Darren Bazeley has been to many youth World Cups.
With the New Zealand U17s, he went to Nigeria 2009, Mexico 2011 and United Arab Emirates 2013.
With the U20s, he went to New Zealand 2015, South Korea 2017 and Argentina 2023.
Now, he’s only a matter of months away from main the All Whites into the 2026 World Cup within the USA, Canada and Mexico – their first since 2010 and solely their third in historical past.
It has been fairly the journey for the 53-year-old from Northampton, who made nearly 300 appearances for Watford between 1989 and 1999.
He later performed for Wolves and Walsall and, after leaving the latter in November 2004, was invited to the opposite facet of the world by former Saddlers team-mate Danny Hay, who had been appointed captain of the newly-formed – and now defunct – New Zealand Knights.
Accompanied by his spouse and two daughters, Bazeley made the journey, open-minded.
“I just fell in love with the place straight away,” the one-time England U21 worldwide tells Sky Sports activities.
“As a family, we’d always planned to probably move somewhere with the sun and the beach, somewhere probably in Europe – and then when we came here.
“They supplied me a contract, all of it labored and we determined to leap and transfer the world over again in 2005. The ladies had been 5 and 7 on the time, so it was a great time to maneuver, nevertheless it’s an extended, good distance – I do not assume you will get any additional away!
The 53-year-old performed for Wolves from 1999 to 2002
“We settled pretty quickly – it’s a beautiful country to grow up and live in.
“We turned everlasting residents after a few years after which acquired our citizenship performed fairly shortly. We name ourselves New Zealanders now. That is house for us.”
Bazeley – who speaks with the twang you would expect of a man that has spent two decades in the country – retired in 2008, after a spell at Waitakere United, who are also no longer in existence.
He had already dipped his toe into coaching during his playing days at Watford, where there was “an actual ethos of gamers giving again”, but it was not long before he started to think about forging a career on the other side of the touchline.
“After I completed taking part in up in Auckland, I acquired a job fairly shortly with, I suppose what you’d name the native FA as a growth coach, and I used to be teaching native groups as nicely
Bazeley earlier labored as assistant to present Thailand head coach Anthony Hudson
“Funnily enough, we were based in the same building as New Zealand Football and after about a year, I got asked if I would help out with the New Zealand U17s, who were training locally, two or three times a week.
“In 2009, that workforce certified for the U17 World Cup and, as a result of I would been serving to out, the coach [Stephen Cain] requested if I would like to return to Nigeria and assist out as an assistant coach. I jumped at that, stayed within the programme and, the next yr, turned the official assistant coach.”
When fellow Englishman – and current Thailand head coach – Anthony Hudson took charge of the senior team, he implemented alignment with the U17s and U20s, which saw Bazeley begin to work with the All Whites for the first time.
That took him to the 2017 Confederations Cup and the intercontinental play-offs for the 2018 World Cup, with a 2-0 defeat to Peru prompting Hudson’s resignation. He took the job at Colorado Rapids, and Bazeley followed as his assistant.
New Zealand had been crushed by Peru of their 2018 World Cup qualifying play-off
By way of a stint in Australia as assistant to former Wales worldwide Carl Robinson at Newcastle Jets, Bazeley was again in New Zealand by October 2020. The aforementioned Hay – then All Whites head coach himself – appointed him as assistant and U20s head coach for a second time.
There was a overview and a restructure following the failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. Hay didn’t reapply for his job and, after a spell as interim head coach, Bazeley was given the position on a everlasting foundation. “It’s been an amazing journey,” he says.
He led the workforce out in his personal proper for the primary time in Auckland on March 23 2023, earlier than a 0-0 draw with China.
“It was something maybe I thought I’d never be in that position to do,” Bazeley provides.
“I’d been involved with the team for a long time and standing for the national anthem – which I’ve done now maybe 140 times across the different age groups – is always an amazing moment.
“I used to be so proud to it for the primary time.”
There have been 26 extra video games since then, of which New Zealand have received 12 and drawn six.
In solely two of the opposite 9 video games have they misplaced by greater than a two-goal margin – 4-1 away to Sweden in June 2023 and 3-0 to Mexico in Pasadena, California in September 2024.
Bazeley respectfully performs down the convenience with which his facet certified for subsequent yr’s World Cup.
They beat Tahiti, Vanuatu, Samoa, Fiji and New Caledonia to take Oceania’s solely assured spot – and did so by scoring 29 objectives and conceding just one.
“They are different challenges,” he insists.
“We were heavy favourites, we had all the possession, we had all the chances and we scored goals. But we knew that was a job we just had to do to be able to put us on that next platform. A new chapter started in June with games against Cote d’Ivoire and Ukraine.
