Football: All Whites defender could join Anthony Hudson at Colorado

Tommy Smith. Photo / Photosport.

Another All White could be joining Anthony Hudson at Colorado Rapids.

It's understood that former New Zealand captain Tommy Smith has been offered a deal with the MLS club, in what would be a shock move from Ipswich Town.

Already Hudson has snapped up Kip Colvey and Deklan Wynne from his previous All Whites squads, while former All Whites assistant Darren Bazeley has also made the move to North America.

Ex-All Whites coach Neil Emblen is also expected to join Hudson's staff at the Rapids.

But Smith would be by far the biggest move.

He is the most capped player at Portman Road, with more than 270 games for Ipswich.

And has been at the club for more than a decade, after joining the club as a 16-year-old.

Smith has been a fixture in the time, but hasn't been seen much over the last 12 months.

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Since he returned from a back injury last February he has only made 10 starts for Ipswich, and has been stuck behind other players in the defensive pecking order this season.

Smith didn't feature in Ipswich's 1-0 FA Cup exit at the hands of Sheffield United this morning.

If the move does go through, it would also be another chapter in the remarkable relationship between Hudson and Smith. The coach brought him back into the All Whites fold early in his reign, before saying that he wouldn't be considered again after Smith made himself unavailable for the 2016 Nations Cup.

It looked like Smith would be in international exile for a while, but after the pair caught up for coffee in London in late 2016 Smith was given another chance.

He returned to the fold in March against Fiji – his first match for more than two years - and was a regular for the rest of Hudson's reign.