After winning the continental title in China last year, the Young Socceroos have failed to qualify for next year’s Under 20 Asian Cup in a bitter blow to Australian football.
A 2-0 loss to Indonesia at New Laos National Stadium in Vientiane, Laos condemned the Young Socceroos to a third-place finish in their qualifying group with only the top two advancing to next year’s tournament in China.
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Australia started the qualifying campaign with a 2-0 win over hosts Laos last Monday before drawing 2-2 with Malaysia on Thursday and the loss to Indonesia on Sunday left the Young Socceroos behind Malaysia on goal difference.
Former Socceroos skipper Lucas Neill’s son Marcus, who recently signed his first professional contract with Premier League club Sunderland, was a stand out for the Australians, scoring against both Laos and Malaysia before missing the Indonesia clash.
But the Australian youth squad was ultimately weakened by the decision of several A-League clubs to withdraw their players on the eve of the qualifying tournament – five changes were made to the squad two days before the tournament began.
Last year with the likes of World Cup stars Lucas Herrington, who is now with Premier League club Hull City, and Paul Okon-Engstler, who recently joined Bundesliga club 1. FC Koln, the Australians were Asian champions.
But the next wave of talented teens will not even get the chance to defend that crown.
It the first time in 20 years that the Young Socceroos have failed to qualify for the U20 Asian Cup – that failure led to former Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou, who is now in charge of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, as national youth team manager after his infamous live TV stoush with Craig Foster.
“Non-qualification for the AFC U20 Asian Cup is a disappointing result and one that falls below the standards and expectations we have for our national youth teams,” Heather Garriock, Executive Director of Football, Football Australia said in a statement.
“We were Asian champions with our Under-20s last campaign, so we understand what Australian players are capable of on the international stage.
“As we do with every national team program, we will review the tournament thoroughly, including our preparation, performances, AFC scheduling, player availability, and the environment around the team – to identify where we need to improve and apply those learnings going forward.
“Youth international football is ultimately about developing players capable of progressing into the Socceroos, but representing Australia also comes with an expectation to compete and perform against improving Asian nations that are investing heavily in their youth programs. We need to be accountable to both.”
One top talent who was not in the Young Socceroos’ qualifying squad was James Overy.
The 18-year-old fullback announced on Monday morning that he is leaving Manchester United to return home to Australia with Sydney FC.
Overy joined the Red Devils two years ago after catching their eye in a pre-season friendly for Perth Glory against West Ham.
He has been with United’s youth teams since, but has trained with the first-team squad under both current manager Michael Carrick and former boss Ruben Amorim.
Overy was also called into Socceroos camp by manager Tony Popovic last November, and has represented Australia at the FIFA U20 World Cup and the U23 Asian Cup.
The defender is now eager to follow in the footsteps of Okon-Engslter, whose standout performances for Sydney FC served as a launching pad to the World Cup and a move to one of Europe’s top five leagues.
“I’ve had an unbelievable experience at Manchester United and learned so much from being in that environment every day, but I feel this is the right time for me to take the next step and play senior football,” Overy said.
“Sydney FC is a massive club with a history of winning trophies and developing young Australian players, so I’m really excited to be joining.
“I want to come in, work hard, compete for a place in the team and show what I can do.
“Being involved with the Socceroos has given me a taste of where I want to get to and playing regularly for Sydney FC is a huge opportunity for me to keep developing and hopefully earn more opportunities with the national team.
“I can’t wait to get started and pull on the Sky Blue shirt.”