Former All White Sean Douglas has been named to replace Stuart Jacobs on the coaching staff with the National U15 side to travel to Italy late this month. Jacobs has withdrawn from the tour for personal reasons, after the recent arrival of his third child. Douglas, a member of the 1999 Confederations Cup squad with 26 appearances for New Zealand, is currently undertaking the International Team Coaching Licence, the highest coaching qualification under the NZS Coaching and Education Scheme. 31-year-old Douglas was amongst the very first to undertake this Licence in September 2003 and will complete his course in September this year. Douglas will be Assistant to Greg Hough, who moves up from Assistant Coach to act as Head Coach of the team as they take on the world’s best at the invitation only Mario Vespignani International Tournament in Rome. The team will depart for Rome on April 30th, from Auckland International Airport. 5th International Mario Vespignani International Football Tournament Civitavecchia, Italy - May 2004 Competing Teams: Parma, Juventus, Lazio, Roma, US Civitavecchiese (all Italy), Maebashi Junior (Japan), Everton (UK), New Zealand. Crowdie
My understanding is that this tournament is always played in Italy with a few foreign teams invited each year. Crowdie
The draw has been made at the 5th U/15 International Mario Vespignani International Football Tournament in Civitavecchia, Italy, with New Zealand pitted up against the host team Civitaecchiese, Maebashi Junior (Japan) and Italian side Lazio. New Zealand Soccer Director of Technical Development Ricki Herbert says all players have trained well and are looking forward to the matches over the next couple of days. Head Coach Greg Hough and Assistant Coach Sean Douglas have had the team working hard since their arrival in Italy, focusing on the 4-3-3 system they will play during the tournament. Tournament Draw (all times are Italian) Group A: Roma Juventus Parma Everton Group B: Civitaecchiese New Zealand Maebashi Junior Japan Lazio New Zealands games are: Tuesday 4th Civitaecchiese Vs NZ at 12:30pm Wednesday 5th NZ Vs Lazio at 10:45 am NZ Vs Maebashi Junior Japan at 6:00pm Crowdie
NZU15 Open International Tournament With A Win New Zealand has opened the 5th U/15 International Mario Vespignani International Football Tournament in Civitavecchia, Italy with a 3-2 win over the host team Civitavecchia. Score: 3 – 2 ( H/T 2 – 0 ) Scoring Details: John Niyonsaba 4th, Thomas Kelly 21st, Patrick Fleming 63rd Conditions: A fine day with a strong breeze blowing straight down the ground. Underfoot conditions were generally good. Coach Report: Greg Hough said “ It was pleasing to see how well the players adopted our International Strategy. Their work in and out of possession has lead to a successful start with the victory over Civitavecchia “. Sean Douglas (Asst Coach) also commented. “The three goals scored were by our three front players, Patrick Fleming, John Niyonsaba and Thomas Kelly. The game pattern allowed three substitutions to be made during the second half, in what was an excellent win at this level of competition”, said Sean. Injury Report: There were no injuries and all players are fit for consideration for tomorrow’s games. Crowdie
Great to hear that New Zealand's team has had a win first up. The Lazio team will give us a good indication of our strength. Good luck !! Goldie Takapuna Soccer
yeah i must be thinking aboot another comp. Anyone know what that was? It was a youth comp played in Adelaide last year.
New Zealand has completed pool play at the 5th U/15 International Mario Vespignani International Football Tournament in Civitavecchia, Italy with matches against Italian giants Lazio and Maebashi Junior from Japan. After a first up victory against the host team, New Zealand began the day with a 2-0 loss against an impressive Lazio side, meaning the final match against Maebashi was in effect sudden death, with New Zealand set to qualify for the semi-finals if they could secure a draw. It wasn't to be though, despite dominating possession and creating the greater number of chances in an impressive performance, New Zealand went down 1-0 to miss the semi-finals on goal difference. Ricki Herbert, New Zealand Director of Technical Development, while disappointed to miss the semi-finals by such a close margin, has been impressed with the overall effort. "What began largely as a step into the unknown has seen a young New Zealand side prove to be highly competitive in a world class environment. Lazio have been the side to impress most, winning all their group matches. These players will learn enormously from the experience, on and off the park. They have played well and represented New Zealand well, on and off the park." New Zealand will now watch the final day of the tournament before departing for home on Friday Italian time. Crowdie
Crowdie, Does this Kiwi team's performance underscore the gap between European football (at this level) versus Oceania, or is it just very specific to this team ?
There is still a gap between the best European players and OFC players at this level but the gap is getting closer. I believe the bigger gap is at senior level. Crowdie
From refugee to star striker John Niyonsaba's inclusion in the New Zealand under-15 soccer side is the stuff footballers' dreams are made of. His remarkable story, leading up to his departure last Thursday to play against top European age-group club sides, is a world away from the life of a typical teenager. At four, he was living in Rwanda during the bloody genocide of 1994, when more than half a million people were slain. His immediate family barely escaped, fleeing the country with just the shirts on their backs. Other family members, including his grandparents, died. After making their way safely to Zaire, John and his parents travelled to Tanzania then settled temporarily in South Africa. Four years ago, John's family were accepted into New Zealand as refugees and eventually settled in Chapel Park. John's talent at football, playing for Papatoetoe junior grades, was soon noticed and he was selected for the New Zealand under-14 side last year. This year John joined Central United's under 19 side and impressed national selectors again at under 15 trials at North Harbour. His reward for representing his newly adopted country for the second time is a trip to an international age-group tournament in Italy, where he'll face the likes of Juventus, A C Roma and Everton. The tournament is preparation for New Zealand's bid to win a South-East Asian regional tournament, where the winner qualifies for the under 15 world championships at Manchester United later this year. John is looking forward to the trip. He sees it as his first step towards playing for the All Whites and becoming a professional footballer. National director of coaching and former All White Ricki Herbert says John has the X-factor as striker. "He's a good goal-scorer and he's very, very quick," Mr Herbert says. "He's also technically very good, which is a big asset, along with his combination of speed and strength." John will be tested against Italian age-group defences which are renowned for being among the best in the world, he says. John's mother, Chantal, is proud of her son's achievement and happy that her three sons are living in safety. Crowdie