Australia men's national under-20 soccer team

Australia Under-20

Nickname(s)	Young Socceroos
Association	Football Australia
Confederation	AFC (Asia)
Head coach	Trevor Morgan
FIFA code	AUS
First colours Second colours
First international
Australia 9–0 Papua New Guinea   (New Zealand; 11 November 1978)
Biggest win
Australia 16–0 Samoa   (Rarotonga, Cook Islands; 15 February 2001)
Biggest defeat
Australia 0–4 Brazil   (Córdoba, Argentina; 27 June 2001) Australia 1–5 Spain   (Manizales, Colombia; 6 August 2011) Australia 1–5 Vietnam   (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 7 October 2013) Australia 1–5 Thailand   (Hanoi, Vietnam; 18 September 2016)
AFC U-20 Asian Cup
Appearances	8 (first in 2006 )
Best result	Runners-up (2010)
OFC U-20 Championship
Appearances	13 (first in 1978 )
Best result	Champions (1978, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2005)
FIFA U-20 World Cup
Appearances	15 (first in 1981 )
Best result	Fourth place (1991, 1993)
Website	https://www.socceroos.com.au/young-socceroos-u20s

The Australia national under-20 soccer team, known colloquially as the Young Socceroos, represents Australia in international under-20 soccer. The team is controlled by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Australia (FA), which is currently a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the regional ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) since leaving the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) in 2006. The team's official nickname is the Young Socceroos.

Australia is a twelve-time OFC champion and five-time AFF champion. The team has represented Australia at the FIFA U-20 World Cup tournaments on fifteen occasions with their best result being a fourth-place finish in 1991 and 1993.

History

2006 AFC U-19 Championship

In their first foray into Asia in 2006 the team lost the quarterfinals of the AFC Youth Championship, to South Korea, ^[1] despite being considered one of the stronger teams. This was the first time the Young Socceroos had failed to qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup since 1989. Subsequently, on 5 February 2007 the FFA decided not to renew Ange Postecoglou's contract as head coach, ^[2] he was replaced by former Socceroo, and current AIS head coach of soccer, Steve O'Connor. ^[3]

2008 AFC U-19 Championship

On 24 June 2008 Jan Versleijen was appointed as the new U-20 coach ahead of the 2008 tournament, with the FFA eager to avoid a repeat of 2006, and qualify for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt. ^[4] In preparation for the tournament, Australia competed in the 2008 ASEAN Youth Championships in Thailand alongside China, Korea Republic and Thailand. ^[5] A competition they ultimately won through a penalty shoot-out against South Korea. ^[6] The 2008 AFC U-19 Championship was hosted by Saudi Arabia. Australia topped Group D with wins over Thailand and Jordan and a 1–1 draw with Uzbekistan. Australia then needed an extra time winner from Mitch Nichols to overcome North Korea in the quarter-final before losing 3–0 to UAE in the semi-final. However, making it through to the semi-final was enough to qualify for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup

Australia qualified for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt after finishing in the final four of the 2008 AFC U-19 Championship. Despite a late James Holland penalty, Australia lost their opening game to the Czech Republic 2–1 before Costa Rica defeated the 'Young Socceroos' 3–0. In the final group game against Brazil, Aaron Mooy gave Australia an early lead however the final result saw Brazil win 3–1 and Australia was eliminated without a point.

2010 AFC U-19 Championship

To qualify for the tournament, Australia travelled to Bandung, Indonesia in November 2009 for the qualification group and proceeded after finishing second in a group of six nations. Wins over Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei and Singapore proceeded to a 0–0 draw with the hosts, Indonesia and a loss to Japan.

Australia competed in the 2010 AFC Under 19 Championship Finals held in Zibo, China. ^[7]

The tournament was held from 3 to 17 October 2010 in Shandong province. The matches were played at the Zibo Sports Complex Stadium and Linzi Stadium.

