Phoenix there (who captains the AFC Reserves). Phoenix was one of those guys who started both matches but you’d imagine Lukas Kelly-Heald, with his professional experience, would squeeze in ahead of him for the World Cup. Xuan Loke can also play on the left... while it was Adama Coulibaly who subbed in for Phoenix in G2. Coulibaly seems to exclusively play as a central defender for the AFC Ressies but he was a fullback at the OFC U19s and was used on both edges of the backline against Chile. Curiously, Noah Dupont (better known as a CB) also spelled for some right-back duty here.
Troy Putt was the most exciting of the forwards. He’s come on in a hurry since being an impact sub for Birkenhead throughout their run to the 2024 National League grand final… suddenly he’s playing MLS Next Pro with Minnesota United and starting NZ U20s games. Not only that but he’s serving up some flash and pizazz like we don’t usually see from young NZers. Or, rather, we didn’t usually see it in the past. This squad also has Luke Brooke-Smith, Stipe Ukich, and Gabe Sloane-Rodrigues so times are changing. The latter three all struggled to make an impact as Chile dominated the wide spaces but Putt, who played a lot of the game through the middle, was an exception.
Troy Putt’s settled into Minnesota United 2 enough to be starting games (they used him as an attacking right-back in their most recent fixture).
Tourney start date (27 Sept 2025 – 20 Oct 2025) still 5 weeks away, but you'd think they will have at least 2-3 weeks prep, including maybe a short camp in Auckland prior their first match.
Training runaround against the AWs at NHS? AWs play at Mt Smart 9th Sept.
Should be a decent squad - some genuine competition for places in the team.
Marly Leuluai after captaining the 17s might not even make the squad, despite been on the books at a premier league club and getting minutes (when fit) at the u23 level.
Ricky Fransen, another one paying the price with CB stocks looking good. 1st Team Contract at WSW, just made the team of the week in the NSWPL.
Walker - a possible omission with his recent injury. Have seen footage of him training, but no match fitness.
So squad to be announced this coming week. This was the squad picked for the 2 friendlies in Chile back in May.
See that Nathan Walker & AKH are both now back training at the Nix. Not sure how recoved AKH is from his shoulder surgery.
Marley Leuluai another that wasn't in that May squad. Few others no doubt. Victor Barborosa who is at that club in the Belgian 2nd tier? Ricky Fransen at WSW?
The Men’s U-20 squad to face FIFA U-20 World Cup hosts Chile has been confirmed 🇳🇿🇨🇱
Head Coach Chris Greenacre has selected a 21-player side for these fixtures, with four players called up to represent NZ for the first time 👏
Hopefully that when visiting NZ earlier this year, Des gave his old mate Greeny some tips.
Pity Greenacre was unavailable to coach them in Chile a few months back. Figueira was in charge. So not going to be easy to replicate alot of the stuff Buckingham did below, when Des had more a heavily NZ based squad to work with, ie more catchups etc.
While Haaland and Norway’s tournament was over, New Zealand’s journey was in full swing.
The team had been playing high-paced, high-pressing football and dominating possession, something that had not been seen before by a New Zealand side.
“ I don’t want to come to this World Cup and try not to lose games. I feel that we have the players to do something special.
— New Zealand coach Des Buckingham |
Buckingham said it was all part of a plan designed when he first got the job in 2018.
"I arrived with pretty much a blank slate and a blank canvas.
"Rather than holding camps, which we didn’t have the resource to do, I got around the country. I think of the 365 days leading into that World Cup, I spent 210 days away from my home visiting clubs and visiting players because the feel was to go and see them in their environments where you can actually see them behave a lot more naturally than they might if they arrived into a camp."
Buckingham said he went to each National League club and spent four or five days attending trainings, team meetings, and getting to know the players at a deeper level.
Prior to the tournament, Buckingham invited Christian Penny from High Performance Sport New Zealand to run a four-day camp with the squad to try and develop a culture and meaning around what it meant to wear the fern.
Buckingham said up until that point players were proud to wear the fern, but didn't have much of a sense about what that really meant.
Over the week, work was done to intertwine football with New Zealand-specific culture.
This included a whakatau - a welcome ceremony - and a pepeha session, where players introduced themselves to the rest of the squad, revealing where they came from and what was important to them.
Buckingham said this work "had the biggest impact I've ever seen in a sporting world".
"It brought together 21 young men from nine different environments so close together with a shared purpose so quickly.
"Off the field it was something no other country could replicate and on the field...we wanted to change the way that New Zealand football played on the world stage.
“In the 17 games at the Under-20 World Cup [before this tournament], New Zealand had only won two. They were always a team that at under-20s level were out-possessed, out-passed, out-shot.
“I said to them I don’t want to come to this World Cup and try not to lose games. I feel that we have the players to do something special and change not just the mindset of how we approach these tournaments, but we can go on and can beat these nations.”
LBS hasn't done anything yet, it is all just hype at this point. Kosta and Rojas and Singh were way more impressive players when we first saw them. Of course I am not saying he won't be as good or better than those guys but I am certainly not expecting that he will yet.
