KEEPUP identifies five of the Olyroos’ top individual performers from the group phase of the Maurice Revello Tournament in Toulon, France.
The Olyroos have progressed to the semi-finals of the Maurice Revello Tournament in France, building perfectly through the group phase to shake off a slow start and storm into the final four.
Australia drew 0-0 with Qatar in the opening round of group fixtures, losing a subsequent penalty shootout for a bonus point, before squeaking past the Mediterranean Select with a late 3-2 win.
Then came the task of knocking Group B leaders Mexico off their perch; Tony Vidmar’s side did so in style, scoring two second-half goals and keeping a clean sheet in an impressive 2-0 triumph.
MAURICE REVELLO TOURNAMENT – MATCH REPORTS:
OLYROOS 0-0 QATAR: Australia draw tournament opener as Qatar take bonus point in penalty shootout
OLYROOS 3-2 MEDITERRANEAN SELECT: Garang Kuol named best afield as Olyroos win thriller, Under 18s fall to Portugal
OLYROOS 2-0 MEXICO: Australia too good for Mexico en route to semi-finals
The Olyroos topped Group B to progress to the final four, where they will face Panama for a spot in the final, with Mexico and France set to fight off in the second of two semis.
But which players caught the eye in green and gold across the group stage?
Ryan Teague
Club side: FC Famalicao, Portugal
Sydney FC academy product Ryan Teague has played every minute for Australia at the Maurice Revello Tournament – and has been the most consistent performer in Vidmar’s side, taking the fourth-most touches (224) of any player across the tournament to date.
The 21-year-old central midfielder scored the winning goal in Australia’s 3-2 win over Mediterranean Select in the second of three group fixtures; it was just reward for an energetic display from the FC Famalicao prospect.
But his most important, and perhaps most impressive contribution of the tournament came in the victory over Mexico on Monday night.
With Australia holding a one-goal lead, Teague made a run from midfield to latch onto an ambitious long ball sent into Mexico’s defensive third. The objective was for Australia to gain territory against an opponent pushing hard for an equaliser – Teague made sure he not only won back possession, but held the ball for long enough as reinforcements arrived.
That reinforcement came in the form of Garang Kuol who, with a slice of luck, Teague managed to set free down the right flank. Kuol then played the assist for Marlee Francois who iced the game and sealed all three points for Australia.
At club level, Teague is currently playing for Famalicao’s youth side. He is one player among the Olyroos ranks in need of first-team football to kick his career onward. Isuzu UTE A-League clubs would be mad not to be pursuing the former Sky Blue ahead of the 2023-24 season.
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Garang Kuol
Club side: Newcastle United, England
It’s great to see Garang Kuol in a rich vein of form once again.
Prior to the FIFA 2022 Men’s World Cup, Kuol was flying up and down the right wing for Central Coast Mariners in the A-League Men. He earned a call-up to the Socceroos’ World Cup squad and that seismic move to Newcastle United as a result of his brilliant domestic form. But a subsequent loan to Scottish club Hearts saw Kuol’s minutes dry up, and his own performances suffered as a result.
Kuol has been Australia’s most damaging forward at the Maurice Revello Tournament, despite starting just one game for Vidmar – and looks to be enjoying his football in the process.
He’s put two assists on the board so far at the tournament. The first came against Mediterranean Select in the form of a cut-back cross intended for his brother Alou Kuol, which found its way through bodies to the back post where Nishan Velupillay was waiting for the unmarked finish.
The second assist sealed the win over Mexico, and was a near carbon copy to his first, with that same run and cross intended for Alou Kuol once again skidding on into space at the back post where Francois arrived to score.
Kuol also set up Velupillay’s second goal against Mediterranean Select with a shot from range that was saved into the Melbourne Victory winger’s path for a simple tap-in. He earned Man of the Match honours after that game-breaking performance, but returned to the bench against Mexico.
On current form, Vidmar will have to consider returning Kuol to the starting XI for Friday’s semi-final against Panama.
Jacob Farrell
Club side: Central Coast Mariners
Jacob Farrell has featured in just one of Australia’s three group stage fixtures, but his presence on the left side of defence against Mexico was so noticeable that the Mariners full-back earns a place among the Olyroos’ top performers.
Farrell has experienced a turbulent season in clubland, with a bout of glandular fever, coupled with Mariners teammate James McGarry’s superb form at left-back, resulting in the 20-year-old seeing his minutes restricted across 25 appearances (14 starts). But Farrell stormed back into form by the end of the A-League Men campaign, playing a major role in the Mariners’ Grand Final win over Melbourne City in early June.
He arrived late into Olyroos camp as a result, missing out against Qatar completely and being left as an unused substitute against Mediterranean Select.
He played from the start against Mexico and was easily one of Australia’s best performers. He capped off his contribution to the clean sheet with an assist for Noah Botic’s opening goal: an expertly placed through pass that pierced Mexico’s defensive line.
Josh Rawlins
Club side: FC Utrecht
Josh Rawlins earns a spot among the tournament’s most impressive contributors as one of the youngest players in the Olyroos squad, starting in both clean sheet displays against Qatar and Mexico as a central defender – a role the traditional full-back is now learning at both club and international level.
At just 19 years of age, Rawlins is the second-youngest player in the Olyroos squad behind Kuol, but has been entrusted with a senior role among the squad in central defence.
If you watched Rawlins emerge at Perth Glory in the A-League Men, you would be used to seeing the teenager utilised in wide areas – his performances at the heart of defence at the Maurice Revello Tournament have not been without shaky moments, but overall he has contributed to a pair of clean sheets as a starter and will depart France at the end of the campaign all the better for it.
Noah Botic
Club side: Western United
Noah Botic has scored one goal from a pair of starts at the Maurice Revello Tournament – and he should have another on the board, after missing a gilt-edged chance to break the deadlock in a 0-0 draw with Qatar.
That missed opportunity was a blotch on Botic’s otherwise solid form leading the line for Australia in France. The Western United striker has long been touted as a prospect to watch and a future Socceroo, and is beginning to show his true potential as a goalscorer through bursts of brilliance first seen in the A-League Men.
The 21-year-old bagged five goals in five games for Western from February to March, and scored his sixth of 2022-23 on the very last day of the campaign.
Botic’s solitary goal at the Maurice Revello Tournament made up for the close-range miss against Qatar; it was dispatched off his weaker left foot after an excellent run and combination with Farrell.
The full-back laid a tackle in Australia’s defensive half that allowed Botic to swoop and play the ball back out to Farrell on the left flank; the pair then bombed forward alongside one another, with Botic eventually steaming ahead to meet Farrell’s well-weighted through ball to finish.
Botic has outperformed fellow Olyroos striker Alou Kuol across the tournament and looms as strong favourite to earn his third start against Panama on Friday night.