Wins over Yemen and Iran followed by a 0–0 draw with South Korea meant Australia topped the group on goal difference. In the quarter-final against United Arab Emirates, Australia twice led before UAE equalised and took the game to extra time. Two extra time goals for Australia set up a semi-final with Saudi Arabia, which Australia won 2–0 thanks to a Kerem Bulut double. The final was played on 17 October 2010 against North Korea. Despite leading in the first half, Australia couldn't hold on and lost the final 3–2. Kerem Bulut was the tournament's top scorer with 7 goals. Australia qualified for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup to be held in Colombia.

2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup

Australia qualified for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia after finishing in the final four of the 2010 AFC U-19 Championship. Australia was drawn in a group comprising Spain, Ecuador & Costa Rica.

Australia failed to progress out of the group after finishing last with one point. The first fixture resulted in a one all draw with Ecuador after Tommy Oar scored a late equaliser. The next game saw Costa Rica defeat Australia 3–2. In the final game against Spain, Australia was down by four goals after just 18 minutes. In the 27th minute Kerem Bulut grabbed a goal back before Spain made it 5–1 with a 31st-minute penalty. This was to be the final score.

2012 AFC U-19 Championship

To participate in the 2012 AFC U-19 Championship the Young Socceroos first had to qualify. The confederation was geographically separated and Australia was grouped with other East Asian nations, China, Indonesia, Singapore and Macau. These five nations met in Malaysia in November 2011 and Australia proceeded through the group by winning all four games, scoring 20 goals and conceding just 1.

The 2012 AFC U-19 Championship was hosted by United Arab Emirates in November. Australia was seeded for the tournament along with the hosts and South Korea and North Korea. Australia's opening game was against Qatar. The only goal of the game came in the 11th minute for Australia when Corey Gameiro scored. Gameiro was on the scoresheet in both of the following group games when his 81st-minute equaliser against Syria and his 91st-minute equaliser against Saudi Arabia meant both games finished 1–1. The critical late goal to Saudi Arabia meant Australia not only proceeded on to the next stage at the expense of the Saudis but also topped the group.

Australia took on Jordan in the quarter-final and it was Gameiro scoring all three goals in a 3–0 win that put Australia through to the semi-final and secured qualification to the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey. Two second half goals to Iraq meant Australia were eliminated from the tournament. Gameiro's six goals were one short of the top goalscorer award.

2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup

Paul Okon ^[8] coached Australia in the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey where they failed to win a game despite scoring the first goal in all 3 fixtures. Daniel De Silva gave Australia the lead before Colombia levelled the game at 1–1. Joshua Brillante scored early before El Salvador scored twice before halftime and Jamie Maclaren scored in the 52nd minute but again Australia couldn't hold on with the hosts, with Turkey scoring twice. These results mean Australia has failed to win in any of their last 13 U-20 World Cup fixtures with the last victory coming over Brazil on 4 December 2003.

2014 AFC U-19 Championship

Australia started the 2014 AFC U-19 Championship campaign by participating in the qualifiers in October 2013. They travelled to Malaysia where they were joined by Vietnam, Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei. Mongolia had withdrawn. The first game was an easy 7–0 win over Hong Kong. Peter Skapetis scored four goals. They then defeated Chinese Taipei 3–0 before a humiliating 5–1 loss to Vietnam. Despite this, Australia was to proceed to the finals tournament as one of the best second placed teams.

The 2014 AFC U-19 Championship was hosted by Myanmar in October 2014. Paul Okon again was head coach of the Young Socceroos for the tournament. The opening game was against United Arab Emirates. Brandon Borrello gave Australia a late lead but an 85th-minute penalty to the UAE saw the score end in a draw. ^[9] The second match was a 1–0 win over Indonesia through a Jaushua Sotirio goal. The final group game had Australia leading Uzbekistan in the 66th minute thanks to Stefan Mauk. However, an 82nd-minute equaliser would prove devastating for Australia as this, and the result in the concurrent game placed UAE, Uzbekistan and Australia all on five points with Australia having the inferior goal difference and hence elimination from the tournament. Many observers sighted Australia's lack of desire to score more goals against Indonesia as the contributing factor to the elimination. Australia failed to qualify for the New Zealand 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup. This is just the second time since 1989 that Australia hasn't competed in the biennial event.

