Pirates' De Jong named again in Kiwis squad

Orlando Pirates midfielder Andre de Jong has kept his place in the New Zealand squad for a third successive call-up and is in the 23-man selection named this week for two World Cup warm-ups later in the month.

It strengthens his chances of making the Kiwis' selection for the World Cup, where they will take on Belgium, Egypt and Iran.

New Zealand play Finland and Chile in Auckland on Friday, March 27, and Monday, March 30, in their last home matches before the tournament in North America in June.

De Jong has won 11 caps with two goals for the All Whites, returning to the team after a three-year absence for the friendly against Poland in October, where he had 18 minutes of action.

He was on the bench for the next match against Norway and also sat on the bench for the two November friendlies against Colombia and Ecuador, which were played in the US.