Australia national under-20 soccer team
Nickname(s) | Young Socceroos | ||
---|---|---|---|
Association | Football Federation Australia | ||
Confederation | AFC (Asia) | ||
Head coach | Ufuk Talay | ||
FIFA code | AUS | ||
| |||
First international | |||
Australia 9–0 Papua New Guinea (New Zealand; 11 November 1978) | |||
Biggest win | |||
Australia 16–0 Samoa (Rarotonga, Cook Islands; 15 February 2001) | |||
Biggest defeat | |||
Australia 0–4 Brazil (Hanoi, Vietnam; 18 September 2016) |
The Australia national under-20 soccer team represents Australia in international under-20 soccer. The team is controlled by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Federation Australia (FFA), which is currently a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the regional ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) since leaving the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) in 2006. The team's official nickname is the Young Socceroos.
Australia is a twelve-time OFC champion and three-time AFF champion. The team has represented Australia at the FIFA U-20 World Cup tournaments on fifteen occasions.
History
2006 AFC U-19 Championship
In their first foray into Asia in 2006 the team lost the quarterfinals of the AFC Youth Championship, to South Korea,[1] despite being considered one of the stronger teams. This was the first time the Young Socceroos had failed to qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup since 1989. Subsequently on 5 February 2007 the FFA decided not to renew Ange Postecoglou's contract as head coach,[2] he was replaced by former Socceroo, and current AIS head coach of soccer, Steve O'Connor.[3]
2008 AFC U-19 Championship
On 24 June 2008 Jan Versleijen was appointed as the new U-20 coach ahead of the 2008 tournament, with the FFA eager to avoid a repeat of 2006, and qualify for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt.[4] In preparation for the tournament, Australia competed in the 2008 ASEAN Youth Championships in Thailand alongside China, Korea Republic and Thailand.[5] A competition which they ultimately won through a penalty shoot-out against Korea Republic.[6] The 2008 AFC U-19 Championship was hosted by Saudi Arabia. Australia topped Group D with wins over Thailand and Jordan and a 1–1 draw with Uzbekistan. Australia then needed an extra time winner from Mitch Nichols to overcome North Korea in the quarter final before losing 3–0 to UAE in the semi-final. However, by making it through to the semi-final was enough to qualify for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup
Australia qualified for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt after finishing in the final four of the 2008 AFC U-19 Championship. A late James Holland penalty meant Australia lost their opening game to Czech Republic 2–1 before Costa Rica defeated the 'Young Socceroos' 3–0. In the final group game against Brazil, Aaron Mooy gave Australia an early lead however the final result saw Brazil win 3–1 and the Australians eliminated without a point.
2010 AFC U-19 Championship
To qualify for the tournament, Australia travelled to Bandung, Indonesia in November 2009 for the qualification group and proceeded after finishing second in a group of six nations. Wins over Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei and Singapore proceeded a 0–0 draw with the hosts, Indonesia and a loss to Japan.
Australia competed in the 2010 AFC Under 19 Championship Finals held in Zibo, China.[7]
The tournament was held from 3 to 17 October 2010 in Shandong province. The matches were played at the Zibo Sports Complex Stadium and Linzi Stadium.
Wins over Yemen and Iran followed by a 0–0 draw with South Korea meant Australia topped the group on goal difference. In the quarter final against United Arab Emirates, Australia twice lead before UAE equalised and took the game to extra time. Two extra time goals for Australia set up a semi-final with Saudi Arabia which Australia won 2–0 thanks to a Kerem Bulut double. The final was played on 17 October 2010 against North Korea. Despite leading in the first half, Australia couldn't hold on and lost the final 3–2. Kerem Bulut was the tournaments top scorer with 7 goals. Australia qualified for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup to be held in Colombia.
2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup
Australia qualified for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia after finishing in the final four of the 2010 AFC U-19 Championship. Australia were drawn in a group comprising Spain, Ecuador & Costa Rica.
Australia failed to progress out of the group after finishing last with one point. The first fixture resulted in a one all draw with Ecuador after Tommy Oar scored a late equaliser. The next game saw Costa Rica defeat Australia 3–2. In the final game against Spain, Australia was down by four goals after just 18 minutes. In the 27th minute Kerem Bulut grabbed a goal back before Spain made it 5–1 with a 31st-minute penalty. This was to be the final score.
