Melbourne Victory’s Nathan Elasi and Sebastian Ryall, as well as Victory Youth’s Milos Lujic have been selected in the Qantas Young Socceroos squad for the upcoming AFC U-19 Championship, which will be held in Saudi Arabia later this month.
Melbourne Victory-s Nathan Elasi and Sebastian Ryall, as well as Victory Youth-s Milos Lujic have been selected in the Qantas Young Socceroos squad for the upcoming AFC U-19 Championship, which will be held in Saudi Arabia later this month.
The AFC U-19 Championship, which will be held from 31 October until 14 November in the city of Dammam, serves as the qualifying tournament for the FIFA U-20 World Cup Egypt 2009.
Australia will go into the tournament with confidence following its recent win at the ASEAN Football Federation U19 Youth Championship in Thailand, where the Qantas Young Socceroos defeated China PR, Thailand and Korea Republic.
“We have had a good preparation which includes our recent win in Thailand,” Qantas Young Socceroos Head Coach Jan Versleijen said.
“Following all our training camps and lead-up matches, I believe we have assembled the strongest possible squad for this important tournament.
“It is important for Australian Football that we qualify for the World Cup to improve the development of this group of players.”
Australia has been drawn in Group D and will play its first match against Thailand on Saturday, 1 November, before facing Uzbekistan on Monday, 3 November and Jordan on Wednesday, 5 November.
The top four nations from the AFC U-19 Championship will qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup Egypt 2009.
