March 25 (Reuters) - At 36, New Zealand winger Kosta Barbarouses knows time is not on his side as he pushes for one final shot at the World Cup, 16 years after narrowly missing out on the 2010 finals.
Barbarouses scored a goal in the decisive 3-0 win over New Caledonia last year that punched the All Whites' ticket to the tournament, but the veteran with a 70-cap career knows that he's not guaranteed a spot among the squad of 26 that will travel to San Diego, where New Zealand will be based ahead of group stage matches against Iran, Belgium and Egypt.
The Western Sydney Wanderers forward is competing with a crop of young and hungry Europe-based attackers, including Eli Just and Callum McCowatt.
And he comes in after a lean period at club level, having lost his starting spot at the Wanderers, who are bottom of the A-League table in the final weeks of a wretched season.
"It's not going the best for the club as a whole so there’s that. But also I've had three, four years of really good work in club and with the All Whites, which will hopefully make up for it," Barbarouses told Reuters.
"I feel like I’m in a good place."
He has two more chances on home soil to prove his worth before the World Cup, with the world number 85 All Whites hosting Finland at Auckland's Eden Park on Friday before another friendly against 55th-ranked Chile next week at the same venue.
It's a chance Barbarouses doesn't want to let slip again.
SERIES OF FAILED ATTEMPTS
He was part of the squad that qualified for South Africa 2010, but did not make the cut for the tournament itself, being among the reserves in Ricki Herbert's roster.
He was then part of three failed qualifying campaigns for the next World Cups in Brazil, Russia and Qatar, with New Zealand losing intercontinental playoffs on each occasion.
However, this year's 48-team tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico opened the door for New Zealand by giving an Oceania nation a guaranteed berth.
"I'd say it’s probably my fourth attempt realistically to make the World Cup," Barbarouses said.
"The 2010 one was give-or-take. But fourth attempt as an integral part of the squad."
"Just to get there (in qualification) was an amazing feeling," he added. "That's the beauty of football, right? It keeps finding ways to put you down but also to reward hard work."
'A BIT OF REDEMPTION'
Hard work is one thing, but Barbarouses' resilience is another.
Four years ago, he was sent off for a rash challenge during a 1-0 playoff defeat by Costa Rica in Doha, which ended New Zealand's hopes of reaching Qatar 2022.
The red card long haunted him, keeping him up at night, although his goal against New Caledonia in front of ecstatic home fans "did feel like a bit of redemption," he said.
The red card "still crosses my mind, to be honest, but it’s sort of comforting to know we’ve come full circle," he added.
"Anyway, there’s too much to look forward to now to think about it too much."
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by ...)
