Two young Queenslanders have been confirmed by Football Federation Australia (FFA) and Joeys Head Coach Trevor Morgan as part of Australia’s squad for next month’s UEFA-hosted youth tournament in Turkey.
Brisbane Roar FC’s Izaack Powell and Jordan Courtney-Perkins will join Australia’s best young footballers, travelling to Antalya in March for matches against the host nation (4 March), Tanzania (6 March), and Guinea (8 March).
The friendly tournament will act as preparation for the Joeys ahead of October’s 2019 FIFA U17 World Cup in Peru.
Powell recently became the youngest ever player to debut for the Brisbane Roar at merely 16 years of age in their 2-1 victory over Sydney FC.
To cap off a whirlwind month, Powell was also instrumental in clinching the Foxtel Y-League Championship for the young Roar side from Western Sydney Wanderers.
Courtney-Perkins is no stranger to the national stage, having been part of the Joeys squad in previous years, and most recently included in Morgan’s 2018 AFC Under 16 Championship squad.
Morgan’s squad includes 13 players aligned with Hyundai A-League clubs, five players based in Europe, and two players hailing from clubs in the New South Wales National Premier Leagues.
“A key focus in the first half of 2019 is on searching for new talent to build depth in the Joeys. We need to have several options for each position, so competition is high for places at the 2019 FIFA U17 World Cup,” Morgan said.
“This tournament in Turkey provides much needed experience in high level games against teams we don’t normally get to play, and the opportunity for new players to show what they can do at international level.”
Australia is the only nation outside of UEFA and CAF to receive an invitation to the tournament featuring teams from Morocco, Cameroon, Uganda, Montenegro, Senegal, Angola, Nigeria, and Belarus.
Football Queensland would like to congratulate Queenslanders Jordan Courtney-Perkins and Izaack Powell on their inclusion in the Joeys Squad for 2019.
Joeys 20-Player Squad | 2019 UEFA Invitational Tournament (Antalya, Turkey)
| Name | Club, Country |
| Idrus ABDULAHI | Melbourne City FC, Australia |
| Diego ALONSO | Valencia CF, Spain |
| Zaydan BELLO | Melbourne Victory, Australia |
| Noah BOTIC | Rockdale City Suns FC, Australia |
| Jordan COURTNEY-PERKINS | Brisbane Roar FC, Australia |
| Luke DUZEL | Melbourne City FC, Australia |
| Doni GRDIC | HNK Sibenik, Croatia |
| Tristan HAMMOND | Sporting Lisbon, Portugal |
| Zenden HART (Gk) | Central Coast Mariners, Australia |
| Birkan KIRDAR | Melbourne Victory, Australia |
| Adam PAVLESIC (Gk) | Sydney FC, Australia |
| Izaack POWELL | Brisbane Roar FC, Australia |
| Michael RUHS | Sydney United 58, Australia |
| Jack SIMMONS | Newcastle Jets, Australia |
| Ryan TEAGUE | Sydney FC, Australia |
| Jayden TRENKOSKI | Sydney FC, Australia |
| Joshua VARGA | Melbourne City FC, Australia |
| Daniel WALSH | Perth Glory FC, Australia |
| Riley WARLAND | Fulham FC, England |
| Caleb WATTS | Southampton FC, England |
