Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Canberra: Socceroos Chris Ikonomidis, Josh Brillante, Adam Taggart (pictured, second right) and Terry Antonis headline a 23-man Australia squad for the AFC U23 Championship Qatar 2016 in Doha from January 14 to 30, which is the final round of qualifying for the 2016 Olympic Games.
Head Coach Aurelio Vidmar has named a squad that also includes overseas-based starlets Daniel de Silva and Mustafa Amini as well as 12 players from the A-League.
Defending A-League Champions/Premiers Melbourne Victory has five players in the squad with the selection of Thomas Deng, Giancarlo Gallifuoco, Scott Galloway, Jason Geria and Connor Pain testament to the pathway created by Victory coach Kevin Muscat.
Brisbane Roar trio Brandon Borrello, James Donachie and Jamie Maclaren will be joined by Sydney FC pair Andrew Hoole and Alex Gerbasch while Paul Izzo (Central Coast Mariners) and Stefan Mauk (Melbourne City) will also fly the A-League flag.
“We have put together an exciting squad that includes some players with Socceroos experience and also illustrates the strength of the A-League and its position as a true pathway for national team footballers,” Vidmar said in a statement.
“The squad contains 12 players from our National Competition and the A-League clubs and coaches should be congratulated for the part they play in developing these players.
“We have taken the group through an important journey with qualifying, camps and friendly matches but this is a step up in class that they have to take in their development as international football players.
“We head to Qatar for a tough tournament but we have a good group of players that and we’re confident we can qualify for the Olympic Games, which is a great opportunity for the players.”
The Olyroos will head to Dubai for a seven day camp before the opening match in Group D against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on January 14 at the Grand Hamad Stadium. The Olyroos also play Vietnam (January 17) and Jordan (January 20) with the top two teams progressing to the quarter finals.
The top three teams will qualify for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games Football Tournament.
Photo: AFP