2016 AFC U-19 Championship

Australia qualified for the 2016 AFC U-19 Championship that was held in Bahrain in October 2016. In the qualifiers hosted by Laos, they finished runner-up in their group and progressed on goal difference as one of the five best second placed teams. Comfortable wins over Philippines and Laos were followed by a heavy 3–0 loss to Japan. Steve Kuzmanovski finished as Australia's top scorer with three goals. This was the sixth consecutive U-19 Championship that Australia qualified for.

Australia was coached by Ufuk Talay for the tournament and was drawn into Group D. The opening fixture was a 1–0 victory against China through a goal to Mario Shabow. The second game was against Uzbekistan. The Uzbeks led by three until they suffered a send off. Australia then responded through two second half penalties to Liam Youlley and George Blackwood however the final result was a 3–2 win for Uzbekistan. Australia needed to win against Tajikistan in the final group game to progress. Anthony Kalik had an early penalty saved and was later sent off for two yellow cards. The game finished 0–0 and Australia were eliminated from the tournament. As a consequence, they also failed to qualify for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup. This is the first time that Australia has failed to qualify for two consecutive U-20 World Cups.

2018 AFC U-19 Championship

The 2018 AFC U-19 Championship was hosted by Indonesia in October and November. Australia commenced their qualification for the tournament in Vietnam. ^[10] The matches had originally been scheduled to be played in Shepparton, Victoria however the Australian government refused entry to the North Korean squad. ^[11] As a result, the matches were moved to neutral Vietnam although the costs associated with the shift in venue saw Northern Mariana Islands withdraw. This left just two opponents in the group, North Korea and Hong Kong. In Australia's first match against Hong Kong, Ramy Najjarine scored early and then a late double from Moudi Najjar gave Australia a 3–0 win. ^[12] They then defeated North Korea 4–1 with goals again to Najjarine and Najjar as well as Fabian Monge and Denis Genreau. ^[13]

With Ante Milicic now in charge, Australia started the tournament against South Korea in Bekasi. The Koreans scored first in the 55th minute however Najjarine curled in an 89th-minute equaliser to share the points. ^[14] The second match was against Vietnam which Australia won 2–1 through goals to Angus Thurgate and Ben Folami. ^[15] Reports emerged after the game that many of the Australian squad had been suffering from illness. ^[16] In their last group match against Jordan, Australia needed at least a draw to advance and they finished 1–1, with Oliver Puflett scoring the goal in the 10th minute. ^[17] In the quarter-final, Australia lost 3–1 to Saudi Arabia, with Nathaniel Atkinson scoring their only goal. Elimination at the quarter-final stage meant that Australia failed to qualify for the Under-20 World Cup for a record third consecutive time. ^[18]

Players

Current squad

The following 23 players were called up for the Marbella Week of Football U-18 International Tournament from 12 to 17 October 2023. ^{[19] [20]}

