Qatar are funding their own pre-tournament tournament, as preparations for the Under-20 World Cup get into full swing next month.

We are a few kilo-metres from the North Korean border and All Whites coach Anthony Hudson is getting excited.

New All Whites goalkeeper Stefan Marinovic almost gave the game away recently, frustrated at the lack of progress he was making in his career.

Given the situation and the context, New Zealand produced a memorable display in their 1-0 defeat against Korea Republic, one that gives great heart for the future.

The All Whites have been beaten but far from disgraced against Korea Republic, going down 1-0 in Seoul in the early hours of Wednesday morning (NZT).

Themistoklis Tzimopoulos, set to make his international debut against S Korea next week, was plucked from the Greek Super League by All Whites coach Anthony Hudson three weeks ago.

Testing a number of new faces with an expansive squad early in an international coach's reign is not exactly rewriting the manual, writes Steven Holloway.

The All Whites look set to play a glamour friendly against leading Asian nation South Korea.

Ernie Merrick has engineered an amazing turnaround at the Wellington Phoenix who have placed themselves firmly in the centre of A-League title calculations.

Marco Rojas will be moving from Germany in the January transfer window - but is set to remain in Europe, with Switzerland or Spain his most likely destinations.

The All Whites' much-celebrated victory over Bahrain in Wellington, their boarding pass to the 2010 Fifa World Cup finals, is the game Ivan Vicelich recalls most fondly from his long football....

Auckland City coach Ramon Tribulietx was the architect of a significant footballing achievement last week - but will he stay in New Zealand?

The All Blacks set the gold standard among our sports teams for maintaining a tough attitude. They also play with a healthy fear of letting the All Black legacy down.

Ryan Nelsen revealed he would be interested in returning to the All Whites in an off-field role but a busy schedule stands in his way.

Many consider themselves well versed in the game but the New Zealand cricket coach can leave those same people thinking about nuances of knowledge they had never considered.

Marco Rojas insists he has a future with his German club, despite an apparent fallout with senior club figures around the recent All Whites games in China and Thailand.