Glen Moss

Glen Moss
Born	(1983-01-19) January 19, 1983 Australia
Occupation(s)	Footballer, goalkeeping coach
Years active	2003–2023
Known for	New Zealand international football goalkeeper, A-League player, Macarthur FC goalkeeping coach

Glen Robert Moss (born 19 January 1983) is a former New Zealand football goalkeeper who currently serves as the goalkeeping coach for Macarthur FC. He has represented the New Zealand on the international stage and was among the inaugural players for both the New Zealand Knights and Wellington Phoenix. Throughout 14 seasons in the A-League, Moss accumulated 250 appearances across clubs including the Knights, Phoenix, Melbourne Victory, Gold Coast United, and Newcastle Jets.

Key moments in his career feature starting in the 2018 A-League Grand Final with Newcastle, competing in AFC Champions League fixtures while with Melbourne Victory and Newcastle, and securing a place in the A-League Team of the Season during his tenure at Gold Coast United.

On the international front, Moss earned 29 caps representing New Zealand and was selected for the squad at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Nevertheless, he missed the initial two matches due to a suspension resulting from an administrative delay in appealing a previous four-match ban.

Early career

Moss made his professional debut with Sydney Olympic in the NSL, appearing in three matches during its final campaign in 2003–04.

After reaching out to all eight founding A-League clubs, he secured a one-year contract with the New Zealand Knights, who had monitored his performances at Sydney Olympic. Acting as backup goalkeeper to Danny Milosevic, Moss featured in seven starts and came off the bench twice. The Knights concluded their inaugural season with only six points, leading to Moss not having his contract extended.

Following impressive showings for the national team, Moss transferred on a free move to Romanian side Dinamo București. He made his debut in UEFA Cup qualifying rounds against Hibernians in July 2006 and started their league opener facing Național București. However, he soon found himself relegated to second or third-choice goalkeeper. Reflecting on this period as a "disaster," Moss aimed to exit during the winter transfer window. Despite remaining third-choice, Dinamo clinched their 18th league championship that season.

Wellington Phoenix

In August 2007, Moss inked a two-year contract with new A-League franchise Wellington Phoenix, recruited by manager Ricki Herbert alongside several All Whites teammates. Initially serving as deputy to Mark Paston, he was elevated to first-choice following Paston's pre-season injury. Moss participated in 20 of 21 league fixtures during his debut season, earning acclaim as one of the league’s premier goalkeepers with 78 saves, even though Wellington ended last with the poorest defensive record. The following 2008–09 season saw injuries and inconsistent form limit him to shared starting responsibilities with Paston, resulting in 13 appearances and three clean sheets.

Melbourne Victory

Moss's impressive club and international displays attracted interest from reigning A-League champions Melbourne Victory, confirming his transfer after the conclusion of the 2008–09 season. His performances at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa also drew attention from teams within the South African Premier Division. Beginning the season as Melbourne’s primary goalkeeper, Moss featured in the first 14 matches before being supplanted by emerging talent Mitchell Langerak due to a decline in form. He spent the rest of that season on the bench, including during the Finals defeat to Sydney FC decided by penalties. Moss appeared once in the 2010 AFC Champions League, a 4–0 loss to Kawasaki Frontale, before departing from Melbourne Victory at season’s end.

Gold Coast United

On 19 July 2010, Moss committed to a two-year contract with Gold Coast United, stepping in for Jess Vanstrattan. He made his first appearance on 8 August facing Brisbane Roar and was the starting goalkeeper in 27 out of 30 regular-season fixtures as Gold Coast secured fourth place, advancing to the Finals. Moss achieved a personal best of 11 clean sheets, ranking second only to Brisbane's Michael Theo, and maintained a save rate of 77%, trailing just behind Danny Vukovic. His outstanding displays earned him a position on the bench for the A-League Team of the Season. During the Finals, Moss kept a clean sheet in a 1–0 victory over Melbourne Victory; Gold Coast then overcame Adelaide United before being edged out 1–0 by Premiers Central Coast Mariners in the Preliminary final.

Moss started the 2011–12 A-League season as the primary goalkeeper but sustained an injury on 16 December against Adelaide United that ruled him out for the remainder of the season. Despite hopes for recovery, he was unable to return that campaign. After Gold Coast United was dissolved at the end of the season, Moss needed to find a new team.

Return to Wellington

On 28 March 2012, Moss inked a three-year deal with A-League side Wellington Phoenix, marking his return after three years away. He participated in six matches late in his first season back, including the final two under inaugural coach Ricki Herbert. Following Mark Paston's retirement, Moss assumed the role of Wellington’s starting goalkeeper. Throughout the 2013–14 A-League season, he started in 25 games as the Phoenix concluded ninth, registering the league’s lowest save percentage at 65%, indicative of defensive challenges faced by the team.

In the 2014–15 A-League, Moss featured in 27 matches, contributing to Wellington’s fourth-place finish and their sole Finals qualification during his seven-year tenure. He secured eight clean sheets, ranking second-best across the league. Wellington was eliminated in the quarterfinals after a 2–0 defeat to Melbourne City. The subsequent season saw Moss start all 27 fixtures with three clean sheets; Wellington ended ninth again. At the club’s end-of-season awards, he received both Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year honors.

