Sydney FC has the most players selected to represent the Young Socceroos in October’s AFC U19 Championships in China after coach Jan Versleijen named his squad today.
Qantas Young Socceroos Head Coach Jan Versleijen today named his 23-player squad for the AFC U-19 Championships which will be played in China next month.
The Qantas Young Socceroos squad includes 18 Australian-based players and five from overseas clubs including Kerem Bulut (FK Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic), Jason Davidson (Pacos de Ferreira, Portugal), Matthew Fletcher (Sunderland, England), Dylan McGowan (Hearts FC, Scotland) and Tommy Oar (FC Utrecht, Netherlands).
Five members of the Qantas Young Socceroos squad; Kofi Danning, Sam Gallagher, Rhyan Grant, Ben Kantarovski and Tommy Oar, competed at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt last year and their experience will be of great value for the current campaign.
With the top four (4) teams from the AFC U-19 Championship qualifying for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup, which will be held in Colombia next year, Versleijen is confident that the group of players that he has selected will be able to achieve their goals.
“It is always an honour and a privilege to be selected in the national team for tournaments such as this one and the players and I are very excited about this upcoming period of their careers,” said Versleijen
“Playing in tournament football gives our players much needed international experience against high quality opposition and should we achieve our goal of qualifying for the U-20 World Cup we will face even stronger opponents in Colombia.
“Our preparations have been very good for this tournament with more players in the starting line-ups for their clubs which is very good for the National team and football in Australia.
“We have great competition for final selection in each position on the field and I am confident that with the players we have we will do well in China,” concluded Versleijen
The AFC U-19 Championship 2010 Finals will be held in the host city of Zibo, China, from 3-17 October, 2010, at the Zibo Sports Complex Stadium and Linzi Stadium.
The Qantas Young Socceroos have been drawn in Group D of the competition along with Yemen, Korea Republic and IR Iran.
The Qantas Young Socceroos will play their opening match of the tournament against Yemen on Monday 4 October, followed by IR Iran on Wednesday 6 October with their final group match against the Korea Republic on Friday 8 October. The quarter finals will be played on Monday 11 October, semi-finals on Thursday 14 October, with the Final to be played on Sunday 17 October.
The Qantas Young Socceroos will assemble in Sydney tomorrow for a four-day training camp, which will include a training match against the Central Coast Mariners, before heading to Hong Kong on Friday to complete their pre-tournament preparations and will arrive in Zibo on Friday 1 October.
Qantas Young Socceroos Squad
AFC U-19 Championship 2010 Finals
Zibo, China, 3-17 October, 2010
Player Club
Matthew Acton (gk) Brisbane Roar
Mustafa Amini Central Coast Mariners
Terry Antonis Sydney FC
Eli Babalj Melbourne Heart
Mark Birighitti (gk) Adelaide United
Daniel Bowles Brisbane Roar
Kerem Bulut FK Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic
Kofi Danning Sydney FC
Jason Davidson Pacos de Ferreira, Portugal
Ryan Edwards Australian Institute of Sport
Matthew Fletcher Sunderland, England
Sam Gallagher Central Coast Mariners
Rhyan Grant Sydney FC
Brendan Hamill Melbourne Heart
Ben Kantarovski Newcastle Jets
Mathew Leckie Adelaide United
Steven Lustica Gold Coast United
Dylan McGowan Hearts FC, Scotland
Tommy Oar FC Utrecht, Netherlands
Alex Pearson (gk) Perth Glory
Dimitrios Petratos Sydney FC
Nikola Stanojevic Central Coast Mariners
Marc Warren Central Coast Mariners
Team Officials
Head Coach – Jan Versleijen
Team Manager – Simon Roberts
Assistant Coach – Alistair Edwards
Scholarship Coach – Michael Valkanis
GK Coach – Fernando Alves
Technical Analysis – Peter Cklamovski
Recovery and Massage Therapist – Leigh Smith
Doctor – Dr Trevor Law
Physiotherapist – Nino La Scala
