Teen, keeper called into All Whites squad
- Dave Worsley
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
All Whites head coach Darren Bazeley has made two youthful additions to his squad to face Australia’s Socceroos over two games this month.
Wellington Phoenix’s 17-year-old attacker Luke Brooke-Smith, and Ipswich Town’s 20-year-old goalkeeper Henry Gray, called up to replace Liberato Cacace and Alex Paulsen.
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Cacace has had to withdraw from the squad due to still managing his return to play following injury, while Paulsen will be remaining with his new club Lechia Gdańsk to settle into the side following his late move on loan from AFC Bournemouth.
Bazeley has opted to give both young players the opportunity join the squad ahead of the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2025 kicking off later this month in Chile:
“Henry and Luke are players we very much see as future All Whites so when it came to looking to name replacements for Libby and Alex, we saw it as a great opportunity for them both, especially with them being part of the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
“Both have earned this opportunity with really strong performances with their clubs, and while both are young, I have no reservations about them having something to offer at this level.
“Henry has been in squads with us previously but this will be the first time for Luke so I look forward to welcoming him to the All Whites and giving him the opportunity to show what he can do.”
The All Whites face the Socceroos in a two-leg home-and-away series for the historic Soccer Ashes trophy, first at Canberra’s GIO Stadium on Friday 5 September (KO 9:45pm NZT / 7:45pm local), followed by a homecoming match at Go Media Stadium in Auckland on Tuesday 9 September (KO 7:00pm NZT).
The winner will be decided by the aggregate score across both matches, with the second leg going directly to penalties at the end of 90 minutes in the event of a tie.
