The defender Steven Old has been called to replace the injured All Whites captain Ryan Nelsen in the side's first football World Cup warm-up match against Mexico next week.
Nelsen faces four to six weeks on the sidelines after he hyper-extended his knee in Blackburn's 3-0 English Premiership win over Bolton on the weekend.
The All Whites coach Ricki Herbert says Old was the logical choice to provide cover for a defence missing Nelsen and the suspended Ivan Vicelich.
New Zealand will meet Mexico at Pasadena in the United States next Thursday.
