The excitement is building as we get closer to opening match of the 2010 World Cup. The Great Tournament is less than two weeks away and the anticipation of the 1st African World Cup is building, its going to be great. We continue on to Group F with Oceania's representative, New Zealand.

OFFICIAL NAME: New Zealand Football



NICKNAME: All Whites

FIFA CONFEDERATION: OFC (Oceania)

FIFA CODE: NZL

HOW THEY QUALIFIED: Won Oceania WC qualifying group and def. Bahrain in 2-leg playoff.

WORLD CUP APPEARANCES (INCLUDING 2010): 2

BEST WC FINISH: Eliminated in Group Stage, Spain 1982

WORLD CUP RECORD (MP: Wins - Draws - Losses): 3:0W - 0D - 3L

HEAD COACH: Ricki Herbert

MOST CAPPED PLAYER (# of caps): Ivan Vicelich (66)

ALL-TIME GOAL SCORING LEADER (# of goals): Vaughan Coveny (28)

BRIEF FOOTBALLING HISTORY:
New Zealand became the dominant force in Oceania after Australia joined the Asian Football Confederation. The All Whites 1st appearance in the World Cup was Spain 1982 and they needed a dramatic playoff win against China to make history. 28 years later, it happened again this time against Bahrain in another playoff. New Zealand has yet to win a match in a World Cup or Confederations Cup.

PLAYER TO WATCH:
New Zealand will look to a young playmaker from the A-League to help spearhead its attack, his name is Jeremy Brockie.
(Photo By NZSoccer.com)
Brockie is a veteran of New Zealand's Under-20 and Under-23 teams and wears the #10 shirt for Newcastle Jets of the A-League. Brockie is seen as a rising star in New Zealand football and made the WC squad despite breaking his leg in an A-League match in January.

OUTLOOK:
New Zealand might be the biggest underdog in this World Cup and it will be a massive accomplishment if they can get a point from a team in this group. If they manage to shock the footballing world and advance out of the group, The All Whites would instantly become the sentimental favorites.

FINAL 23-MAN WC ROSTER:
Goalkeepers:
James Bannatyne (Team Wellington), Glen Moss (Melbourne Victory/Australia), Mark Paston (Wellington Phoenix)

Defenders:
Andy Boyens (New York Red Bulls/USA), Tony Lochhead (Wellington Phoenix), Ryan Nelsen (Blackburn Rovers/England), Winston Reid (FC Midtjylland/Denmark), Ben Sigmund (Wellington Phoenix), Tommy Smith (Ipswich Town/England), Ivan Vicelich (Auckland City)

Midfielders:
Andy Barron (Team Wellington), Leo Bertos (Wellington Phoenix), Tim Brown (Wellington Phoenix), Jeremy Christie (FC Tampa Bay Rowdies/USA), Aaron Clapham (Canterbury United), Simon Elliott (unattached), Michael McGlinchey (Motherwell/Scotland), David Mulligan (unattached)

Forwards:
Jeremy Brockie (Newcastle Jets/Australia), Rory Fallon (Plymouth Argyle/England), Chris Killen (Middlesbrough/England), Shane Smeltz (Gold Coast United/Australia), Chris Wood (West Bromwich Albion/England)

WC GROUP SCHEDULE:
June 15 vs. Slovakia
June 20 vs. Italy
June 24 vs. Paraguay

Group F Breakdowns continue with Paraguay