Young Socceroos - we ain't so bad.

Now before we all line-up to shoot our Coach, Han Berger, Jan Boultbee, Andrew Dimitriou (didn't he nick all our players) maybe, just maybe we ain't so bad.

We went in as Asian Cup losers and lost Matthew Leckie before the tournament.

The World Game is tough - Spain are tougher still.

Like the U17s we struggled it's fair to say - like the U17s we had few if any competent defenders, but unlike the U17s we saw many signs of individual skill.

And this is what many of us have been hoping for, for many years.

Systems, 1-4-3-3, sure we all want a flowing, beautiful game but in reality if Tom King (Liverpool) Servet Uzular (Sydney FC) and Rhyan Grant(Sydney FC) are key defenders in your national teams - and there are many others in each team - you just ain't going to be producing flowing football, or defending players who have World craft and great pace; often both.

Jan Versleijan and Ante Milicic must have known this.

So we lost, sometimes it was ugly, especially this morning, early on.

But I saw:

Kerem Bulut - work his socks off when all was lost - often on his own. And his goal this morning was a great reward for his energy. How far can he go? Do we know how good he is after these three performances?

Terry Antonis - stamped his authority and skill in every game he played. He can go to the next World Cup - hopefully with two full A-League seasons under his belt. Interesting player.

Muastafa Amini - another with time in front of him, he can go to the next World Cup - and produced some, not many, moments of class.

Tommy Oar - showed his talents, his pace isn't quite fast enough often enough, his skill, not tricky enough, not yet. he's not Harry and he probably won't sustain a start in Eredivision but in the A-League, in Asia, he'll be an important player. Prove me wrong Tommy. His crosses were frequent and he doesn't have to beat his man to cross. A shot to die for. He can only get better.....with games, but will he play at Utrecht?

Kofi Danning - unlike the stars above, Kofi has been shunted, not to Europe but to Brisbane. He showed, in patches, that he could still make a huge impact on the A-League. If Ange Postecoglou can't improve Kofi..who can? He has sufficient pace and improving skill to make a mark this season I think. Kofi done good this time out.

Bernie Ibini-Isi will unsettle A-League defences - can he make it to Europe. I think not, but again a professional career should be his.

D.Petratos - Sydney FC. Surely another Leckie. Watch him make a huge impact in the A-League this season. Can he keep injury free - play in a decent team. Legs for a Mark Bridge lazy pass - but legs and a shot to die for. Played for the team in midfield - up front he could be lethal.

Ben Kantarovski - a great player - everyone says it. I think his progress has stalled considerably at the Jets under Branko and co. Can he regain his top notch reputation in the A-League? Is he good enough for an overseas gig?

Not yet.

All these guys can make a career in professional football - previously U20 squads have seen many many players fall by the way side, not least in recent years, U20 Captain Shaun Ontong and U17 World 11 player Kaz Patafta.

Most of the above have pace, some have skill. And more skill than we are used to seeing in a Young Socceroos team.

Kerem Bulut and Terry Antonis have the most potential based on the last 3 performances, but Musti has the contract, and Oar is already in Europe.

The last U20s, U17 and Olympics teams were - shall we say apart from Nikita Rukavystya - slow and disappointing.

Of course we always have great keepers - Adam Federici, Paul Izzo and now Mark Birighetti - maybe because they get so much practice.

Alot to like in these players - sod all to like in the team!

See ya Jan!

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Young Socceroos: Individual v Team Performance. We need stars.

Some say Youth tournaments are all about team systems, style of play, and of course they are. They set a tone for the nation's coaches and players - something we are working towards in Australia.

But for fans and for future Coaches they are also about individuals.

Barcelona without Lionel Messi compared to Spain without Messi. I know which team scores more, is more dynamic.

And, of course Australia in 2006, great system, good style. Take away Mark Viduka - what system would we have been able to employ.

And as a Coach you always want that x-factor no matter what level of football you are playing - and internationally it is no different.

So when the young men of Australia are criticised for their style of play - well they won't win the tournament so they should expect flack in this nation - I'll be focusing on the stars.

These 23 players will never all play for Australia but wouldn't it be great if we saw a couple burst through in the next twelve months. It's been along time since a young Harry Kewell or Mark Viduka were so good they had to play for the Socceroos at a young age.

We need it.

The Beijing Olympics was perhaps the most dire showing by one of our young teams - certainly lacked any inspiring players pushing hard for Socceroos spots, although a young Nikita Rukavystya did enough to scare Argentina and give me some hope we had a forward (He's at Hertha Berlin now and still progressing) - but now, finally at the Young Socceroo level we have hope - heaps of it.

Mustafa Amini and Terry Antonis - so much potential and so young they could go to another U20 World Cup.

Kerem Bulet our Asia Cup top scorer. Has the mongrel on and off the field to succeed. There's a lot to like about his performances but this could be his last chance to get back on track - really back on track.

Tommy Oar - well if you haven't read about his prospects where have you been. We are expecting a lot from Tommy in this tournament - or else he'll be the next left back after Michael Zullo!

And two bolters - Bernie Ibini-Isi and Sydney's Dimi Petratos - both have the x-factor and are developing nicely in the A-League. With Matthew Leckie unavailable surely a great opportunity for these prospects.

Throw in Brendan Hamill, Ben Kantarovski and Marc Warren and there's heaps of potential.

With Brent McGrath, already capped at Socceroo level, Matthew Leckie and Steven Lustica not making the trip - this side has real potential to deliver a number of future quality Socceroos - real quality.

There is potential for strong individual performances and potential for a couple for players to really develop into Champions League players in coming years. Last year we had none beyond the Group Stage where the best footballers in the world play.

We need them.

Of course Ecuador, Costa Rica and Spain might put us in our place as a team - and that's the worry - but surely there are a couple in this mob who can give us hope?

We need some stars!

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Two things we need from Aussie U20 World Cup - star style and star players!

Looking forward to watching our much-hyped Aussie Under20s at the World Cup.

These guys are professionals and all at clubs playing football so we should expect a lot more from the players in terms of game understanding and individual performance - unless of course they have played with Fergie and Perth Glory in the last couple of years.

So a style of play somewhat more effective than the U17s -some of these guys have played under Jan Versleijen since he arrived in the country.

Also we're looking for two players who really shine on the World Stage - two who could burst into the Socceroos next week and not be embarrassed.

And of course Musti Amini and Terry Antonis are young enough to go to this comp again so should be viewed a little more gently than the rest.

Will Kerem Bulut fire?
Has Matthew Leckie got the touch to really make an impact?
Is Tommy Oar the real deal?
Marc Warren at Sheffield United? Can he take the next step to the Socceroos.

With Ecuador, Costa Rica and Spain in our group - this is not about qualifying - it's all about the star style of play and the star INDIVIDUAL.

After all we really want some Socceroo stars to watch in the future who can make a difference don't we?

And lets not forget Brent McGrath - Socceroo already, he hasn't made the trip this time - surely one to watch.

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Young Socceroos - Will they go? Do they need to?

With the Young Socceroos squad announcement seemingly delayed one wonders if the European based players will follow Brent McGrath, Brondby based - and decide not to go.

Ned Zelic had just moved to Auxerre when he decided he had to turn down the Atlanta Olympic team to ensure his place in the French side.

So one wonders if Matthew Leckie, Brent McGrath, Tommy Oar, Kerem Bulet and others may feel the pressure of club v country.

For young men with contracts in Europe - I think they would be wiser to choose club over country on this one!

If your wage was been paid by the club, and it was the start of the season and your place wasn't secured what would you do?

Gotta feel for the kids - but the team could be ripped apart later today or whenever the team is announced.

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A lot to like in Asia

The Young Socceroos went down to a goalkeeping blunder in the final minutes of their Asian Cup Final last night.

