New Zealand Men's U-20s

In first team squad at Vicenza in Serie B - have had a sensational season and are third in the league and close to promotion to Serie A.

39 games played  - three to go. Four points off second place. The top two sides gain automatic promotion - the next six enter the play-offs.

Would be sensational if Vicenza gain promotion and they retain Jesse.

He's been on the bench for the first team six times this season. Also playing for the reserves.

Vicenza first team squad (official website) includes Jesse:

http://www.vicenzacalcio.com/giocatori/

Jesse Edge stats this season:

http://int.soccerway.com/players/jess-edge/193487/

Serie B Table:

http://int.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-b/20...

The season finishes May 23 with the play-offs for a couple of weeks afterwards.

But Vicenza will probably release him for the u-20 World Cup since he's only a fringe first team player.

That's what we thought about our u-17 team in 1999 and they went on to beat Poland at North Harbour.

Finished only one point behind Uruguay on the table and ahead of Poland.

Narrow loss to a USA team containing some of the future best US players of the next 15 years like Donovan and Beasley.

Lead USA 1-0 at half-time, conceded the US winner on 74 mins to Donovan.

Were thrashed 5-0 by Uruguay, but that was Uruguay on a good day with Peralta one of the players of the tournament.

Of that NZ side, Christie, Lochead, Mulligan and Pearce later made the All Whites.

None of them were close to the technical ability of Tuiloma and maybe a few other members of the current u-20's like Wynn, Blake, Lewis, Rufer, Ridenton and Stevens.

Completely take your point BP. I was just commenting the rise in expectations of the team. We all hope they do well and play above themselves but if they get built up too much then people will slag them off for not achieving. They certainly would not deserve this. There were already negative comments being made about their style of play after the Australia game. 

When you look through the team lists of some of the other countries there are guys who have plenty of first team game time in good leagues. There are plenty of 18 and 19 yo's playing top level football globally. Most of our guys come from ASB level.....I think we are going to find out that there are some very very skillfull players at this tournament.

I will, like everyone else, be cheering our boys all the way. I will not dump on them if they get dicked.

Sun, 26 Apr 2015

Brendan Telfer talks with Darren Beazley, the Coach of the NZ Under 20s ahead of the FIFA Under 20 World Cup. He talks about their build-up, including a Five Nations series against Panama, Qatar, Ghana and Australia and how they think they'll place in the up-coming World Cup.

http://www.radiolive.co.nz/Junior-All-Whites-ready-for-FIFA-Under-20-World-Cup/tabid/506/articleID/79899/Default.aspx

needs more Corey Brown

In "the next few days" - Star Times (May 10).

I wonder if any of the players that have arrived from overseas won't make the cut.. does NZ Football pay to bring them over for the pre tourny games?

squad announced at 10am on Friday.

I watched them v Qatar on Sunday and it wasn't great ... 

Looked laboured on the ball, touch wasn't as good as it should be  ... the biggest concern though is a lack of dynamism/pace/athleticism.

Tuiloma's a good athlete, not sure what position Bazeley will use him in ... but this is another NZ age-group side where you watch and realise football in NZ still doesn't attract/have the crop of the country's athletic talent.

That's always going to hinder us at international level, even while our players continue to improve technically and tactically.

That was a great game to be at, especially as I played with and against them indivduallly and together that year in various footie camps in the Waikato and Auckland.

I heard we were poor, but a decent croud of 2.5k (?) turned up, but only ONE toilet open according to me dad.  Good ol Waikato Stadium!!!

Nailed it.

Chris Chang, TVNZ has tweeted this:

No surprises there.

Be interesting to see how Bazeley sets team up in the 2 games left before the real thing. v Honduras on 21st & v Austria on 24th. I'd quite like to see how Blake goes further forward. He seems to like taking players on.

No Birhanu Taye? So they rather pick local players in some dodgy Wanderers set up instead of a player at a European club? Strange indeed...can't be over 6 foot because the criteria to play isn't it ?

^ Slovakian 3rd Div. How good is that though?

