Ben Waine of New Zealand celebrates his goal with Ben Old. Photo / Photosport
Recap of the international friendly between the All Whites and USA in Cincinnati.
- Ben Waine scored a late equaliser to secure New Zealand’s second-ever draw over USA.
- USA opened the scoring through AC Milan’s Christian Pulisic
- Fourth game in a row without victory for USA
All Whites captain Chris Wood has issued an ultimatum to his side – it’s time to stand up and be counted.
Ahead of the match with the world No 16 United States on Wednesday (11am NZT), an unusually frank Wood admitted that the team “didn’t turn up” in Sunday’s 3-0 defeat to 17th-ranked Mexico, in a flat display where they struggled to get much going against their highly rated opponents.
It was disappointing – given the rare opportunity to face a top-20 nation, the work that goes into securing such a fixture, the unique chance to play at the Rosebowl and the positive individual trajectories of several players in the current squad – and Wood wasn’t holding back.
Across his tenure as skipper Wood has generally been diplomatic, showing patience and understanding, given the youthful group. But he couldn’t mask his frustration with Sunday’s performance, where the All Whites were a distinct second-best.
Notwithstanding the difference in class, the inability to find their usual zip or verve in possession, along with a lack of defensive solidity, was a step down from recent efforts.
“In international games, you have to turn up first, before you earn the right to play,” said Wood. “Unfortunately we didn’t turn up the way we should have, for whatever reason. We have spoken about what we can do to change it but we need to first apply ourselves right.
“We weren’t at the level that we hold ourselves to and it is right we take the brunt of it and try to go again and become better. There is no shying away from it; we were 5 or 10% off and Mexico punished us. We need to make sure we do what we can right and better than the other day or else we’ll get steamrolled again.”
Wood wasn’t shirking from self analysis, admitting he didn’t perform to the levels which have seen him become a consistent scorer in the English Premier League and accumulate a record 34 goals for his country.
“I didn’t turn up to the full capability of what I can show,” admitted Wood. “You look out there, I was not a Premier League striker that day. So I need to improve myself first and foremost and the other lads will just follow the way that I put myself forward. We all need to raise our game.”
The All Whites have had some decent challenges in the last 12 months – Australia, Greece, Ireland, Egypt and Tunisia – but facing two nations ranked inside the top 20 in the space of four days, in front of partisan crowds, is the biggest yet.
“We know we can compete against these sides [but] we didn’t show it [on Sunday],” said Wood. “We’ve shown it against top-40 teams but the top 20 is a step up. This is one of the most talented groups we have had in a long time but we need to start showing it.
“We are competing against big teams but we are not getting the results. But we can. We need to show the world and the public what we are capable of and what we believe in ourselves to be able to do.”
The once-mighty English club has warmed to its unlikely saviour.