Young Socceroos squad for AFF U19 Tournament

Qantas Young Socceroos Head Coach Paul Okon has selected a 20-player squad for the AFF U19 TOURNAMENT 2012 which will be played in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam from 2 – 8 September 2012.

The Qantas Young Socceroos will line up against IR Iran, Vietnam and Uzbekistan in the competition as part of their preparations for the AFC U-19 Championship which will be held in the United Arab Emirates in November, which will also serve as the qualifiers for the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup to be held in Turkey next June/July.

16 players from Hyundai A-League Clubs make up the majority of the squad with notable inclusions Terry Antonis (Sydney FC), new Western Sydney Wanderers FC signing Reece Caira and Adelaide United duo Paul Izzo and Jake Barker-Daish.

Ryan Edwards, who plies is trade at Reading FC, joins the squad as the only overseas based player and will meet up with the team in Vietnam.

Okon is keen to use the tournament as another opportunity for his squad to get some much needed international match experience for the campaign to qualify for the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

“This will be a very good tournament for us to get a good indication of where we are at in our preparation against opposition that has also qualified for the AFC U-19 Championship,” said Okon.

“The players will also be a lot fitter than at the recent AFC U-22 Championship qualifiers in Indonesia and will be closer to the other team in terms of conditioning.

“This will also be the last occasion that we will be without our overseas based players so it is also an opportunities for the Australia-based players to stake a claim for final selection,” concluded Okon.

Prior to the AFF U-19 tournament, The Qantas Young Socceroos will also play a friendly match against a combined Hong Kong U-21/U-19 National Team on Wednesday 29 August at Mongkok Stadium (Kick-Off  7.30pm Perth time).

Qantas Young Socceroos Squad – AFF U19 TOURNAMENT 2012, HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM, 2 – 8 SEPTEMBER 2012

*WA players in bold

Terry Antonis                                      Sydney FC

Jake Barker-Daish                               Adelaide United

Josh Brillante                                      Newcastle Jets

Corey Brown                                      Brisbane Roar

Reece Caira                                        Western Sydney Wanderers

Connor Chapman                               Newcastle Jets

Mitch Cooper                                      Newcastle Jets

Ryan Edwards                                   Reading FC, United Kingdom

Ben Garuccio                                      AIS

Jason Geria                                        Brisbane Roar

Hagi Gligor                                         Sydney FC

Paul Izzo (G/K)                                   Adelaide United

Jesse Makarounas                            Perth Glory

Nick Munro (G/K)                                Croydon Kings, SA State League

Luke O’Dea                                        Bentleigh Greens, Victorian League

Brandon O’Neill                                Perth Glory

Daniel Petkovski                                Sydney FC

Adam Taggart                                   Newcastle Jets

Riley Woodcock                                Perth Glory

David Vrankovic                                 Melbourne Heart