Caps and goals correct as of the Portugal Sub-18 International Tournament game against Norway on 13 June 2023.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	1 GK	Steven Hall	(2005-01-16) 16 January 2005 (age 19)	3	0	Brighton & Hove Albion
	1 GK	Anthony Pavlesic	(2006-01-31) 31 January 2006 (age 18)	1	0	Bayern Munich
	1 GK	Max Vartuli	(2005-01-20) 20 January 2005 (age 19)	0	0	Aalborg BK
	2 DF	Joshua Inserra	(2005-01-21) 21 January 2005 (age 19)	3	0	Melbourne Victory
	2 DF	Sebastian Esposito	(2005-04-21) 21 April 2005 (age 19)	3	0	Lecce
	2 DF	Franco Lino	(2005-08-26) 26 August 2005 (age 18)	3	0	Viking
	2 DF	Max Middleby	(2005-12-01) 1 December 2005 (age 18)	3	1	LA Galaxy
	2 DF	Harrison Shillington	(2005-06-30) 30 June 2005 (age 18)	2	0	Melbourne City
	2 DF	Liam Bonetig	(2005-08-20) 20 August 2005 (age 18)	0	0	Celtic
	2 DF	Zach Lisolajski	(2005-10-05) 5 October 2005 (age 18)	0	0	Western United
	2 DF	Bailey O'Neil	(2006-02-02) 2 February 2006 (age 18)	0	0	Adelaide United
	3 MF	Alexander Badolato	(2005-02-23) 23 February 2005 (age 19)	10	2	Western Sydney Wanderers
	3 MF	Paul Okon-Engstler	(2005-01-24) 24 January 2005 (age 19)	3	0	Benfica
	3 MF	Rhys Youlley	(2005-02-13) 13 February 2005 (age 19)	3	0	Westerlo
	3 MF	Zane Schreiber	(2005-05-31) 31 May 2005 (age 18)	3	1	Melbourne City
	3 MF	Frans Deli	(2005-06-08) 8 June 2005 (age 18)	3	0	Macarthur
	3 MF	Rawley St. John	(2005-05-23) 23 May 2005 (age 19)	0	0	VfB Stuttgart
	3 MF	Fabian Talladira	(2006-02-04) 4 February 2006 (age 18)	0	0	Adelaide United
	4 FW	Max Caputo	(2005-08-17) 17 August 2005 (age 18)	4	3	Melbourne City
	4 FW	Matteo Mazzone	(2005-03-07) 7 March 2005 (age 19)	3	2	VfL Wolfsburg
	4 FW	Luka Jovanovic	(2005-05-20) 20 May 2005 (age 19)	3	1	Adelaide United
	4 FW	Thomas Waddingham	(2005-04-05) 5 April 2005 (age 19)	2	2	Brisbane Roar
	4 FW	Bailey Brandtman	(2005-06-28) 28 June 2005 (age 18)	2	2	Central Coast Mariners

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up within the last 12 months and remain eligible for selection.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Alexander Robinson	(2005-03-09) 9 March 2005 (age 19)	1	0	Macarthur	Portugal Sub-18 International Tournament, 13 June 2023
DF	Panagiotis Kikianis	(2005-03-08) 8 March 2005 (age 19)	2	0	Adelaide United	Portugal Sub-18 International Tournament, 13 June 2023
DF	Dimitri Valkanis	(2005-10-18) 18 October 2005 (age 18)	0	0	AEK Athens	Portugal Sub-18 International Tournament, 13 June 2023
MF	Marcus Younis	(2005-07-03) 3 July 2005 (age 18)	3	1	Western Sydney Wanderers	Marbella Week of Football Tournament, 17 October 2023INJ
MF	Jaden Gasking	(2005-02-28) 28 February 2005 (age 19)	3	0	Boavista	Portugal Sub-18 International Tournament, 13 June 2023
MF	Emin Durakovic	(2005-07-28) 28 July 2005 (age 18)	3	0	Melbourne City	Portugal Sub-18 International Tournament, 13 June 2023
FW	Christian Naveen	(2005-07-10) 10 July 2005 (age 18)	3	0	Western United	Portugal Sub-18 International Tournament, 13 June 2023

• ^INJ Withdrew due to an injury.

