New Zealand U-23s - Quali Whites

Next NZ game on Sunday is live 5pm on Maori TV according to NZF

FT: 2-0.

Well done lads.

None of the games showing up on my Sky (through Vodafone cable) guide yet. Might just set a recording for the shows that are listed at those times anyway.

Also, good to get that first up win under the belt. Each win is a step closer to the Olympics

Good win. I like the look of this. But would like Burfoot to come in for Hudson-Wihongi if we struggle next game.

Are the Solomons considered to be our strongest op or Tahiti to win? Who do we have to worry about?

Ricki.

Actually no - they lost 0-1  to New Cal. Ricki give us a wave!!!

Weird positioning/selections. Rufer is not a striker, Patterson is not a winger, Fenton is not a 10.

Unless of course the photo is not a representation of how they actually lined up on the field. Obvious is Patterson up top as a 9. Fenton wide attacker and Rufer playing playmaker in behind. 

They obviously have decided that Hudson-Wihonga is a central mid. I still think that Rufer should be playing there....his long and short passing game is very good. Poor distribution from that area really cost the U20's.

2-0 is a good start......there are still plenty of banana skins left in this tournament.....they could slip up at any moment

New Caledonia beat Papua New Guinea 1-0.

NC are reigning winners.

If we can beat PNG in the second match of the pool, the third game may not have significance in whether we qualify for the finals.

Fiji look to have some good players (Waqa?, Chand).

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I wish we had Micronesia in our group.... Be great if we could get them for the ONC!

Couldn't agree more. I understand that NZ were 'average' and kept giving the ball away! 

Interesting, the two people I know there (neither of them involved in the NZ team) said that NZ are so clearly the best team there it's staggering, and only the conditions and the packed draw should pose them any problems.

NZ were always going to be the best team. I don't think that was ever in doubt. But, at the end of the day, you still have to be able to pass the ball to your own team! Against a weak team, when you give it away, you will always get it back but there are better teams to come - Fiji and Vanuatu!!!!! so we need to be better on the ball

ok so if/when we qualify, we can bring in 3 overage players right? Looking at the above line up figure we need a striker (Wood) and a central defender (Reid)

I guess the final spot is a toss up between Thomas, Rojas and Smith.

I am tending towards Thomas. Thoughts?

I'd go for Smith (assuming he wants to play). That way our backline is pretty much the first choice one and I think that a front four of Fenton,  Thomas, Wood and Boyd should be good enough to create and finish chances. 

As always, the real concern is central midfield. Billy T and who? Rufer?

so it could look like 

                                Crocombe

Roux            Reid                      Smith            Wynne

                    Rufer                  Tuiloma

Fenton                          Boyd                       Thomas

                                      Wood

Thomas is eligible so he isn't one of the over-age players. I would like a central midfielder like Tzimopoulos or van den Broek. The teams in the Olympics will be way tougher and we're missing some contention in the middle, someone to play along Tuiloma

I forgot that Thomas and Boyd are eligible for this team.

geez it looks better with the, in there and Reid, Smith and Wood.

You can sort of see why Hudson wants to run this team

Tahiti 30 (thirty)  Micronesia 0 (nil)

Micronesia? A team of hobbits? That would explain it.

NZF 'Hearts & Minds' offensive ...

10-0 after 26min. What a piss take

Poor Micronesia they should not be in this tournment, Demoralizing for them to say the least 

Just reinforces the farcical nature of the whole Football Qualifying tournament.

Jesus wept.

Seems like they will break Straya's record

22-0 after 47' now. They'll definitely crack at least 31, I'm going with 37-0 for F/T.