History repeating as All Whites goalkeeper Max Crocombe given chance to impress
Max Crocombe is likely to be the All Whites' first-choice keeper in India.
Could history be repeating with the All Whites goalkeeping role?
A stopper playing well down the grades in Europe is handed a start with other, more experienced options either injured or ignored and performs to the point where he can't be dropped. It's what happened with Stefan Marinovic three years ago, and now Max Crocombe finds himself with a similar opportunity.
The 24-year-old was given his first cap by new coach Fritz Schmid in his first match in charge, a loss to Canada in March, and is likely to be the first-choice keeper at the Intercontinental Cup in India, which begins for the All Whites on Sunday [2.30am NZ time] with a match against Kenya.
Crocombe has benefited from the fact that Marinovic now plays for the Vancouver Whitecaps in Major League Soccer, so was unavailable in March and for this tournament, and he now has a chance to try to accomplish what his predecessor did back in 2015.
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Marinovic has built up a lot of credit - his saves prevented embarrassment for the All Whites at last year's Confederations Cup and kept them alive in their World Cup qualifying playoff with Peru last November - so unless his form implodes in MLS, he should walk right back in when the time comes, but while he's not involved, others have the chance to make a good impression.
In Auckland for a training camp last week, Crocombe acknowledged the similarities between the two, but wasn't getting too far ahead of himself: "To be honest, it's just an honour to play and you kind of take it as it comes. As I've learnt in football ... you just focus on yourself, play well, and then everything kind of falls into place as a result of that".
Crocombe has just finished a season in the sixth tier of English football with Salford City - a club half owned by former Manchester United stars Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Phil Neville and Paul Scholes - where he was a regular starter as they won promotion.
Last October, he was sent off for urinating during a match - an incident that made headlines around the world, ensuring that if anybody looks him up on the internet, it will be one of the first things they find.
Stefan Marinovic established himself as the All Whites' first-choice keeper under Anthony Hudson.
He apologised at the time, and seven months on, he looks back on it as something "blown out of proportion", but also "character building".
"At the end of the day, if it's entertained people, it's entertained people. If it's offended people, then sorry," Crocombe said. "The vast majority of people saw it for what it was, and saw a bit of humour in it. I'm a certain character and you have to be a character in this sport or you don't survive. For a couple of days it wasn't funny, but you end up being able to look back and say it is what it is and move on."
Crocombe is one of 18 players with fewer than 10 caps in the current All Whites squad, and in India they will all be out to prove they should be included again down the line.
"To get experience you have to play, so the ones in the squad now will be becoming more experienced because of this tour," Crocombe said, ahead of an assignment where he is joined by teenager Michael Woud and 21-year-old Nik Tzanev, both uncapped, in the goalkeeping ranks.
"It's a really exciting tour. It's a young squad, but I think the main thing we're looking for is just another progression from where we were against Canada."
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