Ryan Nelsen's legacy and a Nelsen-less All Whites

New Zealand All Whites defender, captain, and presumably former captain, Ryan Nelsen, has just announced that he will become the new head coach of Toronto FC in the MLS (Major League Soccer). It will likely mark the end of his international career for New Zealand, which dates back to 1999. I have no doubts of his coaching abilities as he has spent the majority of his professional career as a leader on the field.

I know very little about Nelsen's club career in the English Premier League, since I do not follow that league very closely. However, his time and influence in that environment cannot be ignored, so I will touch upon it in a timeline fashion.

Formerly, Nelsen began his career in his city of birth, Christchurch, before being signed by D.C United in the MLS at the tender age of 24. He would then go on to make 81 appearances over a four year period. Nelsen was then freely transferred to Blackburn Rovers in the EPL on a short term deal in 2005, but his quality in central defence soon saw him given a long-term contract at the club, as well as the captaincy. Nelsen's popularity and influence continued to grow at Blackburn as the years went by. He earned himself just over 200 caps and scored a handful of goals. The most memorable for me was his first against Wigan in 2009 after a four year wait.

Nelsen in action for Blackburn, planning his next defensive move

The sacking of Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce, who had spent three years at Blackburn, in 2010, accompanied with the loss the captain's arm band, could have influenced Nelsen's free transfer to Tottenham in early 2012. Nelsen managed only several games for Harry Redknapp's side, and later on that year signed a one-year deal with struggling Premier League side Queens Park Rangers, again linking up with former Tottenham coach Redknapp.

His stay at QPR has been interrupted by his decision to coach Toronto F.C. Whether Nelsen decides to fulfil his playing days at QPR remains to be seen. The 2013 MLS season starts in March, therefore it would be hard to see Nelsen giving his full attention to helping QPR avoid relegation from the EPL. I don't mean that in a harsh way. Nelsen is not getting any younger and injuries can occur at any time. He even said himself his knees sometimes feel like "glass." If Nelsen does decide to finish the season with QPR, he would be absent from the early stages of the 2013 MLS season and this could be met with skepticism from Toronto F.C. fans.

As I stated above, Nelsen's time spent wearing the white shirt for his country was where I became familiar with him the most. I will never forget the role he played in the 2002 Oceania Nations Cup final where he scored the sole goal in New Zealand's 1-0 over Australia (Australia were previously part of the Oceania Confederation and have since joined Asia). His goal allowed the All Whites to participate in the 2003 Confederations Cup. Fast-forward several years, and Nelsen was once again influential in guiding his country to victory in the 2008 OFC Nations Cup, cementing New Zealand's spot in the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa, which Nelsen unfortunately did not participate in. One of the defining moments of Nelsen's career came when he led his side to victory over Bahrain in a two-legged World Cup qualifying playoff in October-November 2009, enabling the All Whites to qualify for their first world cup since 1982.

Nelsen brushes off another defender, this time for New Zealand against Bahrain in 2009

The qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup offered Nelsen, and his countrymen, an opportunity to impress on the world stage against some of the heavyweights of international football. They did everything but embarrass themselves. A stoppage time equaliser against Slovakia in their first match was followed by a 1-1 draw against defending champions Italy. In this memorable game, Nelsen played arguably his best, certainly most important, role in an All Whites shirt, teaming up extremely well with his fellow defenders and goal-keeper Mark Paston in stifling the continuous Italian attack. Their third and final game was against the impressive Paraguay, but this match also finished in a draw, this time 0-0. Nelsen was again a key figure in a staunch New Zealand defence. Unfortunately, their three draws saw them harshly bundled out of the competition in the group stage, with three points, undefeated. But without doubt, Nelsen and his troops did the country proud with not losing a game when the odds were completely against them.

Heartbroken but proud: Nelsen is consoled by coach Rickie Herbet after the 0-0 draw with Paraguay.

Back to the present, the All Whites are currently at the final stages of completing the Oceania phase of qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. They sit top of the group on 12 points, 3 clear of New Caledonia in 2nd place. New Zealand host New Caledonia in their penultimate game of the competition, and assuming they win, will progress to the two-match, intercontinental playoff against the fourth-ranked CONCACAF team in November 2013 (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football). That team will be confirmed in mid-October at the end of CONCACAF's fourth qualification phase, and based on current rankings would likely be either Jamaica, Panama, Costa Rica, or Honduras.

But vitally, can the All Whites qualify for the next world cup without Ryan Nelsen? It will be hard, but definitely possible. Statistics do show that the All Whites have a better winning percentage when Nelsen is lining up in central defence but if we look at the current crop of defenders there are some very promising signs.

Winston Reid

Young defending duo Winston Reid and Tommy Smith - the later taking the captaincy of late when Nelsen has been unavailable - play in the Premier League and Championship (2nd tier English league) respectively, and Reid especially has been very impressive for West Ham this season. Tony Lochead, who plays under All Whites coach Ricki Herbert for the Wellington Phoenix in the Hyundai A-League, has  been a loyal servant for the national side over the years, but I have my doubts as to whether his best days are behind him. 23 year old Ian Hogg, who scored in an impressive debut for the All Whites against El Salvador in May 2012, has just signed for the Phoenix and will rival Lochead for the same position. Let's not forget the hard-nosed Ben Sigmund, who also plays for the Phoenix as a defender.

You could argue that the fate of the All Whites rests partly in the hands of Phoenix captain Andrew Durante. Although Durante was born in Australia, the closest he has got to playing for the "Socceroos" was being selected in a 2010 squad, and since he has not actually represented Australia on the pitch at the highest level, he will become eligible to play for New Zealand in a few months after living in the country for the required 5 years. Durante has previously said that he would "never say no" to playing for his adopted country, but gave the impression that, if picked for Australia, he would rather play for his country of birth. However, Durante has recently said that he feels at home in New Zealand and that, regarding playing for the All Whites, it "feels right."

Marco Rojas

Even if the hole left by Nelsen's departure is too big to fill up, the options up front and in midfield are plentiful. Marco Rojas is going from strength to strength for the Melbourne Victory, in the goal-scoring and assists categories. Jeremy Brockie's move to the Phoenix has worked wonders and he is in the running to become top scorer for the 2012/2013 season. Michael McGlinchey's influence at the Central Coast Mariners has helped them to top of the A-League ladder, and even Shane Smeltz has found some much needed goal scoring form with an impressive double in a 2-2 draw for Perth Glory against Sydney FC last week. In Europe, Kosta Barbarouses' form for the Brisbane Roar and Russian side Alania Vladikavkaz saw him pick up a loan deal with high-profile Greek club Panathinaikos, and Chris Wood has struck a recent purple patch with Milwall and Leicester City. Essentially, the All Whites might have a better all-round team than they did back in 2009/2010.

To conclude, regardless of how well this All Whites team performs in the near future, Ryan Nelsen's 49 appearances and 7 goals for his country, his leadership and defensive attributes that were so crucial at the previous world cup and several qualification tournaments over the past 14 years, will probably never be replicated. A man of enormous stature, a proud New Zealander who stopped countless attacks over the years at all levels of football, Ryan Nelsen, I salute you - a true legend of New Zealand sport.You will be missed.