From a competitive stand point, it is a bit of a farce that some teams play an U20 academy side while others have to play a professional outfit. If it was a must win game for Birko and they went on to lose whereas the other teams got to play "easy beats" then we'd all agree it's a bit of a farce.
These are the sorts of things that should be sorted before they become issues. (Like how the U20 sub rule was obviously going to get abused). So NZF should have a chat with Phoenix, and perhaps give guidance to teams that this will only happen in the future if the opposition agrees.
Given the game was a dead rubber, I'd hoped Birko would've happily agreed to it and we all get to watch professional footballers for free.
These are the sorts of things that should be sorted before they become issues. (Like how the U20 sub rule was obviously going to get abused). So NZF should have a chat with Phoenix, and perhaps give guidance to teams that this will only happen in the future if the opposition agrees.
Given the game was a dead rubber, I'd hoped Birko would've happily agreed to it and we all get to watch professional footballers for free.