The Road To Brazil 2014 via Wellington feat. Mexico

That was my first all whites game as well. I hadn't really watched much live football before then, other than playing a bit myself, but didn't catch the bug from that game! About all I can remember is the howler from Batty, and that we were generally pants.

Found it. Featuring Robbie Slater v.2001

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr6JqVdl4ao

Whats even funnier is how baggy the uniforms are. They have become a bit more figure hugging over the years.

F**kin' emerton.

Guess that is what happen when you play total football and play out from the back.

I remember at the time he wasn't even playing for a club and hadn't done for a while, yet made the AWs, correct?

Still no announcement from NZF regarding All Whites qualifier in March - they really need to make these announcements sooner. The later they leave it the harder it becomes for people to travel to these games.

They can't get the fax machine working.

Hopefully would mean that Wgtn is the better option?

Latest round of CONCACAF qualifiers to determine our opponents for the 15th and 19th November play-offs currently underway this afternoon NZ time:

One result in already - Honduras defeat USA 2-1 in Honduras. From FIFA.com:

Looks to me like we'll have it much tougher in qualifying this time e.g. would we get a result vs Honduras if the USA struggle against them?

Interesting to note that Chris Wood currently sits on  5th  equal in all 2014 World Cup goalscoring (with a group including Messi and Suarez) - although Georges Gope- Fenepej from New Caledonia sits alone on fourth with his 8 goals.

Possible All Whites opponent Panama's Blas Perez looks to be a danger man at third on the list (9 goals):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_FIFA_World_Cup_qualification#Top_goalscorers

www.nzfootball.co.nz :

February 6, 2013

AUCKLAND – Mexico, USA, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Panama and Honduras – the six survivors in North Central American and Caribbean qualifying – begin their near year-long marathon final round in the FIFA window for friendly matches on February 6.

The 'hexagonal final' features the six sides battling for 3.5 places at the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014™ over 30 games.  Each of the six teams will line up ten times over the course of nine long months.  The top three teams in the league format competition will qualify directly with the fourth placed team facing the Oceania representative.

The first round of matches sees the USA travel to Honduras, Mexico face Jamaica, and Panama host Costa Rica.

The Americans are aiming to reach their seventh straight FIFA World Cup™ and open with a stern test, in San Pedro Sula against Honduras, who haven’t tasted defeat in their last five qualifiers, and beat Canada by an alarming 8-1 scoreline in their last game at home.

Mexico – the top team in the region – will also enjoy home advantage when they open their account against Jamaica at their Mexico City fortress, Estadio Azteca.  The reigning CONCACAF and Olympic champions, have reached the FIFA World Cup™ 14 times, and won all of their games in the last round of qualifying and have only ever lost one qualifier at the Azteca in their entire history.

The Reggae Boyz have a solitary FIFA World Cup™ appearance in their history but look rejuvenated under coach Theodore Whitmore.  They proved too strong for the All Whites in the ASB Summer International this time last year prevailing 3-2 at Mount Smart Stadium.

The final match is a clash of near neighbours, with recently crowned Central American champions Costa Rica travelling to take on Panama.  The Ticos (Costa Rica) have reached the world finals three times, and are considered Central American royalty.  Conversely, the Canaleros are on the rise, not only did they not lose at their Panama City Estadio Rommel Fernandez in the last round of qualifying, they didn’t even concede a goal.

Additional reporting fifa.com

CONCACAF – Stage 4 qualifiers (Wednesday, 6 February)
Honduras v USA
Mexico v Jamaica
Panama v Costa Rica

 Also chat in Here :

CONCACAF results this round:

Honduras 2 - USA 1 (Hondurans playing in MLS struck to overcome Spurs' Clint Dempsey's opening goal)

Mexico 0 - Jamaica 0 (Hernandez, Dos Santos & co shackled by Jamaica's new Reading, Leeds, Watford recruits)

Panama 2 - Costa Rica 2 (Bryan Ruiz, Fulham scored a spectacular bicycle kick for Costa Rica to tie it)

Video highlights here:

Honduras v USA (Honduras in white - nice bicycle kick to tie by Garcia)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Pap4fEDxxc

Mexico v Jamaica:

Part 1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4QzIKhdnZY

Part 2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrsrrmC8U78

Part 3:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9gy7Sz1qtw

Panama v Costa Rica:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZA4CXmjeqco

I hope its wellington i am traveling from Scotland for this game and flying to wellington .

Strange NZ Football are leaving it so late to announce the venue with only six weeks till the Friday March 22 qualifier vs New Caledonia

New Caledonia's Georges Gope-Fenepej made his first team debut for ESTAC Troyes in Ligue 1 in France last weekend, coming on as a sub in the 1-1 draw away to mighty Lille in front of 36,000. Newly-promoted Troyes remain bottom of the table.

Being part of the first team squad may rule Gope-Fenepej out of the qualifier against the All Whites. He holds the distinction of currently sitting alone on fourth place in the goal-scoring charts with 8 goals in all 2014 World Cup qualifying (ahead of Messi, Suarez and our Chris Wood in fifth place).

http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/275c378c-9763-4699-a93d-1285312fee65/language/en-US/Default.aspx

On Sunday you made your big debut in Ligue 1 against Lille. Do you have any
inkling, on arriving at the Grand Stadium de Lille-Metropole, that you would
finally be making your first step as a professional footballer?

