Tommy Smith may have an English accent but he spoke for generations of New Zealand soccer players when he expressed his delight at the prospect of facing world champions Italy on Monday morning.
The politely spoken 20-year-old Ipswich defender said: "You grow up as a lad, and you watch the
Italians, the Brazilians, and want to ... test yourselves against them. It's a dream come true for me, as it is for all the lads."
He said the All Whites would not be over-awed facing the world champions and four-time winners of the World Cup.
"We've got nothing to lose. Nobody is expecting anything from us. We're just going out there to prove to ourselves that we can cope against the top level teams," he said.
English-born Smith, who lived in the Bay of Plenty and Auckland, joined the All Whites campaign after they qualified for the Cup.
He said family had kept him up to date with the World Cup fever in New Zealand.
"My sister and brother are out there so they are telling me about all the hype - it sounds pretty amazing back there."
Coach Ricki Herbert said he hoped New Zealand Football could arrange a top-class international fixture to help ride the wave of soccer enthusiasm, and put more money in the coffers.
"This is not just about the team - it is about the country's support, the fans, the kids."