Mark Birighetti dropped a simple cross and Korea DPR prodded home to win the final 3-2.

But there was an awful lot to like about this young Australian side.

Tommy Oar showed some real class, and excitement with his dribbling and crossing creating two goals for Kerum Bulut himself turning in a wonderful centre-forward display.

Fox commentator Mark Bosnich thinks Bulut has a big big future. We'll see.

Matthew Leckie impressed again. What a forward line.

In the midfield Ben Kantarovski showed real promise controlling large parts of the game. What's not to like about this guy.

Alongside Ben, Mustafa Amini and Terry Antonis two guys young enough to play next time, are special talents.

So why did we lose?

Well a few missed chances at crucial times, and some calamity defending albeit on a dodgy bumpy pitch didn't help.

No-one says playing in North Korea is better than training in Europe but it clearly must be given this result.

For me, I was excited by the Aussie attacking talent in the front six. How special it's hard to say but really this could be the start of something big.

Antonis and Armini given their ages and performances are perhaps the most exciting talents to emerge.

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Nearpost enters New Dawn tonight

Aussies beat Paraguay, best Melbourne Derby ever, and Young Socceroos march onto World Cup and Asia Cup Semi Final.

We don't write for the Australian - we're positive about the Aussie game - always.

Harry gives it to you know who again, Holger is our hero, and SBS will show the World Cup Bid announcement. We got it all.

It's all going off in Aussie football and Nearpost radio and poddie will be unstoppable tonight - Think Leckie think Nearpost

6.30pm Tuesday aest - streamed on www.2xxfm.org.au

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Australia 4 UAE just 2 aet

The Qantas Young Socceroos have qualified for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup after defeating the United Arab Emirates (UAE) 4-2 in a thrilling quarter final at the AFC U-19 Championship tonight in Zibo, China.

Zibo, China

Monday 11 October 2010





The Qantas Young Socceroos have qualified for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup after defeating the United Arab Emirates (UAE) 4-2 in a thrilling quarter final at the AFC U-19 Championship tonight in Zibo, China.



Kerem Bulut opened the scoring for the Qantas Socceroos, following a Marc Warren corner, in the 6th minute of the match before Ahmed Khalil equalised for the UAE from the penalty spot in the 23rd minute.



Mustafa Amini gave the Qantas Young Socceroos the lead again three minutes into the second half with a fantastic right footed-volley from the edge of the box that dipped in just under the crossbar. But Ahmed Khalil again equalised for the UAE with six minutes to go in regulation time to force the match into extra time.



Two minutes into the first period of extra time Mathew Leckie put the Qantas Young Socceroos ahead for the third time with a tap in at the far post from a Matthew Fletcher cross.



Fletcher then sealed the result twelve minutes later when he side-footed in a volley from close range after finding himself unmarked in the six yard box on the end of a cross from Tommy Oar on the left.



The Qantas Young Socceroos defended their two goal lead during the second period of extra time controlling possession and slowing down the play as both teams began to feel the effects of fatigue.



The UAE had a faint glimmer of hope late in the game after Dylan McGowan was sent off for his second bookable offence in the 115th minute after committing a foul on the edge of his own box. But from the resulting free kick, Qantas Young Socceroos goalkeeper Mark Birighitti made an important save to his near post.



After the match Qantas Young Socceroos Head Coach Jan Versleijen was ecstatic with his team’s hard earned win and the achievement of their goal of making the semi finals of the tournament.



“It was a tremendous performance by all the players this evening.



“Every time the UAE challenged us we were able to then step up to the challenge.



“It was definitely a hard fought win and the players should be very satisfied by the result tonight as well as qualifying for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia next July.



“Yes, we achieved our goal of qualifying for the FIFA U-20 World Cup, but we are not satisfied. We play Saudi Arabia in the semi finals on Thursday and want to win this game to progress to the final on Sunday.



“We will be missing Mathew Leckie, Dylan McGowan and Ben Kantarovski due to suspensions for Thursday's match, but this will give other players an opportunity and again allow us to see what depth this squad has to offer.



“For the moment the players should be very proud of their performance as we look forward to the semi finals,” concluded Versleijen



In the other quarter finals the Korea Republic came back from two goals down to run out 3-2 victors over Japan, DPR Korea defeated China PR 2-0 and Saudi Arabia accounted for Uzbekistan 2-1.



The Qantas Young Socceroos will now meet Saudi Arabia and DPR Korea will face the Korea Republic in the semi-finals of the AFC U-19 Championship which will be held on Thursday 14 October, with the Final to be played on Sunday 17 October.



The FIFA U-20 World Cup Colombia 2011 will be played from the 29 July – 20 August.





-ends-



Match Details



Qantas Young Socceroos 4 (Kerem Bulut 6’, Mustafa Amini 48’, Mathew Leckie 92’, Matthew Fletcher 104’)

United Arab Emirates 2 (Ahmed Khalil 23’(pen), 84’)

Linzi Stadium, Linzi, China PR

Referee: Abdul Malik Bin Abdul Bashir (SINGAPORE)

Assistant Referees: Goh Gek Pheng Jeffrey (SINGAPORE) & Han Wei (CHINA P.R.)

Fourth Official: Tan Hai (CHINA P.R.)

Crowd: 9,000



Qantas Young Socceroos line-up: Mark Birighitti (gk), Dylan McGowan, Sam Gallagher, Ben Kantarovski (c), Rhyan Grant, Kerem Bulut (Matthew Fletcher 62’), Tom Oar, Mathew Leckie (Kofi Danning 118’), Mustafa Amini (Dimitrios Petratos 95’), Nikola Stanojevic, Marc Warren.



Substitutes Not Used: Brendan Hamill, Jason Davidson, Eli Babalj, Terry Antonis, Dan Bowles, Ryan Edwards, Steven Lustica, Matthew Acton (gk), Alex Pearson (gk).



Yellow Cards: Mathew Leckie 10’, Ben Kantarovski 40’, Dylan McGowan 51’/115’



Red Cards: Dylan McGowan 115’





Qantas Young Socceroos Squad

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Australia has done it.

If 150 medals in the Commonwealth Games isn't enough try this.

The Australian under 20s have won through to the Semi Final of the Asia Cup and as a result qualified for the World Cup in Columbia next year.

So now those clowns who thought Matthew Leckie or Tommy Oar should have played in that game against Paraguay on the weekend, put your red noses on.

This was tight, very tight, 4-2 after extra time against the UAE.

Would have been great for Aussie development if Leckie and Oar had played against Paraguay and we'd narrowly lost to the UAE wouldn't it.

This team is very exciting with so many potential FORWARDS who could develop. And the next generation of A-League players are here. And forwards to boot!

Matthew Leckie, Tommy Oar, Mustafa Armini, Matthew Flectcher, Kofi Danning etc etc.

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Nearpost poddie covers Olyroos and Young Socceroos

Lucy Zelic, Paddy Bordier and Eamonn Flanagan discuss all the news from Australian football. 30 minutes of news views opinions and more. Quiz, dedications and we make the hard calls.

Who are the Olyroos who will play for the Socceroos and who are the Olyroos who'll never make it?

We call the Young Socceroos who will make it; and those who'll never play for the Big Boys. But are we right.

Don't miss it. 6.30pm Tuesday streamed on www.2xxfm.org.au and available on the poddie here or on itunes later tonight

Download.
or play right from your computer....

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Nearpost Podcasts: A-League crowds up, and who gets your Futsal money

download national show

Nationally we cover Fozzie on the Young Socceroos, A-League, crowds, Danny Tiatto, Robbie Kruse,how did that Ref miss the Perf goal, Alex Brosque, Chris Grossman, why the Celtic crowd are louder thanBordeaux, even Liverpool but it was The Cove who took Paddy's breadth away, W-League, quiz questions and more and Lucy Zelic thinks Melbourne will beat Sydney FC.

