Melbourne City FC duo Ben Garuccio and Stefan Mauk have been called up to the Young Socceroos
Young Socceroos Head Coach Paul Okon has selected 20 Australian-based players in his squad for the upcoming Under-20 NTC Invitational tournament which will be held at U.S. Soccer-s National Training Centre in Carson, California (14-18 July 2014).
The USA training camp and international friendly matches are important components of the Young Socceroos preparations for the AFC U-19 Championship in Myanmar in October this year, which also double as qualification tournament for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand which will be held in July 2015.
Melbourne City FC duo Ben Garuccio and Stefan Mauk have been called up in the 20-man squad for the camp.
Mauk and Garuccio both recently signed new deals with Melbourne City FC and their continued development at senior level has earned them regular call-ups for the Young Socceroos.
Midfielder Mauk has extended his deal at Melbourne City FC until the end of the 2015/16 season, while left-sided utility Garuccio has signed for an additional two years; until the conclusion of the 2016/17 season.
Head Coach Paul Okon said he was looking forward to the tour and three matches against quality opposition.
“The invitation to play in this tournament came a couple of months ago and we didn-t hesitate in accepting this opportunity to play three competitive matches at this stage of our preparations,” Okon said.
“Our players are currently in pre-season mode and this camp will be a good chance to see where they are currently at and what we will need to work on for the next phase of our campaign.
“The opposition will be challenging, but the more we play together the better prepared we will be for the AFC U-19 Championships“,” concluded Okon.
The Young Socceroos will play their opening match of the tournament against Bermuda on Monday 14 July (kick-off 1pm Pacific Time), with their second match against Chile on Wednesday 16 July (kick-off 1pm Pacific Time) and their final match against host nation USA on Friday 18 July (kick-off 7pm Pacific Time).
The Young Socceroos will depart Australia on Wednesday 9 July and will have a 4-day training camp at U.S. Soccer-s National Training Centre prior to the tournament.
Young Socceroos Squad List – USA Tour – 9 to 21 July 2014
Daniel ALESSI (Western Sydney Wanderers)
Shannon BRADY (Brisbane Roar)
Brandon BORRELLO (Brisbane Roar)
Jordan BROWN (Melbourne Victory)
Devante CLUT (Brisbane Roar)
Daniel De SILVA (Perth Glory)
Shayne D-CUNHA (Blacktown City [NSW NPL])
Scott GALLOWAY (Melbourne Victory)
Ben GARUCCIO (Melbourne City)
Hagi GLIGOR (Sydney FC)
Paul IZZO (GK) (Adelaide United)
Awer MABIL (Adelaide United)
Marc MARINO (Campbelltown City [SA NPL])
Stefan MAUK (Melbourne City)
Christopher NAUMOFF (Sydney FC)
Liam ROSE (Central Coast Mariners)
Jaushua SOTORIO (Western Sydney Wanderers)
Jordan THURTELL (GK) (Perth Glory)
Benjamin WARLAND (Adelaide United)
Riley WOODCOCK (Perth Glory)
