West Ham defender Winston Reid has been named to make his return for New Zealand in next month's World Cup qualifiers against the Solomon Islands.
Reid missed the Confederations Cup after undergoing knee surgery and was also unavailable for the two international windows prior to that tournament.
Winston Reid in action for the All Whites. Photo: Photosport
He will captain the side in the home and away matches in Auckland and Honiara, with the winner of the tie advancing to an intercontinental playoff for a World Cup spot in November.
Coach Anthony Hudson says it's his most experienced squad as Reid teams up with the pairing of Leeds United striker Chris Wood and midfielder Ryan Thomas for the first time as New Zealand looks to book their place in the Intercontinental Playoff in November.
"This is probably our strongest squad and it is great to have Winston back," said Hudson.
"I am pleased because a few years ago the aim was to go into this last stretch [of qualifying] and have everyone available."
Alongside all of the experience, there are two new faces in the All Whites squad with striker Myer Bevan (Vancouver Whitecaps) and goalkeeper Ollie Sail (Wellington Phoenix) hoping to make their debuts for the national team.
It is hoped Bevan can provide some depth at the centre forward position behind Wood, who led the English Championship in goals last season.
Hudson has been impressed by what he's seen of the 20-year-old Bevan so far.
"Myer did really well in the U-20 World Cup and now he is playing professional football and doing well for his club. In our context he deserves a chance. There is a lot that I like about him. Not just as a player, but as a character he has got a great attitude. He is hungry and fearless and I am looking forward to seeing him play.
"Ollie we know. He has been to a few of our camps since I have been here. He is a good young keeper. We wanted to bring Ollie into our environment and see how he is doing."
Hudson has had some time to review the team's effort at the FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia where they lost 2-0 to Russia, 2-1 to Mexico and 4-0 to Portugal. He says were a lot of positives and some good periods of attacking play against world class teams, but they have plenty to work on.
"I am incredibly hard on myself and the team. I have a lot of belief in this team and high expectations. I believe that this team could do some really big things and because of that I came away from the Confederations Cup in Russia disappointed," he said.
"If we tidy a few things up then we could be turning those sorts of performances into results. With a bit of improvement in certain areas we can put ourselves in a position to win against those teams - that is the next step for this team."
All Whites Squad for the World Cup Qualifier against Solomon Islands in September:
Kosta BARBAROUSES Melbourne Victory, Australia, 42 (3)
Myer BEVAN Vancouver Whitecaps, Canada, 0 (0)
Michael BOXALL Minnesota United, USA, 27 (0)
Kip COLVEY San Jose Earthquakes, USA, 11 (0)
Tom DOYLE Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand, 6 (0)
Andrew DURANTE Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand, 20 (0)
Dane INGHAM Brisbane Roar, Australia, 4 (0)
Stefan MARINOVIC Vancouver Whitecaps, Canada, 19 (0)
Michael McGLINCHEY Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand, 48 (4)
Glen MOSS Newcastle Jets, Australia, 29 (0)
Monty PATTERSON Ipswich Town, England, 13 (1)
Winston REID West Ham United, England, 21 (1)
Marco ROJAS SC Heerenveen, Netherlands, 37 (5)
Storm ROUX Central Coast Mariners, Australia, 7 (0)
Oliver SAIL Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand, 0 (0)
Shane SMELTZ Borneo, Indonesia, 57 (24)
Tommy SMITH Ipswich Town, England, 35 (2)
Ryan THOMAS PEC Zwolle, Netherlands, 14 (2)
Themi TZIMOPOULOS PAS Giannina, Greece, 11 (1)
Chris WOOD Leeds United, England, 52 (20)
Deklan WYNNE Vancouver Whitecaps, Canada, 11 (0)