What does she know?..oh and why we love SMH's Adele Horin...it's all here..



Locally we hear from Canberra United Coach Ray Junna.

And with the ACT Futsal season about to start...yes it's another short season of futsal just 16 weeks, Peter Funnell talks to the CEO of Viking Futsal.

Recently someone pointed out to me that local Futsal is exploding with over 1500 kids northside alone, bringing in $240,000 in revenue.

Does that money stay in the game or head perhaps to ....netball through it's centre.

Vikings Futsal keeps every cent in the game, build resources and send all Futsal teams to championships FREE, send Refs abroad, but keep every cent in the game for the game, it's players and the kids AND they pay their staff/administrators.

Surely Vikings is a model for Futsal ACT and indeed every outdoor club over about 600 kids.

Think of the future. Will we ever have our own courts, resources for our kids??????
Will we ever pay those who do the hard yards in organising these huge and growing tournaments?

Download

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Aussie Technical Revolution: Starts at Full-Back

Gabriel Heinze, Roberta Carlos, Patrice Evra, Danny McGrain, Ashley Cole, Daniel Mullen and Matthew Jurman.

The first five are tecnically adept full-backs playing with some style in their teams, the last are centre-backs placed into the Australian national team to play full-back in a World Cup. Ouch!

Now you know this, and I know this, but any Coach who puts these two players into this role means you can't attack, you can't control the game and you can't get a forward cross or interchange with skill and pace from wide.

In essence you shouldn't be at the World Cup if that is the beat pair of modern full-backs we can produce.

Surely there are a couple of young wingers across Australia with a heap of skill who we could have converted, a la Lucas Neill, into technically sound attacking full-backs.

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Aussie Under 20's: Holland better in Holland?

Qantas Young Socceroos Head Coach Jan Versleijen has selected a squad of 20 players to participate in the Copa Ciudad de Rosario in Argentina as part of his team’s preparations for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup to be held in Egypt starting in two months time. The Qantas Young Socceroos will face fellow FIFA U-20 World Cup finalists Uruguay and the United States of America as well as Argentinean Youth team C.A. Tiro Federal.

But interesting there is no James Holland. Is it a case of training in Holland better than playing for Australia?

And Note no Tommy Oar despite the big wraps on him, but what about Nikola Stanojevic still at the AIS...does this mean he is exceptional..as his age must be 17???? Or less.

Luke Brattan (Brisbane Roar), Isaka Cernak Okanya (Brisbane Roar), Alex Cisak (Leicester City, UK), Peter Cvetanovski (Borussia Moenchengladbach, Germany), Kofi Danning (Sydney FC), Luke DeVere (Brisbane Roar), Nathan Elasi (Melbourne Victory), Antony Golec (Sydney FC), Jason Hoffman (Newcastle Jets), Matthew Jurman (Sydney FC), Osama Malik (North Queensland Fury), Tahj Minniecon (Gold Coast United), Aaron Mooy (Bolton Wanderers, UK), Sam Munro (Sydney FC), Jason Naidovski (Newcastle Jets), Mitch Nichols (Brisbane Roar), Chris Payne (Sydney FC), Andrew Redmayne (Central Coast Mariners), Nikola Stanojevic (AIS), Rocco Visconte (Hearts FC, Scotland)

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Canberrans to Amsterdam...and the World

Kofi Danning, and Sam Munro are off to Europe with the Under 20 Australian side.

Notice a heap of overseas joining them including maybe the pick of the bunch? Peter CVETANOVSKI (Borussia Monchengladbach, Germany),

And will Kofi be back? You can be sure with games against Celtic, Ajax, PSV, Valencia and co it won't be just the Aussie Coaches having a look will it. Let's hope a few of the A-League boys return for a while at least.

Australian-based players selected by Head Coach, Jan Versleijen, for an 18 man Qantas Young Socceroos squad for a European training camp has departed Australia this afternoon as part of their preparation for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup to be held in Egypt in September/October.

The touring squad is comprised of 14 players from Hyundai A-League and National Youth League teams and four players from overseas clubs.

The players travelled with newly appointed Assistant Coach and former Qantas Socceroo, Ante Milicic, and former Hyundai A-League player and former Wellington Phoenix assistant coach, Wayne O’Sullivan, who has been appointed as video analyst for the team.

The Qantas Young Socceroos will participate in two tournaments in the Netherlands and also play friendly matches against De Graafschap and the Egyptian U-20 national team. The two tournaments involve modified matches, played with 20 minute halves, with teams playing two or three games a day.

Versleijen has also invited Aaron Mooy (Bolton Wanderers, England), Mitchell Nicholson (Dorchester Town, England), Brent McGrath (Brondy, Denmark), Rocco Visconte (Hearts FC, Scotland), Dylan McGowan (Hearts FC, Scotland), Christos Tamaros (Apollon Kalamarias, Greece) and Robert Stambolziev (Bristol City, England)to train with the squad with a view towards possible future selection in the playing squad.

“We have chosen this European tour due to the fact that we have European Opposition (Czech Republic) at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt," said Versleijen.

"Later in the year we will head to South America for another training camp to test ourselves against opposition similar to the playing styles of Brazil and Costa Rica whom we also meet at the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

“An important reason for this tour is for the players to get international experience against different teams and to strengthen our playing style, but I will also use the opportunity to see some new faces from overseas clubs and assess if they can add something to the squad,” said Versleijen.

“The benefit of playing in these two tournaments is that the players will have many games in a short period of time against a variety of opposition," concluded Versleijen.

In July, The Qantas Young Socceroos are scheduled to embark on a South American tour to Venezuela as they continue their preparations for the FIFA U-20 World Cup Egypt 2009.

The Qantas Young Socceroos have been drawn in Group E for the FIFA U-20 World Cup Egypt 2009, alongside Brazil, Costa Rica and the Czech Republic. The FIFA U-20 World Cup Egypt 2009 which will be played from 24 September to 16 October.

The Qantas Young Socceroos qualified for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup by progressing to the semi-final stage at the AFC U-19 Championships in Saudi Arabia last year.

ENDS
Qantas Young Socceroos Squad List
Mark BIRIGHITTI (Adelaide United), Oliver BOZANIC (Reading FC, England), Luke BRATTAN (Brisbane Roar), Isaka CERNAK (Brisbane Roar), Peter CVETANOVSKI (Borussia Monchengladbach, Germany), Kofi DANNING (Sydney FC), Luke DE VERE (Brisbane Roar), Nathan ELASI (Melbourne Victory), Rhyan GRANT (Sydney FC), James HOLLAND (AZ Alkmaar, Netherlands), Matthew JURMAN (Sydney FC), Ryan McGOWAN (Hearts FC, Scotland), Tahj MINNIECON (Gold Coast United) Daniel MULLEN (Adelaide United), Sam MUNRO (Sydney FC), Mitch NICHOLLS (Brisbane Roar), Thomas OAR (Brisbane Roar), Andrew REDMAYNE (Central Coast Mariners)

Match Schedule
DateMatch TypeFixtureVenueKick-Off (CEST)Kick-Off (AEST)
19 May 2009FriendlyQantas Young Socceroos v De Graafschap Terborg1:00pm9:00pm
22 May 2009TTValencia CF v Qantas Young Socceroos Terborg2:10pm10:10pm
TTQantas Young Socceroos v FeyenoordTerborg7:10pm3:10am
23 May 2009TTQantas Young Socceroos v Atletico MineiroTerborg11:40am7:40pm
TTDe Graafschap v Qantas Young SocceroosTerborg3:00pm11:00pm
24 May 2009TTTerborg Touwernooi Finals Series Terborg
26 May 2009FriendlyQantas Young Socceroos v Egypt U-20 Terborg11:00am7:00pm
30 May 2009ICGTQantas Young Socceroos v PSV EindhovenUitgeest12:00pm8:00pm
ICGTQantas Young Socceroos v Ajax AmsterdamUitgeest1:40pm9:40pm
ICGTCeltic v Qantas Young SocceroosUitgeest3:30pm11:30pm
1 June 2009ICGTQantas Young Socceroos v FC UitgeestUitgeest10:00am6:00pm
ICGTQantas Young Socceroos v VitesseUitgeest11:35am7:35pm
ICGTSemi Finals and FinalsUitgeest2:00pm10:00pm

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Young Socceroos win ASEAN tournament

The team will now head to Saudi Arabia in November for the Asian Cup which acts as qualifiers for the Under 20 World Cup.

