The New Zealand U19 representative men’s football team to tour the United States next April.
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The team is:
Cam Burnell (New Plymouth Boys’ High School)
Treye Butler (St Thomas of Canterbury College)
Zac Dean (Wellington College)
Caleb Emmens (Hutt Valley High School)
Rory Findlay (Taieri College)
Matt Hickling (Tawa College)
Jake Johnson (Saint Kentigern College)
Ryan Kelly (Hutt Valley High School)
Sean Lane-Turnbull (Rongotai College)
Scott Morris (Rathkeale College)
Rick Muir (Nelson College)
Jaeden Shaw (Palmerston North Boys’ High School)
Owen Smith (Scots College)
Awa Stephenson (Liston College)
Tom Stewart (St Thomas of Canterbury College)
Noah Tipene-Clegg (Scots College)
Thomas Wagner (Rathkeale College)
Edward Wilkinson (Cashmere High School)

Non-travelling reserves:
Nick Burke (Macleans College)
Danny Mackenzie (Elim Christian College)
Samuel Mitrakas (St Pat’s Town)

Staff:
Steve Coleman – Coach (Rathkeale College)
Tim Bush – Assistant Coach (Rongotai Collee)
Neil Penfold – Manager (Selwyn College)
Physiotherapist – TBC

​New Zealand came close to pulling off a memorable result in their second match of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in India after coming from behind to lead Paraguay but were undone by a late flurry of goals from the South Americans, eventually falling 4-2 in a thrilling encounter this morning. New Zealand led 2-1 at halftime.

Match Details

Paraguay 4 (Alan Rodriguez 2’, Anibal Vega 75’, 78’, Blas Armoa 90’ + 1’)
New Zealand 2 (Own goals 20’, 34’) 
HT: 1-2

New Zealand: 12. Jacob Clark (GK), 3. Joshua Rogerson (15. Ben Deeley 46’), 4. Liberato Cacace, 5. Boyd Curry, 6. Leon van den Hoven, 7. Elijah Just (c), 10. Willem Ebbinge (8. Oliver Duncan 79’), 11. Matthew Conroy, 14. Kingsley Sinclair (17. Matthew Palmer 79’), 18. Charles Spragg, 20. Emlyn Wellsmore
Substitutes not used: 1. Zac Jones (GK), 2. Liam Moore, 13. Matthew Jones, 16. Oliver Whyte, 19. Kieran Richards, 21. Nicholas Milner (GK)
Cautions: Liberto Cacace 81’, Ben Deeley 85’
Coach: Danny Hay

will now need to beat African champions Mali in their final Group B game on Thursday to progress to the knockout stages.

Match Report

Having gone behind early on in that opening match against the Europeans, New Zealand would have been determined to start more strongly on their return to the Dr. DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai but those hopes were dashed in only the second minute. The Kiwis again fond themselves needing to come back from a goal down and it was a bizarre one to concede, Alan Rodriguez shaping up to whip a free kick into the box from wide on New Zealand’s left but somehow managing to loop it all the way over a stranded Jacob Clark and into the far corner.
 
Just as they had on Friday in their 1-1 draw with Turkey, New Zealand responded well to the early set back though and took just over half an hour to completely turn the score around. They began to exert pressure from the eighth minute when Ebbinge had half of sight of goal from a lofted through ball but lost possession before he could shoot and a pair of Just corners then proved a handful for Paraguay.
 
As they pressed for the equaliser, New Zealand may well have gone further behind at the other end though, Clark showing good positioning and bravery in the eleventh minute to save a one-on-one effort from Leonard Sanchez at point-blank range.

The first real opportunities for New Zealand to score arrived shortly after, Just relishing the added responsibility of the captaincy to lead by example and fire a shot straight at goalkeeper Diego Huesca from a tight angle. In the follow up, the ball eventually broke to Kingsley Sinclair a few yards outside the area but he curled his ambitious effort well wide.
 
As it turned out, Hay’s charges did not need to worry about finding the net themselves though as Paraguay captain Alexis Duarte was about to do that for them – and, remarkably, not just once. A nightmare period of play for the defender began on 20 minutes when Paraguay were put under pressure from a well-directed Leon van den Hoven free kick by Kingsley Sinclair and Charles Spragg, forcing the unfortunate Duarte to turn the ball into his own goal.
 