Recent results and fixtures

2023

Portugal   v   Australia

9 June FPF Sub-18 International Tournament	Portugal	4–2	Australia	Queluz, Portugal
18:00 WEST	Rêgo 41' Semedo 45+1', 47', 51'	Report	Jovanovic 9' Schreiber 76'	Stadium: Sports Complex Real Sport Clube Referee: Pedro Ramalho (Portugal)

England   v   Australia

11 June FPF Sub-18 International Tournament	England	3–2	Australia	Oeiras, Portugal
	Marsh 15', 17' Blake 90'	Report	Caputo 19' Younis 45'	Stadium: Cidade do Futebol

Norway   v   Australia

13 June FPF Sub-18 International Tournament	Norway	1–2	Australia	Oeiras, Portugal
	Faraas 43'	Report	Caputo 4' Middleby 70'	Stadium: Cidade do Futebol

Australia   v   France

12 OctoberMarbella Week of Football U-18 International Tournament	Australia	1–1 (4–1 p)	France	Marbella, Spain
14:00 CEST	Brandtman 8'	Report	Kalambayi 40'	Stadium: Marbella Football Centre

Australia   v   Netherlands

14 OctoberMarbella Week of Football U-18 International Tournament	Australia	1–1 (6–5 p)	Netherlands	Marbella, Spain
19:00 CEST	Waddingham 58'	Report (FA) Report (KNVB)	Milambo	Stadium: Marbella Football Centre

Australia   v   Denmark

17 OctoberMarbella Week of Football U-18 International Tournament	Australia	2–2 (7–6 p)	Denmark	Marbella, Spain
14:30 CEST	Waddingham 18' Brandtman 87'	Report		Stadium: Marbella Football Centre

Records

Players with most appearances

As of 3 June 2012

Players in bold are still available for selection.

#	Name	Caps	Goals
1	Tommy Oar	33	4
1	Mark Birighitti	33	0
3	Kofi Danning	30	3
4	Matthew Jurman	26	0
5	Ben Kantarovski	25	2
5	James Holland	25	5
7	Andrew Redmayne	24	0
7	Craig Moore	24	0
7	Scott McDonald	24	16
7	Dylan McGowan	24	4

Players with most Goals Scored

As of 23 June 2013

Players in bold are still available for selection.

#	Name	Goals	Caps
1	Mark Viduka	32	20
2	Scott McDonald	16	24
3	Kostas Salapasidis	13	14
4	Kevork Gulesserian	12	12
5	Kerem Bulut	10	14
5	David Williams	10	12
7	Nick Carle	9	16
7	Jamie Maclaren	9	16
8	Ante Milicic	8	12
8	Michael Ferrante	8	10
8	Greg Owens	8	15

Competitive record

FIFA U-20 World Cup

FIFA U-20 World Cup record Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA 1977 did not participate 1979 1981 Quarter-finals 7th 4 1 2 1 6 6 1983 Group stage 9th 3 1 1 1 4 4 1985 Group stage 11th 3 0 2 1 2 3 1987 Group stage 12th 3 1 0 2 2 6 1989 did not qualify 1991 Fourth place 4th 6 4 1 1 6 3 1993 Fourth place 4th 6 3 0 2 8 9 1995 Quarter-finals 7th 4 1 1 2 6 6 1997 Round of 16 10th 4 2 1 1 5 4 1999 Group stage 18th 3 1 0 2 4 8 2001 Round of 16 16th 4 1 1 2 3 8 2003 Round of 16 10th 4 2 1 1 6 5 2005 Group stage 20th 3 0 2 1 2 5 2007 did not qualify 2009 Group stage 23rd 3 0 0 3 2 8 2011 Group stage 21st 3 0 1 2 4 9 2013 Group stage 21st 3 0 1 2 3 5 2015 did not qualify 2017 2019 2023 2025 to be determined Total 15/24 4th 56 17 14 25 63 89

OFC U-20 Championship

OFC U-20 Championship record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1974	did not participate
1978	Champion	1st	3	3	0	0	16	2
1980	Runners-up	2nd	3	2	0	1	7	3
1982	Champion	1st	4	4	0	0	15	4
1985	Champion	1st	5	5	0	0	20	4
1986	Champion	1st	4	3	1	0	16	1
1988	Champion	1st	4	4	0	0	16	3
1990	Champion	1st	4	4	0	0	22	0
1992	did not participate
1994	Champion	1st	5	5	0	0	29	0
1997	Champion	1st	4	4	0	0	25	1
1998	Champion	1st	5	5	0	0	23	2
2001	Champion	1st	7	6	0	1	50	3
2002	Champion	1st	4	4	0	0	23	0
2005	Champion	1st	5	5	0	0	46	5
Total	13/15	12 Titles	57	54	1	2	308	28

