Soccer: Lochhead returns to action

United States-based defender Tony Lochhead will make his much-awaited return to international action when the All Whites play Chile in Rancagua this afternoon.

Lochhead, a standout in New Zealand's otherwise disappointing effort at the 2004 Oceania Nations Cup in Adelaide, missed last year's one-off game against Australia through injury and was unavailable for the two-match home series against Malaysia in February.

All Whites coach Ricki Herbert has named Lochhead at left back with US-based Steven Old at right back. They will flank the experienced centre-back pairing of Danny Hay and Che Bunce who, like Lochhead, had a good Cup tournament in Adelaide.

Team Wellington midfielder Raf de Gregorio too gets his first start since Adelaide when he joins Tim Brown and Jeremy Christie in what can be expected to be a hard-working central midfield trio.

The width will be provided by Noah Hickey and Leo Bertos who will also be called on to support sole striker Shane Smeltz.

Glen Moss will continue his goalkeeping role with Ross Nicholson, whose last international appearance was against the Solomon Islands in a World Cup qualifier in 2001, on the bench.

Herbert has been hamstrung in preparing for this first of two friendly internationals in Chile by the late arrival of Old, South Melbourne striker and the team's most experienced international Vaughan Coveny, and Nicholson, James Pritchett and Paul Urlovic, who could not travel until after Saturday's NZFC grand final.

Pritchett and Urlovic were late replacements for injured Canterbury United players Andy Barron and Jeremy Brockie, who now face a race against time to be ready for the three-match European tour in May-June which includes the game against Brazil in Geneva.

"It has been difficult to work through things," Herbert said from Santiago. "Our hands have been forced a bit in only having 13 players here initially. It has not been easy given we have 12 on the injury list and another half dozen who are not available for these games.

"But the atmosphere here is fantastic. You know you are in a country where football is No 1. Everyone has been very helpful. The staff and some of the players were guests at a top-of-the-table match between Colo Colo and Universidad Catolica last night.

"A couple of the Colo Colo players, who are expected to play against us, were being watched by half a dozen European scouts.

"There has been a lot of interest in the game but we are seen as an unknown quantity. There is added interest in that in future the Oceania champion, which will no longer be Australia, will play the fifth South American team in final World Cup qualification.

"That could well be us playing a team like Chile or Paraguay."

Chile, with its population of 15.8 million, has boundaries with Argentina, Peru and Bolivia in soccer-mad South America and is already confidently eyeing the 2010 World Cup in South Africa after missing out on a playoff spot for this year's finals in Germany by just three points.

Given their home advantage and being 50 or so places higher on Fifa's world rankings, they will start as favourites but Herbert is not fazed.

"To get any result would be huge," he said as the team headed off for a final training session at the Colo Colo ground.

"But we have to take some encouragement from what we did against Australia and Malaysia."