He did likewise just past the half hour, this time after trademark skill from Just on the left created room for the stand-in skipper to send in a low cross that Duarte could again only force past Huesca to make it 2-1. Clark was called into action seconds later to maintain New Zealand’s new-found lead, making a good save low to his left to deny Leonardo Sanchez before bravely gathering the resulting loose ball.

That enabled the Kiwis to take their hard-fought advantage into the break and, although surviving some scares as Paraguay kept Clark busy with several dangerous balls into the box and a couple of shots on target, it looked like they were odds on for a vital win as the clocked ticked down. They could even have extended their lead just past the hour when another pin-point van den Hoven free kick was met by Spragg – whose older brother Thomas also starred for New Zealand at age-group level – but he could not direct his header under the cross bar.
 
All that hard work in hauling themselves in front was then undone for New Zealand in the final 15 minutes as the strength in depth available to Paraguay coach Gustavo Morinigo became evident. Anibal Vega and Blas Armoa had both been brought off the bench to try to swing the contest in the South Americans’ favour and they did just that to break the hearts of the New Zealand players.
 
Vega turned the match on its head in a three-minute spell with a rapid-fire brace, his first coming when he got the better of Clark in a one-on-one duel before he notched again just moments later when meeting a cross to prod home at close range.
 
Now finding themselves 3-2 down, New Zealand searched desperately for a way back and threw caution to the wind by bringing on both Oliver Duncan and Matthew Palmer and leaving men forward. They nearly earned reward for that when Matthew Conroy flicked a van den Hoven corner onto the underside of the cross bar in the 90th minute but were left short-handed defensively and Armoa took advantage, blasting home Paraguay’s fourth in stoppage time to earn his side’s passage into the knockout stages.

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​A New Zealand side that finished with 10 men after the last-gasp dismissal of Max Mata started their FIFA U-17 World Cup campaign on a positive vein by drawing 1-1 with Turkey on Saturday morning (NZT).
 
They play two more pool matches, against Paraguay on Tuesday morning (NZT) and Mali on Friday morning (NZT) – see match details below. 

In the build-up to the tournament opener against Turkey, New Zealand captain Mata spoke of the need to begin brightly against a Turkey side renowned for their strong starts to matches. But the Europeans were able to continue that tradition and appeared to adapt more quickly to the soaking conditions as the rain poured down in Mumbai, India.
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 After riding the storm as Turkey dominated the opening ten minutes, New Zealand issued a reminder of their attacking abilities when Mata played in Elijah Just down the left and he picked out Kingsley Sinclair in the box. But Sinclair was off balance as he struck his effort towards goal and could not make a clean connection as the ball bobbled wide.
 
New Zealand were made to pay for spurning that opportunity in the 18th minute when danger man Kutucu put Turkey ahead in stunning fashion, showing amazing technique and power to head in a corner from a long way out. 
 As the heavy rain continued to fall, New Zealand began to grow into the game and finished the half strongly. With Mata, Just and Charles Spragg proving a handful, Hay’s side created a couple of chances, both coming from the pin-point set piece delivery of Leon van den Hoven.
 
The midfielder showed an uncanny ability to drop his corner kicks right on the six-yard box and Spragg got his head to the first of these but couldn’t direct his header under the cross bar. Clark was then called into action at the other end to beat away a powerful Kutucu shot before a van den Hoven corner again caused problems. It was Mata on the end of it this time, firstly to win a header and then trying to force the ball home at the second attempt but the Turkey defence managed to scramble clear.
 
New Zealand began the second half more strongly than they had the first and had a penalty appeal waved away after Matthew Conroy went down in the box. But Turkey then came close to extending their lead, Clark throwing out his right hand to make a brilliant reaction save to deny skipper Recep Gul.
 
New Zealand were becoming the dominant side though and soon had the equaliser their efforts richly deserved, Just showing good awareness to take a free kick quickly and play it into the path of Mata, who finished calmly to make it 1-1 just before the hour mark. Seconds later, Mata was again at the heart of the action after being involved in a physical encounter in the area. He strongly appealed for a penalty but New Zealand’s claims were again turned down.

