Qantas Joeys squad announced

The Qantas Joeys head coach Alistair Edwards has selected a 22-player squad for the four nation Saudi Arabia U16 International Friendly tournament, which will be played in Taif from 3-7 August.

The Qantas Joeys head coach Alistair Edwards has selected a 22-player squad for the four nation Saudi Arabia U16 International Friendly tournament, which will be played in Taif from 3-7 August.

There are six (6) overseas based players in Kevin Ly (Burnley FC, England), George Mells (Southampton FC, England), Ross Millard (West Ham United FC, England), Conor O-Neill (Middlesbrough FC, England), Hyuga Tanner (Blackburn Rovers FC, England) and Taylor Tombides (West Ham United FC, England) with the remainder of the squad drawn from the AIS, State Institutes and Premier Youth League clubs.

Edwards is excited about the challenges his squad will face as part their preparations for the AFC U-16 Championship, which will be played in Iran in September.

“This invitation to play in Saudi Arabia is another important step in the development process of the team with another three quality matches to play," Edwards said.

“There are exciting times ahead as shortly after this tournament we will travel to Bolivia for another camp and I couldn-t be happier with the way our preparations are progressing and the way the boys are gelling as a group both on and off the park.

“This is also the first time that the overseas players will join up with the squad and it will be interesting to see how they have developed since the last time we saw them play at their respective clubs in May.

“From the squad that travelled to Laos, Tony (Vidmar) and I have included eight new players, the available talent pool is very encouraging and these games will provide an opportunity to see how well the overseas based players can integrate into our established team ethos.

“There is such healthy competition amongst this group at the moment and we are all really looking forward to the opportunities and challenges over next few months,” Edwards said.

The Qantas Joeys will face the host nation Saudi Arabia in their first match of the tournament on Friday 3 August, then Morocco on Sunday 5 August before meeting China PR in their last match on Tuesday 7 August.

Two weeks after the Saudi Arabia international friendly tournament, the Qantas Joeys will head to South America for an altitude training camp in Bolivia, funded entirely by the AIS, where they will play five friendly matches against quality local opposition.

The Qantas Joeys have been drawn in Group B of the AFC U-16 Championship 2012 along with Iraq, Oman and Thailand. The top two teams from each group of the AFC U-16 Championship 2012 will progress to the knockout stage (quarter-finals).

The four winners of the quarter-finals will then play in the semi-finals with the winners advancing to the final. The semi-finalists will also automatically qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which will be held in the United Arab Emirates in late 2013.

Football Federation Australia would like to thank the AIS for their ongoing support for the Qantas Joeys Football Program.

Qantas Joeys Squad for Saudi Arabia - International Friendly Tournament - U16 National Teams 3-7 August 2012 - Taif, Saudi Arabia

James BALDACCHINO South Coast Wolves (NSW) Aaron CALVER NSWIS Daniel De SILVA WA NTC Alex GERSBACH AIS Jack IREDALE AIS Andre JANNESE (gk) AIS Steve KUZMANOVSKI AIS Kevin LY Burnley FC, England Joshua MacDONALD NSWIS Darcy MADDEN AIS George MELLS Southampton FC, England Ross MILLARD West Ham United FC, England Matthew NTOUMENOPOULOS AIS Connor O-NEILL Middlesbrough FC, England Rocco PIZZATA WA NTC Liam ROSE NSWIS Matthew SCHMIDT AIS Lukas STERGIOU Sutherland Sharks FC Matthew STEWART NSWIS Hyuga TANNER Blackburn Rovers FC, England Taylor TOMBIDES West Ham United FC, England Jordan THURTELL (gk) AIS