Nelsen, Reid to miss WCup qualifier

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -England-based defenders Ryan Nelsen and Winston Reid will miss New Zealand's Oceania regional World Cup qualifying match against Tahiti on Saturday but will play in Tuesday's return match.

QPR's Nelsen, the New Zealand captain, and West Ham's Reid were prevented by injuries from leaving London on time to catch New Zealand's scheduled flight on Thursday to the Tahiti capital Papeete.

Reid had back spasms during West Ham's Premier League match against Arsenal last weekend while Nelsen aggravated a knee injury in QPR's match against West Bromwich Albion.

Nelsen and Reid will now return to New Zealand for Tuesday's match against Tahiti in Christchurch. New Zealand leads the Oceania qualifying series for the 2014 World Cup with wins over the Solomon Islands and New Caledonia.