New York Red Bulls defender Andrew Boyens has been named to the New Zealand 2010 World Cup squad for the upcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
“We are excited for Andy, as he will be able to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Red Bull New York Sporting Director Erik Soler. “He is a top professional and we wish him the best of luck in South Africa.”
“It’s a great honor to represent my country in South Africa,” Boyens said. “I am thrilled to qualify for the final squad and confident that we can perform well in the World Cup.”
Boyens, 26, will leave the Red Bulls starting May 17, as the New Zealand squad assembles in Auckland, New Zealand on May 19. The defender will miss at least four MLS regular season matches; the Red Bulls’ match against the Columbus Crew on May 20 at Red Bull Arena, the Red Bulls’ match at New England on May 29, and the Red Bulls’ matches against the Houston Dynamo and Chivas USA on June 2 and 5 at Red Bull Arena.
The All-Whites will travel to Melbourne, Australia for a match against Australia on May 22. Following the match, the team will travel to Austria for a pre-World Cup camp and will play matches against Serbia and Slovenia. They will arrive in South Africa on June 6 and will participate in Group F with defending champion Italy, Paraguay, and Slovakia. New Zealand’s first match of the tournament is on June 15 against Slovakia, and it faces Paraguay on June 20, before their final group stage match against Italy on June 24. The tournament runs through July 11.
Boyens has 12 caps for the New Zealand national team, and competed in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, starting against Italy and Spain.
Boyens has been among the 18-man matchday roster for each of the first seven regular season matches in the 2010 season for coach Hans Backe, but has yet to appear. Boyens started and played 90 minutes in the Red Bulls’ 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Union in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on April 27.