2012 AFC U-19 Championship
To participate in the 2012 AFC U-19 Championship the Young Socceroos first had to qualify. The confederation was geographically separated and Australia was grouped with other East Asian nations, China, Indonesia, Singapore and Macau. These five nations met in Malaysia in November 2011 and Australia proceeded through the group by winning all four games, scoring 20 goals and conceding just 1.
The 2012 AFC U-19 Championship was hosted by United Arab Emirates in November. Australia were seeded for the tournament along with the hosts and South Korea and North Korea. Australia's opening game was against Qatar. The only goal of the game came in the 11th minute for Australia when Corey Gameiro scored. Gameiro was on the scoresheet in both of the following group games when his 81st-minute equaliser against Syria and his 91st-minute equaliser against Saudi Arabia meant both games finished 1–1. The critical late goal to Saudi Arabia meant Australia not only proceeded on to the next stage at the expense of the Saudis, but also topped the group.
Australia took on Jordan in the quarter final and it was Gameiro scoring all three goals in a 3–0 win that put Australia through to the semi final and secured qualification to the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey. Two second half goals to Iraq meant Australia were eliminated from the tournament. Gameiro's six goals was one short of the top goalscorer award.
2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup
Paul Okon[8] coached Australia in the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey where they failed to win a game despite scoring the first goal in all 3 fixtures. Daniel De Silva gave Australia the lead before Colombia levelled the game at 1–1. Joshua Brillante scored early prior to El Salvador scoring twice before halftime and Jamie Maclaren scored in the 52nd minute but again Australia couldn't hold on with the hosts, Turkey scoring twice. These results mean Australia has failed to win in any of their last 13 U-20 World Cup fixtures with the last victory coming over Brazil on 4 December 2003.
2014 AFC U-19 Championship
Australia started the 2014 AFC U-19 Championship campaign by participating in the qualfiers in October 2013. They travelled to Malaysia where they were joined by Vietnam, Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei. Mongolia had withdrawn. The first game was an easy 7–0 win over Hong Kong. Peter Skapetis scored four goals. They then defeated Chinese Taipei 3–0 before a humiliating 5–1 loss to Vietnam. Despite this, Australia were to proceed to the finals tournament as one of the best second placed teams.
The 2014 AFC U-19 Championship was hosted by Myanmar in October 2014. Paul Okon again was head coach of the Young Socceroos for the tournament. The opening game was against United Arab Emirates. Brandon Borrello gave Australia a late lead but an 85th-minute penalty to the UAE saw the score end in a draw.[9] The second match was a 1–0 win over Indonesia through a Jaushua Sotirio goal. The final group game had Australia leading Uzbekistan in the 66th minute thanks to Stefan Mauk. However an 82nd-minute equaliser would prove devastating for Australia as this, and the result in the concurrent game placed UAE, Uzbekistan and Australia all on five points with Australia having the inferior goal difference and hence elimination from the tournament. Many observers sighted Australia's lack of desire to score more goals against Indonesia as the contributing factor to the elimination. Australia failed to qualify for the New Zealand 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup. This is just the second time since 1989 that Australia hasn't competed in the biennial event.
2016 AFC U-19 Championship
Australia qualified for the 2016 AFC U-19 Championship that was held in Bahrain during October 2016. In the qualifiers hosted by Laos, they finished runner-up in their group and progressed on goal difference as one of the five best second placed teams. Comfortable wins over Philippines and Laos were followed by a heavy 3–0 loss to Japan. Steve Kuzmanovski finished as Australia's top scorer with three goals. This was the sixth consecutive U-19 Championship that Australia qualified for.
Australia were coached by Ufuk Talay for the tournament and were drawn into Group D. The opening fixture was a 1–0 victory against China through a goal to Mario Shabow. The second game was against Uzbekistan. The Uzbeks led by three until they suffered a send off. Australia then responded through two second half penalties to Liam Youlley and George Blackwood however the final result was a 3–2 win for Uzbekistan. Australian needed to win against Tajikistan in the final group game to progress. Anthony Kalik had an early penalty saved and was later sent off for two yellow cards. The game finished 0–0 and Australia were eliminated from the tournament. As a consequence, they also failed to qualify for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup. This is the first time that Australia have failed to qualify for two consecutive U-20 World Cups.
