Young Socceroos Head Coach Paul Okon has selected a 23-player squad for the upcoming AFC U-19 Championship Qualifiers.
Young Socceroos Head Coach Paul Okon has selected a 23-player squad for the upcoming AFC U-19 Championship Qualifiers which will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 3-7 October 2013.
Okon has selected 16 Australian-based players from the Hyundai A-League clubs and the Australian Institute of Sport and 7 overseas-based players from England, Italy and Spain.
With the benefit of a number of tournaments and training camps together, Okon is optimistic about his team-s prospects.
“This will be the first time that we will have overseas-based and Australian-based groups of players together for the tournament,” said Okon
“This is the first formal step in the qualification campaign for the FIFA U-20 World Cup and our goal for this tournament is to top the group.
“The conditions in Malaysia will be tough, with high heat and humidity expected.
“For this reason, we have chosen to arrive in Kuala Lumpur early to acclimatize and prepare ourselves for the tournament,” concluded Okon.
The Young Socceroos will depart Australia this Friday and will line-up against Hong Kong in their first match of the tournament on Thursday 3 October. The Young Socceroos will then face Chinese Taipei (Saturday 5 October) and Vietnam (Monday 7 October).
The Group winners of the nine groups (five from West Zone and four from the East Zone) along with the six best-placed sides and hosts Myanmar will qualify for the AFC U-19 Championship which will be held in October 2014.
The AFC U-19 Championship also serve as the qualifiers for the FIFA U-20 World Cup with the top-four sides of the 2014 edition booking a place each in the FIFA U-20 World Cup to be held in New Zealand in 2015.
Young Socceroos Squad for AFC U-19 Championship Qualifiers - 3 to 7 October 2013
Jake Adelson Everton FC, England Jordan Brown Melbourne Victory, Australia Christopher Cristaldo Melbourne Victory, Australia Nicholas Cowburn Newcastle Jets, Australia Callum Elder Leicester City, England Daniel De Silva Perth Glory, Australia Ben Garuccio Melbourne Heart, Australia Christopher Ikonimidis SS Lazio, Italy Rafael Jimenez Villarreal CF, Spain Anthony Kalik AIS, Australia Scott Galloway Melbourne Victory, Australia Hagi Gligor Sydney FC, Australia Jordan Lyden Aston Villa, England Stefan Mauk Melbourne Heart, Australia Thomas Manos (gk) Western Sydney Wanderers, Australia Joshua McDonald Sydney FC, Australia Christopher Naumoff Sydney FC, Australia Danijel Nizic (gk) Burnley FC, England Nicholas Olsen Western Sydney Wanderers, Australia Mitchell Oxborrow Newcastle Jets, Australia Luke Radonich (gk) Melbourne Victory, Australia Peter Skapetis QPR, England Benjamin Warland AIS, Australia
As at Wednesday 25 September 2013
Staff Head Coach: Paul Okon Assistant Coach: Milan Blagojevic Goalkeeping Coach: John Gorza Team Manager: Jaime Gomez Doctor: Trevor Law Physiotherapist: Cameron Dunkerley Massage Therapist: Vince Del Bono
Matches October 3 Australia v Hong Kong - Kuala Lumpur Stadium, Cheras Kickoff: 5pm local (pm AEST)
October 5 Australia v Chinese Taipei - Kuala Lumpur Stadium, Cheras Kickoff: 8pm local (10pm AEST)
October 7 Australia v Vietnam - Kuala Lumpur Stadium, Cheras Kickoff: 8pm local (11pm AEDT)