The New Zealand captain continued to be a central figure, heading a Just free kick over the bar in the 72nd minute being teeing up an opportunity for Spragg, chesting a long throw into his path for the striker to volley narrowly over the cross bar with just over 15 minutes remaining.
 
That proved to be the Kiwis’ last chance as Turkey finished strongly and they were again indebted to the impressive Clark, who made a vital stop in the 86th minute to keep out a low drive from Kerem Kesgin and make sure his side would secure at least a point.
 
What would have been a pleasing evening for Hay ended on a sour note though as Mata picked up a second booking with one of the last acts of the game and was therefore dismissed, meaning New Zealand will be without the services of their talismanic skipper for Monday’s clash with Paraguay. 

Match details

New Zealand 1 (Max Mata 58’) 
Turkey 1 (Ahmed Kutucu 18’) 
HT: 0-1

New Zealand: 12. Jacob Clark (GK), 4. Liberato Cacace, 5. Boyd Curry, 6. Leon van den Hoven, 7. Elijah Just, 9. Max Mata (c), 11. Matthew Conroy, 14. Kingsley Sinclair (10. Willem Ebbinge), 15. Ben Deeley, 18. Charles Spragg (17. Matthew Palmer 81’), 20. Emlyn Wellsmore
Substitutes not used: 1. Zac Jones (GK), 2. Liam Moore, 3. Joshua Rogerson, 8. Oliver Duncan, 13. Matthew Jones, 16. Oliver Whyte, 19. Kieran Richards, 21. Nicholas Milner (GK)
Cautions: Max Mata 60’, Boyd Curry 82’
Red card: Max Mata 90’ + 5’
Coach: Danny Hay
 
Matches to come
 
New Zealand vs Paraguay
Monday 9 October, 8pm (Tuesday 10 October, 3.30am NZT)
Dr DY Patil Stadium, Mumbai
Live on SKY Sport
 
New Zealand vs Mali
Thursday 12 October, 5pm (Friday 13 October, 12.30am NZT)
Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi
Live on SKY Sport

The New Zealand squads for the OFC Youth Futsal Championship, starting tomorrow are:
 
U-18 Women: 1. Rylee Godbold (GK), 2. Abigail Murphy, 3. Jenna Dodd, 4. Emily Gillion, 5. Grace Wisnewski, 6. Hannah Reddy, 7. Lily Fisher, 8. Tilly James, 9. Macey Fraser, 10. Ella O’Connell-Biddlecombe
Coach: Ronan Naicker
 
U-18 Men:  1. Patrick Steele (GK), 2. Arzan Todywalla, 3. Sam Wright, 4. Aidan Robson, 5. Michael Plim, 6. Adam Paulsen, 7. Oban Hawkins, 8. Logan Wisnewski, 9. Ethan Martin, 12. Chris Preece
Coach: Marvin Eakins
 
OFC Youth Futsal Championship Fixtures – Women
(Bruce Pulman Arena, Auckland)   
 
Tonga vs New Zealand
Wednesday 4 October, 11.30am
 
New Zealand vs Samoa
Wednesday 4 October, 2.30pm
 
AFF Futsal vs New Zealand
Thursday 5 October, 11.30am
 
New Zealand vs Tonga
Thursday 5 October, 2.30pm
 
Samoa vs New Zealand
Friday 6 October, 11.30am
 
New Zealand vs AFF Futsal
Friday 6 October, 2.30pm
 
OFC Youth Futsal Championship Fixtures – Men
 
New Zealand vs Tonga
Wednesday 4 October, 10am

New Zealand vs Solomon Islands
Wednesday 4 October, 4pm

New Zealand vs American Samoa
Thursday 5 October, 1pm

New Caledonia vs New Zealand
Friday 6 October, 1pm

Samoa vs New Zealand
Friday 6 October, 4pm

Vanuatu vs New Zealand
Saturday 7 October, 10am

​A group of talented teenagers are about to make history as part of the first ever age-group national teams to represent New Zealand in futsal and their respective coaches are confident of making an impact at this week’s OFC Youth Futsal Championship, which doubles as the qualifying event for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games.
 