“The onerous factor for us as a nationwide workforce is we do not get many worldwide groups that come and journey to New Zealand to play, so most of our video games are away from house, which makes it powerful with performances and outcomes. However over the previous few years, we have been rising.”
Next up is a friendly against Colombia – ranked 13th in the world – at Inter Miami’s Chase Stadium on Saturday. Three days later, they face 23rd-ranked Ecuador at New York Red Bulls’ Sports Illustrated Stadium.
Solely two of Bazeley’s squad for these video games play of their house nation – Francis de Vries of Auckland FC and Alex Rufer at Wellington Phoenix. Veteran striker Kosta Barbarouses is at Western Sydney Wanderers in Australia, together with Storm Roux, who’s at Central Coast Mariners.
In any other case, the majority of the gamers are primarily based in Europe, together with six who play within the Sky Wager EFL and two in Scotland.
How does he maintain observe?
“I’ve got a really good analyst who’s able to get video footage of pretty much any player in the world and he puts together really good seven or eight-minute video packages for me, so I can watch all the action and know what they’re doing.
Liberato Cacace joined Wrexham from Empoli in the summertime
“I watch a lot of football. Every weekend, I’m watching the Premier League, Championship, MLS, plus I’m watching the A-League. We’ve got players in France, Norway, Denmark, Serbia, Holland, Scotland, USA.
“I do not get to journey an excessive amount of, but when we’re touring in Europe, I will try to tag on video games earlier than or after so I get to see various the environments.
“Last year, we were in Europe and, the week before, we watched Reading and Nottingham Forest, Marko Stamenic when he was at Red Star Belgrade, then Liberato Cacace when he was at Empoli.
“We do not have tons of of gamers – we observe 50, 60 gamers world wide – so once we decide squads, we’re fairly in step with choice and what we have now is that this cohesiveness.
Tyler Bindon – who has 20 caps – is on mortgage from Nottingham Forest at Sheffield United
“A lot of our players grew up together, they’ve got this bond and this understanding and this team camaraderie. They’re so connected when we come together. That’s something we maybe have that’s a little bit different to a lot of other national teams.
“As a result of we have so many gamers that do not reside right here now, once we get collectively in worldwide camps, we spend a variety of time connecting them again to New Zealand and the tradition.
“We’ve got some really good young players that have played together for the last four years and are going to stay together for the next 10 years in the national team, which is amazing for New Zealand moving forward.”
A kind of who is not going to be within the USA this month is Chris Wooden, who misses out with a knee harm.
Chris Wooden has scored a file 45 objectives for New Zealand since his debut in 2009
Bazeley lights up with the point out of New Zealand’s all-time high scorer, with 45 objectives, who wants only one extra cap to bypass Ivan Vicelich’s file of 88.
“From a New Zealand point of view, this might be something that maybe never happens ever again, having a striker who has scored 20 goals in a Premier League season.
“He is such an ideal lad, so humble and an actual Kiwi. He is so keen about taking part in for his nation and has helped put New Zealand soccer on the map. He’s so cherished.
“It’s funny because I don’t think people really grasp what he’s actually achieved. I think people still don’t quite realise how global the game of football is, but it’s changing.”
New Zealand will discover out their opponents and schedule for the World Cup on Friday December 5, when the draw is made in Washington DC.
A primary ever win within the competitors is, naturally, excessive on the agenda – however Bazeley, and all of these round him, needs extra.
“We want to go to the World Cup to do something. We’re not just there to attend. We want to qualify for the knockout phases,” he says.
“To do that, we know we’re going to have to beat teams that are ranked in the top 30, top 40 in the world. We’ve started being able to compete, but we need to take that next step and win, so beating the Ivory Coast was big.
The All Whites beat the Ivory Coast 1-0 in June
“While we know it was just a friendly, that gives everyone the belief we’re heading in the right direction and we can compete with, and beat, better-ranked teams.
“Every part we’re doing every day goes in direction of that first win. We have an ideal marketing campaign plan that we have put collectively and the whole lot we do is now wanting in direction of reaching that consequence.
“We try not to waste any time, any moments. It’s about making sure, when we get to the World Cup, we’re ready to go and perform and achieve what we want to do.”
Bazeley could have labored at six youth World Cups, however he has by no means labored at the World Cup.
“I’ve been watching World Cups since I was six years old – it’s the biggest event in the world and we’re going to be there.
“If I am sincere, I am unsure if it is actually hit house but that we will be on that international stage. It is thrilling and I am unable to wait.”