James Holland sealed the win in a penalty shoot-out. Take a look at the list of names and see who is already making an impact in the A-League..or not yet.

FFA report below.

Bangkok
Sunday 12 October 2008

The Qantas Young Socceroos have defeated the Korea Republic in a dramatic penalty shoot-out to win the ASEAN Football Federation U19 Championships in Thailand overnight.

Goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne was the hero for the Qantas Young Socceroos after making a number of fantastic saves during regulation time and three important saves during the penalty shoot-out.

The first half was an even affair with both teams creating chances but the goalkeepers at either end made a number of great saves. The Qantas Young Socceroos best chance came shortly after the half-hour mark when Mitch Nichols had his shot from inside the box well saved by the Korea Republic goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu.

Torrential rain started after half time and continued for the remainder of the match which severely restricted the number of scoring opportunities for either side.

With the score-line locked at 0-0 and due to the extreme weather, both teams and the tournament organisers agreed to determine the result by a penalty shoot-out without going to extra-time.

Nathan Elasi took the Qantas Young Socceroos first penalty, which was saved by Kim Seung-gyu. Andrew Redmayne then saved the Koreans first penalty from Lee Chang-ho. Sebastian Ryall netted the Qantas Young Socceroos second penalty and Redmayne backed up with another fine save from Park Jong-woo’s attempt. Jason Naidovski extended the lead when he netted and Redmayne again produced another fine save to deny Yang Jun-a 's shot. Tahj Minniecon had the opportunity to seal the result but missed his attempt and Kim Jae-min converted for Korea. Qantas Young Socceroos captain James Holland sealed the result when he converted his penalty to give his team a morale boosting victory in the lead-up to the AFC U19 Championships later this month.

Qantas Young Socceroos Head Coach Jan Versleijen was very happy with his team’s overall performance as he looks towards the next important tournament.

“Every game we improved, the players had a better understanding of the combinations creating chances. It was pleasing to win the tournament.

“Now we have to prepare for the qualifiers and I can see improvement that will give us confidence leading into the qualifiers,” concluded Versleijen.

Earlier in the evening, China defeated Thailand 3-0, In the play-off for third place.

The Qantas Young Socceroos will focus their attention to the AFC U19 Youth Championships which will be held in Saudi Arabia from the 31 October – 14 November 2008. The top four nations from the AFC U19 Youth Championships will qualify for the FIFA U20 World Cup which will be held in Egypt from 10-31 July 2009.

-ends

Match Details:
ASEAN Football Federation U19 Championships - Final
Qantas Young Socceroos 0
Korea Republic 0
(Qantas Young Socceroos win 3-1 on penalties)
Saturday 11 October 2008
Supachalasai Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand

Qantas Young Socceroos line up: Andrew Redmayne (gk), Sebastian Ryall, Sam Munro (Nathan Elasi 68’), Matthew Jurman, Tahj Minniecon, James Holland (C), Milos Lujic (Jason Naidovski 75’), Mitch Nichols (James Brown 35’), Nikolas Tsattalios, Tom Oar, Ryan McGowan

Substitutes Not Used: Alex Cisak, Peter Cvetanovski, Milos Lujic, Andreas Govas, Luke De Vere, Andreas Govas, Dane Milovanovic, Scott Balderson.

Yellow Cards: Sam Munro 37’, Matthew Jurman 74’.

Red Cards: Nil

ENDS

Qantas Young Socceroos Squad List
ASEAN Football Federation U-19 Championships
5 – 11 October 2008

Scott Balderson (Stevenage Borough, UK), James Brown (AIS), Alex Cisak (gk) (Leicester City, UK), Peter Cvetanovski (Borussia Monchenlabach, Germany), Luke De Vere (Queensland Roar), Nathan Elasi (Melbourne Victory), Andreas Govas (Apollon Kalamarias, Greece), James Holland (Newcastle Jets), Matthew Jurman (Sydney FC), Milos Lujic (Melbourne Victory), Ryan McGowan (Hearts FC, Scotland), Tahj Minniecon (Queensland Roar), Dane Milovanovic (AIS), Sam Munro (Sydney FC), Jason Naidovski (Newcastle Jets), Mitchell Nichols (Queensland Roar), Thomas Oar (Queensland Roar), Andrew Redmayne (gk) (Central Coast Mariners), Sebastian Ryall (Melbourne Victory) and Nikolas Tsattalios (Sydney FC).


ASEAN Football Federation U-19 CHAMPIONSHIPS
Official Match Schedule

MatchDateFixtureVenue
1Sun 5 Oct 08Korea Republic 1:0 ThailandSupachalasai Stadium
2Sun 5 Oct 08Australia 3:1 China PRSupachalasai Stadium
3Tues 7 Oct 08Korea Republic 0:0 Australia Royal Thai Army Stadium
4Tues 7 Oct 08China PR 0:3 Thailand Royal Thai Army Stadium
5 Thurs 9 Oct 08China PR 0:1 Korea RepublicSupachalasai Stadium
6Thurs 9 Oct 08Thailand 1:2 Australia Supachalasai Stadium
7Sat 11 Oct 08Thailand 0:3 ChinaSupachalasai Stadium
8 (final)Sat 11 Oct 08Australia 0:0 Korea Republic
(Australia win 3-1 on penalties)Supachalasai Stadium

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Joeys and Young Socceroos reports

The Joeys are on track for a World Cup berth. They beat China 2-1 a couple of days ago, see reports below, and beat Turkmenistan 6-0 overnight.

One game to go. The Joeys must beat, Japan to book their place at the World Cup.

Also Young Socceroos beat Thailand 2-1. Notice the improving Thai football sides.

And Dane Milovanovic, Canberra's Young Socceroo without an A-League Youth Club. Why?
Rumour is he's off overseas...Denmark possibly.

THREE reports are below.

The Qantas Joeys have defeated Turkmenistan 6-0 in their final group match of AFC U16 Championships in Uzbekistan overnight.

Having already qualified for the quarter finals following their 2-1 victory over China PR on Tuesday night, Qantas Joeys Head Coach Martyn Crook used the match against Turkmenistan as an opportunity to rest a number of players in preparation for the knock-out stage.

The Qantas Joeys opened the scoring in the 7th minute when Ben Kantarovski finished from close range after a Trent Sainsbury flick on at the the near post from a corner.

Teddy Yabio doubled the lead just after the half hour mark with a diving header and Danai Gapre netted the Qantas Joeys third goal just before half time.

Five minutes after the break, Gapare scored his second goal of the evening with a well taken shot from inside the area. Dimitrios Petratos added to the total in the 63rd minute with a low finish and stand-in captain Marc Warren completed the scoring two minutes later with a long range shot which hit the underside of the cross bar and went into the net.

After the match, Martyn Crook was pleased with the overall performance of his team.

"It was a good game for us as the new players produced a good performance and we are definitely happy with the result at the end of the day," said Crook.

"We wanted to give some rest to the key players after securing our place at the top of the group. The new boys did well although they were playing for the first time together.

"We have a few injuries in the squad at the moment and while we used players in different positions, we also solved some problems.

