Four Sydney FC Academy players have been picked to be part of the Joeys (Australia under 17’s team) squad for their first training camp ahead of the 2018 AFC U16 Championship in Malaysia.
Sky Blues Ryan Teague, Tyson Savas, Adam Pavlesic and Jaiden Kucharski will be four of 28 of Australia’s brightest young footballers who will gather at the Sydney Academy of Sport at Narrabeen next week, looking to impress new Joey’s Head Coach Trevor Morgan.
The camp will be the first of two held in Australia prior to the tournament proper in September and October this year.
The 28 players selected by Morgan arrive in camp after an extensive period of scouting. During April and May this year, Morgan, alongside Joeys Team Manager, Marty Judge, ventured around Australia and conducted ‘Joeys Talent ID Camps’ in conjunction with Member Federations. Each ‘Joeys Talent ID Camp’ featured between 25 and 30 talented players identified by the host Member Federation.
Twenty players are aligned with Hyundai A-League club academies. A further six players feature at National Premier Leagues (NPL) level across Australia, while two players – Aydan Hammond and Emmanuel Pavlis – are contracted to clubs in Europe.
Australia qualified for the 2018 AFC U16 Championship in Malaysia after topping Group I of the qualification process in Mongolia last September. The Joeys finished ahead of Vietnam, Cambodia and Mongolia in Ulaanbaatar.
In April the Joeys were drawn in a challenging Group D for the 2018 AFC U16 Championship. Australia will need to finish first or second in a group containing defending champions Iraq, Korea Republic, and Afghanistan, to advance to the knockout phase of the competition. To qualify as one of Asia’s representatives for the 2019 FIFA U17 World Cup in Peru (October 2019) Australia must reach at the Semi-Final stage of the tournament.
“I am excited by the opportunity and honoured by the responsibility that goes with this role,” Morgan said regarding his appointment to the Joeys post. “The work will be about unearthing and nurturing talent to build quality and depth in our junior National Teams.”
“We will go to Malaysia with a purpose, to progress to the 2019 FIFA U17 World Cup. As a team we want to face the challenge head on, playing our football against the best teams from around the globe, and we can only do this by making it to Peru.”
Joeys 28-player squad for July 2018 training camp in Sydney (13 July – 19 July)
|
Name |
Club, Country |
|
Leonardo BELZ |
Western Sydney Wanderers FC, Australia |
|
Timothy BOKE |
Belconnen United (ACT), Australia |
|
Jordan BOS |
Melbourne City FC, Australia |
|
Noah BOTIC |
Rockdale City Suns FC (NSW), Australia |
|
Jordan COURTNEY |
Brisbane Roar FC, Australia |
|
Luke DUZEL |
Melbourne City FC, Australia |
|
Jayden GORMAN |
Perth Glory FC, Australia |
|
Peter GROZOS |
Western Sydney Wanderers FC, Australia |
|
Aydan HAMMOND |
OS Belenenses, Portugal |
|
Oliver KALAC |
Western Sydney Wanderers FC, Australia |
|
Birkan KIRDAR |
Melbourne Victory, Australia |
|
Jaiden KUCHARSKI |
Sydney FC, Australia |
|
Adam LEOMBRUNO |
FFSA NTC (SA), Australia |
|
Marco MACUSO |
Pascoe Vale FC (VIC), Australia |
|
Christopher MORSERAY |
Brisbane Roar FC, Australia |
|
Adam PAVLESIC |
Sydney FC, Australia |
|
Emmanuel PAVLIS |
Olympiacos, Greece |
|
Alex POPOVIC |
Adelaide United, Australia |
|
Joshua RACHELE |
Melbourne City FC, Australia |
|
Tyson SAVAS |
Sydney FC, Australia |
|
Lachlan SEPPING |
Marconi FC (NSW), Australia |
|
Jamie SIGNORELLO |
FFSA NTC (SA), Australia |
|
Ahmad TALEB |
Melbourne City FC, Australia |
|
Ryan TEAGUE |
Sydney FC, Australia |
|
Nicholas THEODOSIOU |
Melbourne City FC, Australia |
|
Joshua VARGA |
Melbourne City FC, Australia |
|
Daniel WALSH |
Perth Glory FC, Australia |
|
Adam ZERVAS |
Newcastle Jets FC, Australia |
Joeys 2018 AFC U16 Championship Match Schedule – Group D
Korea Republic v Australia
Saturday, 22 September 2018
Venue: Petaling Jaya Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Kick-off: 8.45pm (local); 10.45pm (AEST)
Australia v Iraq
Tuesday, 25 September 2018
Venue: UM Arena, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Kick-off: 4.30pm (local); 6.30pm (AEST)
Australia v Afghanistan
Friday, 28 September 2018
Venue: Petaling Jaya Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Kick-off: 4.30pm (local); 6.30pm (AEST)
