Qantas Young Socceroos squad selected for South America tour

Qantas Young Socceroos Head Coach Jan Versleijen has selected a squad of 20 players for a four-match tour of South America as part of his team’s preparations for the AFC U-19 Championship 2010 which will be held 3-17 October 2010 in Zibo, Shandong Province, China PR.

Qantas Young Socceroos Head Coach Jan Versleijen has selected a squad of 20 players for a four-match tour of South America as part of his team-s preparations for the AFC U-19 Championship 2010 which will be held 3-17 October 2010 in Zibo, Shandong Province, China PR.

“This camp will be our first one this year and the first since we qualified for the AFC U-19 Championships," said Versleijen.

"It has been an interesting and difficult process selecting this squad with a number of players unavailable due to injury or recovery from injury, whilst others are involved in the AFC Champions League and with their various club commitments overseas.

“For the players it is fantastic to face challenging opposition such as Argentina and Paraguay.

“Both nations are very strong and play an unstructured style of football which will make our players think more about our their own game and make decisions quickly.

“This will be a huge step for some of the players, but the experience gained will be very valuable for our preparations as we head towards the AFC Championships at the end of the year with the goal of qualifying for the FIFA U-20 World Cup,” concluded Versleijen.

The Qantas Young Socceroos will play two matches in Asunción on the 6 & 8 April against the Paraguay U-20 National team and two matches in Buenos Aires against the Argentinean U-20 National Team on 13 &15 April.

The draw for the AFC U-19 Championship 2010 Finals will be held in the host city of Zibo, China, on 9 May with the tournament to be played from 3-17 October, 2010, at the Zibo Sports Complex Stadium and Linzi Stadium.

The top four (4) teams from the AFC U-19 Championship will qualify for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup which will be held in Colombia.

The Qantas Young Socceroos will depart Sydney for South America on Saturday 3 April and return on Monday 19 April.

Qantas Young Socceroos Squad List Paraguay and Argentina Tour

3-19 April 2010

Matthew ACTON (gk) (Brisbane Roar), Mustafa AMINI Central Coast Mariners), Daniel BOWLES Brisbane Roar), Kerem BULUT (FK Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic), Chris BUSH (Uncontracted), Stephen DOMENICI (Uncontracted), Petar FRANJIC (Melbourne Victory), Sam GALLAGHER (Central Coast Mariners), Ben HALLORAN (Gold Coast United), Chris HAROLD (Gold Coast United), Ben KANTAROVSKI (Newcastle Jets), Steven LUSTICA (Gold Coast United), Theo MARKELIS (Valencia, Spain), Francesco MONTEROSSO (Adelaide United), Tom OAR (Brisbane Roar), Alex PEARSON (gk) (Perth Glory), Trent SAINSBURY (Central Coast Mariners), Nikola STANOJEVIC (Uncontracted), Kliment TASESKI (Melbourne Heart) and Marc WARREN (Central Coast Mariners).

Team Officials

Head Coach - Jan Versleijen Assistant Coach - Alistair Edwards Technical Analysis - Peter Cklamovski Recovery and Massage Therapist - Leigh Smith (SA) Goalkeeper Coach - Fernando Alves (QLD) Doctor - Dr Peter Welsh (QLD) Physiotherapist - Nino La Scala (VIC) Team Manager - Simon Roberts