Ahead of its commencement, FTBL's Joey Lynch breaks down everything you need to know about the 2019/20 Y-League season.
Conference A
Melbourne Victory
2018/19 A-League Minutes for Players 21 and Under: 673 (Ninth in A-League)
Home Ground: Epping Stadium
Head Coach: Gareth Naven
Squad: Matthew Sutton, Branko Skocic, Andrew Visciglio, Aaron Anderson, Brandon Lauton, So Nishikawa, Matthew Bozinovski, Dalibor Markovic, Robson Deme, Jay Barnett, Anthony Lesiotis, Birkan Kirdar, Jack Morton, William Wilson, Joshua Varga, Nicholas Hamakiotis, James Paneras, Lleyton Brooks, Yazid Said, Jack Palazzolo, Liston Diaz, Luis Lawrie-Lattanzio, Nishan Velupillay
2018/19 Season: Fifth in Conference A. One win, one draw, six losses and a goal difference of -14.
Best Y-League Result: Premiers (2012/13)
Young Player to watch: Birkan Kirdar
A technically proficient midfielder who possesses a footballing nous that is rare amongst his cohort, Kirdar already seized a piece of Victory history when he became their youngest ever debutant after coming on in an Asian Champions League game against Shanghai SIPG at just 16 years and 70 days.
The now 17-year-old was recently a member of Head Coach Trevor Morgan’s Joeys’ squad that advanced to the Round of 16 at the U17 World Cup in Brazil; his cameos throughout the tournament demonstrating that he was, perhaps, stiff not to receive more minutes in South America.
A-League fans could potentially get a look at Kirdar as soon as this Sunday, with the youngster touted as a possible reinforcement for Victory’s heavily depleted squad in their Big Blue showdown with Sydney FC at Jubilee Stadium.
Melbourne City
2018/19 A-League Minutes for Players 21 and Under: 4,107 (Fifth in A-League)
Home Ground: CB Smith Reserve
Head Coach: Petr Kratky
Squad: Liam Kennedy, Ahmad Taleb, Alec Mills, Mitchell Graham, Harry Politidis, Gideon Arok, Daniel Lucente, Mark Karlic, Emile Peios, Jordi Valadon, Luke Oresti, Nicholas Hatzigeorgiou, Luca Tevere, Alex Menelaou, Giovanni Stellitano, Lucas Byrns, Jordan Bos, Charbel Shamoon, Sam Morrison, Raphael Borges Rodrigues, Idrus Abdulahi, Yaya Dukuly, Joe Gauci, Kerrin Stokes, Gianluca Iannucci, Bernardo Oliveira, Stefan Colakovski
2018/19 Season: Second in Conference A. Five wins, one draw, two losses and a goal difference of +5
Best Y-League Result: Champions (2016/17) – Premiers (2014/15)
Young Player to watch: Raphael Borges Rodrigues
An exciting attacking prospect possessing an arsenal of flicks and tricks to take him past his defender and, perhaps more importantly, a willingness to use them; Borges Rodrigues made his mark with City’s youth side in the latter stages of the recently completed NPL Victoria season and will look to continue that momentum into the coming Y-League campaign.
Recently the recipient a scholarship contract from City, the 16-year-old son of former Adelaide United attacker Cristiano has already been floated as a possible reinforcement to the A-League squad by Head Coach Erick Mombaerts in 2019/20 and – with the Frenchman showing no hesitation in playing the kids already – an A-League debut surely can’t be too far away.
