Glory trio Adam Bugarija, Abdul Faisal and Jaylan Pearman have been named in the Young Socceroos squad for the Panda Cup International Tournament 2024 which will be played during this month’s FIFA international window in the Chinese city of Chengdu.
The squad will assemble in Chengdu from 10th November, with the young Aussies set to face U19 sides from China PR, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia in a round-robin format.
The tournament will act as preparation for the AFC U20 Asian Cup China PR 2025, which in turn serves as qualifying for the FIFA U-20 World Cup Chile 2025 – to be played from 12 February to 1 March.
Head Coach Trevor Morgan believes that the Panda Cup experience will prove invaluable for his young charges.
“The ability to familiarise ourselves with conditions in the host nation of the Asian Cup and play competitive games in a tournament format will be extremely beneficial for the players and staff,” he said.
“While it’s an opportunity to take some great learnings for our ongoing planning for next February, we’re also continuing to broaden the depth of players available for selection in the way we’ve structured this squad – creating competitive pressure for places is key to our success in the Asian Cup.
“Given this tournament falls within a FIFA Window, we’ve been able to bring in European-based players who have missed recent camps due to clashes with their club schedule.
“We feel it’s important we keep them connected with our pathway and give them every chance to stake their claim for Asian Cup selection.
“We’ve also provided opportunities to several players from the A-League Men competition – with some joining the program for the first time – and we’re looking forward to welcoming them into the environment.”
Midfielder Bugarija and attacker Faisal have both made their A-League debuts for Glory this season, with the former opening his goalscoring account against Macarthur FC in Round One.
Pearman, meanwhile, was a standout performer in the PGFC Academy First Team’s midfield once again in 2024 and is expected to continue to press his claim for A-League minutes as the season progresses.
Match Details
Subway Young Socceroos v Kyrgyzstan
Wednesday 13 November 2024
Chengdu Shuangliu Sports Centre Stadium, Chengdu
Kick-off: 3.30pm local / 3.30pm WST
China PR v Subway Young Socceroos
Saturday 16 November 2024
Chengdu Shuangliu Sports Centre Stadium, Chengdu
Kick-off: 7.35pm local / 7.35pm WST
Subway Young Socceroos v Mongolia
Tuesday 19 November 2024
Chengdu Shuangliu Sports Centre Stadium, Chengdu
Kick-off: 2.00pm local / 2.00pm AEDT
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