Friendly This Weekend (Masterton)

Wairarapa soccer fans are in for a treat.

News that the Wellington Phoenix are to train in Masterton this coming Sunday was enough to get the adrenalin pumping.

But confirmation that the training run had turned into a serious hit-out against the national under-20s made it an even more enticing proposition.

Never before will the Wairarapa have hosted such a glittering array of soccer talent and you can bet it won't only be keen followers of the round ball game who will be at the Pugh Sportsbowl to watch them go through their paces.

The Phoenix are, of course, very much the new boys on the block in this year's Hyundai A-League where they will go head-to-head with the top clubs from across the Tasman.

They have arisen from the ashes of the Auckland-based Kingz who did New Zealand soccer's reputation more harm than good in that particular competition. In short, they were a dismal failure both on and off the field and their demise seemed inevitable a long time before it actually happened.

Will the Phoenix do any better?

Well, the fact they have Ricki Herbert as coach has to be seen as a huge positive for starters.

Herbert has already had marvellous results in his short stint in charge of the All Whites and is treated by soccer folk with the same reverence which those in Canterbury show Crusaders rugby boss Robbie Deans.

The question which Sunday's game will help answer, though, is whether Herbert's abilities in the market place match his skills in the coaching sphere.

Just how good are his "imports", Brazilians Daniel Lins Cortez and Felipe de Souza and his Australians Royce Brownlie and Karl Dodd?

Yes, their curriculum vitaes may be impressive but the proof of the pudding is always in the eating, isn't it?

Can they, for instance, marry their abilities with those of the many New Zealand internationals in the Phoenix squad, players like Vaughn Coveny, Jeremy Christie, Tony Lochhead, Steve Olds ,Glen Moss and Shane Smeltz?

Or will the same thing happen to them as with the Kingz where the overseas recruits all too often failed to cut the mustard?

No such concerns need be voiced over the Phoenix's choice of home ground though.

Westpac Stadium in Wellington or the Cake Tin as most of us know it has been a revelation for sport in the capital. Full houses are invariably the norm for major sporting occasions there and you can safely wager the Phoenix will be no exception in that regard, especially with the Wellington in their nametag clearly identifying them with that part of the country.

There is truth, of course, in the old adage that success breeds success but while the support for the Phoenix will obviously grow with each good result they have you only have to relate to rugby's Hurricanes to realise that Wellingtonians can stay loyal to their sides even when their performances bear little resemblence to their paper strengths.

Back to Sundays game though, for the national under-20's it will be of huge significance too. They are less than a month away from contesting their World Cup in Canada where they have been in pool C, alongside Portugal, Gambia and current world under-17 champions Mexico, and therefore the match will provide a good gauge of where they are at in their preparation for that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

In terms of combinations they should have the edge on the Phoenix and there will also be the extra incentive of showing Herbert they have what it takes to play on a higher stage at senior level as well.

Kickoff at the Pugh Sportsbowl is scheduled for 11am & don't miss it!!!