In the dizzying wake of Cadel Evans’ extraordinary success in France, Australian sporting fans can be forgiven for frantically searching for where their next hit will come from.
While there’s indeed the world championships of swimming in Shanghai along with the women’s under-19 basketball world championships in Chile, the next main treat on offer is FIFA’s under-20 World Cup which, kicks off in Colombia this weekend.
The Young Socceroos have sent a team widely considered to be a once in a generation type squad, with an expectation that this crop of youngsters can go far in Colombia with a quarter-final berth by no means beyond the realms of possibility.
Leading into the tournament there’s, however, a query over the technical acumen of coach Jan Versleijen and chiefly his ability to instill the dynamic, interchangeable and possession orientated game which has been his charge to implement.
At the recent under-17 World Cup in Mexico, Versleijen’s Joey’s failed to grasp the 4-3-3 system and progressed out of the group stage thanks only to a scheduling quirk.
They were soon crushed by Uzbekistan 4-0 and departed Mexico with as many red cards as goals.
Most alarming, however, was that in the face of sustained pressure, the team reverted to an unsophisticated long ball and overly panicked game.
With Versleijen’s present contract set to expire at the end of the year, the Young Socceroos performance in Colombia will go a long way toward determining whether he’s indeed the most ideal candidate to be in charge of Australia’s youth stocks.
The Australians haven’t exactly been dealt the kindest of draws for the World Cup with games scheduled against Ecuador, Costa Rica and reigning men’s world champions, Spain. It’s a group that tricky, but not insurmountable.
The campaign begins on Monday morning with an assignment against Ecuador in Manizales, Colombia’s coffee epicentre. The squad should be buoyed by lead in form which saw them runners up in last year’s Asian Cup along with a friendly victory over Germany in May.
They’ve recently been based in Colorado to acclimatise to the elevation of Colombia, and in modified games against South Korea and England have performed steadily.
A concern for team is a couple of the absentees which include Mathew Leckie and Brent McGrath, whose German and Danish clubs have both stubbornly refused to make the players available for Colombia. It’s a significant blow as both may have indeed started up forward together.
Fortunately, Brisbane Roar’s Kofi Danning and Czech based Kerem Bulut are capable of filling the void while Central Coast’s Bernie Ibini will use the opportunity to shine. The blistering speed of Tommy Oar down the wings should create havoc for defenders.
The true strength of this Australian team, however, lies in the midfield where they’ll be lead by the iconic Mustafa Amini and team captain Ben Kantarovski.
Crucially, central midfield in tournament play is pivotal to a team’s prospects and for the Australian’s to have two of their most technically accomplished players operating there gives the squad a significant boost.
Amini and Kantasrovski will be assisted by Sydney FC’s Rhyan Grant, who operates as an energetic midfielder capable of covering plenty of yards. With players the calibre of Dimitri Petratos and Terry Anotis coming off the bench, the Australians are blessed with an array of talented depth in the most crucial area of the park.
At the back Australia looks solid with the experienced central pairing of Melbourne Heart’s Brendan Hamill along with Dylan McGowan.
The wing back positions are expected to be filled by Central Coast youth team products Trent Sainsbury and Sam Gallagher. Adelaide’s Mark Birighitti will keep goal however it’s curious that Mariner’s Matt Ryan – so inspirational in his debut A-League season – couldn’t crack into Versleijen’s final 21-man squad.
Like all tournaments the first game will be critical to the team’s chances and the young Socceroos must look for a win against perhaps the group’s most inferior team in Ecuador who’ll be competing in just their second under-20 World Cup, and their first in more than ten years.
An Australian youth soccer team hasn’t made a dent in a world tournament since 1999 when the Joey’s made the final of the under-17 World Cup in New Zealand.
An under-20 team hasn’t progressed past the group stage since Qatar 1995. In that tournament a certain Mark Viduka scored four goals in the group stage while one Josip Skoko started each game and Clint Bolton kept goal.
Progression to the quarters or perhaps the semis won’t surpass Cadel’s efforts in France – it’s hard to imagine what Australian sporting performance will in the coming years – however, a strong performance will go a long way in assuring Australian soccer fans that the future’s in good shape.
A group stage exit, coupled with the substandard performance by the Joeys in Mexico last month would, however, raise some serious questions.
By lunchtime Monday, we’ll have a good picture of what the Socceroos may look like in the coming years.
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