Adelaide United youngster Alex Popovic is one of 28 talented young players selected in the Joeys training camp which commenced today in Sydney.
The July training camp runs from Friday, 13 July to Thursday, 19 July at the Sydney Academy of Sport, and will give the players an opportunity to impress newly appointed Joeys Head Coach, Trevor Morgan, and staff ahead of the 2018 AFC U16 Championship in Malaysia.
This is the first of two camps which will be held in Australia before the tournament proper begins in September and October.
The players chosen by Morgan arrive in camp following an extensive period of scouting, which occurred earlier this year in April and May.
Morgan, alongside Joeys Team Manager, Marty Judge, ventured around Australia and conducted ‘Joeys Talent ID Camps’ in conjunction with Member Federations.
Each ‘Joeys Talent ID Camp’ featured between 25 and 30 talented players identified by the host Member Federation.
Popovic, who plays in Adelaide United’s National Premier League Reserves side, was one of those players that Morgan selected.
The midfielder has played eight matches for the Reserves, scoring one goal in the process this season.
Of the 28 players picked for the camp, 20 are aligned with Hyundai A-League club academies, while a further six feature at National Premier Leagues (NPL) level across Australia. Moreover, another two players are contracted to clubs in Europe.
Australia qualified for the 2018 AFC U16 Championship in Malaysia after topping Group I of the qualification process in Mongolia last September. The Joeys finished ahead of Vietnam, Cambodia and Mongolia in Ulaanbaatar.
In April the Joeys were drawn in a challenging Group D for the 2018 AFC U16 Championship. Australia will need to finish first or second in a group containing defending champions Iraq, Korea Republic, and Afghanistan, to advance to the knockout phase of the competition.
To qualify as one of Asia’s representatives for the 2019 FIFA U17 World Cup in Peru (October 2019) Australia must reach at the Semi-Final stage of the tournament.
“I am excited by the opportunity and honoured by the responsibility that goes with this role,” Morgan said regarding his appointment to the Joeys post. “The work will be about unearthing and nurturing talent to build quality and depth in our junior National Teams.”
“We will go to Malaysia with a purpose, to progress to the 2019 FIFA U17 World Cup. As a team we want to face the challenge head on, playing our football against the best teams from around the globe, and we can only do this by making it to Peru.”
Football Federation Australia’s (FFA) Head of National Performance, Luke Casserly, said Morgan’s appointment was well deserved.
“Trevor has been coaching in Australia for over 20 years and with this group specifically for the past 12 months,” said Casserly.
“He is the logical appointment for the role and benefited greatly from a recent professional development opportunity with the Caltex Socceroos ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. We know Trevor will do an excellent job with this group of players.”
Joeys 28-player squad for July 2018 training camp in Sydney (13 July – 19 July)
|
Name |
Club, Country |
|
Leonardo BELZ |
Western Sydney Wanderers FC, Australia |
|
Timothy BOKE |
Belconnen United (ACT), Australia |
|
Jordan BOS |
Melbourne City FC, Australia |
|
Noah BOTIC |
Rockdale City Suns FC (NSW), Australia |
|
Jordan COURTNEY |
Brisbane Roar FC, Australia |
|
Luke DUZEL |
Melbourne City FC, Australia |
|
Jayden GORMAN |
Perth Glory FC, Australia |
|
Peter GROZOS |
Western Sydney Wanderers FC, Australia |
|
Aydan HAMMOND |
OS Belenenses, Portugal |
|
Oliver KALAC |
Western Sydney Wanderers FC, Australia |
|
Birkan KIRDAR |
Melbourne Victory, Australia |
|
Jaiden KUCHARSKI |
Sydney FC, Australia |
|
Adam LEOMBRUNO |
FFSA NTC (SA), Australia |
|
Marco MACUSO |
Pascoe Vale FC (VIC), Australia |
|
Christopher MORSERAY |
Brisbane Roar FC, Australia |
|
Adam PAVLESIC |
Sydney FC, Australia |
|
Emmanuel PAVLIS |
Olympiacos, Greece |
|
Alex POPOVIC |
Adelaide United, Australia |
|
Joshua RACHELE |
Melbourne City FC, Australia |
|
Tyson SAVAS |
Sydney FC, Australia |
|
Lachlan SEPPING |
Marconi FC (NSW), Australia |
|
Jamie SIGNORELLO |
FFSA NTC (SA), Australia |
|
Ahmad TALEB |
Melbourne City FC, Australia |
|
Ryan TEAGUE |
Sydney FC, Australia |
|
Nicholas THEODOSIOU |
Melbourne City FC, Australia |
|
Joshua VARGA |
Melbourne City FC, Australia |
|
Daniel WALSH |
Perth Glory FC, Australia |
|
Adam ZERVAS |
Newcastle Jets FC, Australia |
Joeys 2018 AFC U16 Championship Match Schedule – Group D
Korea Republic v Australia
Saturday, 22 September 2018
Venue: Petaling Jaya Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Kick-off: 8.45pm (local); 10.45pm (AEST)
Australia v Iraq
Tuesday, 25 September 2018
Venue: UM Arena, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Kick-off: 4.30pm (local); 6.30pm (AEST)
Australia v Afghanistan
Friday, 28 September 2018
Venue: Petaling Jaya Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Kick-off: 4.30pm (local); 6.30pm (AEST)
