Courtesy: www.nzfootball.co.nz

Eakins delighted with progress

Preparations for a busy 2015 New Zealand international futsal programme kicked off in late April with the first Futsal Whites training camp of the year held at Auckland University.

Nineteen players assembled for eight days under Futsal Whites coach Scott Gilligan, with the aim of making the Futsal Whites squad for the back-to-back Trans-Tasman Cup and Commonwealth Cup series’ in July.

Long-serving Futsal Whites captain Marvin Eakins is delighted with the progress of the squad during the camp and believes the competition for places ahead of this year’s five internationals is greater than ever.

“Some new players have come in this year and added another dimension. Right throughout the week you could see there was a lot of fight and a lot of intensity in the trainings and games, with all players really wanting to be involved in this year’s matches,” he said.

The Futsal Whites international programme kicks off on 8 July with the fourth edition of the annual three match Trans-Tasman Cup against Australia at ASB Sports Centre in Wellington.

In fifteen games since 1992, New Zealand have never beaten the Futsalroos and Eakins says the Futsal Whites are targeting the first game to try and break the losing streak.

“We will certainly have to take our chances, something we haven’t done in previous Trans-Tasman Cups,” he says.

“They are a top thirty side and defensively they’re very tough to break down, so we have to minimise what we give them. Past encounters have shown us that Australia have the ability to score from almost every opportunity they get.”

Immediately following the Australia series is the inaugural Commonwealth Cup, which will feature OFC teams New Zealand and Vanuatu and AFC teams Australia and Malaysia, playing over three consecutive nights, also at ASB Sport Stadium.

New Zealand and Malaysia have met twice before, with one victory each, and with New Zealand winning the most recent encounter 4-1 in Noumea in 2014. Meanwhile New Zealand’s 5-1 defeat of Vanuatu, also last year in Noumea, was their sixth victory over the ‘Futsal Gideons’ in nine matches dating back to 1992.

Eakins says that while the focus for the Futsal Whites is very much this year’s matches, the squad is in good shape as they build towards the 2016 OFC Futsal Championship in Tahiti, a tournament that doubles as the qualifying tournament for FIFA Futsal World Cup Colombia 2016.

“Nine months out from the qualifiers, I would say this is the best prepared we have ever been, and the most depth we have had in the squad. The expertise of Scott Gilligan has also been a huge help in terms of preparation.”

But the Futsal Whites skipper, who could potentially take part in his third World Cup qualifying tournament, feels the competition from the other OFC countries will be even stronger than in previous years.

“Other teams have also been working hard and are building towards next year’s qualifier. Tahiti, for example, recently played France U21 in a two-match series, and it just shows they are serious about getting to Columbia,” he says.

“They’ve been one of the most consistent sides in Oceania and they’ve always been a tough team for us to face. The level overall in Oceania has been growing, so if previous champions Solomon Islands come back into it and New Caledonia can build on their success in last year’s OFC tournament, it will be very tough. Vanuatu also have a lot of skilful players, so no-one can really pick it at this stage.”

Details

Trans-Tasman Cup:
New Zealand v Australia, 8-10 July

Commonwealth Cup:
New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, Vanuatu, 10-12 July







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