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Last time Australia attempted to qualify for the Olympics, the Olyroos went home with four draws and two losses. They did not even manage to score a single goal.
Robbed the chance to compete with the best youth nations in world football, the setback was an embarrassing one.
While that was back in 2011 and 2012, before Ange Postecoglou took charge of the Socceroos and introduced a more streamlined approach to the youth set-up, lessons must be learned from the disastrous campaign.
Coach Aurelio Vidmar was perhaps lucky to keep his job after the failure, however he has produced impressive results with a reinvigorated squad that has embraced overseas-based players and adopted Postecoglou’s 4-3-3 blueprint.
Qualification for the 2016 Olympics will be decided at next year’s AFC Under-23 Asian Cup, and the Olyroos should be targeting at least a grand final appearance – the top three sides are rewarded a place in Rio.
Their opponents for the group stages were announced on the weekend, and Australia have been pooled with the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Vietnam.
While the group looks fairly straight forward, both the UAE and Jordan were undefeated in qualifying for tournament, while Vietnam lost one game – to Japan.
The Olyroos qualified in dominant fashion, defeating Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei and Myanmar 15-1 on aggregate.
Boasting a an exciting mix of domestic and Euro-based talent, the current squad looks more than capable of winning the tournament, and they equally look capable of making a deep run in Brazil if they qualify.
History is against them, however, with the last 20 years proving disappointing for Australian sides competing in the Olympics.
Apart from missing out on London 2012, the Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000 and Beijing 2008 tournaments all ended after the group stages, while in Athens the Olyroos suffered a disappointing 1-0 loss to Iraq in the quarter-finals.
Sydney’s failure in particular, despite the presence of overage players Mark Viduka, Josip Skoko and Stan Lazaridis, was a missed opportunity to push football into the public eye. Australia lost all three games against Italy, Nigeria and Honduras.
Instead, the inspiration for the current Olyroos lies with the 1992 Barcelona team, which featured the likes of Viduka, Ned Zelic, Damian Mori, Tony Popovic, Paul Okon, Mark Bosnich and Tony Vidmar.
They went through to the semi-finals, losing to Poland 6-1, but the experience propelled most of them to successful careers overseas.
A similar run is not out of reach for Vidmar and the Olyroos next year, though first they have to qualify. Competing at the Olympics is a necessity for Australian football to continue its growth and making a run into the knockout stages would bring invaluable exposure.
The experience would also help lift these youngsters to new levels. Due to the overage allowances they will come against some top talent – previous Australian sides have faced Lionel Messi, Andrea Pirlo, Sergio Aguero, Robert Pires and Raul Gonzalez.
Vidmar is well aware of the need to qualify this time around. Failure and he will most certainly find himself unemployed.
“I’m reasonably happy with [the group]. You get to this stage and all the big teams are in there anyway so I’m pretty pleased with the draw,” Vidmar said.
“We’ve got a lot to make up for missing out last time. We had UAE in our final group four years ago so that’s also a nice one to hopefully get one back on them.
“We have to qualify, very simple.”
There is much to get excited about with the current squad, which recently played Turkey Under-21s (1-0 win) and Macedonia Under-21s (1-3 loss) during the international break.
The midfield trio has the most strength and depth, with Mustafa Amini leading as captain, creator and fulcrum. Alongside him will be two out of Josh Brillante, Terry Antonis, Steven Ugarkovic, Ryan Edwards and Milos Degenek.
It is hard to believe Antonis is still just 21, and this season could finally result in the promising Sydney FC product gaining experience in Europe with PAOK FC. Brillante should also start finding more game time in Serie B with Calcio Como.
Throw in Jackson Irvine, who is still eligible and looked more than comfortable playing with the Socceroos, and there is a potentially dominant midfield waiting to impress at the Under-23 Asian Cup.
At the back A-League regulars Jason Geria and James Donachie provide a strong base, with Giancarlo Gallifuoco a promising central partner for the latter once he finds a new club in Europe.
There are enough goals up front, too, with Adam Taggart, Brandon Borrello and Jamie Maclaren forming a potent strike force. Corey Gameiro is also set for his comeback after an unfortunate ACL injury during Olyroos camp last year.
Danny de Silva, Awer Mabil and Chris Ikonomidis will provide the necessary x-factor to break down stubborn defences.
The squad should be well prepared for the Under-23 Asian Cup, with players meeting up for training camps and friendlies more often than in previous years.
Vidmar’s selections have also been fairly consistent, giving the side a chance to become familiar with the playing style and comfortable with teammates.
Qualification is a must with such a squad, failure to compete in Rio would be an unacceptable setback.
The Olyroos will play two games against South Korea in October, with their opening match against UAE arriving on January 14. Their fixtures against Vietnam and Jordan will follow on January 17 and 20.
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