Teenage centre back Tyler Bindon named in All Whites squad for October friendlies

Tyler Bindon, the son of former Football Ferns goalkeeper Jenny Bindon, has been named in the All Whites squad for next month’s friendlies against DR Congo and Australia.

The centre back’s stocks have risen rapidly since his debut for English League One club Reading in August and his commitment to New Zealand over the United States moving forward is a major coup for coach Darren Bazeley.

“He’s made it really clear to me that he’s a New Zealander,” Bazeley said on Tuesday. “His heart is with New Zealand. That’s what he has told the US coaches, which they have accepted.”

Bindon joins Fulham midfielder Matt Dibley-Dias in being called up to the All Whites for the first time for next month’s matches, Bazeley’s first since being appointed as coach on a permanent basis, through to the end of their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign.

The inclusion of Dibley-Dias was announced last week, and he has only committed to coming in for the October international window at this stage, as he is also focused on making his English Premier League debut for Fulham and remains eligible to play for Brazil, England and Portugal.

“It’s great to get two young players that are forging their careers at good clubs.

“They obviously had choices around options for who to represent, but they’re players that we’ve been tracking for a while, so to get them to commit to this tour, it’s awesome.

“We’re excited to meet them and we’re excited to get them involved in training and in the games.”

Bazeley was hopeful of bringing Bindon and Dibley-Dias into the fold as his thoughts turned to the All Whites after securing qualification for the Paris Olympics for the Oly Whites earlier this month.

If nothing else, he was looking to meet with the London-based duo while the All Whites were there to play Australia, but he will now have the chance to work with them more closely, starting in Murcia in Spain where the All Whites will face DR Congo in their first match since June.

Former Football Ferns coach Tony Readings has joined Bazeley as a full-time assistant coach for the 2026 World Cup campaign and he said he remembered Bindon from when he was in camp with his mum, Jenny, who won 77 caps during her international career.

“He was always around and you could always see he had a passion for football.

“He definitely had something about him in terms of technique because the ball was always by his feet, so I’m not surprised to see that he’s doing so well.”

Bazeley has opted not to call on any players from A-League Men next month, with the match against the Socceroos for the Soccer Ashes finishing just over 48 hours before the opening round of the new season kicks off.

Midfielder Joe Bell has also made himself unavailable for personal reasons, having recently returned to Norwegian club Viking from Denmark. Goalkeeper Jamie Searle was sounded out with Perth Glory’s Oli Sail not called on, but opted to remain with his English League Two club, Forest Green Rovers.

Goalkeeper Michael Woud, fullbacks Niko Kirwan and James McGarry, midfielder Sarpreet Singh and forwards Joey Champness and Chris Wood are the other new faces from the last time the All Whites were together. Kirwan, Singh and Wood are all back from injuries – Singh and Kirwan’s both long-term.

McGarry is one of three players currently injured, having been withdrawn early in his Scottish club Aberdeen’s match at the weekend with a hamstring issue.

Matt Garbett and Tommy Smith are the others who have missed time recently, but with a fortnight to go until the start of the window, final decisions on their involvement will be made closer to the time, with Bazeley keeping the option of turning to A-League players up his sleeve if need be.

All Whites – October international window

Squad

Goalkeepers: Max Crocombe, Michael Woud, Nik Tzanev

Defenders: Bill Tuiloma, James McGarry, Liberato Cacace, Michael Boxall, Nando Pijnaker, Niko Kirwan, Tommy Smith, Tyler Bindon

Midfielders: Callum McCowatt, Marko Stamenic, Matt Dibley-Dias, Matt Garbett, Sarpreet Singh

Forwards: Alex Greive, Ben Waine, Chris Wood, Elijah Just, Joey Champness, Max Mata

Fixtures

Saturday, October 14, 5am: v Democratic Republic of the Congo; Estadio Nueva Condomina, Murcia, Spain

Wednesday, October 18, 7.45am: v Australia; Gtech Community Stadium, London, England