Milicic names Young Socceroos for Championship challenge

The Young Socceroos recently completed a training camp on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland and will travel to Singapore on Sunday to continue their build-up to the tournament.

The AFC U19 Championship in Indonesia doubles as the qualification process for next year’s FIFA U20 World Cup to be held in Poland.

The squad includes 16 players from A-League clubs, with six each from Melbourne City and Western Sydney Wanderers.

“The upcoming AFC U19 Championship in Indonesia represents a great opportunity for this group of players to be exposed to international football,” Milicic said.

“During our camp in Singapore we will look to add to the work that we did while on the Sunshine Coast, and earlier in the year during our camp on the Central Coast.”

To secure a place in Poland, the Young Socceroos must reach the Semi Finals of the competition.

The first hurdle is to grab a first or second finish in Group C – which includes Korea Republic, Vietnam, and Jordan – to advance to the Quarter Finals of the Championship.

The Young Socceroos last qualified for the FIFA U20 World Cup in 2013 but will want to emulate the Joeys’ recent success after they qualified for the 2019 U17 World Cup in Peru.

Milicic added: “Our camp in Singapore will include matches against leading Malaysian club side Johor Darul Ta’zim across the causeway on 11 October and Singapore’s U21 National Team four days later, which will help us to prepare for the tournament in Indonesia.”

The Young Socceroos’ 2018 AFC U19 Championship challenge kicks off on Friday, October 19, against Korea Republic at the Patriot Chandrabhaga Stadium in Bekasi.

Three days later Milicic’s side will return to the same venue to take on Vietnam, before facing off against Jordan at the Pakansari Stadium in Cibinong on Thursday, October 25.

Young Socceroos 23-player squad