On 23rd May 2023, the Australian Football Federation announced the final 20 player squad for the Australian U18 National Team who will compete the Lisbon Sub-18 International Football Tournament in June 2023. Australia will play 3 games against Portugal, England & Norway.
Football Australia made the team selection announcement at https://www.footballaustralia.com.au/news/australian-u-18-squad-face-some-europes-best
After receiving the news about his call up, Jaden was absolutely thrilled. He has always said, “It is my dream to represent my country!” Whilst sadly Jaden will miss the last two matches for his club Boavista as they fight to win their championship, he can’t wait for the honour to pull on the green and gold jersey and represent his country at an international level.
The Tournament
The official tournament in Portugal is the Torneio Internacional Cidade de Lisboa – 2023 or the abbreviated Torneio Lisboa 2023
The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) is hosting the competition and it is an U18s tournment specifically for those players born in 2005 and is recognized as an official International Friendly. The tournament details and full schedule on the FPF Website
Competition Dates : June 9 to June 13, 2023
Teams : Australia, Portugal, England & Norway
Australia’s Match Schedule
The Australian U18 National Team will play 3 games at the tournament.
| Match | Date & Time – Portugal | Date & Time – Australia | Venue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Australia | Portugal | June 9, 2023 at 6:00 PM | June 10, 2023 at 3:00 AM | CAMPO Nº 1 REAL SPORT CLUBE |
| Australia | England | June 11, 2023 at 11:00 AM | June 11, 2023 at 8:00 PM | CIDADE DO FUTEBOL FPF – CAMPO Nº. 3 |
| Australia | Norway | June 13, 2023 at 11:00 AM | June 13, 2023 at 8:00 PM | CIDADE DO FUTEBOL FPF – CAMPO Nº. 3 |
Full details of all matches can be found on the FPF Website
Australia’s U-20 (known as the Young Socceroos) Head Coach Trevor Morgan said :
It’s important we continue to provide opportunities for our best emerging talent to gain exposure to international competition as we look ahead to the next under-20 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign which will commence in 2024.
This invitational tournament in Portugal will see those selected play matches against three of Europe’s leading nations at both youth and senior level, which is the type of competition we are seeking to develop the generation of Socceroos.
Source : Football Australia – https://www.footballaustralia.com.au/news/australian-u-18-squad-face-some-europes-best
The Australian Squad
The following is the list of the 20 players selected to represent Australia at the FPF Portugal U18 Tournament in June 2023
| Name | Position | Current Club as at May 2023 | Junior Club / Member Federation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander BADOLATO | Midfielder | Western Sydney Wanderers FC | Sylvania Heights FC / Football NSW |
| Max CAPUTO | Attacker | Melbourne City FC | Essendon Royals SC / Football VIC |
| Frans DELI | Midfielder | Western Sydney Wanderers FC | Fairfield Hotspurs FC / Football NSW |
| Emin DURAKOVIC | Midfielder | Melbourne City FC | Port Melbourne Sharks SC / Football VIC |
| Sebastian ESPOSITO | Defender | Melbourne City FC | Brunswick City SC / Football VIC |
| Jaden GASKING | Midfielder | Boavista Futebol Clube | Bexley North Bombers FC / Football NSW |
| Steven HALL | Goalkeeper | Adelaide United FC | Para Hills Junior SC / Football SA |
| Joshua INSERRA | Defender | Melbourne Victory FC | Fawkner SC / Football VIC |
| Luka JOVANOVIC | Attacker | Adelaide United FC | Fk Beograd / Football SA |
| Franco LINO | Defender | Melbourne Victory FC | Pakenham United FC / Football VIC |
| Matteo MAZZONE | Attacker | VFL Wolfsburg | USI Lupo Martini Wolfsburg (Germany) |
| Max MIDDLEBY | Defender | Central Coast Mariners FC | Valentine FC / Football NNSW |
| Christian NAVEEN | Attacker | TSV 1860 Munich | Spring Hill Stallions FC / Football VIC |
| Paul OKON-ENGSTLER | Midfielder | S.L. Benfica | Marconi Stallions FC / Football NSW |
| Alexander ROBINSON | Goalkeeper | Macarthur Bulls FC | Mt Druitt Town Rangers FC / Football NSW |
| Zane SCHREIBER | Midfielder | Sydney FC | Bomaderry SC / Football NSW |
| Harrison SHILLINGTON | Defender | Melbourne City FC | Northcote City FC / Football VIC |
| Dimitri VALKANIS | Defender | Aek Athens FC | North Eastern MetroStars SC / Football SA |
| Rhys YOULLEY | Midfielder | Macarthur Bulls FC | Marconi Stallions FC / Football NSW |
| Marcus YOUNIS | Midfielder | Western Sydney Wanderers FC | North Rocks SC / Football NSW |
