A professional in w
Joe Bell impressed on his All Whites debut – now he’s eyeing national success in the US, then a pro contract. By Andrew Voerman.
When Danny Hay needed to get more control of the midfield battle against Lithuania last week, he had no hesitation in calling on Joe Bell, for what was just his second All Whites appearance.
Almost immediately after coming on, Bell received the ball inside his own box under pressure from a Lithuanian attacker, but managed to turn and calmly chip it out to left back James McGarry, who won a foul that let the team catch their breath.
It was a small moment in a game filled with plenty of them, but it was also a display of poise that showed why Hay describes the 20-year-old as ‘‘a mature head on young shoulders’’.
Those who have spent time around Bell weren’t surprised by how seamlessly he made the step up from age-group international sides to the All Whites, even though he is still an amateur footballer at the University of Virginia in the United States.
He has now delivered for both Hay and OlyWhites and under-20 coach Des Buckingham this year, suggesting he is potentially a midfielder the national team could be built around.
Bell was taking it all in his stride when he spoke to the Sunday Star-Times in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, two days after making his All Whites debut against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin.
‘‘It was obviously an amazing experience for me, making my debut, and realising the intensity and the level the international game is played at – it’s obviously a little bit different from my college experience,’’ he said.
Born in England, but raised in Wanaka, Bell made his debut in