"The performance in general was good although it is the first time that these players have played together. They are talented boys and we wanted to give them a chance to play international football,” concluded Crook.

In group D, Yemen defeated Japan 2-1 with a goal in the last seconds of the match. The result means that Japan will finish second in the group and will face Australia in the quarter-finals on Sunday afternoon at the MHSK Stadium (Kick-off 4pm UZT).


Match Details:
Qantas Joeys 6 (Ben Kantarovski 7', Teddy Yabio 32', Danai Gapare 43'/48', Dimitrios Petratos 63', Marc Warren 65')
Turkmenistan 0
Thursday 9 October 2008
MHSK Stadium, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Referee: Salem Mujghef (Jordan)
Assistant Referees: Awni Hassouneh (Jordan) & Fares Alshammari (Kuwait)
Fourth Official: Mukthar Al Yarimi (Yemen)
Crowd: 3,000

Qantas Joeys line-up: Aaron Lennox (gk), Ben Kantarovski, Marc Warren (C) (Petar Franjic 74'), Nathan Farrell, Trent Sainsbury, Teddy Yabio, Colin Wright, Cameron Edwards (Chahine Noujaim 57'), Mark Perrone (Chris Bush 61'), Dimitrios Petratos, Danai Gapare.

Substitutes Not Used: Zac Tubbs (gk), Robert Kolac (gk), Nikola Stanojevic, Jared Lum, Kamal Ibrahim.

Yellows Cards: Marc Warren 72'.

Red Cards: Nil


QANTAS JOEYS SQUAD
AFC U16 CHAMPIONSHIPS - UZBEKISTAN 2008
4-18 October 2008

Eli Babalj (WA), Chris Bush (ACTAS), Julius Davies (WA), Stephen Domenici (ACTAS), Cameron Edwards (WA), Petar Franjic (VIS), Nathan Farrell (SASI), Danai Gapare (ACTAS), Brendan Hamill (NSWIS), Kamal Ibrahim (VIS), Ben Kantarovski (Newcastle Jets), Robert Kolac (NSWIS), Aaron Lennox (NSWIS), Jared Lum (NSWIS), Chahine Noujaim (SASI), Mark Perrone (SASI), Dimitrios Petratos (NSWIS), Trent Sainsbury (WA), Nikola Stanojevic (NSWIS), Nicholas Tubbs (QAS), Marc Warren (NSWIS), Bailey Wright (VIS) and Teddy Yabio (VIS).


AFC U16 CHAMPIONSHIPS - UZBEKISTAN 2008
OFFCIAL MATCH SCHEDULE

Group A: BAHRAIN, I.R. IRAN, SINGAPORE, UZBEKISTAN

#DateMatchVenueKick-Off
14 Oct 2008 I.R. IRAN 2:0 BAHRAINPakhtakor Stadium20:00
24 Oct 2008 SINGAPORE 0:7 UZBEKISTANPakhtakor Stadium16:00
96 Oct 2008 BAHRAIN 3:0 SINGAPOREPakhtakor Stadium20:00
106 Oct 2008 UZBEKISTAN 1:2 I.R. IRANPakhtakor Stadium16:00
178 Oct 2008 I.R. IRAN 4:1 SINGAPOREMHSK Stadium15:00
198 Oct 2008 UZBEKISTAN 2:0 BAHRAINPakhtakor Stadium15:00


Group B: INDIA, INDONESIA, KOREA REPUBLIC, SYRIA

#DateMatchVenueKick-Off
34 Oct 2008 SYRIA 2:1 INDONESIAMHSK Stadium18:00
44 Oct 2008 KOREA REPUBLIC 5:2 INDIAMHSK Stadium14:00
116 Oct 2008 INDONESIA 0:9 KOREA REPUBLICMHSK Stadium14:00
126 Oct 2008 INDIA 0:3 SYRIAMHSK Stadium18:00
188 Oct 2008 SYRIA 1:1 KOREA REPUBLICPakhtakor Stadium19:00
208 Oct 2008 INDIA 1:0 INDONESIAMHSK Stadium19:00


Group C: AUSTRALIA, CHINA P.R., SAUDI ARABIA, TURKMENISTAN

#DateMatchVenueKick-Off
55 Oct 2008 CHINA P.R. 2:1 TURKMENISTANPakhtakor Stadium16:00
65 Oct 2008 SAUDI ARABIA 1:3 AUSTRALIAPakhtakor Stadium20:00
137 Oct 2008 TURKMENISTAN 0:4 SAUDI ARABIAPakhtakor Stadium20:00
147 Oct 2008 AUSTRALIA 2:1 CHINA P.R.Pakhtakor Stadium16:00
219 Oct 2008 CHINA P.R. 1:1 SAUDI ARABIAPakhtakor Stadium15:00
239 Oct 2008 AUSTRALIA 6:0 TURKMENISTANMHSK Stadium15:00


Group D: JAPAN, MALAYSIA, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, YEMEN

#DateMatchVenueKick-Off
75 Oct 2008 JAPAN 4:0 MALAYSIAMHSK Stadium14:00
85 Oct 2008 YEMEN 1:1 UNITED ARAB EMIRATESMHSK Stadium18:00
157 Oct 2008 MALAYSIA 1:1 YEMENMHSK Stadium14:00
167 Oct 2008 UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 1:6 JAPANMHSK Stadium18:00
229 Oct 2008 JAPAN 1:2 YEMENPakhtakor Stadium19:00
24
The Qantas Joeys have booked a place in the quarter finals of the AFC U16 Championships campaign following their 2-1 victory over China PR in Uzbekistan overnight.

Jared Lum opened the scoring for the Qantas Joeys in the 15th minute when he converted a penalty after Nikola Stanojevic was brought down in the box from a challenge by two Chinese defenders.

Jin Jingdao equalised for China PR, also from the penalty spot, during injury time of the first half. The foul was conceded by Qantas Joeys goalkeeper Robert Kolac who tripped Jingdao in an attempt at a one-one save.

Kamal Ibrahim scored the match winner for the Qantas Joeys five minutes into the second half after he received the ball 30 metres from goal on the left side of the field, cut inside his defender, beat a second Chinese defender and then struck a bullet shot, from just outside the box, into top right hand corner of the goal.

The Qantas Joeys could have extended their lead five minutes later when Ben Kantarovski headed a Marc Warren free kick into the crossbar, but could not find the net.

The Chinese continued to push for another equaliser, but Robert Kolac was up for the challenge and made a great save to keep his teams lead.

A major concern for the Qantas Joeys occurred midway through the second half, when the Captain Brendan Hamill picked up an ankle injury and had to be substituted which involved a reorganisation in defence. The revamped formation held firm and a vital three points were collected by the Qantas Joeys to secure a place in the next round of the tournament

On the injured list, Jared Lum, who left the match early due to illness, looks to be able to participate in the quarter final along with Hamill who will miss the next group match to give himself the best opportunity to lead the Qantas Joeys in the knock-out stage. The prognosis is less encouraging for Eli Babalj who looks to be out of the tournament with a serious ankle injury.

Speaking after the match, Martyn Crook was extremely happy with the result and performance of his team.

"This win has secured us top spot in clearly the toughest group of the competition and the final round will determine our opposition in the quarter finals. We have the opportunity to rest some players and give a chance to other squad members to push for selection in the next round,” said Crook.

"The loss of Jared Lum, Eli Babalj and captain Brendan Hamill during the game tested our resources but there were many outstanding performances, particularly from Chris Bush and Ben Kantarovski. We now await medical advice on the condition of these 3 players and their roles for the rest of the tournament,” concluded Crook.

In the other group C match, Saudi Arabia defeated Turkmenistan 4-0. The Qantas Joeys will meet Turkmenistan in the their final group match at the MHSK Stadium on Thursday 9 October (Kick-off 3pm UZT).


