Fingers crossed for Boxall. All round good dude, and loyal NZ football servant.
Boxy, speaking with The Athletic: “I’ve always kind of struggled with long-term goals when, especially in team sports, so much is out of your control. I kind of planted that seed out there: the goal is to make the 2026 World Cup. I think having that there, it’s all the little things you do day-to-day that will get you there. Picking up the little habits, bouncing off nutrition and dietary things off my wife has helped as well. Nothing too crazy, it’s nothing too complicated.
Alcohol is pretty much cut out. Unfortunately, I don’t have the funds to do the LeBron ‘million dollars a year on my body’ kind of thing, but just picking up a few habits here and there, so far, seems to be working... I think the World Cup will be a month or two short of my 38th birthday, so I’ll leave no stone unturned trying to make sure that I’m there,” he said. “I don’t want to be added to the squad as, like, a kind of cheerleader or leadership role. I want to make sure that I’m competing for a starting spot and earning it, rather than having it based on goodwill or my career. It’s something I want to make sure that I’ve earned.”
More Boxy: “I still haven’t truly accepted that I’m, like, an older kind of leader, but I think I’m trying to look at it through the eyes of like how other people may see me, and try to be a bit more influential in those ways. I’ll speak up when it needs when it needs to be done, but I think just making sure my level of consistency and intensity is there every day, I want that to become infectious. I’d rather like lead with actions than have to give some kind of speech. During my 15 years or so of playing, you notice that good leaders and bad leaders, they all say the same things. They say the same words. The difference is their actions. That’s how I try and influence a group.”
Michael Boxall interview coming up on RNZ National this hour (between 2 pm and 3 pm) Will be talking about his career and qualifying for the World Cup. Scheduled after the Supergroove interview coming up just now. No doubt it will be available on demand on the RNZ website later.
Michael Boxall has played 248 matches in Major League Soccer – 19 for the Vancouver Whitecaps, where his professional football career began back in 2011, and 229 for Minnesota United, the club he has called home since 2017.
But match No 249 this Sunday (8.30am NZ time) will be a special one for the 36-year-old, because it is set to pit the All Whites centre back against Inter Miami and Lionel Messi, one of the greatest football players there has ever been and as big a legend as they come.
Only one other New Zealander has ever played against the Argentine star, as far as Stuff is aware. All White-turned-United States international Tyler Boyd did so twice in the space of a few weeks last year, but with them both being forwards, it wasn't quite the same for him as it will be for Boxall.
He (Boixall) said MLS was “just the A-League on steroids, really”.
“In the last six or seven years, the amount of investment that they've put into the league and the clubs is pretty astronomical.
“Whenever Americans do anything, they don't half-arse anything.
“Our ownership has built one of the best stadiums in the US for for that league.
“Obviously, it's pretty physical, and so that's helped me stay on edge because if you drop off in that league, it's pretty noticeable.
“In the last three or four years, there's been a lot of focus in the league to move away from relying on like older, big European names, and the amount of young South American and European talent that they bring in at (age) 22 and 23 is really pushing it along.
“They're also developing those players and then selling them to big clubs in Europe.
“I think how it's grown the last four or five years is pretty big.”
Haha well done Boxall! “I played against Messi, Alba and Busquets and thrashed them 4-1” will be one heck of a brag. To be fair Inter Miami have been playing dreadfully across the park.
That is awful defending. All clustered sort of around where the ball is but no one really contests and tries to stop the flick on and there’s two unmarked guys at the back post that they belated notice.
The reaction to this win has been typically MLS-bloated because Lionel Messi was involved. There’s been bickering on social media involving David Beckham. There’s been excessive coverage that strangely doesn’t involve the winning team nearly as much as it ought to. Michael Boxall was asked afterwards where this win ranks in club history and his response was:
“Umm.... probably like, at least top hundred. Top fifty. I mean, it’s three points. I’m happy that the crowd got to enjoy that. Obviously a good performance. Some goals that sent most of the crowd home happy. Something to build on”.
It was, after all, only a regular season home game.
As for the defensive clearances charts, Finn Surman continues to lead the way across the whole MLS. He just brought up triple figures, currently with 101 clearances. Michael Boxall has risen up to sixth with 87, despite missing some time to help the All Whites qualify for the World Cup.
MLS website has Adilson Malanda leading with 32 clearances in the regular season with Finn 2nd at 31. Adilson also leads with Long passes completions at 144. The frenchman is a machine.
I just wonder whether we may see the AWs lineup with 3 CBs in Toronto? Boxy in between Surman & Bindon. Would certainly help Elliot/Tuiloma, who I imagine will be targeted by both Ivory Coast & Ukraine
Boxall full game in a 3-2 win. Good effort by Minny. Seattle one of the tougher places to win at in the MLS. Minnesota 3rd on GD in the West from San Diego (2nd)
Boxy: “Honestly, mid-season awards, it’s not really why we play this game. You want to be up for the awards at the end of the season so we just need to keep pushing and make sure we’re improving.”
Does Boxy want you to vote for him? Well..........
