Newcastle Jets forward Adam Taggart has received his first call-up to the Socceroos, when the squad was announced on Thursday.
Newcastle Jets forward Adam Taggart has been selected in a provisional Qantas Socceroos squad of 25 players for the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) East Asian Cup 2013 qualifying tournament which will be held from 1-9 December 2012 in Hong Kong.
Due to the tournament being played outside official FIFA match dates, Socceroos Head Coach Holger Osieck has selected players who are currently playing in the Hyundai A-League, have completed their domestic seasons or who are about to go on their mid-season break.
It is the first call-up for Taggart, as well as Terry Antonis, to a Socceroos squad, after recently helping the Qantas Young Socceroos qualify for the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup at the AFC U-19 Championship in the UAE.
“To be honest it came as a surprise to me but in saying that, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity and look forward to the experience,” Taggart told newcastlejets.com.au.
Jets coach Gary van Egmond was full of praise for the 19-year old, who has played in every game he’s been available for this season.
“We are very happy to have one of our young players called into the extended squad for the Socceroos,” van Egmond said.
“While some of the European based players are unavailable, Adam-s selection is a real testament to the way he is developing.
“This is great news for the Newcastle Jets and there is no doubt Adam will benefit from the experience of being in the squad.”
Other players to receive their first selection in a Socceroos squad include Ivan Franjic, Rostyn Griffiths, Ben Halloran, Aaron Mooy and Osama Malik along with Dino Djulbic and Matt Smith who all recently received their relevant international clearances to represent Australia.
Returning to the Socceroos squad after varying periods of absence are Brett Emerton, Eugene Galekovic, Richard Garcia, Scott Jamieson, Michael Marrone and Dario Vidosic.
The Qantas Socceroos will assemble in Sydney for a pre-tournament camp from 26-29 November and will depart for Hong Kong on 30 November. Osieck will name his final squad that will travel to the tournament on Thursday 29 November.
The EAFF East Asian Cup is a four-team tournament for Men & Women which is held every four years rotating between Japan, Korea Republic & China PR as the host nation.
The teams that will participate in the EAFF East Asian Cup for men are Japan, Korea Republic & China PR with a fourth team determined by a qualification process. The qualifiers for the men-s edition of the EAFF East Asian Cup 2013 will be played in Hong Kong from 1-9 December 2012 and will involve teams from Australia, Chinese-Taipei, Guam, Hong Kong & DPR Korea.
The Men-s & Women-s EAFF East Asian Cup 2013 will be held concurrently in Seoul, Korea Republic from 20-28 July 2013.
Qantas Socceroos Provisional Squad for EAFF East Asian Cup Qualifiers:
Terry ANTONIS
Eli BABALJ
Aziz BEHICH
Robert CORNTHWAITE
Dino DJULBIC
Ivan FRANJIC
Brett EMERTON
Eugene GALEKOVIC (gk)
Richard GARCIA
Rostyn GRIFFITHS
Ben HALLORAN
Scott JAMIESON
Osama MALIK
Michael MARRONE
Matt McKAY
Mark MILLIGAN
Aaron MOOY
Tom ROGIC
Mat RYAN (gk)
Matt SMITH
Adam TAGGART
Archie THOMPSON
Michael THWAITE
Dario Vidosic
Luke WILKSHIRE
CONGRATULATIONS ADAM!
