Sydney: 30 players will put their best foot forward for the Australia squad selection as the build-up continues for the FIFA U-17 World Cup Brazil 2019.
Head coach Trevor Morgan and his staff will train the squad at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra between July 11 and 18.
On the first evening of camp, the Joeys will also find out who they will face in the Group Stage in Brazil in October and November, as the draw is conducted at FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.
Of the 30 players selected by Morgan for the upcoming camp, 20 are currently aligned to A-League clubs, four are signed to National Premier League (NPL) outfits, while six will arrive from overseas clubs.
While Morgan and his staff have been busy monitoring players at home and abroad in person and online, this is the first time that the group has assembled since March’s tour to Turkey, where the Joeys faced the host nation, as well as African nations Tanzania and Guinea in Antalya.
“As we continue to build depth and unearth new talent for the Joeys, this camp will offer a great chance for some new players to show what they can contribute to our campaign for Brazil,” Morgan explained.
“Right now the focus is on us, preparing to play with confidence in our own ability and with a positive team mentality. In camp we will reinforce key themes that are central to our identity.
“We will also see the World Cup draw next week, know our group and begin analysing how our strengths can threaten our opponents.
“This group of players has been evolving over the last two years and they have earned the right to play in a World Cup. Their actions give the staff a strong belief that they will represent Australia in the way we like to see our teams both on and off the pitch,” he said.
The 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup will be held between October 26 and November 17 in Brazil, with 24 nations from six Confederations divided into six groups of four.
The Joeys will have another overseas tour inclusive of friendly matches prior to this year’s World Cup, and will also have a pre-FIFA U-17 World Cup training camp in South America prior to kick-off in the tournament.
Australia qualified for the FIFA U-17 World Cup after reaching the semi-finals of the AFC U-16 Championship 2018 in Malaysia, where they fell 3-1 to eventual champions Japan. Asia's other representatives will be Tajikistan and Korea Republic.
Australia squad
Idrus Abdulahi (Melbourne City FC), Diego Alonso (Albacete Cf), Ali Auglah (Western Sydney Wanderers FC), Zaydan Bello (Melbourne Victory), Nicholas Bilokapic (Gk) (Sydney United 58), Noah Botic (Rockdale City Suns FC), Tim Caroutas (Ue Cornella), Jordan Courtney-perkins (Brisbane Roar FC), Yaya Dukuly (Melbourne City FC), Luke Duzel (Melbourne City FC), Doni Grdic (Hnk Sibenik), Oliver Kalac (Western Sydney Wanderers FC), Birkan Kirdar (Melbourne Victory), Anton Mlinaric (Sydney FC), Trent Ostler (Perth Glory FC), Adam Pavlesic (Gk) (Sydney FC), Emmanuel Pavlis (Panionios FC), Cameron Peupion (Sydney FC), Izaack Powell (Brisbane Roar FC), Akiel Raffie (Fleetwood Town), Michael Ruhs (Sydney United 58), Lachlan Sepping (Marconi Stallions), Jack Simmons (Newcastle Jets FC), Ahmad Taleb (Gk) (Melbourne City FC), Ryan Teague (Sydney FC), Jayden Trenkoski (Sydney FC), Joshua Varga (Melbourne City FC), Daniel Walsh (Perth Glory FC), Nicholas Walsh (Perth Glory FC), Caleb Watts (Southampton FC).
Source: Football Federation Australia
Source: the-afc.com