Match Details:
Qantas Joeys 2 (Jared Lum 16’(pen), Kamal Ibrahim 50’)
China PR 1 (Jin Jingdao 46+’(pen))
Tuesday 7 October 2008
Pakhtakor Stadium, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Referee: Mohsen Torky
Assistant Referees: Joonmo Jang & Awni Hassouneh
Fourth Official: Mohamad Mansour
Crowd: 4,000

Qantas Joeys line-up: Robert Kolac, Chahine Noujaim, Petar Franjic, Brendan Hamill (C) (Trent Sainsbury 73’), Marc Warren, Nikola Stanojevic, Chris Bush, Jared Lum (Ben Kantarovski 28’), Kamal Ibrahim, Stephen Domenici, Eli Babalj (Teddy Yabio 46’).

Substitutes Not Used: Colin Wright, Aaron Lennox, Mark Perrone, Dimitrios Petratos, Nathan Farrell, Cameron Edwards, Danai Gapare, Zac Tubbs (gk).

Yellows Cards: Kamal Ibrahim 67’, Brendan Hamill 70’, Nikola Stanojevic 85’.

Red Cards: Nil

AFC U16 CHAMPIONSHIPS - UZBEKISTAN 2008
OFFICIAL MATCH SCHEDULE

Group A: BAHRAIN, I.R. IRAN, SINGAPORE, UZBEKISTAN

#DateMatchVenueKick-Off
14 Oct 2008 I.R. IRAN 2:0 BAHRAINPakhtakor Stadium20:00
24 Oct 2008 SINGAPORE 0:7 UZBEKISTANPakhtakor Stadium16:00
96 Oct 2008 BAHRAIN 3:0 SINGAPOREPakhtakor Stadium20:00
106 Oct 2008 UZBEKISTAN 1:2 I.R. IRANPakhtakor Stadium16:00
178 Oct 2008 I.R. IRAN vs. SINGAPOREMHSK Stadium15:00
198 Oct 2008 UZBEKISTAN vs. BAHRAINPakhtakor Stadium15:00


Group B: INDIA, INDONESIA, KOREA REPUBLIC, SYRIA

#DateMatchVenueKick-Off
34 Oct 2008 SYRIA 2:1 INDONESIAMHSK Stadium18:00
44 Oct 2008 KOREA REPUBLIC 5:2 INDIAMHSK Stadium14:00
116 Oct 2008 INDONESIA 0:9 KOREA REPUBLICMHSK Stadium14:00
126 Oct 2008 INDIA 0:3 SYRIAMHSK Stadium18:00
188 Oct 2008 SYRIA vs. KOREA REPUBLICPakhtakor Stadium19:00
208 Oct 2008 INDIA vs. INDONESIAMHSK Stadium19:00


Group C: AUSTRALIA, CHINA P.R., SAUDI ARABIA, TURKMENISTAN

#DateMatchVenueKick-Off
55 Oct 2008 CHINA P.R. 2:1 TURKMENISTANPakhtakor Stadium16:00
65 Oct 2008 SAUDI ARABIA 1:3 AUSTRALIAPakhtakor Stadium20:00
137 Oct 2008 TURKMENISTAN 0:4 SAUDI ARABIAPakhtakor Stadium20:00
147 Oct 2008 AUSTRALIA 2:1 CHINA P.R.Pakhtakor Stadium16:00
219 Oct 2008 CHINA P.R. vs. SAUDI ARABIAPakhtakor Stadium15:00
239 Oct 2008 AUSTRALIA vs. TURKMENISTANMHSK Stadium15:00


Group D: JAPAN, MALAYSIA, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, YEMEN

#DateMatchVenueKick-Off
75 Oct 2008 JAPAN 4:0 MALAYSIAMHSK Stadium14:00
85 Oct 2008 YEMEN 1:1 UNITED ARAB EMIRATESMHSK Stadium18:00
157 Oct 2008 MALAYSIA 1:1 YEMENMHSK Stadium14:00
167 Oct 2008 UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 1:6 JAPANMHSK Stadium18:00
229 Oct 2008 JAPAN vs. YEMENPakhtakor Stadium19:00
249 Oct 2008 UNITED ARAB EMIRATES vs. MALAYSIAMHSK Stadium19:00


Quarter Finals

#DateMatchVenue
QF112 Oct 2008 Winner Group A vs. Runner Up Group BPakhtakor Stadium16:00
QF212 Oct 2008 Winner Group B vs. Runner Up Group APakhtakor Stadium20:00
QF312 Oct 2008 Winner Group C vs. Runner Up Group DMHSK Stadium14:00
QF412 Oct 2008 Winner Group D vs. Runner Up Group CMHSK Stadium18:00


Semi Finals

#DateMatchVenue
SF115 Oct 2008 Winner QF1 vs. Winner QF3Pakhtakor Stadium15:00
SF215 Oct 2008 Winner QF2 vs. Winner QF4Pakhtakor Stadium19:00


Final

#DateMatchVenue
F18 Oct 2008 Winner SF1 vs. Winner SF2Pakhtakor Stadium16:00



The Qantas Young Socceroos had a 2-1 win over Thailand in Bangkok last night in the ASEAN Football Federation U19 Championships.

The first half was fairly evenly contested with both teams having good chances which were unrewarded.

At half time, coach Jan Versleijen made only one change bringing on Nikolas Tsattalios for James Brown. The Qantas Young Socceroos scored in the 53rd minute when Mitch Nicholls gathered the ball in the front half, ran to the top of the box and swept one neatly past the goalkeeper.

The pace stepped up when Tahj Minniecon was brought on for Andreas Govas in the 54th minute, with Minniecon making an impact six minutes later with a trademark run down the right, to sidestep the defence from just inside the box with a pinpoint cross to Nathan Elasi who made no mistake in giving Australia its second goal.

Thailand then stepped up a gear and tested the Australian defence with two impressive saves by Alex Cisak within one minute of each other. Thailand kept up the pressure and rewarded 11 minutes later when a well-worked move to the Thai striker at the top edge of the box went past Cisak.

Versleijen was pleased with another win.

"We have finished the group stage of the tournament in top position and that was our aim.

"In these first three games I have used as many players as possible, but now that we're moving into the knockout stage, I will be using the strongest possible team especially as we're also preparing for the Asian Championships later in the month."

Versleijen said that the second half was an improved performance on the first, and he was particularly pleased with the way the midfield worked hard to create chances.

ENDS

Match Details
Australia, 2 (Nicholls 53', Elasi 60') - Thailand, 1
Thursday 9 October 2008
Royal Thai Army Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand

Jason Naidovski (Newcastle Jets), Thomas Oar (Queensland Roar), Andrew Redmayne (gk) (Central Coast Mariners),

Qantas Young Socceroos line up: Alex Cisack (gk), Sebastian Ryall, Sam Munro, Matthew Jurman, James Holland (Dane Milovanovic 71'), Mitch Nicholls, Milos Lujic, Ryan McGowna, Nathan Elasi, James Brown (Nikolas Tsattalios 46'), Andreas Govas (Tahj Minniecon 54')

Substitutes Not Used: Scott Balderson, Peter Cvetanovski, Luke De Vere, Jason Naidovski, Thomas Oar, Andrew Redmayne (gk)

Yellow Cards: Holland 67', Milovanovic 71'

Red Cards: Nil

Qantas Young Socceroos Squad List
ASEAN Football Federation U-19 Championships
5 – 11 October 2008

Scott Balderson (Stevenage Borough, UK), James Brown (AIS), Alex Cisak (gk) (Leicester City, UK), Peter Cvetanovski (Borussia Monchenlabach, Germany), Luke De Vere (Queensland Roar), Nathan Elasi (Melbourne Victory), Andreas Govas (Apollon Kalamarias, Greece), James Holland (Newcastle Jets), Matthew Jurman (Sydney FC), Milos Lujic (Melbourne Victory), Ryan McGowan (Hearts FC, Scotland), Tahj Minniecon (Queensland Roar), Dane Milovanovic (AIS), Sam Munro (Sydney FC), Jason Naidovski (Newcastle Jets), Mitchell Nichols (Queensland Roar), Thomas Oar (Queensland Roar), Andrew Redmayne (gk) (Central Coast Mariners), Sebastian Ryall (Melbourne Victory) and Nikolas Tsattalios (Sydney FC).

