Youth’s goalkeeper Jack Duncan was today selected in a 23-player squad for the upcoming 2012 AFC U-19 Championship Qualifiers.
The Jets- Youth goalkeeper Jack Duncan was today selected in a 23-player squad for the upcoming 2012 AFC U-19 Championship Qualifiers, which will be held in Kuala Lumpur at the end of this month.
Duncan is one of nineteen members of the Young Socceroos squad to have been drawn from the ranks of the Hyundai A-League and National Youth League teams.
“It was a surprise and it has all happened really quick. I was called into camp last week and got the Young Socceroos call up after Friday night-s Youth game, it is exciting,” Duncan said.
“We go to Canberra on Wednesday and hopefully I can put my best foot forward to get the and get the number 1 spot.”
18-year-old Duncan is contracted as a Youth player but trains full time with the A-League squad.
“It is about giving myself every opportunity to be seen, to do the right thing by the Club, to train full time and to help out where I can,” Duncan added.
“(Matthew) Nashy has a lot of experience and it certainly shows, and BK (Ben Kennedy) has been through this before, I try to learn as much as I can from both of them, they are both very good keepers, as well as coach Clint Gosling, it is a good opportunity for me to be here full time and getting as much practice in as I can.”
Qantas Young Socceroos Head Coach Jan Versleijen is excited about starting a new qualification campaign.
“It-s always good to start working with a new generation of players,” Versleijen said.
“Part of our development philosophy is to expose these young players to as much international competitive football as possible. The more exposure they have the better they develop.
“Obviously our goal for this tournament is to perform well and qualify for next year-s championship which will be the all important qualifier for the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup,” concluded Versleijen.
The Qantas Young Socceroos will assemble for a short training camp in Canberra on Wednesday October 26 and will depart Australia for Malaysia on Saturday October 29 to prepare for their opening match of the tournament against Singapore on November 2, followed by Macau on November 4, Indonesia on November 6 and finally China PR on November 8.
The top two teams from this group will then progress to the 2012 AFC U-19 Championship will be held from 2-17 November with the host nation to be determined on November 21. Placing at the 2012 AFC U-19 Championship will determine who will qualify for the 2013 FIFA U-20 FIFA World Cup which will be held in Turkey.
