Young Socceroos coach Paul Okon has turned to the A-League's crop of rising stars to help fill his squad for next month's AFC under-19 championship.
Okon on Tuesday named just three overseas-based players in his extended team ahead of the tournament in Myanmar (Burma), with the other 20 from domestic competitions.
Cameron Burgess (Fulham, England), Chris Ikonomidis (Lazio, Italy), Peter Skapetis (Stoke, England) and Shayne D'Cunha from the NSW NPL's Blacktown City are the only players not signed to an A-League club.
The top four teams from the tournament will earn a spot in next year's under-20s World Cup in New Zealand.
Despite a couple of notable injuries, Okon is optimistic about Australia's chances.
"We have had a good preparation leading into the tournament with a number of tours and camps where we have faced quality opposition," Okon said.
"Our goal is to qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup and to achieve this goal we will need to string together four quality performances."
The Young Socceroos will fly out on Wednesday for a pre-tournament camp in Thailand.
They play their first group match against the United Arab Emirates on Friday week, followed by Indonesia on October 12 and Uzbekistan on October 14.
Young Socceroos squad: Daniel Alessi (Western Sydney Wanderers), Shannon Brady (Brisbane Roar), Brandon Borrello (Brisbane Roar), Anthony Bouzanis (Sydney FC), Jordan Brown (Melbourne Victory), Cameron Burgess (Fulham FC), Daniel De Silva (Perth Glory), Shayne D'Cunha (Blacktown City), Scott Galloway (Melbourne Victory), Hagi Gligor (Sydney FC), Chris Ikonomidis (SS Lazio), Paul Izzo (Adelaide United), Awer Mabil (Adelaide United), Stefan Mauk (Melbourne City), Dylan Murnane (Melbourne Victory), Christopher Naumoff (Sydney FC), Mark Ochieng (Adelaide United), Liam Rose (Central Coast Mariners), Peter Skapetis (Stoke City FC, England), Jaushua Sotirio (Western Sydney Wanderers), Jordan Thurtell (Perth Glory), Benjamin Warland (Adelaide United), Riley Woodcoc (Perth Glory).
Share
