Irankunda, Phillis and Talladira named in Subway Joeys’ Squad | OneFootball

Nestory Irankunda, Sotiri Phillis and Fabian Talladira have been selected in Subway Joeys’ Squad for the upcoming AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2023TM Qualifiers.

Australia U-17 Men’s National Team Head Coach, Brad Malone named the 23-players set to represent Australia at the AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2023™ Qualifiers in Shepparton (VIC) from 5 – 9 October 2022.

The final squad was selected following an intense two-week training camp in Melbourne, which featured three matches against Victorian NPL and A-League Men Youth Team opposition.

Upon announcing the footballers selected for next week’s AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2023™ Qualifiers, Subway Joeys’ Head Coach Brad Maloney said: “We’ve had an excellent two weeks in camp and set a strong foundation for the program, not just for this qualifying tournament, but for the years ahead.

Fabian Talladira

“Competition across all positions was strong, which made selecting the final 23-players challenging. In the end, we’ve chosen what we consider to be the best available squad for what will be a testing tournament format with three matches inside five days,” Maloney explained.

Divided into five groups of four, four groups of five, and one group of three, the Qualifiers will feature 43 Member Associations from across the Asia vying for 16 available seats – 10 group winners and six best runners-up who will battle for the coveted AFC U17 Asian Cup™ trophy next year. From the AFC Asian Cup 2023™ the top four teams from this tournament will qualify for the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup™ as the AFC representatives.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2023™ Qualifiers will be the first international activity for the Joeys’ program since 2019. In Australia’s Group, the Subway Joeys will first meet Northern Mariana Islands on Wednesday, 5 October (7.30pm AEDT), before facing Cambodia on Friday, 7 October (7.30pm AEDT), and conclude their campaign against China on Sunday, 9 October (3.00pm AEDT).

Sotiri Phillis

Speaking on the task ahead, Maloney said: “We have to respect our opposition, it’s going to be a tough group. We don’t know a lot about the opposition because of the hiatus in the last couple of years but we expect challenging matches from all three teams.

“Countries throughout Southeast Asia and East Asia are investing heavily in the game, particularly at the youth level and development. I know the Cambodian team have a core group of players that have been together for a long time now preparing for this tournament, and China have been in Australia for almost a month, so they’re taking it very seriously and we know we have a tough assignment ahead in Shepparton,” Maloney said.

These AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2023™ Qualifiers mark the first time Australia has hosted a Qualification Group or Qualifiers of any AFC Youth tournament since 2009 and presents a special opportunity for the Subway Joeys to play in-front of family and friends.

“I think the boys are quite excited at the prospect of playing at home and the families are upbeat about watching their children on home soil, so it’s definitely something to look forward to,” Maloney continued.

“I just want them to enjoy the experience and use it as an opportunity to showcase their skills on the international stage. I really hope they can take that in their stride, which I’m sure they will, as we look to qualify for the AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2023™.”

The AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2023™ Qualifiers event in Shepparton is with thanks to Greater Shepparton City Council and is a beneficiary of funding from the Regional Sports Event Fund, supported by the Australian Sports Commission.

Match Schedule – Group G of the AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2023™ Qualifiers

SUBWAY JOEYS’ SQUAD | AFC U-17 ASIAN CUP 2023™ QUALIFIERS | 5 – 9 OCTOBER 2022