A weakened Australian team faces Uzbekistan this Sunday on the road to qualification for London next year, with the real threat of missing out on the Olympics for the first time in decades.
The Olyroos – deprived of a host of quality overseas talent – take on the Uzbeks at Parramatta Stadium. After two games ending up as two nil-all draws, Australia definitely needs a win in its third game.
The first match against the UAE was a tame performance. The second, against Iraq, was much better and the Olyroos were only denied a win through the brilliance of rival keeper Jalal Hassan.
But with only one team making London from the four-team group and with Australia yet to find the back of the net, there are some worrying signs.
Coupled with this is the fact that the Olyroos have been denied some of their best available talent.
Tommy Oar and Kerem Bulut were Australia’s two standouts at the under-20 World Cup earlier this year, but aren’t playing for the Olyroos because of European clubs standing in their way.
The squad is also missing Matthew Leckie, currently in the Bundesliga, not to mention Aaron Mooy and Brent McGrath.
A lot of these players have already played for the Socceroos or are on the fringe of Socceroo selection. There’s also Steven Lustica, the 20-year playing for Hadjuk Split in Croatia.
Other locally-based players, such as Terry Antonis and Mustafa Amini – widely regarded as two of Australia’s brightest, young talents – haven’t been picked.
So essentially, we have a weaker than preferable Olympic team struggling so far. You look at the current squad and there is no doubt there is some talent there.
It’s filled with A-league players, including the likes of Mitch Nichols, but basically it could be a lot stronger.
You look back at the Socceroos recently, struggling against Thailand and Oman, and you get the same feeling that in the junior ranks, the same as the senior ones, we simply can’t take victory against Asian opposition for granted.
If we want to qualify for London, and we do, we need our best players available. Bit-part squads are no longer good enough against Asian teams.
Australia has a long history of under-23 Olympic football participation – sometimes good (Barcelona), sometimes bad (Sydney). But the Olympics can play an important introductory role for our young players on the world stage.
Playing against the likes of Gattuso (2000) and Messi (2008) can be a career highlight and something that spurs individuals on to greater heights.
Australian football desperately needs more exposure on the global stage for all our representative teams.
Failing to reach London 2012 would be a blow to our overall progression and one we must avoid at all cost.
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