I had hoped for that, but I wasn’t certain. Already, I wasn’t really expecting to
figure on the team list for the match, even if I had had a good week in
training. When the coach (Jean Marc Furlan) announced the group for this match
and I heard my name, I started thinking that I may get my chance. But on the
other hand, I had already found myself on the team list for the first match of
the season at home against Valenciennes and I never went on. But this time, the
coach decided to have faith in me. Even if it was short, it was a moment I will
never forget. And on top of that, in front of my family, because some of them
were on vacation in Paris and when they knew I was on the team list, they came
to Lille.

How did you feel when Jean-Marc Furlan asked you to warm
up?

I didn’t even have the time to think about it too hard because I
looked at the clock and we were already at the 88th minute of the game and I had
no time to lose. Then, one-and-a-half minutes later, the fitness trainer called
out to me and said: ‘It’s good, in one minute, you go on’. I knew that I would
have more than a couple of minutes to express myself, but for me it was already
great. And there, at that precise moment, my legs started to shake. I was so
motivated but also very overwhelmed - especially by the stadium and the
thousands of shouting spectators. I have never experienced that. I had to forget
the context and think only of the match.

Have you ever had any difficulty accepting that you have not figured on the
team list over the past six months, and instead have had to play every weekend
with the reserves in CFA 2?

In all honesty, no I haven’t. I have always taken it well and have never experienced a lull in my morale. In my
contact with Alain Moizan, I have learnt one thing, it’s the coach that decides,
and I respect that. I knew that I would have at least six months of adapting. If
I have only played with the reserves up until now, it’s because there was a
reason. That I didn’t have the capacity to play with the professional team. I
have not spoken about it and instead I continued to do my job and give the
maximum with the reserves every weekend. I scored three goals in official
matches and five goals in friendly matches and I am, for the moment, unbeaten in
the CFA. I have no doubt that one day, all this effort will pay
off.

In a little over a month New Caledonia will play two important
2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against New Zealand and Tahiti. Do you
expect you will have to make a choice between Les Cagous and
Estac?

Maybe yes. I really want to play these two matches with the
team, especially if we win against New Zealand, we will go to the top of the
table. But if Furlan asks me to stay and be available to the group up until the
end of the season, then well, I think I will stay in Troyes. I also need to
think of my future, of my career.

They're waiting for AirNZ to announce grabaseat deals Auckl-Dunedin SO THAT THEY CAN GET 'EM BEFORE THE SUPPORTERS DO!

#AllWhites v New Caledonia World Cup qualifier will be at@ForBarrStadium in Dunedin

Glad they left it so late. Now I can pay a shitload for flights. Yay. 

Guess we are all going back down to Dunedin... $109 each way.

Dude, you really need to learn to stop letting the truth get in the way of a good angst-fest

Part of me is fizzing that I'll get to see the All Whites.

Other part of me is worried. Dunedin won't support 2 games of football in 3 weeks. I'll go to both games for sure. But the casual sports fan won't. They'll pick one or other. Both crowds will suffer.

The All Whites’ last home FIFA World Cup qualifier against New Caledonia will be played at Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium on March 22. A draw or a win in the Friday evening match will provide New Zealand coach Ricki Herbert and his charges Oceania’s place in the intercontinental playoff against a CONCACAF (North and Central American) nation in November 2013. “Anything is a possibility but nothing can be taken for granted in World Cup qualification,” said All Whites coach Ricki Herbert. The match is the first football international at the impressive indoor Forsyth Barr Stadium, and is the first time the All Whites have played in Dunedin since 1988 against Australia.

NZF CEO Grant McKavanagh said Dunedin was long overdue to host a high profile All Whites match with other venues around New Zealand hosting key matches in the recent past.  “New Zealand Football is committed to playing matches around the country.  We’ve already played All Whites fixtures in Auckland, Christchurch and now Dunedin. “The ASB Chatham Cup and ASB Women’s Knockout Cup have been played in Palmerston North and Wellington, while the Football Ferns have played in smaller venues in Auckland and Whangarei,” McKavanagh said.  The city was also the venue for New Zealand's first international when it played also Australia at Carisbrook in 1922. McKavanagh added: “Dunedin is noted for its love of sport and ‘scarfie’ population and in bringing this crucial match to Forsyth Barr Stadium, we’re hoping to see supporters from the region get out en masse and support the All Whites as they chase a berth at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil.” Several of the Herbert’s potential All Whites will get an advanced look at the venue when the Wellington Phoenix plays the Melbourne Heart at Forsyth Barr Stadium on March 3 in an A-League match.  New Zealand v New Caledonia

Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
Friday, March 22, 2013
Kick-off: 7:35pm

Ticket pricing

$35 plus booking costs for adults
$15 plus booking costs for students
$15 plus booking costs for children under 15

$15 for students on a Friday night during term time? Sound like a winner to me.

I have a bad feeling about this. Rugby season, not a strong football strong hold, 2 games in 3 weeks....

Flights sorted.

About effing time. Glad it's in Dunedin. The closer to Timaru the better for me. Can't wait. 

Just on RS now...NZ Football expects a sold out Dunedin Stadium...cool...

No way in hell this game will have 30,000 there unless NZF is charging nothing at the gate. Even that would be a struggle.

This better not be a Gareth-esque threat to Dunedin to sell out or be shut out of future fixtures :/

When do tickets go on sale?

I'll be trying to arrange a Fever block booking for this game also to ensure that White Noise can be coordinated rather than being spread too thin.

I love it how NZF categorically ruled out Dunedin as the host venue for this game a few months ago, only to decide to host the game there after all.

 Event sponsor to be announced as Air New Zealand.

Free flights with every ticket sold?