Four Jets players have been selected in the Young Socceroos squad for the upcoming friendly matches against Portugal in Lisbon.
Hunter Ports Newcastle Jets players Joshua Brillante, Connor Chapman, Mitch Oxborrow and Adam Taggart have been selected in the Young Socceroos squad for the upcoming friendly matches against Portugal in Lisbon.
The Young Socceroos will play Portugal on October 11 and October 14, meaning the quartet will be unavailable to play for the Jets in their Round 2 match against Sydney FC on October 13.
Young Socceroos Head Coach Paul Okon will be using the matches as another important part of his squad-s preparations for the upcoming AFC U-19 Championship which will be held in the United Arab Emirates from 1-17 November 2012.
“As this camp is held during FIFA match dates, this will be the first time that the overseas-based players will join the core of our squad in the lead up to the AFC U-19 Championship,” Okon said.
“Even though there are some Australian-based players not selected in this particular squad they are certainly not out of contention for final selection, because we are using this camp will be to see how these overseas based players adapt to our playing style and fit into the group.
“We will also be looking to maximize our training time together and the games against Portugal will give us a good indication of how well the overseas-based players can gel in a short period of time.”
Should any Jets players be selected in the final Young Socceroos squad for the AFC U-19 Championships, they will be unavailable to play for the Jets in Round 5 against Perth, Round 6 against Western Sydney and Round 7 against Wellington.
