Christie looking forward to reuniting with All Whites

Whangarei's Jeremy Christie can't wait to rejoin the All Whites fold again for upcoming international matches against Honduras and Paraguay following a disrupted season with his Florida clubside the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
The 27-year-old midfielder/defender was part of the unbeaten All White World Cup contingent who stunned their home country with their unprecedented success in South Africa in June.
Christie arrived in Auckland from the United States on Monday to spend a couple of days with his brother and friends in Auckland before heading into camp with the All Whites in Auckland, to prepare for their first international "friendly" against Honduras at North Harbour Stadium on Saturday.
"I was a bit gutted I didn't get to come home straight away with the team when the whole of New Zealand was experiencing a bit of football fever. I was hoping to get back to see the fans but I had to go back to my club ... we're all pretty excited to see not only the fans, but also to see each other again," he said.
During the All White's World Cup campaign, Christie suffered a groin strain, which was aggravated on his return to Tampa Bay, sidelining him for five weeks.
"I just needed to rest it after the World Cup so I missed most of the club season. It was really frustrating after South Africa and being on a bit of a high ... but I am all good now, ready for these two games," he said.
The 21-strong squad contains most of the players who went to South Africa, and the group is a very tight-knit one, Christie said.
"It was pretty special being part of this unbelievable event together and the coaches made it a fun environment for us to be in. We spent six or seven weeks together in South Africa and leading up to it, and usually if you spent that long together you get sick of people but it brought us closer together."
Their unity helped them greatly on the field during the tournament. While they were not as technically brilliant as some of the teams there, the All Whites were reported by Fifa as having the best team spirit on and off the field in their review of the 2010 World Cup, he said.
Although Christie was not sure how much game time he would get against the No52 world ranked Honduras and the No17 ranked Paraguay, he said he had heard coach Ricki Herbert was planning to give the entire 49th-ranked NZ squad a run.
"But at the same time, we want to win the two games ... They will both be tough competition - both teams were at the World Cup and to make it there you have to be strong, especially coming out of South and Central America." Playing two good teams after the World Cup was a huge positive for the All Whites as it would shake any complacency that may have crept into the side.
The All Whites assemble today in Auckland in preparation for Saturday night's match against Honduras at North Harbour Stadium (7.30pm kickoff).