Slovakia third teir team....

http://www.nzfootball.co.nz/bazeley-names-u-20s-squad/

Goalkeepers
Damian Hirst – Wanderers SC, NZL
Oliver Sail – Wellington Phoenix, NZL
Nik Tzanev – Brentford FC, ENG

Defenders
Sam Brotherton – Wanderers SC, NZL
Cory Brown – Xavier University USA
Jesse Edge – Vicenza Calcio, ITA
Brock Messenger – Wanderers SC, NZL
Adam Mitchell – Wanderers SC, NZL
Deklan Wynne – Wanderers SC, NZL

Midfielders
Andre de Jong – Wanderers SC, NZL
Moses Dyer – Wanderers SC, NZL
Te Atawhai Hudson-Wihongi – Wanderers SC, NZL
Clayton Lewis – Wanderers SC, NZL
Matthew Ridenton – Wellington Phoenix, NZL
Bill Tuiloma (capt) – Olympique Marseille, FRA

Forwards
Noah Billingsley – Wanderers SC, NZL
Andrew Blake – Wellington Phoenix, NZL
Stuart Holthusen – Akron University, USA
Monty Patterson – Ipswich Town FC, ENG
Alex Rufer – Wellington Phoenix, NZL
Joel Stevens – Wellington Phoenix, NZL

Management staff

Head coach: Darren Bazeley
Assistant coach: Neil Emblen
Goalkeeper coach: Paul Gothard
Manager: Rod Grove
Physiotherapist: Allan Pearce
Sports Scientist: Andrew Foskett
Doctor: Brendan O’Neill

Group A match schedule

Men’s U-20s v Ukraine
North Harbour Stadium
Saturday 30 May, 1pm

Men’s U-20s v USA
North Harbour Stadium
Tuesday 2 June, 7pm

Men’s U-20s v Myanmar
Wellington Regional Stadium
Friday 5 June, 7pm

Well good luck to the team anyway, let's hope they play to the best of their ability and really give it a go

Any big surprise omissions?

Only names that standout are Judd Baker and Zac Speedy

Good team - can't wait for the tournament to start  

Cmon you Kiwis

Watched them play western Springs last night and was not impressed. Springs took off their better players after half an hour and still managed a 2 all draw!!

U 20's played like robots. No soul or passion and, no one that's wants to play football! they only scored the first goal because the U20 keeper who was playing for Springs mis-hit a clearance direct to an U20 striker!

They should have hammered Springs not be struggling to a draw! What will happen when they play some really good international teams??? And yes it was their full strength team apart from Bill and a goal keeper

Oh well,that's that then -  we're fudged

Hopefully over the next two weeks they make some gains, but they really need to keep the ball more and not play so long.

Baker not making it is a little weird for me. Not that I think he is all that great, just he was probably our one striker suited the direct style we have seemingly adopted.

Its all well and good saying we want to play possession, but its another thing to do and nothing in the game I watched made me think it was on the way.

Still some interesting selection headaches.

Sail

Brown Edge Mitchell Wynn

Ridenton Tuiloma Moses

Patterson Rufer Houlthenson

My guess. Moses in there for his atleticism as I believe we will be doing a lot of chasing.

I sort of agree, but in a training run like that it could be on their mind that  the last thing they need is to get injured.

Should have used a winky face sorry!

I read nothing into the result of a hitout like that. 

^ Hopefully this

I reckon Stevens will be at the pointy end with Patterson nearest and Rufer & Ridenton & Tuiloma supplying the bullets (and not blanks, hopefully)

Last time a team playing Springs before international competition, a leg was broken. Badly.

I'm also a little surprised the tall kid from Aussie didn't make the squad.

He came on during the 2nd half in Hams and once he settled looked one of our more comfortable players on the ball. And he's huge!

Harry Wales - late addition to NZ side after impressing in friendly match (qualifies on technicality as third in line to the throne of Great Britain and New Zealand):

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/life-style/news/video.cf...

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/football-soccer/news/vid...

Pretty good volley that....

http://tvnz.co.nz/football-news/all-whites-bolster-new-zealand-fifa-u-20-world-cup-squad-6313445?autoStart=true

http://www.3news.co.nz/sport/new-zealand-u20-world-cup-squad-named-2015051510#axzz3aK96L74f

"Squad lists are official only after they have been announced by Fifa on May 21st." - Fifa directive.

MetalLeg I guess you mean Tomi Trbuhovic. Quality player and would have provided some of that athleticism missing as well.

Marconi in Auzzie?

Not sure. But a very big unit and comfortable on the ball. Compared to some of the dribble played in Hams he was a stand out.

Think maybe it's Luka Prelevic? Plays in Melbourne