Australia U-23s start training for Vietnam tourney

The Qantas U-23s went into a training camp on Sunday ahead of the team’s first international matches in a four-nation tournament in Vietnam later this month .

The 23-strong training squad includes three players for developmental purposes, with 18 players to be selected to travel to Vietnam next Friday for the tournament which will feature U-23 teams from Uzbekistan and Iran, plus the senior national team of the host nation. The matches will serve as the first preparatory matches for next year’s qualifying campaign for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. To date the squad have only played training matches at last month’s camp in Canberra.

The squad will again be managed by Qantas Socceroos assistant coach Graham Arnold and will consist entirely of players who featured with clubs in the inaugural Hyundai A-League season.

Prior to the conclusion of the camp the squad will be selected to travel to Vietnam for the first match against Iran on April 16.

The U-23 Asian Olympic qualifiers is currently scheduled to commence next February and will see the top three teams qualifying in addition to China who automatically qualify a s the host nation. Unlike the previous three men’s Olympic football tournaments there will be no over-age players eligible to compete in Beijing.

The matches in Vietnam will serve as the first for the current generation of players, and the first matches for the Qantas Under 23s since the 2004 Olympic Games in Greece where Australia were eliminated in the quarter finals by Iraq.

(AFC)