All Whites (Soccer)

All Whites New Zealand National Soccer Team

The New Zealand national football team, nicknamed the All Whites , is the national team of New Zealand and is controlled by New Zealand Football.

It has reached the World Cup Finals twice, in 1982, but lost all three games and in 2010. Because of the lack of a high-quality domestic league, most talented New Zealand footballers ply their trade in the higher-class leagues of England, the United States, and Australia.

New Zealand usually battled Australia for top honours in the OFC. They won the OFC Nations Cup three times, in 1973, 1998, and 2002. In 2004, however, a 2-2 draw on the final matchday of the Oceania Nations Cup 2004 between Australia and Solomon Islands not only denied them from meeting Australia in the final, but also eliminated them from the 2006 FIFA World Cup. However, with Australia's move to the Asian Football Confederation, New Zealand are now firm favourites to qualify for the final AFC qualifying stage in future World Cup cycles. The white strip was originally based on the colour of England's strip and name is in contrast with the rugby union team, the All Blacks.

In 2010 the team became one of the six teams of all time to have gone through a World Cup Finals series without being beaten but not going on to win the World Cup. The other countries to have achieved this are Scotland in 1974 (Won 1, Drawn 2), Brazil in 1978 (Won 4, Drawn 3), Cameroon in 1982 (Drawn 3), England in 1982 (Won 3, Drawn 2) and Belgium in 1998 (Drawn 3). New Zealand was the only unbeaten team in the 2010 FIFA World Cup as the eventual winners, Spain, lost their opening game to Switzerland.

Home of New Zealand Football

In august 2010 Ricki Herbert the 2010 All Whites World Cup Football coach/manager was voted number 8 in the list of best International Managers by www.suite101.com.

Here is what was said;

Age: 49, Country: New Zealand, Teams: New Zealand and Wellington Phoenix (Australia)

"Ricky Herbert deserves a place in the best football managers ranking due, not only to the All-Whites success at the 2010 World Cup, but to the fact that he is one of the few managers in the world who is coaching two teams at the same time. Herbert has been manager of the Wellington Phoenix in the Australian League since 2007, and he is also in charge of the All-Whites."