Soccer: Reid completes jigsaw but puzzles remain

Winston Reid. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Mystery man Winston Reid finally joined his World Cup-bound All Whites teammates, hitting the training field just five hours after arriving in Auckland from London.

The jigsaw was complete, but the puzzles remain.

Little surprise that the 21-year-old looked scratchy among unfamiliar teammates at North Harbour Stadium. He and the other rising defender, Tommy Smith, were placed alongside captain and fellow central defender Ryan Nelsen when the squad split into three.

Coach Ricki Herbert said he is likely to stick with three at the back - like the qualification matches against Bahrain - when the All Whites play Australia at the MCG on Monday night.

Attention will centre on what roles Smith and Reid are given, and whether Leo Bertos is given defensive duties as a wing-back again.

The official photo session touched farce through a shortage of ties, and the knotty problem facing Herbert is which two out of four contenders will flank Nelsen.

Nelsen had Ben Sigmund on his right and Ivan Vicelich on the left against Bahrain. Herbert now has highly rated youngsters to consider in Smith on the left and the 1.9m Auckland-born Reid on the right.

Travel delays hit the Denmark-based Reid but he is match fit, his league season finishing on Sunday, and he will have four further training sessions including one at the MCG on Sunday night.

Herbert played Smith and Chad Coombes on far less preparation against Mexico in Los Angeles so Reid is right in the frame.

Sigmund, who was far from impressive in the final low-level trial game at Albany, has had the added business of the premature birth of his baby at Wellington Hospital.

Under the circumstances, Reid could have a blow torch entry into international soccer to quickly establish a combination with Nelsen.

If you were betting on one significant World Cup change, it would be that Reid - a target of Italian clubs - takes Sigmund's spot.

Sigmund is a dogged defender, but far from elegant moving forward and Reid, a Danish under-21 representative, offers more in the air.

The decision on the left looks tougher, where Vicelich has major experience internationally and in the Dutch first division, and remains a poised reader of the game.

Since Reid became available to New Zealand, there have been whispers he is an option in a battling midfield, although the player repeatedly states his midfield days are long gone. This may seem like a long shot, but as with many World Cup teams, there is always the prospect of surprises along the way.

The team leaves for Melbourne tomorrow evening after a public autograph session at SkyCity, starting at 1pm.