National hero Winston Reid is relishing his return to New Zealand duty and the opportunity of leading his country to just their third-ever FIFA World Cup finals.
The West Ham United defender is set to make his first appearance for the All Whites since October 2017 when Anthony Hudson’s side tackle Japan in an international friendly in Nagoya on Friday at 11.20am BST.
The game will not only present a testing challenge for Reid and his compatriots, but also serve as a warm-up for New Zealand’s mouth-watering two-legged FIFA World Cup Intercontinental Play-Off with the fifth-place South American nation in November.
For the Auckland-born Hammers centre-half, who scored his country’s first-ever World Cup finals goal in 2010, the prospect of helping New Zealand qualify for Russia 2018 is an exciting one.
That is what we are all looking forward to most, going out there and having a chance to qualify for another World Cup
“I haven’t been home for a while now so I am very much looking forward to that,” said Reid, who has 21 caps to his name. “It is all about preparation now and getting this team in the best possible shape so we can approach [the Intercontinental Play-Off] the right way and get a good result.
“When you play against good quality opposition it is only going to help you. We will approach Japan in the right way. We will have a game plan and we’ve had some good sessions to be ready for Friday night. This will lead us into the next window well which is the most important one.
“Anytime you have a sporting event like this, there is always good support from the people back home and I am sure this time around it will be no different. The main focus for us as a group is to prepare properly and use the time that we have together wisely.
“First and foremost we want to qualify and we know that we have to do that as a group. That is what we are all looking forward to most, going out there and having a chance to qualify for another World Cup. We missed out last time so hopefully we can go one better this time.”
While Reid has been absent from the New Zealand squad in recent months due to injuries, including missing this year’s FIFA Confederations Cup after undergoing surgery to rectify a long-standing leg problem, he has been impressed by the improvements made by his national team in that time.
“Things have been improving since Anthony [Hudson] came in. Every single time I come back into the camp, things seem to have improved a little bit more so it is good to see that there is a progression in this group and hopefully that will continue.”
Reid is one of five England-based players in the New Zealand squad, with Burnley striker Chris Wood, Sunderland pair Michael Woud and defender Sam Brotherton and Ipswich Town forward Monty Patterson being the other four.