Soccer: A feast ahead

By Terry Maddaford

Soccer is set to battle traditional New Zealand summer sports with a hectic domestic and international programme.

The Football Kingz will carry the local flag in tripping back and forth to play their Australian Soccer League games. The international schedule will be even busier.

Next month's focus will be on the world under-17 championships, with overseas teams due to start arriving from late next week for warm-up games ahead of the November 10 to 27 tournament.

The build-up to December's Oceania under-23 Olympic qualifying tournament in Auckland is gathering pace, with Auckland-based players due for fitness testing tonight.

National coach Ken Dugdale has taken the overall coaching role for that team, with Ron Armstrong and Ricki Herbert as assistants.

As usual, the preparation will be hindered by having to wait until the last minute to work with overseas-based players.

There could be up to eight players coming back to join the final 20-man squad, with Noah Hickey and Paul Urlovic, both with Australian clubs, almost certain to be joined by Ryan Nelsen and Gerrard Davis, at Stanford University, Gareth Rowe (Singapore), Raf de Gregorio (Holland), Kris Bouckenhooge (Belgium) and Joe Murray (England).

There are hopes of two or three games in Thailand as the major build-up, but Dugdale is not holding his breath. It seems more likely that the New Zealand-based players will assemble in Auckland in late November and play games against local sides, including the Kingz.

In the tournament, which starts at Bill McKinlay Park on December 9, New Zealand will play Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea in one pool while Fiji, the Solomon Islands, Tonga and Samoa will play in the other pool.

The semifinals are likely to be played at Mt Smart No 2 and the November 20 final at North Harbour Stadium.

The tournament winners will play the best-performed runners-up from the three groups in the African qualifying round.

With plans to play Brazil in November scrapped, the All Whites, who have now been paid out from their Confederation Cup winnings, are set to play in January.

There are plans to play in a four-team tournament in China on January 13 and 16 with the hosts, Russia and possibly South Korea.

The Koreans are due in New Zealand for two games on January 21, at North Harbour Stadium, and at a venue to be confirmed on January 23.

There was hope of playing at the new Wellington Stadium but the $25,000 asking price ruled that out. The game could now be played in Napier.

The All Whites should also be involved in a four-team tournament in New Zealand in May with English premier league side Middlesbrough and two internationals sides making up the numbers.

"There has been some interest from Egypt and I have also written to Japan and Thailand," said Dugdale. "We have great plans but it is very difficult to get things set in concrete."

The national under-20 side will begin their build-up towards the June-July 2001 world championships in Argentina early next year. It is intended to hold a camp in January to begin preparation for the Oceania qualifying tournament in August.

In June, probably in Tahiti, the All Whites will play the Oceania Nations Cup qualifier with the winners off to the 2001 Confederations Cup.

And, amid all the international matches, the much-awaited national league will kick off in March.