Adelaide United duo Nathan Amanatidis and Sotiri Phillis have both been named on the extended Joeys’ squad ahead of the AFC U-17 Asian Cup.
28 players have been selected on the squad that will be reduced to 23 ahead of the trip to Thailand from June 15 – July 2.
Both Amanatidis and Phillis took part in a five day camp in preparation for the tournament, while Phillis has previously made friendly appearances for the Joeys and competed in the U-17 Antalya Youth Cup in Turkey.
Joeys’ head coach Brad Maloney says they deliberately selected a deep and versatile team alongside more talented players to ensure they meet the standards of the rest of the competitors in the qualifiers.
Amanatidis, an attacker and winger, can provide the versatility, and Phillis, defender provides the depth down back.
The Asian Cup is more than just a tournament for said cup, but serves as qualifiers for the World Cup, and that is all the team is focussed on.
“The under-17s Asian Cup will be the first major test for our country’s brightest young talent and presents a platform for each to showcase themselves against the finest in Asia,” Maloney said.
“However, as a collective we head to Thailand with one goal in mind and that’s to reach at least the semi-finals to secure qualification for this year’s FIFA under-17s World Cup.
“The quality and strength across Asian nations, particularly at the youth level, continues to increase exponentially and we know we will have to be at our best to achieve our ambitions.”
Australia has been drawn in Group C and will face Saudi Arabia, China PR and Tajikistan, looking to make the semi-final in order to qualify for the World Cup.