Players
Current squad
The following 24 players were called up for the preliminary squad for the 2016 AFC U-19 Championship.[10] Caps and goals correct as of 22 October 2016.
# | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | GK | Daniel Margush | 28 November 1997 | 4 | 0 | Adelaide United |
12 | GK | Tom Glover | 24 December 1997 | 9 | 0 | Tottenham Hotspur |
18 | GK | Jasko Keranovic | 2 March 1998 | 2 | 0 | West Bromwich Albion |
GK | Jordan Holmes | 8 May 1997 | 5 | 0 | Bournemouth | |
2 | DF | William Mutch | 27 February 1998 | 11 | 0 | Sydney FC |
4 | DF | Thomas Deng (Captain) | 20 March 1997 | 10 | 0 | Jong PSV |
5 | DF | Jackson Bandiera | 16 April 1998 | 7 | 0 | Western Sydney Wanderers |
11 | DF | Connor O'Toole | 1 January 1997 | 7 | 0 | Brisbane Roar |
15 | DF | Patrick Flottmann | 19 April 1997 | 3 | 0 | Sydney FC |
19 | DF | George Timotheou | 29 July 1997 | 7 | 0 | Sydney FC |
6 | MF | Liam Rose | 7 April 1997 | 15 | 0 | Central Coast Mariners |
10 | MF | Anthony Kalik | 5 November 1997 | 4 | 0 | Hajduk Split |
17 | MF | Tariq Maia | 11 June 1997 | 6 | 1 | Western Sydney Wanderers |
20 | MF | Josh Hope | 7 January 1998 | 5 | 0 | Melbourne Victory |
21 | MF | Jake Brimmer | 3 April 1998 | 2 | 0 | Liverpool |
22 | MF | Keanu Baccus | 7 June 1998 | 5 | 1 | Western Sydney Wanderers |
23 | MF | Liam Youlley | 20 February 1997 | 16 | 1 | Western Sydney Wanderers |
MF | George Mells | 23 May 1997 | 3 | 1 | Adelaide United | |
3 | FW | Lachlan Scott | 15 April 1997 | 7 | 3 | Western Sydney Wanderers |
7 | FW | Reno Piscopo | 27 May 1998 | 1 | 0 | Internazionale |
8 | FW | Mario Shabow | 5 May 1998 | 13 | 5 | Western Sydney Wanderers |
9 | FW | Jayden Prasad | 5 February 1997 | 5 | 1 | Brisbane Roar |
13 | FW | George Blackwood | 4 June 1997 | 16 | 7 | Sydney FC |
14 | FW | Joseph Champness | 27 April 1997 | 7 | 2 | Brisbane Roar |
16 | FW | Steve Kuzmanovski | 4 January 1997 | 15 | 6 | Melbourne City |
Recent call-ups
The following players have been called up within the last 12 months and remain eligible for selection.
Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GK | Yaren Sozer | 19 April 1997 | 1 | 0 | Melbourne City | 2016 AFF U-19 Youth Championship |
GK | Chris Marques | 25 September 1997 | 0 | 0 | Nottingham Forest | Central Coast training camp, 18–21 July 2016 |
DF | Kye Rowles | 24 June 1998 | 4 | 0 | Brisbane Roar | 2016 AFF U-19 Youth Championship |
DF | Callum Goulding | 2 February 1998 | 0 | 0 | Melbourne Victory | Central Coast training camp, 18–21 July 2016 |
DF | Ross Millard | 25 February 1997 | 0 | 0 | Perth Glory | Central Coast training camp, 18–21 July 2016 |
MF | Dejan Pandurevic | 16 January 1997 | 7 | 3 | Manly United | 2016 AFF U-19 Youth Championship |
MF | Brandon Vella | 23 June 1998 | 2 | 0 | Marconi Stallions | 2016 AFF U-19 Youth Championship |
MF | Christopher Zuvela | 21 January 1997 | 2 | 0 | Sydney FC | 2016 AFF U-19 Youth Championship |
MF | Cameron Devlin | 7 June 1998 | 1 | 0 | Western Sydney Wanderers | Central Coast training camp, 18–21 July 2016 |
MF | Lachlan Roberts | 22 June 1997 | 2 | 0 | Western Sydney Wanderers | Central Coast training camp, 18–21 July 2016 |
