New Sydney FC signings Paul Okon-Engstler and Rhys Youlley say the Isuzu UTE A-League’s recent record of giving young talents the chance to play first team football was crucial in their decisions to move this off-season.
The duo have both penned long-term deals with the Sky Blues ahead of the upcoming Isuzu UTE A-League campaign as Ufuk Talay’s side look to rejuvenate a squad which missed out on playing in the Finals Series last season.
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A product of the Benfica academy, 20-year-old Okon-Engstler opted to leave the Portuguese giants in search of regular first-team football while 20-year-old Youlley left Belgian Pro League side Westerlo for the same reason.
“Coming to the end of my time in Westerlo, I think it was a big decision for not only myself, but for my family,” said Youlley, who put pen-to-paper on a three-year contract with Sydney FC in May.
“We all thought it was the best decision for me to come back and when a team like Sydney is interested in you and you want to come back, there’s not much other stuff that goes on.
“As a young footballer, especially at this age, it’s the most important thing to keep playing and developing.
“And under a coach like Ufuk Talay, who’s had a great career, I think he can really guide me in my football and help me become a complete player.”
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Youlley made a handful appearances for Westerlo in the Belgian Pro League last season but the large bulk of his playing time came with the club’s youth side for whom he made 18 starts.
But when it came to making a decision as to where his future lied the Young Socceroo opted to return to the Isuzu UTE A-League in order to take the next step in his career, and it was a decision fuelled by the experiences of other young Australian talents.
“I think the league is changing in a way and I think it’s a big opportunity for young players at this point,” Youlley said.
“But it’s not only just because you’re young and you’re going to play – you’ve got to work hard. I think people will think that ‘oh they’re just playing young players because there’s no one else’ but you have to work hard.
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“I think the players that have come through the Isuzu UTE A-League, like Sega (Adrian Segecic), Nestor (Nestory Irankunda) and Mohammed (Toure) you know, they’re hard working players, and you’ve seen what they can do overseas.
“It’s not just in the A-League, they go abroad and they kill it themselves. So I think playing in the league regularly is very important for a young player’s development.
He continued: “The standard has shown itself because there are players that are going abroad and they’re not going missing, you know, they’re standing out abroad.
“So I think the league is at a really good point. I think playing in the A-League is top at the moment.
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“Playing with with top players and getting first team minutes, you can’t really complain.”
Youlley and Okon-Engstler have got first-team minutes under their belts since moving to the Sky Blues and both have subsequently been named in the CommBank Young Socceroos squad for the upcoming FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile which kicks off later this month.
For Okon-Engstler the move to Sydney FC was one he deliberated over for quite some time before pulling the trigger.
“I spent three years there,” said Okon-Engstler when reflecting on his decision to leave Benfica to return to Australia.
“The time I spent there at the club, the things I learned there, I became a man there. I developed as a player, as a person. I got to learn a new language.
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“The experience I got from that is just something that I think you can’t really buy.
“But obviously now moving back to Sydney, I think (it) was probably the best career pathway choice that I could have taken, to come back here and to look for regular first team game time.
“I think just playing against men, constantly developing as a player every single day and just maturing more, I think that was probably the best choice that I could have made, and I’m very happy that I made that choice.”
Another key factor in his decision to leave Benfica centred around his desire to secure himself a place in head coach Trevor Morgan’s Young Socceroos squad at the upcoming FIFA U20 World Cup.
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Had the central midfielder opted to remain in Lisbon with the Portuguese giants then there is no guarantee the club would have released him for the tournament should he have been selected given the U20 World Cup falls outside of an official FIFA international window.
“I’d say (it was) a massive reason for me coming back here to Australia to play in the A-League, the opportunity to be released for a World Cup,” said the 20-year-old when discussing the ins and outs of his move to Sydney.
“I think had I been in Europe I wouldn’t have been sure whether I would have been allowed to come to the World Cup.
“Just having that security and guarantee that I would be able to go to the World Cup and showcase my talent to play for my country, I think that was just a massive reason.”
Having impressed for the Young Socceroos during their historic AFC U20 Asian Cup triumph earlier this year Okon-Engstler was then rewarded with a shock call-up to the Socceroos squad for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Japan and Saudi Arabia in June.
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No doubt keeping a close eye on his progress during that camp was his Dad, Socceroos great Paul Okon, who currently serves as assistant to Socceroos head coach Tony Popovic and Okon-Engstler says his father played a key role in helping him choose his next destination.
“Yeah, look, I’m very lucky and grateful to have my Dad by my side, not only for me, but also for my brothers that play football as well.
“Just having someone that has lived the life that I want to live and has been through it all (and) that has so much experience. The way he’s able to help me and my brothers in situations that we’re not very experienced in.
“He’s able to give his opinion and he’s able to help us in situations that we’re not ready to deal with. Having him by my side, I think I’m just very grateful and lucky to have him.
“Obviously I spoke to him about it (the move to Sydney FC) and he spoke to me about it as well. He gave his opinion on the idea of me coming back and he thought it was probably the best idea.
He added: “Being able to come back here and to develop more as a player and to showcase myself, hopefully on a regular basis, he also thought that it was a good idea.
“I consulted my final decision with him.”
Youlley and Okon-Engstler kick off the new Isuzu UTE A-League 2025-26 season for Sydney FC away to Adelaide United in Round 1.
