QANTAS Socceroos Head Coach Holger Osieck today confirmed Central Coast Mariners young guns Mathew Ryan and Tomas Rogic have made his final squad of 20 players for the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) East Asian Cup qualifying tournament.
QANTAS Socceroos Head Coach Holger Osieck today confirmed Central Coast Mariners young guns Mathew Ryan and Tomas Rogic have made his final squad of 20 players for the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) East Asian Cup qualifying tournament.
Ryan and Rogic will depart for Hong Kong on Friday, with the Qantas Socceroos playing their first match of the tournament against the hosts at the Mong Kok Stadium on Monday 3 December (kick-off 8:50pm AEDT).
Following the opener, the Qantas Socceroos will play matches against DPR Korea on Wednesday 5 December (kick-off 11:30pm AEDT), Guam on Friday 7 December (kick-off 8:50pm AEDT), and Chinese Taipei on Sunday 9 December (kick-off 8:00pm AEDT).
The teams that will participate in the EAFF East Asian Cup for men are Japan, Korea Republic & China PR with the fourth team determined by the qualification process.
The EAFF East Asian Cup 2013 will be held in Seoul, Korea Republic from 20-28 July, 2013.
From the original squad of 25 players called into Qantas Socceroos camp in Sydney, former Central Coast midfielder Rostyn Griffiths, Adelaide United attacker Dario Vidosic, and Dinamo Moscow utility Luke Wilkshire were forced to withdraw from contention due to injury.
Adelaide midfielder Osama Malik, as with Brisbane Roar utility Ben Halloran, missed selection for the final squad. Malik will now be eligible to face the Mariners when Central Coast clash with John Kosmina-s team at Bluetongue Stadium this Saturday in Hyundai A-League round 9 action.
Ryan and Rogic will miss two fixtures for Graham Arnold-s side – round 9 against Adelaide United (home) and round 10 against Newcastle Jets (away).
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the dynamic duo will return to the Central Coast squad for the Hyundai A-League round 11 contest with Melbourne Heart at Bluetongue Stadium to be played on Friday 14 December.
