MATHEW Leckie is hoping to make the Young Socceroos squad heading to China for the AFC Under 19 Championships - although he will miss two Adelaide United games as a result.
Leckie and Mark Birighitti remained in Sydney following the Reds' win over Sydney FC, to attend a three day training camp with Qantas Young Socceroos Head Coach Jan Versleijen.
Versleijen is looking forward to have the opportunity to work with the players before selecting his final squad.
"This is the last time we can work together before the AFC Championships," said Versleijen.
"For me, it will be a good opportunity to see how the players are performing after five weeks of the Hyundai A-League competition.
"When it comes to selecting the final squad, I will be selecting the best possible players available for the tournament which will also include players that are based overseas.
"For some players this camp is the last chance to prove that they deserve to be in the final squad that goes to the tournament."
The AFC U-19 Championship 2010 Finals will be held in the host city of Zibo, China, from October 3-17 at the Zibo Sports Complex Stadium and Linzi Stadium. The top four teams from the AFC U19 Championship will qualify for the 2011 U20 World Cup which will be held in Colombia.
The Qantas Young Socceroos have been drawn in Group D of the competition along with Yemen, Korea Republic and Iran. Their first match is on October 4 against Yemen with the final to be played on Sunday October 17.
If Leckie and Birighitti make the final squad as expected, they will miss United's Week 9 match against Sydney FC and the Week 10 fixture against Gold Coast United.
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