N.Z. soccer bid taking shape

Press, 21 October 1983, Page 23

N.Z. soccer bid taking shape

The national team is back on the international trail again. DAVID LEGGAT reports on its progress towards Los Angeles.

New Zealand’s Olympic soccer preliminary round has been satisfactorily negotiated. But what lies ahead will offer as stiff a challenge as its tortuous path to the World Cup finals two years ago.

With seven points gained out of a possible eight from its first round games against Japan and Taiwan, New Zealand has every right to be happy with its progress. What was particularly pleasing was its win in Tokyo and sharing the points in an explosive match in Taipei.

The two home wins lift to 12 the number of victories New Zealand has achieved in its last 20 home games. Australia and Taiwan have twice been beaten; the League of Ireland three times; Mexico, China, Indonesia, Fiji and Japan have all suffered defeats.

Now the New Zealanders will rest until early in the New Year — apart from fulfilling fitness schedules — before steeling themselves for the home straight, with Los Angeles beckoning just beyond the finish line. New Zealand’s coach, Allan Jones, has every right to be pleased with the situa-

tion. The standard of the fare dished up by his players has varied from poor right through to its excellent opening half hour against the Taiwanese at Auckland. Reproducing that sort of form on a more consistent basis is Mr Jones’s top priority in the coming months. “Our set piece work is quite good,” he said, “but it needs a bit more sophistication. We’ll be working on a higher level of fitness too, even though we ran both the Japanese and the Taiwanese into the ground.” Defensively, he feels there is a more settled look about the team. Certainly in the opening qualifying game against Japan in Auckland, there were lapses. Ronnie Armstrong made one dreadful blunder, which was efficiently punished, but the two nippy wingers, Yokoyama and Kimura, found enough room to wriggle into threatening positions.

The height of the central

defenders, Ceri Evans and Ricki Herbert, eliminate any aerial dangers, but there is a suspicion that a swift centre forward could pose problems on the ground. In Tokyo, in demanding circumstances when New Zealand’s defence received its sternest test, Evans was “magnificent,” according to Mr Jones.

Where New Zealand was short-staffed was in its attacking options. Billy McClure and Ken Cresswell were used as dual strikers, yet one is a flank midfielder and the other is a midfielder or full-back for Gisborne City. However, both performed admirably — “a superb holding job,” said Mr Jones — especially the skilful McClure, who is a key man at set pieces. Colin Tuaa made his first full appearance in Taipei and looked the part in his brief appearance against Japan in Auckland, where he set up Steve Sumner’s second goal. But again, he is not a genuine front-runner. Steve Wooddin missed the first round through injury. Now fit again, he is sure to return, but Wynton Rufer,

who is making a good fist of European soccer with F. C. Zurich in Switzerland, will be missed.

The second round opponents will not be known, nor will the format, until the Asia-Oceania region meeting in Singapore on December 17. However, with the Oceania chairman being none other than New Zealand’s “el supremo,” Charlie Dempsey, a forceful case will undoubtedly be made out for two tournaments of five teams each — one in Asia, the other in New Zealand. Ten teams from five qualifying groups in the region will advance to the second round. The winners of the subsequent two groups will go to Los Angeles, while the runnersup will play off for the final spot.

Mr Dempsey, a persuasive lobbyist, has done wonders for New Zealand in the past, and he will again be sure to put up a convincing argument. However, he conceded that he will have his work cut out to get a tournament in New Zealand.

“We will need about $400,000 for the air fares and the rest, and I don’t know where we’ll get it from,” he admitted. “But if we have to play a tournament in Asia we can virtually kiss any chance of going to Los Angeles goodbye.”

He was adamant that matches would be played in Wellington and Christchurch. Certainly the prospect of watching New Zealand resume footballing activities with Kuwait or possibly China at Queen Elizabeth II Park in March is appealing. The composition of the two groups depends on the

four uncompleted first round sections. New Zealand will be in with the winners of group one — almost certainly Kuwait, which controversially beat New Zealand, 2-1, at Auckland in the World Cup qualifying series — and group three, which could well be Saudi Arabia, another adversary on the road to Spain, as well as the runners-up of groups two and four, where Bahrain and Hong Kong or South Korea look the logical opponents. China, Qatar, Iraq, Indonesia and Japan might well be the second group. New Zealand would settle for a home and away system for its group, widely accepted as the fairest method.

However, if Mr Dempsey’s eloquence and clout can sway the other nations, New Zealand could be in for a unique late summer footballing feast.