Sydney FC midfielder Josh Brillante has paid testament to his Sky Blues team mates and the club for his inclusion in Head Coach Ber van Marwijk’s preliminary 29-man Socceroos squad for their upcoming friendlies.
After spending four years away from the national team setup, Brillante believes the Sky Blues’ record-breaking form on the road to the A-League double in 2016/17, and their similar vein of form in 2017/18, has paved the way for his return.
“Off the back of the way we’ve been going here at Sydney FC it’s nice to be named,” Brillante said.
“I think a lot of it, the way Sydney FC runs everything here and how professional it is, the quality of players I have around me and the work we’ve been putting in this season and last season has helped a lot.
“It’s exciting to be back in it if I do make the final cut. It’s been a good four years [away from the national team], so it’s always great to be back in the mix.
“It’s a goal of mine and a lot of the other players [at Sydney FC] too.”
SELECTED! A big congratulations to Josh Brillante who's been named in Bert van Marwijk's preliminary @Socceroos squad – https://t.co/D7tQc3Tvs2 #SydneyIsSkyBlue #GoSocceroos pic.twitter.com/hM1GKKfp1I
— Sydney FC (@SydneyFC) March 6, 2018
Brillante said he was honoured to be considered again for the national team, as he said being noticed would spur him to work even harder each match to ensure he makes the final 23-player squad for the clashes against Norway and Colombia.
“It’s always an honour to be mentioned amongst the Socceroos squad,” Brillante said.
“It’s only a preliminary squad that needs to be cut down so there’s nothing to get too excited about yet, it’s more to keep the head down and keep focussing.
“Being named in that squad, you know that you’re being watched which is a good thing, so it’s just now about continuing to working hard.
“From my point of view all I can do is work hard at training and in games and the rest will sort itself out. It all depends on the coach and what he wants with the team and what players he needs [on whether I’m selected or not].
“It would be great to work under Bert. He’s been to a World Cup so to learn off him would be amazing.”
The Caltex Socceroos squad for the friendly games against Norway and Colombia will be reduced to 23-players in the coming days, with the first match against Norway kicking off at 4am AEDT on Saturday 24 March at Ullevaal Stadion, Norway.
Sydney FC face Brisbane Roar at Allianz Stadium in a Family Fun Day out with an exclusive screening of ‘Ferdinand’ on the big screens ahead of our 7:50pm kick off! Be there to enjoy the film and back your Sky Blues in another crunch clash.