The New Zealand flag is being proudly flown at the tournament – held at Bruce Pulman Arena in Auckland over four days from Wednesday – by U-18 men’s and women’s teams and each will get their campaigns underway tomorrow morning with clashes against Tonga.
 
Also competing in the male event are Solomon Islands, American Samoa, New Caledonia, Samoa and Vanuatu while the women’s line-up is completed by Samoa and an invitational team from the Auckland Football Federation.
 
As it will be the first time any of the teams have appeared at international level, the Kiwi contingent does not know what to expect but have done all their can to prepare effectively in an intense build up over the last few days.
 
“It’s been good to have the girls together for a good period of time, we’ve had three days and six sessions so have covered what we needed to,” says women’s coach Ronan Naicker.
 
“It’s been difficult in that time to cover everything, especially as everyone has come in from different parts of the country. So a huge part of it was getting to know the girls and them getting to know each other.” 

Men’s coach Marvin Eakins faced a similar problem and the Futsal Whites star was careful not to overwhelm his charges.
 
“As a coach, you really have to pick what you want to get across and what the key messages are in a short time frame,” he explains.
 
“It’s very easy to overload players and, having been there myself, a lot of information can mean you don’t end up taking anything in. So we’ve been really cautious about making sure we’ve picked out what the key things are and really tried to hammer them home.”
 
Both coaches have been pleased with the ease at which the players have gelled as a team, both on and off the court.
 
“It’s been really surprising to be honest, we expected a few hiccups when they first came together,” Eakins says. “Off the court, they’ve been brilliant and on the court we were really surprised at how quickly they figured each other out. It’s meant we’re further along than I thought we would be.”
 
Finding that sense of familiarity as quickly as possible has been vital to the plans of Naicker, who has placed great emphasis on developing combinations.
 
“That would be the biggest thing we’ve worked on so far,” he says. “In possession, there’s a lot of creativity and variables so it’s just about getting used to each other and getting that movement going.”
 
Knowing so little about the opposition they will face, the New Zealand teams are very much heading into the unknown but Eakins is using his vast experience as a Futsal Whites international as a guide.
 
“We know what the island nations are traditionally like, both on the court and the football field. They’ve definitely got some pretty key strengths, particularly on attack,” he says.
 
“So we’re wary of that and we’re looking to be a really good defensive unit. But we’ve also got a few key attacking strategies that will help us create quite a few scoring opportunities.” 

The winners of the men’s and women’s tournaments – with the exception of New Caledonia who are not an Olympic nation – will qualify for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires.
 
The two qualifying teams cannot be from the same member association so, if a country wins both the men’s and women’s events, that nation must nominate their preferred qualification team.

The New Zealand squad has completed its final preparations for the upcoming FIFA U-17 World Cup in promising fashion, twice taking the lead against European giants England before eventually falling to a 3-2 defeat.
 
Having arrived in India early to acclimatise to the hot weather after a long New Zealand winter, the match against England proved to be a worthy test after an impressive performance against a strong Brazil side in a slim 2-1 defeat.
 
New Zealand were looking for another pleasing outing before taking on Turkey in their first match of Group B on Saturday morning (NZT).
 
Danny Hay’s side showed signs of their quality, twice taking the lead against a well-drilled and highly-skilled England outfit.
 
Willem Ebbinge’s pass played Oliver Whyte into a favourable position 20 yards out, from where his strike was placed into the top right corner to open the scoring in spectacular fashion.
 
Moments later, England equalised when skipper Marc Guehi netted from a corner but both sides missed chances to take the lead before the break and headed into the changing rooms level.
 
New Zealand gained the advantage once more in the second half when Elijah Just dispossessed Emile Smith-Rowe and scored to put his team 2-1 up.
 
But a double from substitute Rhian Brewster turned the match in England’s favour as it ended 3-2.
 
After pushing Brazil so close a couple of days earlier, Hay’s young charges have now performed strongly against a pair of top-class teams in their World Cup preparations, boding well for when their campaign kicks off this weekend.
 
Hay is pleased with how the build-up has gone and believes the experience will stand his players in good stead.
 
“We gave a good account of ourselves today and could have pulled off a draw,” he said.
 
“I’m really pleased that we have a good bunch of quality young men in the squad and I’m really excited about the tournament.”