ASEAN Football Federation U19 Championships
Match Schedule

MatchDateFixtureKick-Off TimeVenue
1Sun 5 Oct 08Korea Republic 1:0 Thailand5:00pm TST (9:00pm AEDT)Supachalasai Stadium
2Sun 5 Oct 08Australia 3:1 China PR7:30pm TST (11:30pm AEDT)Supachalasai Stadium
3Tues 7 Oct 08Korea Republic 0:0 Australia 5:00pm TST (9:00pm AEDT)Royal Thai Army Stadium
4Tues 7 Oct 08China PR 0:3 Thailand 7:30pm TST (11:30pm AEDT)Royal Thai Army Stadium
5 Thurs 9 Oct 08China PR vs. Korea Republic5:00pm TST (9:00pm AEDT)Supachalasai Stadium
6Thurs 9 Oct 08Thailand vs. Australia 7:30pm TST (11:30pm AEDT)Supachalasai Stadium
7Sat 11 Oct 083rd Position vs. 4th Position5:00pm TST (9:00pm AEDT)Supachalasai Stadium
8 (final)Sat 11 Oct 08Group Champion vs. Group R-up7:30pm TST (11:30pm AEDT)Supachalasai Stadium

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Young Socceroos complete tour of Japan

Sam Munro and Dane Milovanovic featured in the Young Socceroos squad in the SBS tournament in Japan. Results below.

The Qantas Young Socceroos have been defeated by Argentina 0-2 in their final match of the Shizuoka Broadcasting System (SBS) Cup in Japan.

After a scoreless first half, Argentina scored midway through the second half with a well worked goal before sealing the result with a goal from the penalty spot just before full-time.

Earlier in the tournament, the Qantas Young Socceroos went down to Japan in a penalty shoot-out (4-5) on Saturday, but defeated Shizuoka Province 1-0 on Sunday courtesy of a goal from Newcastle Jets striker Jason Naidovski late in the second half.

Speaking after the match, Qantas Young Socceroos Head Coach Jan Verslaijen was pleased with the performance of his players in their first competitive tournament under his care.

"This was a very good tournament for us to participate in against some very good, high class opposition in particular Argentina.

"It was a good test and we found that we can compete with these teams to a certain level, especially in terms of defence and organisation, but we need to do more work on playing with the ball.

"This international experience will be of great benefit to us as we head towards the AFC Championships," concluded Verslaijen.
The Qantas Young Socceroos will now return to Australia to prepare for the AFC Under 19 Championships which will be held in Saudi Arabia in October.

ENDS

Shizuoka Broadcasting System (SBS) Cup
Location: Shizuoka City, Japan
The SBS Cup is one of the oldest international youth football tournaments having been held since 1977 .
This year's tournament saw Under 19 representative teams from Japan, Argentina, Australia, and Shizuoka youth.

For more information please visit, www.digisbs.com/youth_soccer/

Results
Saturday 23 August:
Australia 0 Japan 0 (Japan win 5-4 on penalties) @ Ashitaka Stadium
Argentina 4 Shizuoka Province 0 @ Ashitaka Stadium

Sunday 24 August:
Australia 1 (Jason Naidovski 70') Shizuoka Province 0 @ Nihonndaira Stadium
Argentina 3 Japan 2 @ Nihonndaira Stadium

Tuesday 26 August:
Australia 0 Argentina 2 @ Ecopa Stadium

Japan 3 Shizuoka Province 2 @ Ecopa Stadium

Qantas Young Socceroos Squad for SBS Cup
Andrew Redmayne (gk) (Central Coast Mariners), Sebastian Ryall (Melbourne Victory), Nathan Elasi (Melbourne Victory), Luke De Vere (Queensland Roar), Mitchell Nichols (Queensland Roar), Tahj Minniecon (Queensland Roar), Jason Hoffman (Newcastle Jets), Jason Naidovski (Newcastle Jets), Daniel Mullen (Adelaide United), Milos Lujic (Oakleigh -VIC Premier League), Stefan Vrbesic (Las Palmas, SPAIN), Sam Munro (AIS), Matthew Jurman (Sydney Olympic - NSW Premier League), Thomas Oar (Queensland Roar), Mark Birighitti (gk) (Adelaide United), Nik Tsattalios (Sydney FC), Dane Milanovic (AIS), Daniel Thomas (AIS).
Head Coach: Jan Verslaijen

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ACT Boys head to Japan, Sydney sign Canberra Youth

Dane Milovanovic, Sam Munro from the ACT are in the Young Socceroos squad currently in Japan with new AIS Dutch Coach Jens Verslaijen. See squad/games below.

And Merryn Sherwood from Canberra Times has all the news on the first Canberra boys to sign A-League Youth contracts.

And the Under 17 Aussie Women match/squad details are below

SBS Cup (Shizuoka Broadcasting System)
Location: Shizuoka City, Japan
* Saturday 23 August, Australia v Japan
* Sunday 24 August, Australia v Shizuoka Province
* Tuesday 26 August, Australia v Argentina

Qantas Young Socceroos Squad. 1. Andrew Redmayne (GK) - Central Coast; 2. Sebastian Ryall - Melbourne Victory; 3. Nathan Elasi - Melbourne Victory; 4. Luke De Vere - QLD Roar; 5. Mitchell Nichols - QLD Roar; 6. Tahj Minniecon - QLD Roar; 7. Jason Hoffman - Newcastle Jets; 8. Jason Naidovski - Newcastle Jets; 9. Daniel Mullen - Adelaide United; 10. Milos Lujic - Oakleigh (VIC Premier League); 11. Stefan Vrbesic - Las Palmas, SPAIN; 12. Sam Munro – AIS; 13. Matthew Jurman - Sydney Olympic, NSW Premier League; 14. Thomas Oar - QLD Roar; 15. Mark Birighitti (GK) - Adelaide United; 16. Niko Tsattalios - Sydney FC; 17. Dane Milanovic - AIS; 18. Daniel Thomas (AIS).

Coach: Jan Verslaijen

Women’s Training Camp
Location: Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra.

* Monday 25 August, 11.00am - Australia U17 Women v Japan U19 Women

U17 Women’s Squad. Alice Wellingham (QLD), Alix Roberts (Country NSW), Amy Higgins (QLD) Ashley Brown (VIC), Brittany Whitfield (QLD), Caitlin Foord (NSW), Courtney Miller (NNSW), Elizabeth Grey (NSW), Emily Van Egmond (NNSW), Erika Elze (QLD), Hannah Brewer (NSW), Heidi Makrillos (NSW), Jesse Wharepouri (NSW), Mikaela Hatzirodos (QLD), Nicola Bolger (NSW), Nicole Calder (SA), Rebecca Bennett (WA), Rebekah Stott (QLD), Sadie Lawrence (WA), Sally Thurston (QLD), Sam Kerr (WA), Tara Andrews (NNSW), Teigen Allen (NSW), Stephanie Catley (VIC).

Coach: Gary Phillips

And from the Canberra Times, Merry Sherwoord reports:

A little under 12 months ago Kofi Danning was running around in Capital Football's premier league for the O'Connor Knights.

But at the end of next month the 17-year-old striker will complete a remarkable rise when he lines up for Sydney FC's youth team in the new national youth league.

