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This is the second time that New Zealand has made it to the tournament and it wants to prove it can compete with the big boys. The team, though, has a tough task ahead after being drawn against defending champions Italy, Slovakia, and Paraguay and are,...
This is the second time that New Zealand has made it to the tournament and it wants to prove it can compete with the big boys.
The team, though, has a tough task ahead after being drawn against defending champions Italy, Slovakia, and Paraguay and are, rightly, considered to be the group's weakest team.
But in Ricki Herbert they have a coach who has turned them into a solid unit that can withstand rearguard pressure as they ably showed in the continental play-off to claim the continent's fifth berth.
Squad
Coach: Ricki Herbert
Goalkeepers: James Bannatyne, Glen Moss and Mark Paston.
Defenders: Andy Boyens, Tony Lochhead, Ryan Nelsen, Winston Reid, Ben Sigmund, Tommy and Ivan Vicelich.
Midfielders: Andy Barron, Leo Bertos, Tim Brown, Jeremy Christie, Aaron Clapham, Simon Elliott, Michael McGlinchey and David Mulligan.
Strikers: Jeremy Brockie, Rory Fallon, Chris Killen, Shane Smeltz and Chris Wood.