Young BRFC striker Nick D’Agostino has earned a call-up to the Australian U23 squad for upcoming 2020 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers.
Head Coach Graham Arnold this morning named a 24-player squad, which includes D’Agostino, for a training camp Kuala Lumpur & qualification matches in Phnom Penh against Cambodia, Chinese Taipei, and Korea Republic.
A first place finish in Group H would seal a place at the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship. Australia would also qualify for the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship should the squad finish as one of the four best second-placed teams in qualifying. The fifth-best second-placed team from the 11 groups will also qualify should Thailand – who have qualified automatically for the tournament as hosts – finish as either Group K winners or runners-up.
Arnold said that with many Asian nations rapidly improving across the continent, the time spent together ahead of the qualifiers will be critical to Australia’s aim of securing a place at the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship – a tournament that will serve as Asia’s qualification path for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
“The week that we have together in Kuala Lumpur will be vital in preparing us for the challenges that we will face in Phnom Penh, and we certainly appreciate the support of all the clubs that are releasing their players to participate in what is an important tournament for Australia,” Arnold said.
“While we are in Malaysia we will develop our key principles of play and focus on how we believe we can successfully navigate Group H and secure our place at next year’s AFC U-23 Championship in Thailand.
“Our three matches in Cambodia represent our first step on the path to next year’s Olympic Games, and everyone involved with our squad is eager to help Australia return to the men’s football tournament for the first time since Beijing in 2008,” he said.
Australian U-23 National Team Squad | 2020 AFC U-23 Championship Qualifiers | 22-26 March (Phnom Penh, Cambodia)
|
Name |
Club, Country |
|
Nathaniel ATKINSON |
Melbourne City FC, Australia |
|
Keanu BACCUS |
Western Sydney Wanderers FC, Australia |
|
George BLACKWOOD |
Adelaide United, Australia |
|
Jake BRIMMER |
Perth Glory FC, Australia |
|
Joseph CHAMPNESS |
Newcastle Jets FC, Australia |
|
Nicholas D’AGOSTINO |
Brisbane Roar FC, Australia |
|
Thomas DENG |
Melbourne Victory FC, Australia |
|
Denis GENREAU |
PEC Zwolle, Netherlands |
|
Alex GERSBACH |
NAC Breda, Netherlands |
|
Thomas GLOVER (Gk) |
Tottenham Hotspur, England |
|
Jordan HOLMES (Gk) |
St Mirren, Scotland |
|
John KOUTROUMBIS |
Newcastle Jets FC, Australia |
|
Abraham MAJOK |
Western Sydney Wanderers FC, Australia |
|
Daniel MARGUSH (Gk) |
Adelaide United, Australia |
|
Riley MCGREE |
Melbourne City FC, Australia |
|
Tass MOURDOUKOUTAS |
Western Sydney Wanderers FC, Australia |
|
Aiden O’NEILL |
Central Coast Mariners FC, Australia |
|
Sebastian PASQUALI |
Ajax Amsterdam, Netherlands |
|
Reno PISCOPO |
AC Renate, Italy |
|
Harry SOUTTAR |
Stoke City, England |
|
Ivan VUJICA |
Newcastle Jets FC, Australia |
|
Lachlan WALES |
Melbourne City FC, Australia |
|
Pierce WARING |
Cerezo Osaka, Japan |
|
Brandon WILSON |
Perth Glory FC, Australia |
Upcoming Matches | Australian U-23 National Team
Petaling Jaya City FC v Australia U-23 (Friendly)
Date: Thursday, 14 March 2019
Venue: TBC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Kick-off: 9.00pm (local); 12.00am +1 (AEDT)
Malaysia U-22 v Australia U-23 (Friendly)
Date: Sunday,17 March 2019
Venue: Shah Alam Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Kick-off: 8.45pm (local); 11.45pm (AEDT)
Australia U-23 v Cambodia U-23 (2020 AFC U-23 Championship Qualification – Group H)
Date: Friday, 22 March 2019
Venue: Phnom Penh Olympic Stadium, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Kick-off: 6.30pm (local); 10.30pm (AEDT)
Chinese Taipei U-23 v Australia U-23 (2020 AFC U-23 Championship Qualification – Group H)
Date: Sunday, 24 March 2019
Venue: Phnom Penh Olympic Stadium, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Kick-off: 3.30pm (local); 7.30pm (AEDT)
Korea Republic U-23 v Australia U-23 (2020 AFC U-23 Championship Qualification – Group H)
Date: Tuesday, 26 March 2019
Venue: Phnom Penh Olympic Stadium, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Kick-off: 3.30pm (local); 7.30pm (AEDT)
