Wood out of NZ All Whites, Cacace returns
- Dave Worsley
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
The All Whites squad for this month’s games against Colombia and Ecuador in the USA has been named, with goalkeeper Kees Sims called up for his senior debut.
Sims, who has previously represented New Zealand at age-group level, has recently broken into the first team for his club side GAIS, who play in the Allsvenskan at the top tier of Swedish football.
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Other changes have Liberato Cacace is back from a niggling injury while Storm Roux is in for the injury Ben Waine
The two games against South American opponents mean the All Whites will have faced sides from every FIFA confederation in the build-up to the FIFA World Cup 2026, following on from the 1-1 draw with Norway (FIFA rank 29) and 1-0 loss to Poland (FIFA rank 33), two UEFA sides, last month.
Colombia are 13th and Ecuador 23rd in the FIFA rankings.
All Whites head coach Darren Bazeley said facing top 40 ranked teams is essential in their build up to the World Cup.
“The FIFA World Cup 2026 is getting closer every day, and we can definitely feel the excitement building, so it is great to name this squad ahead of two tough but important games for us, especially as they will give us another taste of playing in one of the host countries.
“We haven’t had the opportunity to test ourselves against South American teams so far this cycle, so this is a great chance to challenge the team against another style of play that we could realistically face next year.
“Especially for the game in Florida, we are expecting vocal local support from the South American communities there, which is another really good challenge.
“I want to congratulate Kees on his call-up for the first time after a breakthrough season in Sweden.
“I have known him for a long time and followed his development, so it is great to reward his effort and bring him into the squad.”
New Zealand will face Colombia on 16 November NZT (15 November local time) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at Chase Stadium, home of MLS side Inter Miami.
Three days later they will take on Ecuador on 19 November NZT (18 November local time) at Sports Illustrated Stadium, home of the New York Red Bulls, in Harrison, New Jersey.
New Zealand squad:
Goalkeepers: Max Crocombe, Alex Paulsen, Kees Sims
Defenders: Storm Roux, Bill Tuiloma; Tyler Bindon, Michael Boxall, George Stanger, Finn Surman; Liberato Cacace, Francis de Vries
Midfielders: Joe Bell, Matt Garbett, Elijah Just, Ben Old, Alex Rufer, Sarpreet Singh, Marko Stamenić, Ryan Thomas
Forwards: Kosta Barbarouses, Andre de Jong, Callum McCowatt, Ben Waine
