Subway Joeys boss Brad Maloney has selected his 23-player squad for the upcoming AFC U17 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, with 20 of those players coming from the Isuzu UTE A-League.
With the tournament set to kick off on April 3, the Joeys will now assemble in camp well ahead of time in order to begin their preparations for the showpiece event.
Drawn in Group B, Maloney’s young charges will open their campaign with a clash against Vietnam on April 4 before then they face the United Arab Emirates (April 7) and Japan (April 10) in their final group stage match.
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Among those named in the squad are Central Coast Mariners teen sensation Haine Eames, who has featured regularly at first-team level this season for the reigning Isuzu UTE A-League champions.
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Similar to that of the recent U20 AFC Asian Cup, this tournament will also act as a qualification event for the U17 FIFA World Cup which is set to be staged in November later this year.
With the top-ranked eight teams receiving a spot at the aforementioned tournament, should Maloney’s side make it through the group stage then they will book their tickets to the World Cup in Qatar later this year – the first time they’d have done so since 2019.
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Isuzu UTE A-League players selected in Joeys U17 AFC Asian Cup Squad:
Adelaide United: Amlani Tatu
Brisbane Roar: Quinn MacNicol, Charlie Parkin, Rhys Williams
Central Coast Mariners: Jai Ajanovic, Jared Williams, Logan Sambrook, Haine Eames
Melbourne City: Jonty Benfield, Isiah Boston
Perth Glory: Alex Bolton, Christian Pullella
Sydney FC: Nickolas Alfaro, Jay Maltz
Western Sydney Wanderers: Akol Akon, Kade Baccus, Thomas Cutuk, Zane Stevenson
Western United: Anthony Didulica, Besian Kutleshi
“We’ve been progressively building towards this Asian Cup, and I feel we’re in a great position heading into our pre-camp,” said Joey head coach Maloney.
“I’ve been really impressed with all the players that have been involved in our program. I can’t fault their application and effort in implementing both our playing style and off-field standards, they’ve helped shape a strong culture that’s become integral to our success.
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“We’ve had some positive results throughout this cycle, which has been a great reward for the hard work from both the players and staff.
“This is a very important step in our journey, and we’re fully focused on achieving the goals we set as a group during our first assembly in Europe in early-2024.”
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The Joeys head into camp in a good form having most recently won the Hattrick U17 International Tournament in the UAE whilst Australia also won the ASEAN U16 Boys Championship held in Indonesia.
All Subway Joeys matches at the AFC U17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2025 will be broadcast live and exclusive on 10 Play.
MATCH DETAILS:
Subway Joeys v Vietnam U17
Friday, 4 April 2025
Okaz Stadium, Taif
Kick-off: 6.00pm local / 2.00am AEDT (Saturday, 5 April)
Broadcast: 10 Play
United Arab Emirates U17 v Subway Joeys
Monday, 7 April 2025
King Fahd Sports City Stadium, Taif
Kick-off: 8.15pm local / 4.15am AEDT (Tuesday, 8 April)
Broadcast: 10 Play
Japan U17 v Subway Joeys
Thursday, 10 April 2025
Okaz Stadium, Taif
Kick-off: 6.00pm local / 2.00am AEDT (Friday, 11 April)
Broadcast: 10 Play
