The coach of the national side, who will name his team for the Nations Cup on Thursday May 12 at QBE Stadium in Albany, is excited about his first competition with the All Whites which will be played from May 28 to June 11 in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.
The greater training squad will assemble in Auckland on Monday May 9 for a week-long training camp ahead of traveling to Brisbane on Saturday May 14 for a training camp and fixtures.
“This Nations Cup is what the team and I have been working towards for the past 18 months,” said Hudson. “Our goal is to get to Russia and this is the first step towards making that a reality.”
The All Whites, who defeated Oman 1-0 in their last international friendly, will play three training game fixtures in Brisbane against teams competing in the Queensland National Premier League.
These fixtures will be against Western Pride FC, Redlands United and Brisbane City, and Hudson is pleased with the build-up to his first OFC Nations Cup in charge.
“We need three games in this period, so everyone can get game time before going to Papua New Guinea. We also need to acclimatise to the conditions which is why Brisbane will be perfect for us, and we want as many days on the training pitch as possible, hence why are we staying in one place and reducing any unnecessary travel time.
“Speaking to the players they are very excited about getting into camp, what is coming up and building on our preparation to qualify for the FIFA World Cup in 2018. Our road to Russia begins now.”
The OFC Nations Cup will be the 10th edition of the championship.
The winner of the OFC Nations Cup will qualify for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia.
Story courtesy of New Zealand Football

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