New Zealand Men's U-20s

Must have been Shandong's reserve side - doubt if Graziano Pelle, Demba Cisse etc. were playing.

This is one of China's biggest clubs and one of the wealthiest in Asia so beating any side they field is still an achievement.

This was the club that Shane Smeltz signed for in July 2010, before it was announced that Smeltz had "changed his mind about China and decided to return home", just five days into his contract.

Shandong went on to win the Chinese Super League that season.

They must still be keen on scouting and signing New Zealanders!

Shandong remain one of China's major clubs - third in the Super League in 2015 and a regular participant in the AFC Champions League over the last decade. Have won the league four times and currently sit fifth, eight games into the season.

Currently managed by former Bundesliga-winning (three times) Bayern Munich coach Felix Magath and boasting Italian international striker Graziano Pelle (the world's fifth-highest paid footballer, earning £13.5 million per season), former Newcastle United striker Demba Cisse and Brazilian international defender Gil.

Its not a question whether they are needed or not, but whether they offer value. As supporters, NZF should be asking themselves how can we gain support / maintain traction / increase our profile. These players are our future starts, but the general public wouldn't be able to tell you anything about them.

What about mainstream media, what incentive do they have to report on the team when NZF can't provide them with any details - do the NZ public even know next week we are competing in the U20 World Cup or will they only hear about it after our first game?

I'm not talking about individual write ups here, I'm talking about professionally presenting ones organisation at all levels in an effort to grow it, which starts with having a regular media and social presence.

NZF was in the news last week over the 50 plus people attending the confeds... how does this help? 

So YES, WE NEED WRITE UPS, WE NEED MEDIA REPORTS, WE NEED OUR YOUNG PLAYERS EFFORTS TO BE RECOGNISED!

right, and they will do those when they play proper matches, not what are effectively training hit outs.

Other countries keep their fans much better informed of their national age group sides through their federation websites.

There's heaps of news on the France u-20 side and their preparation on the French federation website with reports and stats on every pre-tournament friendly  game.

Same goes for most other federations.

Before the u-20 world Cup in NZ in 2015 I found heaps of information updated every week on the Argentina FA website about their team with details of every friendly against club sides (even very minor club sides in training games).

For example, regarding this week's friendly 4-1 win against "a team" from major Chinese club Shandong Luneng.

We were told nothing about it apart from the score.

Was it a Shandong youth team? Or the reserve team?

Shandong are one of the major clubs in China (and Asia), a wealthy club who regularly participate in the AFC Champions League.

They have some very expensive major stars like Graziano Pelle in the first team.

So it would be interesting to know more about this game.

Nothing comes up in Google searches because the alphabet is entirely different.

Reports on the NZ u-20 team's preparation would help create interest in their World Cup games next week.

Vanuatu managed a 1-1 draw with NZ's first-up opponents Vietnam in a friendly on Sunday.

Goal-scorer for Vanuatu was Wellington Phoenix Academy player Ronaldo Wilkins.

Full match video (ATTENTION NZ FOOTBALL !!!):

https://www.oceaniafootball.com/vanuatu-u-20s-prim...

"The World Cup debutants’ final international friendly match saw them take on fellow competition contenders Vietnam on 14 May. Vietnam – who have been drawn in Group E with Oceania representatives New Zealand – were also inseparable to Vanuatu, following Ronaldo Wilkins’ four minute goal with an equaliser in the 40th minute to secure a 1-1 draw."

Other friendly results on a visit to Singapore in recent weeks: vs. Singapore u-22 lost 2-3; vs. Singapore u-22 drew 1-1; vs. Singapore u-20 1-1 

Wellington Phoenix Academy player Ronaldo Wilkins is one of two late additions who have played junior football in NZ:

https://www.oceaniafootball.com/vanuatu-u-20-squad...

"And although there haven’t been a lot of changes, one notable inclusion is central defender Jason Thomas joining the team after competing OFC Champions League duties with his club Erakor Golden Star.

Thomas is an important inclusion, having already earned caps with the senior national team alongside team captain Bong Kalo. He spent time during his schooling playing football in New Zealand, and last year was playing professionally in Cambodia.

Ronaldo Wilkins is another experienced young member of the U-20 squad, having spent the two previous years in New Zealand as a member of the Wellington Phoenix Academy programme and attending Scots College."

NZ TEAM:

An interview with NZ u-20 goalkeeper Conor Tracey who was with QPR a couple of years ago:

https://www.oceaniafootball.com/tracey-called-up-f...

and Henry Cameron:

https://www.oceaniafootball.com/cameron-out-to-imp...

Sorry FOX, but I think you are well off the mark here... either way, looking forward to the games and seeing how well we do.

The amount of interest there is to give about the U-20 world cup is minimal, NZF aren't going to send media people with the team, and they aren't going to make a couple of piddly piss around warm ups a priority for coverage.

Did you stop to think that the reason why there is no interest is because we have been given nothing to get interested about? And I'm sure someone in the management team could write up a short recount of the game.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/nz-teams/92771942/new-zealand-men-hoping-history-repeats-at-fifa-under20-world-cup

Vanuatu just lost 2-3 vs Mexico...came from 0-2 down to get back to 2-2, but Mexico scored in 4th minute of injury time to snatch a win

sadly the first 2 Mexican goals were total Barry Crockers by the Vanuatu GK

The guy at the Phoenix Academy scored a nice goal

Yeh Vanuatu shouldn't have lost that, they'd done enough but switched off at the end. A shame.

