Michael Joseph Boxall (born 18 August 1988) is a New Zealand professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a defender for

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

club

Minnesota United Minnesota United Football Club, often shortened to MNUFC, is an American professional soccer club based in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Th ...

and the New Zealand national team.

Early life and education

Boxall was born on 18 August 1988 in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, New Zealand. He attended and played for

Mount Albert Grammar School Mount Albert Grammar School, commonly known as MAGS, is a co-educational state secondary school in Mount Albert in Auckland, New Zealand. It teaches students in year levels 9 to 13. , Mount Albert Grammar School is the second largest school in N ...

. With Boxall anchoring the defence, Mount Albert won the league title in 2004 and 2005 and placed first at the national tournament in 2005. In his senior season in 2006, Boxall was named the team

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

. He led the team to a second Knockout Cup title in three years. They also went to the Auckland Secondary School Soccer Association Championship. Mt. Albert went on to finish second at nationals that year. Boxall played for teams in his native New Zealand including

Ellerslie AFC Ellerslie AFC is an association football club based in Ellerslie, New Zealand. The senior men's team currently competes in the NRFL Championship. The senior women's team competes in the NRFL Premiership. Club history Ellerslie AFC's history g ...

, Three Kings United,

Central United Central United Football Club is an amateur association football club based in Sandringham, Auckland, New Zealand who complete in the NRFL Northern Conference. The team was officially called ''Central Soccer Club'' until 1996 when it changed ...

, and

Auckland City FC Auckland City Football Club is an association football club based in the suburb of Sandringham, New Zealand, Sandringham in Auckland, New Zealand. They currently compete in the Northern League (New Zealand), Northern League. Auckland City have ...

, leading Central United to the 2007 Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Premier title. In addition, Boxall won the NZFC with Auckland City, where he made 6 appearances that year despite scoring zero goals. He was named the Auckland City Young Player of the Year with Central United in 2006 and then again with Auckland City FC in 2007. Boxall was recruited to play

college soccer College soccer, called college football in some countries, is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. While it is most widespread in the United States, it is also prominent in Japan, South Kore ...

at the

University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Tracing its roots back to 1891 as an ...

by head coach Tim Vom Steeg. He followed in the footsteps of other New Zealand players at Santa Barbara such as

Tony Lochhead Tony James Lochhead (born 12 January 1982) is a New Zealand former professional footballer who appeared with the New Zealand men's national football team. Early life and education Lochhead was born on 12 January 1982 in Tauranga, New Zealand. ...

and Neil Jones, both of whom have received senior international caps after appearing for UCSB. In his first season with the Gauchos, Boxall played in 12 games, starting 10. He provided no goals nor assists but proved to be a solid defensive rock alongside Gaucho defensive stalwart Andy Iro. Boxall's season was cut short due to a knee injury which forced him to miss the rest of the year. Despite missing half the season, Boxall led all rookies with 10 starts and tied for the team-high in both yellow and red cards, 6 and 1 respectively.

Playing career

Club

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Boxall was selected first overall in the 2011 MLS Supplemental Draft by

Vancouver Whitecaps FC Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Vancouver. The Whitecaps compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The MLS ite ...

. He agreed to terms with the club on 17 March 2011, and made his professional debut on 19 March, in Vancouver's 2011 MLS opener against

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matc ...

. After appearing in three matches for the Whitecaps in the 2012 season, Boxall was waived on 22 June 2012.

Wellington Phoenix

On 10 July 2012, it was confirmed by the club that Boxall officially joined the Wellington Phoenix of his native New Zealand on a two-year contract. Instrumental in signing Boxall was

Ricki Herbert Ricki Lloyd Herbert (born 10 April 1961) is a New Zealand former footballer and manager. He is the current director of football at Hamilton Wanderers AFC. Herbert was formerly head coach of the New Zealand national team, stepping down after ...

, coach of both the Phoenix and the New Zealand national team at the time. Boxall debuted for the club on 14 October 2012, in the 1–1 away draw against Melbourne Heart in Round 2. After the beginning to his time in Wellington which saw him play backup to Ben Sigmund and Andrew Durante, Boxall was loaned to the

Oakleigh Cannons Oakleigh Cannons Football Club is an Australian soccer club based in the south-east Melbourne suburb Oakleigh. As of 2025, the club competes in the National Premier Leagues Victoria (NPL Victoria). History South Oakleigh Soccer Club was establ ...

of the

Victorian Premier League The Victorian Premier League (VPL) is an Australian soccer league based in Victoria that was founded in 2023 and administered by Football Victoria. It consists of two divisions that were named after the VPL's breakaway of the National Premier L ...

