KEY POINTS:
Waitakere United have plenty of international experience to call on as they wind up preparations for tomorrow's opening game against Adelaide United in the Fifa World Club Cup.
While coach Chris Milicich has yet to name his starting XI, there will be a United Nations look to the side who run out on to the National Stadium at 11.45pm (NZ time).
From English-born goalkeeper Danny Robinson to Solomon Islands striker Benjamin Totori, the international flavour is obvious.
Defender Neil Emblen was born in England and played 235 games for Wolves before coming to New Zealand to join the Knights in 2005.
Fellow defender Neil Sykes was born in Doncaster and later played for England Universities before coming to New Zealand in 1999, playing for North Shore United and Central United before joining Waitakere.
Midfielder Paul Seaman was born in Essex and later lived in Wales before heading Downunder.
Fellow midfielder Chris Bale followed the reverse path, born in Wales and playing his football in England before coming to New Zealand in 2007.
Brazilian-born midfielder Adriano Pimenta is now at Waitakere after he played his early football in Brazil before playing professionally in Europe and Japan. Striker Daniel Kopricvic was born in Croatia but has lived more than half his 27 years in New Zealand.
Striker Roy Krishna was born on the Fiji island of Labasa and has played in his country's under-20 and full national side.
Most of the remaining players in the squad Milicich has brought to Japan were born in Auckland, although Allan Pearce was born in Wellington and fellow international Jonathan Perry in Hamilton.
The youngest player in the squad, striker Kane Vincent, 20, was born in New Zealand. His mother is Japanese and his father is a New Zealander.
Waitakere United yesterday won their off-field battle for better training facilities.
Coach Milicich was far from happy at the allotted training ground, describing the pitch "as worse than a No 3 ground at many clubs in Auckland" after training on Monday.
By the time they left for training yesterday, a new ground, admittedly a little further from the team's base at the Tokyo Hilton, had been found.
Before yesterday's sole training session, the team were addressed by a Fifa referee's representative who outlined the policy on fair play.
It will be a costly exercise to ignore his advice.
As well as the two yellow cards or a straight red leading to instant dismissal and a subsequent one-match stand-down, any player guilty of simulation (diving) or holding an opponent will be fined 5000 Swiss francs ($7650).
If five players receive cards (yellow or red) during a match, the team will also be fined the same amount. Having any more players cautioned will incur further fines of 1000 Swiss francs for each transgression.
