Group F - New Zealand

Group F

Italy

Paraguay

New Zealand

Slovakia

Nickname: The All Whites (In a national vote the nickname “The All Whites” narrowly edged out “The White Supremacists” and “Jim Crow’s Homies.” Actually that’s not true. The National Ruby team is known as “The All Blacks,” so “The All Whites” is naturally and simply the opposite of that.)

Colors: Black and White

Current World Ranking: 78

Manager: Ricki Herbert

Ricki Herbert has been in charge of the national team since 2005 but it seems to only be a part time job because he is also the current head coach of Wellington Phoenix (a team in the Australian A- League).  Despite being in charge of two teams, he has led the national team to their first World Cup appearance since 1982 and will bring his experience as a player to the team, as he was on that New Zealand team at the 1982 World Cup.      

History:  Soccer is not a prominent sport in New Zealand and is often overshadowed by the popularity of rugby and cricket.  The country has only one professional soccer team which plays in the Australian A-League meaning many of the players play in Australia, Europe and the United States.  Because New Zealand hasn’t featured in many international tournaments the national team doesn’t have much history to brag except their first World Cup appearance in 1982.  Unfortunately they didn’t earn a single point and did not advance out of the group. 

During the qualification campaign for the 2010 World Cup New Zealand won the Oceania Qualification group (they were the only seeded team in the group) and then had to face Bahrain.  They clinched their World Cup spot by beating Bahrain 1-0 in November 2009. 

Players:

Ryan Nelsen – Centre Back – Captain

Nelsen is the undisputed leader of the All Whites and brings experience to the team heading into the World Cup.  He currently plays for and captains the English Premier League club Blackburn with over 100 appearances for the club since 2005.  He got his start right here in the United States playing college soccer at Stanford and being the 2001 4^th overall draft pick by D.C. United.  He played for United for 4 years and won an MLS Cup with the club.  Nelsen has been somewhat plagued by injuries throughout his career and missed the 2009 Confederations Cup with New Zealand due to a calf tear but has been a key player for the country since his debut in 2009 and will be a key player during the World Cup.

Shane Smeltz – Striker

Shane Smeltz was the teams leading goal scorer during qualification with 8 goals and has also been the leading goal scorer in the Australian A-League for the pas two seasons.  He currently plays for Gold Coast United and has been a consistent presence for the New Zealand national team.  He was named New Zealand footballer of the year in 2007 (ahead of favorite Ryan Nelson) and with a scoring ration of more than a goal per every other game he will be a key player up top for the All Whites. 

Prediction: New Zealand has no chance.  That may be harsh but I just can’t see them doing anything against Italy, Paraguay or Slovakia.  The best they can hope for is to get a draw and come out of the group with at least some points in order to improve on their previous appearance at the 1982 Finals.  In past appearances against both Italy and Paraguay they only lost by one goal so a draw is not impossible but New Zealand have a tough competition ahead of them. 

Thanks to Columbus’ Eric Cantona for putting this post together... with the exception of the insensitive racial humor up at the top or course.