The Sydney FC NPL side will take on Manly United at the Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre this Friday at 7:30pm, where they will be looking to continue their unbeaten start following a lively performance against Spirit FC.
The Sky Blues Academy will return to the Rockdale pitch for the first time since 2022, and A-League men’s side players such as Mitch Glasson, Zac De Jesus, Nathan Amanaditis, Matthew Scarcella and Adam Pavlesic are set to feature.
Coach of the Academy side, Jimmy Van Weeren, was keen to get back on the Rockdale pitch, saying:
“We’re excited to go back to Rockdale. The surface is of good quality, so we’re excited to see what kind of football we can produce.
“It’s an opportunity to see the future stars of the first team. This competition is exciting, so I definitely think if people were to come down and have a look, they would be entertained.”
When asked about a player that fans should look out for, van Weeren said:
“I can’t single out one [player to look out for] because there was a fair few standout performances last weekend.
“And then also, some of the young A-League men squad will be coming back to showcase what they can do.”
Last week, the Sky Blues played out a 0-0 draw to NWS Spirit FC, where they missed many senior Academy players, such as Mitch Glasson and Nathan Amanditis.
The average age of the squad was 17.5 years, considerably lower than their opposition.
But despite the age difference, the Sydney FC Academy side conceded one shot on target and made 21 attempts, with Tiago Quintal and Bailey Callaghan having the best opportunities.
“I think it was a huge and very positive result for a younger group. There were lots of guys who made their NPL debut. It was their first experience playing against men.
“There’s a real sense of self-belief and confidence amongst the group because the average squad age was 17 and a half years”, Van Weeren explained.
This weekend, the Sky Blues NPL side will take on Manly, a team that defeated St George 3-0 last weekend, where two goals came from former Sydney FC Academy players Harry McCarthy and Ben Koop.
“We will definitely need to be mindful of those players because they can be quite dangerous.
“Some of the [former players] were with us for a number of years, and some of them scored a lot of goals for the club, and now they’re continuing to score goals at Manly”, said van Weeren.
In their last outing, Sydney FC defeated the Northern Beaches club 2-1, where now Sydney FC A-League player Hayden Matthews scored the opening goal.
Adults can watch the match for $15, whilst Juniors who come along will be able to view it for free.
Match Details:
Sydney FC v Manly United
NPL NSW Round Two
Friday 23th February, 2024
Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre, Sydney, NSW
Kick-off: 7:30pm AEDT
Broadcast Live: Football NSW YouTube Channel