During the 2016–17 A-League, Moss made 22 starts and achieved five clean sheets, missing some matches due to international commitments. Wellington finished seventh, narrowly failing to reach the Finals. On 9 February 2017, Moss celebrated his milestone 200th appearance in the A-League. However, he was replaced for the final four games by Lewis Italiano. Over his second spell at Wellington, Moss accumulated 110 appearances with 23 clean sheets.

Newcastle Jets

On 15 May 2017, Moss signed with Newcastle Jets, marking his fifth club in the A-League. This move reunited him with manager Ernie Merrick, who had previously coached him at Melbourne Victory and Wellington Phoenix. Initially serving as backup to Jack Duncan, Moss made his debut on 23 November due to Duncan’s injury. He played nine consecutive matches and kept two clean sheets before Duncan returned on 20 January. Newcastle finished second in the regular season, qualifying for their first Finals since 2010.

Duncan sustained a quadriceps tear during Newcastle’s semifinal victory over Melbourne City, enabling Moss to play the final hour and start in the 2018 A-League Grand Final, which Newcastle narrowly lost 1–0 to Melbourne Victory.

Following Duncan’s departure after that season, Moss became Newcastle’s first-choice goalkeeper, starting in 22 games during the 2018–19 A-League. Although sidelined for several matches due to a thigh injury, he recorded the league’s second-highest save percentage at 75%, behind Melbourne Victory’s Lawrence Thomas. Moss also featured in Newcastle’s two fixtures during the 2019 AFC Champions League qualification but was unable to advance past Kashima Antlers into the group stage. On 26 February 2019, he extended his contract for another year. Newcastle concluded that season in seventh place.

On 10 January 2020, Moss suffered a calf tear against Sydney FC, resulting in several weeks out while Newcastle struggled defensively and held last place with only a 54% save rate. During this challenging period, he announced plans to retire at season’s end. Upon recovery, Moss remained on the bench behind Italiano. In what proved to be his final A-League appearance before suspension due to COVID-19 on 23 March, new coach Carl Robinson granted him a brief five-minute cameo during a 2–1 win over Melbourne City, marking his 250th match in the competition.

Macarthur

In 2023, Moss was positioned as a backup goalkeeper for Macarthur during the 2023–24 AFC Cup, stepping in due to the absence of the primary goalkeepers.

International career

Although Moss grew up in Australia, he was scouted for New Zealand's national teams while playing with Sydney Olympic. He has represented New Zealand at various levels, including Under-20, Under-23, and senior squads.

In 2004, Moss was selected for the U-23 squad competing in the OFC Men's Olympic Football Tournament, which served as the qualifying event for the 2004 Summer Olympics. His initial senior team call-up occurred in 2003 for a friendly against Iran, and he earned his first senior cap in February 2004 during a 1–0 victory over Malaysia. Notably, he guarded the net when New Zealand achieved a landmark 3–1 victory over Georgia in 2006.

Moss participated in all three matches for New Zealand at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, achieving a clean sheet against Iraq and securing New Zealand's inaugural point in a major FIFA competition.

In November 2008, Moss was handed a four-match suspension from World Cup qualifiers following an incident in a 2010 World Cup qualifying match against Fiji. An appeal was dismissed due to late filing. As a result, he missed critical fixtures including the World Cup play-offs versus Bahrain and New Zealand’s opening two games at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Though selected in New Zealand's final 23-player roster for the 2010 World Cup, Moss did not feature on the field, with Mark Paston starting all group stage encounters.

During the 2012 OFC Nations Cup, Moss remained unused even after Paston sustained an injury; Jake Gleeson assumed goalkeeping duties instead. In the third round of qualification for the 2014 World Cup, Moss started important matches against Tahiti, which led to an intercontinental playoff against Mexico. Following Paston's retirement, Moss was the starting goalkeeper for both legs of that playoff and preceding friendly matches; however, New Zealand was defeated 3–9 on aggregate.

Moss captained New Zealand in a 2014 friendly against South Africa, marking his final appearances internationally. He stayed with the squad until 2017 but primarily served as a reserve during the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. He officially retired from international duty on 19 February 2018.

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			Cup		International		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Sydney Olympic	2003–04	National Soccer League	3	0	–		–		3	0
New Zealand Knights	2005–06	A-League	9	0	1	0	–		10	0
Dinamo București	2006–07	Liga I	1	0	0	0	2	0	3	0
Wellington Phoenix	2007–08	A-League	20	0	4	0	–		24	0
	2008–09		13	0	3	0	–		16	0
	Total		33	0	7	0	0	0	40	0
Melbourne Victory	2009–10	A-League	14	0	–		1	0	15	0
Gold Coast United	2010–11	A-League	30	0	–		–		30	0
	2011–12		11	0	–		–		11	0
Total		41	0	0	0	0	0	41	0
Wellington Phoenix	2012–13	A-League	6	0	–		–		6	0
	2013–14		25	0	–		–		25	0
	2014–15		27	0	1	0	–		28	0
	2015–16		27	0	1	0	–		28	0
	2016–17		22	0	1	0	–		23	0
	Total		107	0	3	0	0	0	110	0
Newcastle Jets	2017–18	A-League	11	0	–		–		11	0
	2018–19		22	0	2	0	2	0	26	0
	2019–20		13	0	1	0	–		14	0

External links

• Interview with Glen Moss
• Moss focused on World Cup comeback
• Profile on NZ Football