. Following a disappointing first season with the Phoenix, Boxall signed a one-year contract extension on 15 January 2014. Boxall stated that the club's direction under new head coach

Ernie Merrick Ernest Merrick Order of Australia, OAM (born 15 January 1953) is a Scottish-Australian coach, who last managed A-League soccer club Newcastle Jets FC, Newcastle Jets. He was released on 6 January 2020. He was the former head coach of the Hong Ko ...

was the deciding factor in signing a new deal with the club. In the 2013–14 season, Boxall appeared in 20 games for the Phoenix, starting 18.

SuperSport United

Boxall joined

SuperSport United SuperSport United Football Club (often known as SuperSport) is a South African professional association football, football club based in Atteridgeville in Pretoria in the Gauteng province. The team currently plays in the South African Premier Di ...

, a South African team in the Premier Division, in 2015. He scored five goals and made 68 appearances for SuperSport in league and cup competition over two seasons, winning the

Nedbank Cup The Nedbank Cup is the current name of South Africa's Premier Soccer League, premier club association football, soccer knockout tournament. While many formats have been used over the years, the tournament has always been based on the idea of gi ...

in the process.

Minnesota United FC

After his stint in the Confederations Cup, Boxall returned to the United States in July 2017 and signed with the MLS expansion team

Minnesota United FC Minnesota United Football Club, often shortened to MNUFC, is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the W ...

. In his first four seasons with the club, Boxall made 124 total appearances—leading Minnesota overall—and scored four goals. He signed a contract extension in 2021. During his first

Leagues Cup The Leagues Cup is an annual soccer competition between clubs from Major League Soccer (MLS), the main soccer league in the United States, and Liga MX, the main soccer league in Mexico. It is hosted in Canada and the United States. It began in ...

match on 23 July 2023 against

Puebla FC Club Puebla is a Mexican professional football club based in Puebla. It competes in Liga MX, the top division of Mexican football. Founded in 1944 as Puebla Fútbol Club, and then changed to its current name in 2016. Nicknamed ''La Franja'' (" ...

, Boxall earned his first career MLS

red card A red card is a type of penalty card that is shown in many sports after a rules infraction. Red card may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''Red Card'' (album), 1976 release by Streetwalkers * Red card, suit (cards) of hearts or di ...

for a foul on Guillermo Martínez.

International

Boxall has represented New Zealand at various international levels. His début with the national setup was with the Junior All-Whites ( U-20s) in which he made 14 appearances with no goals. During this time, he appeared in the 2007 U-20 World Cup OFC qualifying tournament and ultimately the

2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup The 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the 16th edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup (formerly called the FIFA World Youth Championship), hosted by Canada from 30 June to 22 July 2007. Argentina defeated the Czech Republic in the title game by the scor ...

. He played in all three U-20 World Cup games before New Zealand were knocked out. Boxall has also represented the New Zealand U-23 Olympic team, known as the ''Oly-Whites''. He played in all 5 2008 OFC Olympic Qualifiers which saw New Zealand advance to their first ever

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

. At the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

, Boxall again appeared in all three of New Zealand's games before they were eliminated. In addition to these eight games, he played four Olympic warm-up matches against

Central Coast Mariners Central Coast Mariners Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Gosford, on the Central Coast of New South Wales. It competes in the A-League Men, under licence from the Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The Mar ...

Persikota Tangerang Persatuan Sepak Bola Indonesia Kota Tangerang, or Persikota Tangerang, is an Indonesian professional football club based in Tangerang, founded in 1994. The team currently plays in the third division of Indonesian football, Liga Nusantara. The ...

