The emergence of the Asiaroos

Since the A League’s inception and Australia’s move into Asia, a trend developed which saw the emergence of the “Euroroos,” the Socceroos’ first team, and the “Aussieroos,” the best of the locally based players.

An example of the Aussieroos was the home Asian Cup qualifier against Kuwait (just after the 2006 World Cup) with goals from then SFC players David Carney and Travis Dodd.

There was also a bit of an “in-between” squad within that spectrum of fringe European-based players and A-League players, such as the team that played Australia’s first ever match in the AFC Confederation as an 2007 Asian Cup qualifier away to Bahrain, winning 3-1 with goals from Archie Thompson (loaned to PSV Eindhoven from Melbourne Victory), European/EPL based Josip Skoko and Ahmad Elrich (a mix between fringe Socceroo, former K League and A League).

It was a diverse squad, ranging from SPL based Scott Mc Donald to then Central Coast player Michael Beauchamp.

Generally, the “Euroroos” were considered the first string, the in-between a makeshift second string of sorts, and the “Aussieroos,” who often encompass astronomically high squad numbers such as with the recent Asian Cup qualifier played in Canberra, considered a substandard third even fourth side – a point enshrined in Pim Verbeeks infamous remarks regarding a German training session being better than A-League matches.

This dynamic can perhaps be considered to obsolete with Socceroos of generally high calibre coming back to the A League – namely Jason Culina to Gold Coast, Mile Sterjovski and Chris Coyne to Perth, and the return of Brisbane Roar based Craig Moore.

These are significant players who have played a major role in our World Cup qualification and are effectively sho-ins for World Cup squad places barring injury.

Suddenly the A League isn’t as inferior as it was once deemed.

Perhaps this is even reflected in Pim Verbeeks berating of a Qatari journalist who remarked about the “A-League not being so good” in a question.

But another trend: the increasing flow of Australian players into East Asian Leagues following the inception of the “AFC foreigner” place within AFC competitions.

Thi will lead to a new term – “Asiaroos” – being brought into the Australian football vocabulary to accompany the “Euroroos” and “Aussieroos” terms.

This category would include players who would make the first team of Asian Cup qualifiers and the like when European based players aren’t available or it is considered more politic to leave them out in the interests of good relations with their European club – and managers like David Moyes.

This includes fringe players such as Joel Griffiths and Eddy Bosnar, but also players with more solid cases for first team squad positions, such as Jade North, Mark Milligan, and Josh Kennedy – whose move to Nagoya Grampus probably constitutes the biggest Australian player transfer to Asia at this time.

What this all leads into, though, is that the prospective first team squad that Australia will be able to put out when the European based stars is no longer anything to sneer at, and the matches will no longer be considered so “second grade” as they are now.

Previously, players leaving the A League have been overlooked for selection as some kind of “punishment” for “turning their back” on helping the development of the A-League by going to Asia “for money.”

But this must surely be revisited following Kennedy’s move to Nagoya

They will lead to greater excitement surrounding Asian Cup matches, which can only be fantastic for the slightly smaller cities and regional centres where these matches are played.

A team prsopectively comprising the likes of Moore, Coyne, Milligan, North, with the capable at the back, Jason Culina, Mile Sterjovski in midfield, and Josh Kennedy up front, is nothing to sneeze at – especially in Asian Cup qualifier terms where they can be capably accompanied by “local” players such as Roddy Vargas, Elrich, Archie Thompson, and Joel Griffiths.

It represents an intriguing trend which is emerging and changing in dynamic.