Town defender Tommy Smith has been confirmed as New Zealand’s captain for tonight’s World Cup play-off first leg against Mexico at the 105,000-capacity Estadio Azteca (Premier Sports, Sky channel 428, 8pm).
Coach Ricki Herbert revealed that Smith would be taking the armband in place of regular skipper Winston Reid with the West Ham man out with an ankle injury.
"The experience Tommy has from international level, the club he plays for and the level he plays at serves him well and he will bring those qualities to the side," Herbert said.
"But it won't all fall on one person's shoulders; we expect to have 11 leaders out there together."
Smith will be winning his 26th full cap as he and his All Whites team-mates - who will be in their second strip of all black this evening - look to qualify for the World Cup for the second tournament in a row having been unbeaten as they were eliminated at the group stage in South Africa in 2010.
The 23-year-old, who also played at last summer's Olympics, would be the first current Town player to play at successive World Cups since Terry Butcher appeared for England at the 1982 and 1986 finals.
New Zealand won the Oceania qualifying group, while the Mexicans were fourth in the CONCACAF region during a turbulent campaign with current manager Miguel Herrera their fourth in two months. There is no place in his squad for ex-Town loanee Giovani Dos Santos with no Europe-based players called up.
The second leg will be played at Wellington’s Westpac Stadium next Wednesday. Town boss Mick McCarthy already views Smith as a doubt for the Leicester match a week on Saturday with the defender not due back from that game until the day before the Foxes' visit.
Meanwhile, Town academy keeper Michael Crowe — who celebrates his 18th birthday today — will be on the bench for Geraint Williams's Wales U19s later this morning when they take on hosts Georgia in the first game of their UEFA European Championships qualifying mini-tournament in Tbilisi.
All Whites: 1-Glen Moss, 3-Tony Lochhead, 5-Tommy Smith (C), 7-Leo Bertos, 8-Michael McGlinchey, 15-Ivan Vicelich, 16- Jeremy Brockie, 17-Kosta Barbarouses, 20-Chris Wood, 21-Jeremy Christie, 22-Andrew Durante. Subs from: 2-Jake Butler, 4-Ben Sigmund, 6-Bill Tuiloma, 9-Shane Smeltz, 10-Rory Fallon, 11-Marco Rojas, 12-Tamati Williams, 13-Chris James, 14-Storm Roux, 18-Craig Henderson, 19-Aaron Clapham, 23-Jacob Spoonley.