A-League team Sydney FC has signed two Canberra players, Danning and Sam Munro, 18, for its inaugural season in the national youth league. Both Danning and Munro have been with the AIS team for the past year, but Danning only started a full scholarship this year.

After playing for Canberra FC and then the O'Connor Knights in the ACT premier league, Danning was invited to train with the AIS squad last year and impressed then coach Steve O'Connor and now current coach Ray Junna enough to claim a full scholarship.

Now Sydney FC youth coach, O'Connor was quick to snap up the Ghana-born Danning for the youth league team making the transition from ACT premier league to Sydney FC in around a year.

''He's certainly got potential,'' O'Connor said.

''He's very athletic, he's very quick and can play with both feet. He still has work to do in the fine technical points of the game and can better his technique in areas but they are all things you can keep working on.

''If he is serious about his game he can make an impact.''

Munro who was born in Sydney but has been in Canberra as part of the Capital Football Academy and ACTAS programs for the past few years - is currently overseas with the Young Socceroos team in Japan. Fellow Canberran AIS scholarship-holder Dane Milovanovic is also in the squad.

''They are both good players and they both have potential,'' O'Connor said. ''I obviously had them for some time when I was down there, and I wanted to give them the opportunity to play in the youth league.''

O'Connor said he expected both Munro and Danning to play important roles in Sydney FC's youth team. Danning will fly in for each game and remain with the AIS for another year while Munro is likely to move to Sydney.

The national youth league will start on the last weekend of September

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Where now for the AIS Football program?

The Weekender is an article written by anyone with an interest in any level of football. It's aim is to ensure Canberrans can wake up to some coverage of Australian/Canberra football on their weekend.

This weeks is written by myself.
Where now for the Australian Institute of Sport Football program?

When Ange Postecoglou fronted SBS The World Game after the perceived failure by the Australian Under 17 side at the last World Cup, football commentator Craig Foster asked Postecoglou if he was going to resign.



The pressure on Australian Coaches is increasing as the football public and media demand more success.

This is what the current job description for the AIS Head Coaching position states:
The AIS/National Men’s Under 20 program has the dual aims of; (1) qualifying for the World Youth Cup through AFC and a minimum of a top 8 finish at the Youth World Cup; and (2) fast track the individual development of athletes to Olyroos (Under 23) and Socceroos (Open) selection.

But with the changing face of Australian Youth development can we really expect the Australian Under 20 side to finish at in the top 8 at the World Cup, and if so what will be done to assist him?

History

In years gone by the AIS developed players for the Young Socceroos (Under 20), to school them and prepare them for professional football, and hopefully see them make the step up to the National team later in their careers.

In the good old days previous coaches, Ron Smith or Steve O’Connor, had the players 24/7 for two years preparing them for Oceania and World Cup tournaments.

It is easier, surely, to shape a side if you control the players’ diet, fitness, coaching, and match performance day in day out.

And it is no coincidence that most of our World Cup squad of 2006 were schooled at the AIS. The 2006 World Cup team included Mark Viduka, Marco Bresciano, Vince Grella, Brett Emerton, Josip Skoko, Craig Moore, Luke Wilkshire and Jason Culina to name a few who were graduates of the AIS.

But today many players are gone long before their two year apprenticeship is up.

Youth structural change

The growth of the A-League and now the Youth league is great for Australian football fans, but is it any good for player development?

“’Have you got a fast player,’ that’s all the A-League Coaches ask me,” said former AIS Coach Steve O’Connor recently.

The A-League has already taken James Holland, Sebastian Ryall, James Hoffman, Andrew Redmayne and Matthew Mullen from the AIS.

Jason Naidovski’s signing for the Newcastle Jets is expected to be followed by the rest of the current squad being whisked to A-League Youth clubs come the middle of May.

So where does leave the AIS program, our Young Socceroos squad and indeed its hopes.
The current depleted squad play in the Foxtel Cup in the Victorian league each week. And they are being sent to Hong Kong to play in a five-a-side tournament on large fields in May. How will that assist player and tactical development?

The New Coach

Over 100 applications have been received for the $200,000 position.
But how will the new Coach, arriving in August, prepare for a November Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, when all of his players are playing across the country? An Asian Cup, take note, which acts as World Cup Qualifiers.
Will players be withdrawn for games and international travel?

Will a few weekly camps, where/if players are released by their A-League clubs, be enough to match the efforts of previous Under 20 teams?

AIS Scholarships

The new Coach will, of course, have the next Scholarship holders to train.
The current Scholarship group all come from the same year. In terms of player physical development this makes sense.

But the new Scholarship holders will now span two years. The AIS will take 12 boys born in 1991 and 15 born in 1992. So a future Young Socceroos side will be built around many boys who will be 19 not 20 come World Cup time.

Anyone who has worked in Young player development will know that one or two exceptional talents can step up, but ten or more is unlikely.

The changing face of Youth development in Australia is a great thing, but the future of the AIS needs to be outlined.

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Should we go Dutch?

Former AIS Head Coach Steve O'Connor is gone, to Sydney FC. And despite offering to take the Young Socceroos to the Asia Cup in October, it seems the FFA have other plans.

Should we go Dutch?
Should we employ one of the 200 Englishmen who are sure to apply.
Should we stay Aussie. And is it not a tad late to get someone in place for preparations for the October tournament given the process and getting someone in will probably take three months.

Go and apply here, if you are Dutch:)

Under 20 Socceroos Coach

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Aussie get a good u19 draw.

We're in Group D for the Under 19 AFC Champs in Saudi Arabia in October.

Steve O'Connor has left so who coaches this team? And how does the Youth League help preparation?
Jordan,Australia, Uzbekistan and Thailand. Well it could have been worse!

The four semi-finalists of the AFC U-19 Championship will represent Asia at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt next year.

Perennial tournament bridesmaids Japan were handed a horror draw in the AFC U-19 Championship 2008 Finals after being grouped with hosts Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Iran on Sunday evening.

The biennial Asian youth showpiece - the second largest AFC competition - will be staged between October 31 and November 14 at the Saudi Arabian cities of Al Khobar and Dammam and the draw saw several teams which had enjoyed glory in the past handed difficult ties.

Japan, who have been denied no less than six times in the final of this competition, were pitted against two-time winners Saudi Arabia, four-time champions Iran and Yemen in Group A.

With only the top-two teams from the four groups advancing to the quarter-finals, the formidable challenge awaiting Tatsuya Makichi’s Japan becomes clear.

In comparison, the draw was fairly kind to reigning champions DPR Korea, who conquered Japan in the final of the last edition held in India in 2006, after they were slotted with fellow East Asians China, Tajikistan and Lebanon in Group C.

Iraq, who essayed a commendable performance in 2006 to reach the quarter-finals, will be looking to draw inspiration from the fairytale AFC Asian Cup win last year of the senior team to overcome Korea Republic, who are gunning for their record 12th Asian youth title, UAE and Syria in Group B.

Australia, who went out in the last eight in India, will be fancying their chances of making the quarter-finals again after getting Jordan, Thailand and Uzbekistan for company in Group D.

The matches will be played at the Prince Mohamed Bin Fahd Stadium (Groups A and C) in Dammam and the Prince Saudi Bin Jalawi Stadium in Al Khobar (Groups B and D).

The four semi-finalists of the AFC U-19 Championship will represent Asia at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt next year.

AFC U-19 CHAMPIONSHIP 2008 FINALS DRAW

GROUP A

1. Japan
2. Saudi Arabia
3. Iran
4. Yemen

GROUP B

1. Korea Republic
2. Iraq
3. UAE
4. Syria

GROUP C

1. DPR Korea
2. China
3. Tajikistan
4. Lebanon

GROUP D

1. Jordan
2. Australia
3. Thailand
4. Uzbekistan

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