Adelaide United’s teenage sensation Riley McGree says the confidence gained from his Caltex Socceroos stint has helped take his game to a new level.
The 18-year-old midfielder starred in the Reds’ 1-1 draw with Perth Glory on Friday night as Dylan McGowan’s opener was cancelled out by a Diego Castro penalty on the stroke of half-time.
Reds, Glory all square at Coopers
Catch up with all the action at our match centre here
McGree immediately showcased his class at Coopers Stadium despite only returning for one training session after national team duty.
“It’s been great [in Caltex Socceroos camp]. Coming into this game I had a lot of confidence and I tried to show as much as I could out here tonight,” McGree told Fox Sports.
“In and around that environment with top quality players and top quality coaching, it betters my game.”
While they’re only ahead of last-placed Central Coast by two points, Adelaide’s draw with Perth extends their unbeaten run to five matches across all competitions.
McGree believes the reigning Hyundai A-League champions can cause plenty of damage in the AFC Champions League if they maintain Friday night’s standard.
“We’ve got new players in and the players are starting to gel really well the last few weeks and it’s showed in the results,” he said.
“We’ve played some very good football and if we keep playing the top quality football we are, we definitely have a good chance of going into the ACL and getting points.
“The confidence going in is going to be very high.”
