From this week's Flying Kiwis. The Boxalls obviously didn't grow up in Taihape. Good to hear Billingsley is making an early impression.
Good chat with Boxy there, you can listen to the full audio on the Minnesota website there or on their Sound of the Loons podcast but here’s the bit you wanna know about straight away... Michael Boxall talking about his new kiwi teammates...
“And then there are his countrymen — James Musa and Noah Billingsley — each of whom intersects with Boxall’s career across several dimensions, from playing on the same Wellington Phoenix team years apart to playing with Boxall’s younger brother, Nikko. Boxall praised Musa’s dependability as a holding midfielder and said everyone’s been blown away by Billingsley’s athleticism. Boxall’s always been one of the most down-to-earth and easy-to-talk-to Loons — a quality that both Musa and Billingsley seem to share as fellow New Zealanders. It’s one of the things that’s made it easy for Boxall and his countrymen to fit in — a must in a long MLS season that’s just getting started.
“It's just a way of life down there,” he said. “Wherever you grow up in New Zealand, the weather's pretty nice all year round. You've got the beaches to go chill out at. Twenty minutes from just about anyone's house, there's a nice beach to relax on. All of that comes together for all of us to be fairly happy-go-lucky.””