There's a clear sense of transition within the All Whites camp, as they prepare to face the Republic of Ireland on Friday morning (NZT) - the first international fixture under the guidance of new coach Danny Hay.
Plenty of promising young talent are eager to show their wares in the new possession-based, attacking system Hay is implementing, and star striker Chris Wood is as excited as any to see exactly what they have to offer.
The Burnley forward has seen snippets of the likes of Sarpreet Singh and Callum McCowatt in action, but he's been waiting for an opportunity to see what they can bring to the pitch and the side - in the flesh.
"It's going to be my first taste of seeing half the boys play," Wood told Newshub. "It will be good to see what they're like properly, up close.
"You watch them on TV or the clips that the gaffer sends out but to see them up close and personal and see what their quality traits are is going to be interesting.
"I've heard a lot about them all but now I'm hoping to see for myself where they stand."
It's all part of a process of becoming familiar with their new structure and teammates, where the actual result of Friday's match - as well as Monday's game against Lithuania - are of secondary concern, according to Wood.
"We just need to look to gel together and start learning the importance of what the manager wants from us. That's what it's about.
"The games are there just to put in place what we're going to learn off the pitch. The results aren't too important, we just need to make sure we start building towards our ultimate goal, which is the World Cup in '22."
Wood believes the make-up of the squad strikes the perfect balance of veteran savvy and the exuberance of youthful raw talent.
"We've got a huge amount of potential. A lot of young boys coming through that have raised our profile around the world, which is great, as well as a lot of experienced heads now in the team. Now we have to make something of it."
One such senior player is Winston Reid. The West Ham defender has confirmed he'll be ready to play, after his gruelling 18-month recovery from a knee injury.
The All Whites kick off against Republic of Ireland on Friday at 7am.
Newshub.