, Indonesia (senior squad), and

Persija Jakarta Persatuan Sepakbola Indonesia Jakarta ( 'Indonesian Football Association of Jakarta'), abbreviated as Persija (), is an Indonesian professional Association football, football club based in the Indonesian capital city of Jakarta. Persija Jaka ...

between the Qualifying Tournament and the Beijing Olympic Tournament. Boxall made two appearances for New Zealand A at the Agribank Cup in Vietnam during October 2006, appearing against

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

and

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

. Both games were held at the

Mỹ Đình National Stadium The Mỹ Đình National Stadium () is a multi-purpose stadium in Nam Từ Liêm district, Hanoi, Vietnam. It has a capacity of 40,192 seats and is the centerpiece of Vietnam's National Sports Complex. It was officially opened in September 2003 ...

Hanoi Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...

, Vietnam. Only days after making his Whitecaps debut, Boxall was called up to the

All Whites The New Zealand men's national football team () represents New Zealand in men's international football competitions. The team is governed by the governing body for football in New Zealand, New Zealand Football (NZF), which is currently a memb ...

' squad for their match against

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

on 25 March 2011, where he came on as a second-half substitute. Boxall was called up as one of three overage players for the New Zealand U-23 Olympic team to play at the

2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

. However, a thigh injury just before the tournament meant he had to pull out of the squad. In June 2023, the New Zealand team walked out of an international friendly against

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

after an alleged incident of racial abuse against Boxall. On 24 March 2025, Boxall scored the opening goal, a header, for the New Zealand

in their 3-0 victory over New Caledonia to help the

qualify for the

2026 FIFA World Cup The 2026 FIFA World Cup, marketed as FIFA World Cup 26, will be the 23rd FIFA World Cup, the Anniversary#Latin-derived numerical names, quadrennial international men's Association football, soccer championship contested by the List of men's n ...

. It was his first ever goal for

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, scored at the age of 36.

Personal life

Boxall is of Samoan heritage and is the older brother of New Zealand international footballer

Nikko Boxall Nikko Daniel Boxall (born 24 February 1992) is a New Zealand association football, footballer who plays as a Defender (association football), defender for Northern League (New Zealand), Northern League club Auckland City FC, Auckland City and th ...

Career statistics

Club

International

International goals

Awards and honours

Auckland City FC *

Northern Premier League The Northern Premier League is an English Association football, football league that was founded in 1968. Together with the Isthmian League and the Southern Football League, Southern League it forms levels seven and eight of the English footba ...

: 2007UC Santa Barbara player profile; Michael Boxall
*

New Zealand Football Championship The New Zealand Football Championship () was a men's association football league at the top of the New Zealand league system. Founded in 2004, the New Zealand Football Championship was the successor to a myriad of short-lived football leagues in ...

: 2007 SuperSport United *

: 2016, 2017 New Zealand *

OFC Nations Cup The OFC Men's Nations Cup, known as the OFC Nations Cup before the 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup, 2024 edition, is the primary association football competition contested by the senior list of men's national association football teams, men's natio ...

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

Individual * ACFC Young Player of the Year: 2006, 2007 * All-

Big West The Big West Conference (BWC) is an American collegiate athletic conference whose member institutions participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The conference was originally formed on July 1, 1969, as the Pacific ...

Honorable Mention: 2008 * All-

First Team: 2009 *

NSCAA The United Soccer Coaches (formerly known as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)) is an organization of American soccer coaches founded in 1941. It is the largest soccer coaches organization in the world, with more than ...

Third Team All-American: 2010MLS Player profiles; Michael Boxall

College Soccer News
Third Team All-America: 2010 * All-Far West Region First Team: 2010 *

Defender of the Year: 2010

References

External links

* *
NZ Football profile
*
Wellington Phoenix player profile
* *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boxall, Michael 1988 births Living people Auckland City FC players Vancouver Whitecaps FC players Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23 players Wellington Phoenix FC players Men's association football defenders Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada New Zealand expatriate men's association footballers New Zealand men's association footballers New Zealand men's international footballers Olympic association footballers for New Zealand New Zealand sportspeople of Samoan descent Association footballers from Auckland People educated at Mount Albert Grammar School UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer players USL League Two players Major League Soccer players A-League Men players New Zealand Football Championship players Vancouver Whitecaps FC draft picks Oakleigh Cannons FC players SuperSport United F.C. players Minnesota United FC players Footballers at the 2008 Summer Olympics 2012 OFC Nations Cup players 2016 OFC Nations Cup players 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup players Footballers at the 2020 Summer Olympics New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in Canada New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in the United States Footballers at the 2024 Summer Olympics 21st-century New Zealand sportsmen