Keeper Glen Moss says the All Whites have good firepower and just need to position well and put pressure on Mexico. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Keeper Glen Moss says the All Whites have good firepower and just need to position well and put pressure on Mexico. Photo / Mark Mitchell
All Whites goalie who plays with his head, not his heart, says he won't be so busy against Mexico this time
After enduring one of the worst episodes of his career during the last World Cup qualifying campaign, All Whites goalkeeper Glen Moss has hit the headlines for all the right reasons this time round.
In the midst of a "firing range" at the Azteca Stadium last Thursday, Moss came up with one of the best performances of his career. It was significant.
In the past he might have let the fans (who screamed obscenities, perfectly chorused, every time he took a goal kick) or the hostile atmosphere get to him. Or he might have lost focus as his teammates struggled to keep the Mexicans at bay.
"You learn to deal with pressure over time and that's why goalkeepers play their best in later years," says Moss. "At times in the past I was possibly (a bit immature) but everybody matures with the games they play and the life experiences they have."
During the last campaign he was red carded against Fiji, ultimately copping a four-game ban.
Moss had come onto the international scene in 2006 as a brash, confident keeper with a penchant for flashy saves. He was sometimes guilty of taking risks - one touch too many of a back pass or attempting a spectacular catch when a punch would suffice - but there was no doubt about his ability. Any questions were over his temperament.
"I probably used to play with too much emotion for a keeper," admits Moss. "I needed to rely on concentration and ability and take the emotion out of it. You see footballers all around the world, some of the big mistakes they make are because they are emotional at the time."
Moss knows all about big mistakes. Five years ago in that dead rubber in Fiji he was sent off for abusing the referee, then suspended for both games against Bahrain and the first two matches in South Africa.
"That was an emotional thing," he says. "I said something I shouldn't have. I've learned from that and now I don't say too much to referees."
The situation was exacerbated when New Zealand Football "forgot" to appeal against the sentence within the required window, leaving Moss with the harsh ban.
"I didn't get an appeal" says Moss. "(NZF) have apologised and moved on and hopefully it will never happen to another player."
Last week Moss demonstrated how much he had moved on. For so long in a duel with Mark Paston, Moss' display showed he had accepted the mantle of numero uno.
"He was excellent," said coach Ricki Herbert. "There might be people looking at that wondering (what) he's doing in the A League."
"As a team we were too cautious," reflects Moss of the Azteca game. "We weren't going out to challenge them. One of their early long-range shots took me by surprise and hit the crossbar. After that I told (the team) we have to close them down, otherwise it's going to be a firing range."
Moss will be busy tonight, though hopefully not the headline act again. Another solid performance from him - together with a better defensive screen and more verve on attack - should ensure a closer scoreline.
"It's our turn now," says Moss. "We're (at home) and hopefully can throw at them what they threw at us. It's a nothing-to-lose situation as nobody expects us to turn that deficit around."