AFC U-20 Asian Cup

AFC U-20 Asian Cup record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
2006	Quarter finals	8th	4	2	0	2	6	4
2008	Semi finals	3rd	5	3	1	1	6	6
2010	Runners-up	2nd	6	4	1	1	15	6
2012	Semi finals	4th	5	2	2	1	6	4
2014	Group Stage	9th	3	1	2	0	3	2
2016	Group Stage	11th	3	1	1	1	3	3
2018	Quarter-finals	6th	4	1	2	1	5	6
2020	Competition cancelled
2023	Quarter-finals	5th	4	2	1	1	13	5
Total	8/8	0 Titles	34	16	10	8	57	36

AFF U-19 Youth Championship

AFF U-19 Youth Championship record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
2006	Champion	1st	3	3	0	0	8	0
2007	did not enter
2008	Champion	1st	3	2	1	0	5	2
2009	Runner-up	2nd	5	2	2	1	11	4
2010	Champion	1st	3	2	1	0	6	2
2011	did not enter
2012	Third place	3rd	3	1	0	2	6	6
2013	Withdrew
2014	Group stage	5th	2	0	0	2	3	5
2015	Withdrew
2016	Champion	1st	7	6	0	1	21	10
2017	did not enter
2018
2019	Champion	1st	7	6	0	1	20	7
2022	did not enter
Total	8/15	5 Titles	33	22	4	5	80	36

References

1. "Australia bows out to Koreans", FFA, 7 November 2006
2. "Postecoglou Contract Not Renewed" Archived 13 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine , FFA, 8 February 2007
3. "New National Youth Coaches Appointed" Archived 13 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine , FFA, 5 March 2007
4. "AIS/U20 Head Coach named", FFA, 24 June 2008
5. "Qantas Young Socceroos named for Asean tournament" Archived 27 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine , FFA, 29 September 2008
6. "Qantas Young Socceroos win AFF U19 Championship" Archived 27 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine , FFA, 12 October 2008
7. "China to host AFC U-19 Championship Finals", AFC, 18 February 2010
8. "Paul Okon to coach national youth sides". Football Federation Australia. 30 January 2015. Archived from the original on 28 February 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
9. "Young Socceroos Draw". Adelaide Now. 11 October 2014.
10. "AFC U-19 Championship 2018 Qualifiers: Group J to be played in Hanoi". AFC. 13 October 2017.
11. Willoughby, James (9 October 2017). "Visa ban on North Korean football team forces major tournament offshore". The New Daily .
12. "Young Socceroos make winning start in Hanoi". Football Federation Australia. 5 November 2017.
13. "Young Socceroos qualify for Asian championship". The World Game . SBS. 9 November 2017.
14. Tan, Gabriel (19 October 2018). "AFC U-19 Championship: Australia deny Korea Republic at the death". Fox Sports.
15. "Young Socceroos sink valiant Vietnam". The World Game . SBS. 22 October 2018.
16. Greco, John (23 October 2018). "Milicic hails Young Socceroos after crucial win over Vietnam". Football Federation Australia.
17. "Young Socceroos survive Jordan onslaught". FTBL . 26 October 2018.
18. "Young Socceroos miss out on U20 World Cup after loss to Saudi Arabia". The World Game . SBS. 30 October 2018.
19. "Subway Young Socceroos squad named for Marbella Week of Football". Socceroos . Football Australia. 25 September 2023.
20. "Subway Young Socceroos squad update – Marbella Week of Football". Socceroos . Football Australia. 9 October 2023.

External links

• Official website
• Oz Football Young Socceroos Archive