I  watched the England and Argentina game. The Argies had far the better of the game but lost 3- 0.

First England win at an U20 World Cup for almost 20 years and a run of 17 games!!

England have quite a few names I recognised from club games.

Mexico still recovering from getting 7 bells kicked out of them by nz? 

Great effort by Vanuatu bring on Germany...

Yes, it looked like the guy in goal for Vanuatu had never played there in his life...he was really terrible, not just with the two goals he should have easily saved, but in general play 

Liam Jordan looked very good for SA. Amazing the movement and inter-passing of both teams. I will be very interested to see if we can play with anything like the pace and possession that the other teams are or if it's long ball stuff. But certainly an extremely impressive standard at this tournament. 

Recently sat down with All White and NZ U20 Captain @Clayton_Lewis10 to talk the U20 WC, Confeds Cup and the future https://t.co/7fQpN2CLJB

— Sam Jenkins (@samjenkins0) May 21, 2017

Sorry if this answer is somewhere in this tread but how did Vanuatu and New Zealand both qualify out of Oceania?

Uncanny how often the 'lesser' team concedes a goal in injury time in these under 20 and 17 comps. I still remember the womens under 17 side when they hosted the cup back in 2008, I think it was 3 for 3.

Fifa has granted Oceania 2 places at U17 and U20 mens level as of this cycle.

England now have caught up with Fiji and NZ in performances over the last twenty years at FIFA u-20 World Cups.

I was hoping they would loose so that both us and Fiji could claim superiority (with one win each at u-20 World Cups)

NZ and Fiji are still superior to Argentina over the last two World Cups and this one with no wins for Argentina at an u-20 World Cup since their round of 16 win over Egypt in 2011 (they failed to qualify in 2013).

At the 2015 event NZ finished ranked 14th, Fiji 19th and Argentina 20th out of the 24 sides:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_FIFA_U-20_World...

England could only manage two draws with Iraq and Chile and lost to Egypt in the group stage last time they qualified in 2013.

Interesting fact: at the 2011 tournament in Colombia, NZ finished above Uruguay in their group despite the tournament being played in South America. Both teams drew two and lost one but NZ scored twice as many goals as Uruguay.

England drew all three of their group games in 2011 and scraped through to the next round as one of the best third-placed teams with Argentina topping the group. 

Vanuatu would have beaten Mexico if it wasn't for the two goal-keeping howlers in the first half.

Vanuatu's two goals were class - better than any of Mexico's.

Is goal-scorer Ronaldo Wilkins still at the Wellington Phoenix Academy?

He looks a useful prospect.

Fellow goal-scorer Bong Kallo who plays professionally in Cambodia looked very good too.

You can see how Vanuatu are benefiting from a top European coach (former Red Star Belgrade youth team coach and Serbia national women's team coach) in their formation and discipline despite the odd expected individual error.

Unfortunately for Vanuatu, Germany are due to have their Bundesliga stars back in the squad for their remaining games after letting their star players remain with their clubs last weekend.

It was a weakened side that lost to Venezuela.

France took a different approach and didn't include players in their squad for the tournament who still had club commitments (with one exception).

It's a shame that FIFA scheduled the tournament to start before many European leagues had finished and cup finals had been played.

It's meant that many of the biggest young stars are absent like Mbappe of Monaco.

Stream?

Watching the first game of the evening at Cheonan stadium, Cheonan between France and Honduras.

Currently 2-0 to France mid-way through the second half.

Crap crowd of a couple of thousand and a pretty crap stadium in that it's a general sports stadium with an athletics track around it and a small covered stand on one side and a larger uncovered stand on the other.

Cheonan is obviously not a hotbed of football in Korea then.

Crowd must be waiting for the bigger second game of the evening, NZ vs. Vietnam.

STARTING XI: WOUD, INGHAM, LIDDICOAT, ASHWORTH, DYER, BILLINGSLEY, LEWIS (C), CAMERON, SINCLAIR, COX, BEVAN #U20WC #VIENZL

Woohoo! I completely forgot about this fixture until now! Time goes faster when you're not anticipating something coming up. Good chance of getting out of our group if we can pick up a positive result tonight. Also, no Singh in the starting XI? 

Is there any other streams to watch the game? I can't get the previously mentioned one to work.

Cheers

Billingley starting... so we are going to be playing a direct game then?

Didn't expect Singh to start, but thought Rogerson would, so to with McGarry. 

It's refreshing already to have completely neutral commentators in a football match involving a New Zealand team. 

Set up for a hoof at kick off

Vietnam silky passing and one touches already. Our first touch we hoofed forward. That will be the game

Under the pump!

Nice through ball by Dyer - terrible cross

Big height advantage at set piece. Cameron couldn't beat first defender to put in in the mixer.

We look quite sluggish compared to the Vietnamese thusfar... Lucky not to concede after a couple of good chances from the opposition 

English coaching/play style is toxic