Loudoun United forward Riley Bidois named to the New Zealand Men’s National Soccer Team roster ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Bidois, having represented New Zealand in multiple stages of his youth career, will join the team in France later this month ahead of New Zealand’s first game on July 24.
“It’s always an honor to play for New Zealand and it’s a proud moment for myself and my family,” said Bidois. “It’s definitely been a journey, a long way with a lot of ups and downs and I’ve been working very hard this summer, so I’m thankful to get a call up.”
The 22-year-old made his New Zealand U23 Men’s National Soccer Team debut on March 23, 2023. He has made three appearances and scored six goals, including five in the final of the OFC Men’s Olympic Qualifier 2023 match against Fiji.
Ahead of the 2024 USL Championship season, Bidois signed with Loudoun United from Dandenong City SC in the Australian Victoria Premier League 2. The forward burst onto the scene with multiple clubs from 2019-2022, recording 33 goals and eight assists in 52 appearances covering all competitions. He also made six Australian A-League appearances with the Wellington Phoenix in 2021-2022.
“This is an incredible moment for us,” said Loudoun United FC Head Coach Ryan Martin. “Having a player named to an Olympic roster is something very humbling and exciting for me and it’s a tremendous statement about our Loudoun United roster.”
The grouping for the Olympics has placed New Zealand alongside France, Guinea and the United States in Group A. The men’s soccer portion is made up of 16 teams, placed into four groupings. Wednesday, July 24th marks the first match of the group stage, with the knockout rounds starting on August 2nd, all of which will lead up to the final Gold Medal match on Friday, August 9.
Loudoun United FC continue the regular season on Saturday, July 13 at 7:00 p.m. at Indy Eleven as they look to extend their seven-match unbeaten streak.
NEW ZEALAND NATIONAL TEAM GROUP STAGE SCHEDULE
| July 24 | New Zealand v Guinea | 11a.m. ET | Streaming on Peacock |
| July 27 | New Zealand v USA | 1p.m. ET | Streaming on Peacock *Watch party at Anchor Bar Leesburg |
| July 30 | New Zealand v France | 1p.m. ET | Streaming on Peacock |
The men's team for @Paris2024 has been confirmed 🙌🇳🇿
— New Zealand Football 🇳🇿 (@NZ_Football) July 9, 2024
📖 Read in full at https://t.co/6LSNKmewFu#TheFernIsAllOfUs | @TheNZTeam | #Paris2024