FW | Trent Buhagiar | 27 February 1998 | 0 | 0 | Central Coast Mariners | Central Coast training camp, 18–21 July 2016 |
Recent results and fixtures
21 July 2016 Friendly | Central Coast Mariners | 2–2 | Australia | Gosford, Australia |
---|---|---|---|---|
Report |
|
Stadium: Central Coast Stadium Attendance: 0 (behind closed doors) |
25 August 2016 Friendly | Central Coast Mariners | 2–1 | Australia | Gosford, Australia |
---|---|---|---|---|
|
Report | Antoniou 20' | Stadium: Central Coast Stadium Attendance: 0 (behind closed doors) |
12 September 2016 AFF U-19 Group Stage | Australia | 2–0 | Cambodia | Hanoi, Vietnam |
---|---|---|---|---|
19:00 (UTC+7) | Cheng 61' (o.g.) Blackwood 63' (pen.) |
Report | Stadium: Vietnam Youth Training Centre Referee: Chen Hsin-chuan (Chinese Taipei) |
14 September 2016 AFF U-19 Group Stage | Myanmar | 0–3 | Australia | Hanoi, Vietnam |
---|---|---|---|---|
15:30 (UTC+7) | Report |
|
Stadium: Hàng Đẫy Stadium Referee: Muhammad Nazmi Nasaruddin (Malaysia) |
16 September 2016 AFF U-19 Group Stage | Indonesia | 1–3 | Australia | Hanoi, Vietnam |
---|---|---|---|---|
15:30 (UTC+7) | 35' (pen.) | Report | Stadium: Vietnam Youth Training Centre |
18 September 2016 AFF U-19 Group Stage | Australia | 1–5 | Thailand | Hanoi, Vietnam |
---|---|---|---|---|
19:00 (UTC+7) | Blackwood 14' | Report | Stadium: Vietnam Youth Training Centre Attendance: 354 Referee: Muhammad Nazmi Nasaruddin (Malaysia) |
20 September 2016 AFF U-19 Group Stage | Laos | 1–2 | Australia | Hanoi, Vietnam |
---|---|---|---|---|
16:00 (UTC+7) | Santi 45' | Report | Stadium: Vietnam Youth Training Centre |
22 September 2016 AFF U-19 Semi-final | Vietnam | 2–5 | Australia | Hanoi, Vietnam |
---|---|---|---|---|
16:00 (UTC+7) | Report | Stadium: Hàng Đẫy Stadium |
24 September 2016 AFF U-19 Final | Australia | 5–1 | Thailand | Hanoi, Vietnam |
---|---|---|---|---|
19:00 (UTC+7) |
|
Report | Jakkit 90+' | Stadium: Hàng Đẫy Stadium |
15 October 2016 AFC U-19 Group stage | China PR | 0–1 | Australia | Riffa, Bahrain |
---|---|---|---|---|
19:30 AST | Report | Shabow 47' | Stadium: Bahrain National Stadium Attendance: 370 Referee: Jumpei Ida (Japan) |
18 October 2016 AFC U-19 Group stage | Australia | 2–3 | Uzbekistan | Isa Town, Bahrain |
---|---|---|---|---|
19:30 AST | Report |
|
Stadium: Khalifa Sports City Stadium Attendance: 58 Referee: Ammar Al-Jeneibi United Arab Emirates |
21 October 2016 AFC U-19 Group stage | Australia | 0–0 | Tajikistan | Riffa, Bahrain |
---|---|---|---|---|
19:30 AST | Report | Stadium: Bahrain National Stadium Attendance: 165 Referee: Khamis Al Marri Qatar |
Records
Players with most appearances
- As of 3 June 2012
- Players in bold are still available for selection.
# | Name | Caps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Tommy Oar | 33 | 4 |
1 | Mark Birighitti | 33 | 0 |
3 | Kofi Danning | 30 | 3 |
4 | Matthew Jurman | 26 | 0 |
5 | Ben Kantarovski | 25 | 2 |
5 | James Holland | 25 | 5 |
7 | Andrew Redmayne | 24 | 0 |
7 | Craig Moore | 24 | 0 |
7 | Scott McDonald | 24 | 16 |
7 | Dylan McGowan | 24 | 4 |
Players with most Goals Scored
- As of 23 June 2013
- Players in bold are still available for selection.
