Musa comes in from wilderness

It has been a good few days for Kiwi footballer James Musa.

Able to play as a holding midfielder or centre-back, Musa was confirmed yesterday as the replacement for injured defender Tommy Smith in the All Whites squad for next month’s World Cup qualifying tie against the Solomon Islands.

The announcement came on the back of a big weekend for the 25-year-old, who locked in a contract with Major League Soccer side Sporting Kansas City on Saturday and made his debut the following day, playing the full 90 minutes.

All Whites coach Anthony Hudson said the loss of Smith for the Oceania confederation final playoff matches with the Solomons presented a good chance for Musa.

‘‘James is a good player, he’s been in our environment before and we’ve been keeping track of him since then.

‘‘He’s been in touch with me for a long time. We met on our tour of the States and he’s always shown a lot of desire to be given a chance and his patience has now paid off.’’

A former New Zealand under23 and under-20 representative and a member of the country’s team at the 2012 London Olympics, Musa’s recall to the national senior squad ends an absence of almost three years.

However, that absence is not entirely down to performance. English-born before moving to New Zealand aged six, Musa was one of several players affected by the 2015 eligibility saga which saw the national under-23 team thrown out of the Olympic qualifying tournament for fielding South African-born defender Deklan Wynne.

New Zealand Football then applied for clearance for around 20 players but in naming his team for the Oceania Nations Cup in May last year Hudson mentioned Musa as one of the players where the eligibility process with Fifa was ongoing.

In November last year, the national body confirmed Musa was still deemed ineligible by Fifa ‘‘at the moment’’, meaning he has since been cleared to return to international duty.

The All Whites begin to assemble in Auckland on August 27 ahead of the first game against the Solomon Islands at North Harbour Stadium on September 1, with the second leg of the tie in Honiara on September 5. The winner of the tie will meet the fifth-ranked South American side in an intercontinental playoff in November for a spot at next year’s World Cup in Russia.