MetroFanatic: Let's talk World Cup. You've been a part of the setup in New Zealand over the past couple years -- where do you stand with the national team right now, heading into South Africa?
Andrew Boyens: We haven't really talked about who is going to be starting in the World Cup, and I'm up against some pretty stiff competition in Ryan Nelsen and Siggy (Wellington Phoenix defender Ryan Sigmund). There are a lot of good players on our team that play in some very good leagues. It's going to be tough to push my way into the starting lineup, but hopefully I can do that.

MF: You played the full 90 in the last match against Mexico, how do you feel you did in that match? Was there anything in specific you could take away from that performance, coming against a fellow World Cup participant?
AB: There were 90,000 fans there for one, that was a new experience that we haven't had before! Playing against a quality side like Mexico, the kind of team we'll be up against in the World Cup, I felt we did pretty well, all things considered. Obviously there were a couple things we could have done better, but it was our first outing together in 2010 and it's all part of the process to build up to the World Cup.

MF: In this country, people talk a lot about the national team's performance in the 2002 World Cup being a major catalyst in re-igniting our interest in soccer and in MLS. How do you think participating in the 2010 World Cup will impact soccer in New Zealand?
AB: It's going to be massive. It already has made an impact, just the fact that we've made it. In the qualifying matches against Bahrain, the entire country was behind us all the way. We broke the national team's attendance record, and even our A-League team, Wellington Phoenix, they've broken the club attendance record in the past year. You look at those two things, it shows you that people in New Zealand are interested in soccer, and at the youth level it's starting to get out of control.

MF: Back to the Red Bulls, as someone who played relatively consistently over the past two seasons, could you give us an idea of what changes have taken place under the new regime?
AB: One of the first things that comes to mind is that we've been working more as a full squad than we ever have. We're not just eleven guys, each playing their own game. The structure that's in place allows us to utilize everyone that's on the field, both offensively and defensively. That's what you have to do in football, get everyone involved in the game and have them all on the same page. That's a very positive thing for us going forward.

MF: Now that you've been out on the field for practice, what do you think about the new stadium?
AB: It's amazing. The boys are so stoked that the fans have gotten behind us, we can't wait to have a full house cheering for us this weekend. Hopefully we can put a good product on the field, and from the way things have been going in the preseason I think we're capable of doing that.

MF: Anything you'd like to say to the fans before we go?
AB: We love you! Thanks for coming down, thanks for selling out our first game, and we'd love to see a sellout crowd all throughout the year.