The All Whites pair of Michael Boxall and Bill Tuiloma have played key roles in earning positive results for their sides in the MLS Is Back Tournament in the United States.

Having worn the captain’s armband in Minnesota United’s opening win over Sporting Kansas City, Boxall again started as the Loons took on Real Salt Lake with a place in the knockout stages up for grabs.

Boxall had to hand over the armband to returning regular skipper Osvaldo Alonso but that did not have an adverse effect on his performance, the centre back picking up man-of-the-match honours in a scoreless stalemate.

While they missed the opportunity to earn an early progression, Minnesota remain in a strong position to complete the job after now posting a win and a draw from their two matches since the competition’s return.

All games are being held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Florida’s Walt Disney World and Boxall has spoken about life in the bubble.

“Some days we’re in our rooms 20 of 24 hours – boredom definitely can set in,” he says.

The 31-year-old has spent much of his downtime in his room playing video games or keeping in touch with his family.

He has found being away from his young daughter particularly tough to take.

“She’s asked and invited me to come back home and play with her almost every time I've talked to her – that’s tough to hear,” he says.

“If I come home with a few Minnie Mouse toys, maybe I’ll get back in her good books.”

The other Kiwis on Minnesota’s books, James Musa and Noah Billingsley, did not take part in the draw against Real Salt Lake with Musa remaining an unused substitute while Billingsley was not named in the match day squad.

The only All White to join Boxall in making an MLS start was Tuiloma, who played the full 90 minutes at centre back as the Portland Timbers secured a place in the knockout stages with a 2-1 win over Houston Dynamo.

Tuiloma nearly marked his first start of the tournament with a goal early on after meeting a free kick from Diego Valeri but his downward header was saved.

Fellow All White Elliot Collier also saw game time, coming on for the last 20 minutes as Chicago Fire fell to a 2-0 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes.

Winston Reid and Deklan Wynne were both meanwhile unused substitutes on opposing sides as Reid’s Sporting Kansas City edged out the Colorado Rapids 3-2 in a thriller. 

Article added: Wednesday 22 July 2020