Soccer: Young All Whites show glimpses of potential

New Zealand's Storm Roux is held by Ayanda Patosi during last night's match. Photo / Getty Images

Line-up play like an inexperienced team thrown together on short notice, unfamiliar with each other.

If last night's match was seen as a job interview for interim All Whites boss Neil Emblen, he may face a nervy wait for a call back.

The All Whites, missing five first-choice players, drew 0-0 with South Africa at Mt Smart Stadium in a performance which showed glimpses of potential but, ultimately, ended in a dour stalemate.

Applications for the top job closed last night and despite not applying for the role, Emblen said a good All Whites performance might help boost his chances. They showed periods of promise against a nimble opposition, got lost in patches, but did enough to suggest there is a bright future, with the right coach.

Captain Glen Moss was the only remaining player from the All Whites side that lost 2-0 to South Africa at the 2009 Confederations Cup and said that Emblen was the right man to lead New Zealand into a new chapter.

"For me, Neil is in the role," Moss said. "He has the job and it's up to someone else to knock him off. The last two games he's come in and prepared the team so well. It's a tough decision that New Zealand Football needs to make and I don't think he needs to apply, they can see what he has done."

Individually, some All Whites impressed but, overall, they played like an inexperienced team thrown together at short notice, unfamiliar with each other.

And they were. They had three teenagers, an average age of 23 and four of the starting 11 had a combined seven caps between them.

There were touches of class and composure in defensive possession but too often the script got lost in attack.

Packed with diminutive, exciting attackers, the emphasis for New Zealand was on keeping the ball, creating space and exploiting it. Their style of play is a far cry from Ricki Herbert's era, when a safer, more direct style was preferred.

But too often the final pass was wasted. Marco Rojas, so often noted for his clever and accurate passing, had an off night and the Kiwis rarely threatened in behind.

But when they did it was because of Ryan Thomas, who made his home debut. The 19-year-old has had a breakout year playing in the Dutch Eredivisie with PEC Zwolle and looked a touch sharper and more dangerous than his midfield colleagues.

The defensive naivety that cost the young side four quick goals against Japan was gone. Emblen nominated centre-back Michael Boxall as his top performer and Bill Tuiloma also looked assured, though Tim Payne struggled in a defensive midfield role.

South Africa were a slick, fast outfit.

They were missing nine squad members, but still managed a 1-1 draw with World Cup-bound Australia on Monday and their squad consisted of 11 players who were involved in their recent loss to Brazil in March.

This young team now need more games as they build toward the next World Cup campaign. Sadly, there's not likely to be a game until September and they are still searching for the right man to lead them forward.

Emblen said that if someone tapped him on the shoulder and asked him to be that man, he is ready.

"I'm here, go through the applicants and see who's there. I live two kilometres away from the organisation, so they can come find me and say 'pop into the office if you want to continue talking about it'."