Three Manly Warringah Football Association and Manly United juniors will be jet-setting to Uzbekistan as part of the Australia U23 Squad for the AFC U23 Asian Cup.
Lewis Miller, Cameron Peupion and Patrick Wood will be pulling on the green and gold jersey this June, something they only dreamt about when they first started playing football as kids in the MWFA.
Miller, who now plays for Central Coast Mariners, began his career at Pittwater RSL FC before moving onto Manly United. Since joining Central Coast Mariners, Miller has now played 22 games for the club, including the 2021 FA Cup final where you could see him sporting the Pittwater RSL FC badge on the right shoulder of his jersey.
Peupion has also made strides in his career. Spending his youth at Lionel Watts for Wakehurst FC and then at Cromer Park with Manly United, you will now find Peupion in England playing for Brighton Hove & Albion FC U23’s squad, where he has been playing since August 2020.
Spending his junior years at CC Strikers, Wood then moved through the ranks joining Manly United before taking the next step in his career. Wood now plays for Sydney FC in the A-League competition.
The bulk of Australia’s squad for next month’s AFC U23 Asian Cup has today been revealed, with twenty-two (22) of the twenty-three (23) players set to represent the Olyroos in Uzbekistan locked in.
The green and gold have been drawn in Group B of the tournament alongside Kuwait, Iraq, and Jordan, and will play its group matches in the cities of Qarshi (two matches) and Tashkent (one match) between June 1 and 7.
Each of Australia’s matches at the AFC U23 Asian Cup will be broadcast exclusively live in Australia on Paramount+, with the first cohort of players in the squad assembling in Uzbekistan from Monday, 23 May 2022 for a pre-tournament training camp.
Any players with A-League Finals – or potentially A-Leagues All Stars – commitments will travel to Uzbekistan following the completion of their respective domestic campaigns.
One additional player will be added to Australia’s squad prior to the commencement of the tournament.
Trevor Morgan, who will coach Australia’s U23s at the upcoming AFC U23 Asian Cup with the assistance of former Socceroos attacker Richard Garcia, said he’s excited by the pool of players that will represent the nation in Central Asia.
“We have assembled a strong squad of young Australian talent to compete at the upcoming AFC U23 Asian Cup, with one additional player to be added in the coming days,” Morgan said. “The players in the squad are making an impact in senior football, and with many age-eligible for Paris 2024 this tournament will provide an important moment in their development. While some players won’t be eligible for the next Olympic cycle, the opportunity for them to go to a high-level international competition will assist them in their careers, and help to create further depth for the Socceroos.”
“In recent youth national team camps we have placed a strong emphasis on having former Socceroos, such as Paul Okon, Craig Moore, Mark Milligan, and Luke Wilkshire involved, so I am delighted that Richard Garcia has accepted our invitation to travel with us for this tournament as an Assistant Coach. Richard represented Australia at U23 level, played 17 internationals for Australia including at the FIFA World Cup in 2010, and enjoyed a fantastic club career, so the advice and experiences he will be able to impart on the players will be crucial.”
Australia finished third at the last AFC U23 Asian Cup, then known as the AFC U23 Championship, in Bangkok, Thailand in January 2020 to secure qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Men’s Football Tournament. Since competing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, multiple young Australian players have secured club moves abroad, and/or progressed into the senior Socceroos’ set-up, illustrating the importance of Australia’s U23 program.
The upcoming AFC U23 Asian Cup does not serve as part of the process for qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Men’s football qualifying for Paris 2024 is set to commence in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) next year.
Football Australia announced last week that former Socceroo Tony Vidmar will take charge of Australia’s U23 men’s program at the completion of the Socceroos’ FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 campaign.
Australia U23 Squad (one player to be added) | AFC U23 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2022
| Name | Club, Country | Junior Club (Member Federation) |
| Hosine BILITY | Fram Reykjavik, Iceland | Croydon Kings FC (Football South Australia) |
| Nicholas BILOKAPIC (Gk) | Hartlepool United, England | Sydney United 58 FC (Football NSW) |
| Jordan BOS | Melbourne City FC, Australia | Hoppers Crossing SC (Football Victoria) |
| Lachlan BROOK | Adelaide United FC, Australia | Gawler Eagles FC (Football South Australia) |
| Jacob CHAPMAN (Gk) | Huddersfield Town AFC, England | Epping Eastwood Tigers FC (Football NSW) |
| Jordan COURTNEY-PERKINS | Rakow Czestochowa, Poland | Newmarket SFC (Football Queensland) |
| Louis D’ARRIGO | Adelaide United FC, Australia | West Torrens Birkalla SC (Football South Australia) |
| Jacob FARRELL | Central Coast Mariners FC, Australia | Wyoming FC (Football NSW) |
| Tyrese FRANCOIS | Fulham FC, England | Campbelltown Uniting Church SC (Football NSW) |
| Joe GAUCI (Gk) | Adelaide United FC, Australia | Cumberland United FC (Football South Australia) |
| Tristan HAMMOND | FK Austria Wien II, Austria | Fairfield Hotspurs SC (Football NSW) |
| Alou KUOL | SV Sandhausen, Germany | Shepparton SC (Football Victoria) |
| Lewis MILLER | Central Coast Mariners FC, Australia | Pittwater RSL FC (Football NSW) |
| Ramy NAJJARINE | Western Sydney Wanderers FC, Australia | Mounties Wanderers FC (Football NSW) |
| Joshua NISBET | Central Coast Mariners FC, Australia | St Marys FC (Football NSW) |
| Bernardo Oliveira (BERNARDO) | Adelaide United FC, Australia | Port Adelaide Pirates SC (Football SA) |
| Cameron PEUPION | Brighton Hove & Albion FC, England | Wakehurst FC (Football NSW) |
| Joshua RAWLINS | Perth Glory FC, Australia | Dianella SC (Football West) |
| Jay RICH-BAGHUELOU | Accrington Stanley FC, England | Palm Beach SC (Football Queensland) |
| Kai TREWIN | Brisbane Roar FC, Australia | Gungahlin United FC (Capital Football) |
| Patrick WOOD | Sydney FC, Australia | Collaroy Cromer Strikers FC (Football NSW) |
| Patrick YAZBEK | Sydney FC, Australia | Austral Soccer Club (Football NSW) |
Match Schedule | Australia U23 | AFC U23 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2022
Matchday 1: Australia U23 v Kuwait U23
Date: Wednesday, 1 June 2022
Venue: Markaziy Stadium, Qarshi, Uzbekistan
Kick-off: 6pm (local); 11pm (AEST)
Broadcast: Live in Australia on Paramount+
Matchday 2: Iraq U23 v Australia U23
Date: Saturday, 4 June 2022
Venue: Markaziy Stadium, Qarshi, Uzbekistan
Kick-off: 6pm (local); 11pm (AEST)
Broadcast: Live in Australia on Paramount+
Matchday 3: Australia U23 v Jordan U23
Date: Wednesday, 1 June 2022
Venue: Lokomotiv Stadium, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Kick-off: 6pm (local); 11pm (AEST)
Broadcast: Live in Australia on Paramount+