# | Name | Goals | Caps |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Mark Viduka | 32 | 20 |
2 | Scott McDonald | 16 | 24 |
3 | Kostas Salapasidis | 13 | 14 |
4 | Kevork Gulesserian | 12 | 12 |
5 | Kerem Bulut | 10 | 14 |
5 | David Williams | 10 | 12 |
7 | Nick Carle | 9 | 16 |
7 | Jamie Maclaren | 9 | 16 |
8 | Ante Milicic | 8 | 12 |
8 | Michael Ferrante | 8 | 10 |
8 | Greg Owens | 8 | 15 |
Competitive record
FIFA U-20 World Cup
FIFA U-20 World Cup record | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
1977 | Did not participate | |||||||
1979 | ||||||||
1981 | Quarterfinals | 7th | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 6 |
1983 | Group stage | 9th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
1985 | Round 1 | 11th | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
1987 | Round 1 | 12th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
1989 | Did not qualify | |||||||
1991 | 4th Place | 4th | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 |
1993 | 4th Place | 4th | 6 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 9 |
1995 | Quarterfinals | 7th | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 |
1997 | Round of 16 | 10th | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 |
1999 | Group stage | 18th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
2001 | Round of 16 | 16th | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
2003 | Round of 16 | 10th | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 |
2005 | Group stage | 20th | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
2007 | Did not qualify | |||||||
2009 | Group stage | 23rd | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
2011 | Group stage | 21st | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 9 |
2013 | Group stage | 21st | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
2015 | Did not qualify | |||||||
2017 | ||||||||
Total | 15/20 | 0 Titles | 53 | 18 | 13 | 22 | 61 | 85 |
OFC U-20 Championship
OFC U-20 Championship record | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
1974 | Did not participate | |||||||
1978 | Champion | 1st | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 2 |
1980 | Runners-up | 2nd | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 3 |
1982 | Champion | 1st | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 4 |
1985 | Champion | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 4 |
1986 | Champion | 1st | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 1 |
1988 | Champion | 1st | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 3 |
1990 | Champion | 1st | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
1992 | Did not participate | |||||||
1994 | Champion | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 0 |
1997 | Champion | 1st | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 1 |
1998 | Champion | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 2 |
2001 | Champion | 1st | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 50 | 3 |
2003 | Champion | 1st | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
2005 | Champion | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 5 |
Total | 13/15 | 12 Titles | 57 | 54 | 1 | 2 | 308 | 28 |
AFC U-19 Championship
AFC U-19 Championship record | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
2006 | Quarter finals | 7th | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 4 |
2008 | Semi finals | 3rd | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 |
2010 | Runners-up | 2nd | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 6 |
2012 | Semi finals | 4th | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 4 |
2014 | Group Stage | 9th | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
2016 | Group Stage | 11th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
Total | 6/6 | 0 Titles | 26 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 39 | 25 |
AFF U-19 Youth Championship
AFF U-19 Youth Championship record | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
2006 | Champion | 1st | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
2007 | Did not enter | ||||||||
2008 | Champion | 1st | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | |
2009 | Runner-up | 2nd | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 4 | |
2010 | Champion | 1st | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | |
2011 | Did not enter | ||||||||
2012 | Third place | 3rd | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 6 | |
2013 | Withdrew | ||||||||
2014 | Group stage | 5th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | |
2015 | Withdrew | ||||||||
2016 | Champion | 1st | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 10 | |
Total | 7/11 | 4 Titles | 26 | 16 | 4 | 6 | 60 | 29 |
References
- ↑ Australia bows out to Koreans, FFA, 7 November 2006
- ↑ Postecoglou Contract Not Renewed Archived 13 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine., FFA, 8 February 2007
- ↑ New National Youth Coaches Appointed Archived 13 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine., FFA, 5 March 2007
- ↑ AIS/U20 Head Coach named, FFA, 24 June 2008
- ↑ Qantas Young Socceroos named for Asean tournament Archived 27 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine., FFA, 29 September 2008
- ↑ Qantas Young Socceroos win AFF U19 Championship Archived 27 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine., FFA, 12 October 2008
- ↑ China to host AFC U-19 Championship Finals, AFC, 18 February 2010
- ↑ "Paul Okon to coach national youth sides". Football Federation Australia. 30 January 2015.
- ↑ "Young Socceroos Draw". Adelaide Now. 11 October 2014.
- ↑ "Young Socceroos squad named for AFC U-19 Championship". Football Federation Australia. 29 September 2016.