Roar duo named in Qantas Young Socceroos European tour squad.
Brisbane Roar youngsters Matt Acton and Jason Geria have been selected in Jan Versleijen-s 23-player Qantas Young Socceroos squad bound for a European training camp.
The duo will join a mix of local and overseas-based players in the squad which will commence on May 23 and conclude on June 6.
During the European tour the Qantas Young Socceroos will be based in the Netherlands, play an international friendly match against the German U-19 National team in Kamen-Kaiserau and compete at the Terborg Tournament.
This camp will be the last chance for the players to bid for a place in the final squad that will compete at the FIFA U-20 World Cup which will be held in Colombia from 29 July to 20 August and Versleijen is keen to use this trip to finalise his plans for the competition.
“For this squad I have invited back a number of overseas based players who trained with us in Duisburg in March to give them another chance to stake a claim for a position in the final squad,” said Versleijen.
“In addition, there are Australian-based players included who have been rewarded for their efforts during the recent three training camps that we have held in the past month.
“A number of overseas-based players, who we are very familiar with, were not considered for selection in the squad for this tour due to a heavy domestic season.
“This tour is important for us as one of our last chances to prepare before we head to Columbia.
“To play a friendly against Germany will be extremely challenging and a good test for the players.
“The Terborg tournament is also important as the teams we will meet reflect the similar styles of the teams that we have drawn in the group phase of the World Cup.
“It is now up to the players selected to prove themselves in a very competitive market for World Cup places,” concluded Versleijen
The Qantas Young Socceroos will depart Australia on 23 May and will play against the German U-19 National team on Friday 27 May in Kamen-Kaiserau before competing in the Terborg Tournament from 3-5 June.
The Terborg Tournament, which is in its 32nd edition, is a Youth team competition that is played with matches in a modified format of 2 x 20 minutes halves.
The youth teams competing this year alongside the Qantas Young Socceroos include Ajax Amsterdam (Netherlands), PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands), FC Twente Enschede (Netherlands), De Graafschap Doetinchem (Netherlands), Boca Juniors (Argentina), Botafogo (Brazil), Cruzeiro (Brazil), Atlas Guadalajara (Mexico) and Unistar Soccer Academy (Ghana ).
Qantas Young Socceroos Squad List – European Tour
Matthew Acton (gk) (Brisbane Roar)
Mustafa Amini (Central Coast Mariners)
Terry Antonis (Sydney FC)
Kearyn Baccus (Le Mans, France)
Jake Barker-Daish (Gold Coast United)
Mark Birighitti (gk) (Adelaide United)
Kofi Danning (Sydney FC)
Jason Davidson (Sporting Covilha, Portugal)
Matthew Fletcher (Sunderland, England)
Petar Franjic (Melbourne Victory)
Sam Gallagher (Central Coast Mariners)
Corey Gameiro (Fulham, England)
Jason Geria (Brisbane Roar)
Rhyan Grant (Sydney FC)
Brendan Hamill (Melbourne Heart)
Bernie Ibini-Isei (Central Coast Mariners)
Josip Konyit (Dinamo Zagreb, Croatia)
George Lambadaridis (Club Brugge, Germany)
Massimo Luongo (Tottenham Hotspur, England)
Steven Lustica (Hajduk Split, Croatia)
Dylan McGowan (Hearts FC, Scotland)
Trent Sainsbury (Central Coast Mariners)
Marc Warren (Sheffield United, England)
