The FIFA Men’s World Cup has witnessed a groundbreaking new milestone this tournament, as 21-year-old New Zealand defender Tyler Bindon etched his name into the record books alongside his mother Jenny, becoming the first mother-son combination to both play at the World Cup in the event’s history.
Tyler, a young center back who plies his trade with England’s Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, entered the match as a late second-half substitute during the All Whites’ opening Group B clash against Iran on Monday night. The hard-fought fixture ended in a 2-2 draw at the venue in Inglewood, California, where both of Tyler’s parents were on hand in the stands to cheer on their son, watching him make his major tournament debut in person.
Athleticism runs deep in the Bindon family. Tyler’s mother Jenny is no stranger to elite international football competition: a decorated goalkeeper who represented New Zealand’s women’s national team from 2004 through 2014, she competed at two editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2007 and 2011, and also earned caps at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. His father Grant, meanwhile, previously served as captain of New Zealand’s men’s national volleyball team.
More than a decade ago, when Tyler was 12 years old, the Bindon family relocated to Southern California after Jenny accepted an assistant coaching position with UCLA’s women’s soccer team. The move set Tyler on a path through the youth development system of Major League Soccer side Los Angeles FC, where he honed the skills that earned him his move to the Premier League and ultimately his spot on New Zealand’s World Cup roster.
Jenny has long opened up about the rush of emotions she experiences watching her son compete at the highest level. In a social media post last year, she shared that watching Tyler play was far more nerve-wracking than lacing up her own cleats for matches. “I get more nervous, but he is an absolute joy — an amazing human being,” she wrote.
While the mother-son milestone is a first for World Cup history, it is not the first time a parent-child pair has competed at the tournament. Men’s World Cup records already include more than two dozen father-son combinations who have both graced the World Cup pitch. Prominent recent examples include Claudio Reyna, a former United States men’s national team captain, and his son Gio, who scored for the U.S. in their opening win over Paraguay last Friday. Another well-known pairing is Alf-Inge Haaland, who featured for Norway at the 1994 World Cup, and his son Erling Haaland, one of the top strikers in the world today.
Looking ahead, New Zealand will face their second group stage match against Egypt this coming Sunday in Vancouver, British Columbia. Egypt opened their tournament campaign with a 1-1 draw against Belgium on Monday, setting the stage for a competitive second round of group fixtures.
(This story is part of AP’s ongoing full coverage of the 202X FIFA World Cup, available at https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup)