8 Sky Blues Selected For Young Socceroos Talent ID camp

Eight of Sydney FC’s young stars have been selected as part of a group of twenty-six aspiring footballers, who’ll l gather at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra this week for a national team identification camp targeted at pinpointing potential players for the Young Socceroos.

Eight of Sydney FC’s young stars have been selected as part of a group of twenty-six aspiring footballers, who’ll gather at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra this week for a national team identification camp targeted at pinpointing potential players for the Young Socceroos.

The eight young Sky Blues is the largest contingent from any one club, and further highlights the strength and quality Sydney FC’s Academy possesses.

Hyundai A-League squad player and current Joey’s Captain Ryan Teague, joins fellow A-League team mate Marco Tilio alongside Academy and Foxtel Y-League stars Thomas Fay, Jake Hollman, Jaiden Kucharski, Anton Mlinaric, Calem Nieuwenhof and Callum Talbot in the list of players selected.

Sydney FC Technical Director – Youth, Kelly Cross, praised the players on their selection.

“We are proud of these boys, who are now either in their fourth or fifth year with the Sydney FC Academy,” Cross said.

“Actually, nine players were selected but Adam Pavlesic, our Joeys keeper at the recent U17 World Cup, is overseas and so was unable to attend the camp.

“All of these boys are already on the first team radar and have trained with our A-League squad. National Team selection is a great honour for the boys and also for our club. To have nine lads achieve this recognition is testament to the great work our Academy staff have done over the years.”

2020 will be an important year for the Young Socceroos, with players involved in the program set to feature at the AFF U-19 Championship in Indonesia mid-year, followed by the AFC U-19 Championship in Uzbekistan in October.

The 2020 AFC U-19 Championship serves as the qualification process for the FIFA U-20 World Cup, which will next be held in Indonesia in mid-2021.

Young Socceroos Head Coach Gary van Egmond will lead the camp, with field sessions to be held on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this week before the players return to their clubs.

Eight players from the Joeys’ 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup squad have been included in the camp as van Egmond gives them the chance to show their ability alongside slightly older players.

A similar camp for age-eligible overseas-based Australian players is being planned for early 2020.

Young Socceroos Talent Identification Camp | December 16 – 20 2019 | Canberra, Australia