Adelaide United head coach Carl Veart believes the future of Australian football is in safe hands after watching the Subway Young Socceroos surge to the AFC Under-20 Asian Cup Final.
Australia take on Saudi Arabia in Saturday night’s final in Shenzhen, China; it’s the first time since 2010 the Young Socceroos have reached the final of the youth-level tournament.
Veart’s Adelaide have produced four players in the current Young Socceroos squad and travel to New Zealand this weekend to take on Auckland FC in the Isuzu UTE A-League without the quartet of rising talents contributing to Australia’s pursuit of Asian Cup glory: Fabian Talladira, Jonny Yull, Panagiotis Kikianis and Luka Jovanovic.
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Australia beat Japan 2-0 in the semi-finals to progress to the tournament decider and, having reached the final four of the U20 tournament, Trevor Morgan’s side secured a spot in the FIFA Under-20 World Cup set to take place in September-October of 2025. They’re the first cohort of Young Socceroos to book a spot at the World Cup since 2013.
After arriving in Auckland ahead of Saturday’s top-two Isuzu UTE A-League with Auckland, Veart took part in a joint press conference with Black Knights head coach Steve Corica where he was asked about the Young Socceroos’ journey at the tournament so far, and whether he’d be tuning in to watch the final in Shenzhen.
“Yeah, we’ll most definitely be watching,” Veart said.
“I think it’s great to see young Australian players doing well. It’s been a while since we’ve had a successful young underage national team, and it’s really important that they have success for the future (of the) Socceroos as well.
“I know Australian football has taken a few knocks recently because we haven’t been performing, and it’s great to see now that we’ve got a side that is performing and some good young players coming through.”
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The Young Socceroos have never won the Under-20 Asian Cup, having finished as runners up in 2010 following defeat in the final to North Korea.
Seventeen of the 23 Young Socceroos squad members are currently playing their club football in the A-Leagues. All 23 have spent some time on the books of an A-Leagues club.
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How to watch the Under-20 Asian Cup Final
Young Socceroos v Saudi Arabia
Date: Saturday, March 1 2025
Venue: Baoan Sports Centre Stadium – Shenzhen, China
Kick-off: 10.30pm (AEDT)
Broadcast: LIVE and FREE on 10 BOLD
