Spots up for grabs
Qantas Young Socceroos Head Coach Jan Versleijen has flung the selection door wide open 10 days out from their opening match of the FIFA U-20 World Youth Cup in Egypt.
Photo Gallery: Check out the Qantas Young Socceroos in action at their camp
Versleijen revealed he will give all 21 players at least 90 minutes to prove themselves during the lead up matches, with the Qantas Young Socceroos scheduled to play the Czech Republic in their opening FIFA U-20 World Cup match on 27 September.
The team arrived in sweltering Cyprus two days ago and are set to play Trinidad and Tobago Thursday night (midnight AEST). It is the first of three lead up games, which also include England (September 19) and USA (September 20).
“The three lead up games are important for me to see who-s in good shape, because the World Cup is over a short period and you need people who are in shape,-- Versleijen said.
“The reason we are playing three friendlies is that we want to see each player for at least 90 minutes.
“Some will play two games, others will play one, but everybody will get a fair chance to show whether they-re ready for the World Cup or not.
“There-s a few players who I thought would have played a little more in the Hyundai A-League so far this season, so it-s not ideal but this will be a good opportunity to see where they-re at.--
With the squad completing its first full training session yesterday morning in stifling 31°C heat, they returned for a second session in late afternoon, with Versleijen keen to ensure the players are in tip-top shape for Egypt.
“It-s important to adapt to the weather conditions as quickly as possible and that-s the reason we came 10 or 12 days earlier,-- he said.
“The conditions in Cyprus are similar to what they will experience in Egypt so I-m sure we will adapt and fully acclimatise in time.--
The only player missing from the squad is keeper Dean Bouzanis, who-s due to play a final game for Liverpool-s reserves before joining the squad later in the week.
Versleijen has added three of the 'next generation' of Qantas Young Socceroos to the squad in James Virgili (Newcastle Jets), Trent Sainsbury and Brendan Hamill (both AIS), whose qualifiers for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup are just around the corner.
“They are here for the experience and to add numbers to the squad,-- said Versleijen, who will keep the train on players here for a week.
All Qantas Young Socceroos matches at the FIFA U-20 World Cup will be broadcast live and exclusive on SBS TV (see www.sbs.com.au for full broadcast details)
Qantas Young Socceroos Squad FIFA U-20 World Cup 2009 Egypt - 24 September-16 October 1. Andrew Redmayne (gk) (Central Coast Mariners) 2. Daniel Mullen (Adelaide United) 3. Luke DeVere (Brisbane Roar) 4. Ryan McGowan (Hearts, Scotland) 5. Matthew Jurman (Sydney FC) 6. James Holland (AZ Alkmaar, Netherlands) 7. Tahj Minniecon (Gold Coast United) 8. Aaron Mooy (Bolton, England) 9. Jason Hoffman (Newcastle Jets) 10. Mitch Nichols (Brisbane Roar) 11. Thomas Oar (Brisbane Roar) 12. Nathan Elasi (Melbourne Victory) 13. Chris Herd (Aston Villa, England) 14. Kofi Danning (Sydney FC) 15. Sam Munro (Sydney FC) 16. Ben Kantarovski (Newcastle Jets) 17. Rhyan Grant (Sydney FC) 18. Dean Bouzanis (gk) (Liverpool, England) 19. Sean Rooney (Newcastle Jets) 20. Sam Gallagher (Sydney FC) 21. Alex Cisak (gk) (Leicester City, England)