The All Whites captain Ryan Nelsen has been forced to withdraw from the side's upcoming World Cup qualifiers in the Solomon Islands because of injury.
Nelsen, who plays for Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League, suffered an ankle injury towards the end of the season and will be out for four weeks.
The All Whites coach Ricki Herbert met with Spurs medical staff recently while in London and says Nelsen needs to rest the ankle and to play him would only risk greater long-term damage.
Nelsen will also miss next week's two warm-up matches against Honduras and El Salvador in Texas.
Herbert has added the uncapped Auckland City duo of Ian Hogg and Adam McGeorge to squad.
Dan Keat, Chris Killen and Winston Reid will also miss the Honduras and El Salvador games because of club committements.
Those games fall outside the FIFA international window and clubs don't have to release players.
The first game against El Salvador is on Thursday.
