World cup 2018

Skipper Winston Reid back for All Whites' World Cup 2018 push
03/08/2017
Richard Wain

Winston Reid's back for the final stages of World Cup qualifying.
Winston Reid's back for the final stages of World Cup qualifying. Photo credit: Photosport
Winston Reid's been named to captain the All Whites again, in the next step in their quest to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Coach Anthony Hudson's got the West Ham defender back on deck for the home and away World Cup qualifiers against the Solomon Islands in September.

Midfielders Bill Tuiloma and Clayton Lewis have been dropped.

The All Whites will be unbackable favourites against the Solomons, especially with Reid back wearing the captain's armband after sitting out the Confederations Cup in Russia because of knee surgery.

"This is probably our strongest squad and it is great to have Winston back," Hudson said.

The West Ham United centre-back will team up with star Leeds United striker Chris Wood and rising PEC Zwolle midfielder Ryan Thomas for the first time.

New Zealand's looking to book their place in the intercontinental playoff in November against the fifth-best South American side - with a place in Russia on the line over two legs.

Two new caps named

There are two new faces in the All Whites squad, with young Vancouver Whitecaps striker Myer Bevan and promising Wellington Phoenix goalkeeper Ollie Sail named to hopefully debut.

Veteran striker Shane Smeltz again bolsters the forward line, while Kosta Barbarouses is in too following a pre-season hat-trick on Tuesday night for his Melbourne Victory side.

But Hudson wants to continue building depth - so he's brought in 20-year-old Bevan.

"Myer did really well in the Under-20 World Cup and now he is playing professional football and doing well for his club... he deserves a chance," Hudson said.

"There is a lot that I like about him. Not just as a player, but as a character he has got a great attitude.

He is hungry and fearless and I am looking forward to seeing him play."

"Ollie we know. He has been to a few of our camps since I have been here. He is a good young keeper. We wanted to bring Ollie into our environment and see how he is doing."

Stefan Marinovic is likely to again pip veteran keeper Glen Moss for the keeper's jersey after some strong performances in the recent Confederations Cup, where they lost 2-0 to hosts Russia, 2-1 to Mexico and 4-0 to Portugal.

Despite the three defeats, Hudson saw a lot of positives - especially some good periods of attacking play against world class teams. But they have plenty to work on.

"I have a lot of belief in this team and high expectations," Hudson said.

"I believe that this team could do some really big things and because of that I came away from the Confederations Cup in Russia disappointed."

"If we tidy a few things up then we could be turning those sorts of performances into results.

All Whites squad for the World Cup qualifier against Solomon Islands in September:

Kosta Barbarouses, Myer Bevan, Michael Boxall, Kip Colvey ,Tom Doyle, Andrew Durante, Dane Ingham, Stefan Marinovic, Michael Mcglinchey, Glen Moss, Monty Patterson, Winston Reid, Marco Rojas, Storm Roux, Oliver Sail, Shane Smeltz, Tommy Smith, Ryan Thomas, Themi Tzimopoulos, Chris Wood, Deklan Wynne.
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