Another late addition to the New Zealand squad, the England youth international debuted at full-back for New Zealand in the friendly against Mexico in Pasadena in March. Mexico claimed a 2-0 win with Smith playing a full 90 minutes in front over 90,000 fans at the Rose Bowl.<\/P>
The England-born Smith arrived in New Zealand with his family in 1998 at the age of 8, and the youngster soon made an impression becoming part of the national youth development systems. The left-footed Smith returned to England and is a product of the Ipswich Town academy where he signed a three-year professional contract in August 2007 at just 17.<\/P>
After a loan spell at Stevenage, Smith debuted for the Ipswich senior team in August 2008 but a broken ankle ended his season prematurely. He then played some early matches during Roy Keane’s tenure as manager before a hand injury saw him out of the game for an extended period once again. A successful two-month loan spell at Brentford concluded with Smith returning to Ipswich in March just after his international debut.<\/P>
Smith will add depth and variety to the New Zealand backline with the youngster capable of playing either at left-back or in a central-defensive role. Smith, who has the intriguing middle name of Jefferson, is likely to be the second youngest member of the squad behind Chris Wood, having only turned 20 in March.<\/P>","805ACE40479B6E763FB50E182B20A495":"1990-3-31","70545F9392E8422F11E2D5550E456F39":"Milton Keynes Dons","0108B3B67855A673":"55714","5588923A723573201F6804A11C3F390A":"3","9CFA5380AB449F58B34CD68741B77812":"2","4CC9C981935F4DF5":"Macarthur FC","e_index":8};