Brisbane Roar
2018/19 A-League Minutes for Players 21 and Under: 5,938 (Second in A-League)
Home Ground: AJ Kelly Park
Head Coach: Chris Grossman
Squad: Nathan Foster, Jack Warshawsky, Liam McArthur, Hassan Ramazani, Jackson Simpkin, Emlyn Wellsmore, Eli Adams, Keegan Jelacic, Dauntae Mariner, Cooper McCormack, Brandon McMorrow, Oliver Plusnin, Harry Talbot, Oscar Woods, Braydon Doolan, Mirza Muratovic, Cai Tipaldo, Marquez Walters, Solomon Weldermariam
2018/19 Season: Champions. First in Conference A. Five wins, one draw, two losses and a goal difference of +11
Best Y-League Result: Champions (2018/19)
Young Player to watch: Mirza Muratovic
Muratovic, 19, played an important attacking for Roar’s title-winning side in 2018/19, finding the back of the net five-times across the regular season and adding a 61st-minute sealer to make it 3-0 and put the Grand Final against Western Sydney Wanderers to bed.
The youngster was then able to continue that momentum into the 2019 NPL QLD season, firing home 13 times in 21 appearances.
With Zach Duncan, Daniel Leck and Shannon Brady all departing the defending champions, Muratovic will play a key role in shouldering the attacking load up in Queensland across the coming season and impressive performances, should Roar’s A-League side remain blunt in front of goal in 2019/20, could see him push for senior selection sooner rather than later.
Adelaide United
2018/19 A-League Minutes for Players 21 and Under: 1,625 (Sixth in A-League)
Home Ground: Marden Sports Complex
Head Coach: Paul Pezos
Squad: Al Hassan Toure, Yengi Kusini, Pacifique Niyongabire, Louis D’Arrigo, Carlo Armiento, Cameron Cook, Dakota Oschsenham, Jackson Walls, Yared Abetew, Cooper Nunn, Alexander Popovic, Noah Smith, Adam Leombruno, Jai King, Jason Konstandopoulos, Daniel Bressan, Binyam Kebede, Michael Cittadini, Taras Gomulka, Mohamed Toure, Panashe Madanha, Lachlan Brook
2018/19 Season: Fourth in Conference A. Three wins, one draw, four losses and a goal difference of -2.
Best Y-League Result: Champions (2008/09)
Young Player to watch: Lachlan Brook
18-years-old, Brook already has a 45-minute A-League cameo to his name in 2019/20 – in Adelaide’s round two loss to Melbourne City – but the young midfielder-cum-attacker has the potential to increase those minutes significantly in the season ahead.
Having represented the Joeys in the past, Brook now appears to have established himself firmly as a stalwart in Young Socceroos Head Coach Gary van Egmond’s plans; scoring the winning goal in the AFF U18 Championship final and playing a key role as Australia booked its place in the 2020 AFC U19 Championships in recent qualifiers in Chinese Taipei.
A former futsal star in his native South Australia, Brook made his senior Reds debut against Jiangsu Suning on the final matchday of the 2017 AFC Champions League group stage and had his A-League introduction against Sydney FC in round 16 of the 2018/19 season.
Perth Glory
2018/19 A-League Minutes for Players 21 and Under: 865 (Eighth in A-League)
Home Ground: Dorrien Gardens
Head Coach: Richard Garcia
Squad: Jackson Lee, Joshua Langdon, Alessandro Circati, Zayd Farah, Nick McDonald, Nick Walsh, Mason Tatafu, Daniel Walsh, Luca Bodnar, Josh Samson, Jordan Abrahams, Jayden Leader, Gio Colli, Albert Fullard, Trent Ostler, Josh Rawlins, Charlie Leech, Ciaran Bramwell, Bryce Bafford, Gabriel Popovic
2018/19 Season: Third in Conference A. Three wins, two draws, three losses and a goal difference of 0.
Best Y-League Result: Runners Up (2009/10)
Young Player to watch: Daniel Walsh
A member of Australia’s U17 World Cup squad, Walsh’s towering figure belies his tender age; the 17-year-old centre-back already measuring in at an impressive 193cm tall.
On the bench for the Glory’s FFA Cup Round of 32 defeat at the hands of Western Sydney Wanderers earlier this year, Walsh made 12 appearances for Glory’s NPL WA side during the 2019 campaign and will look to continue his push for first-team minutes under Tony Popovic in the months ahead.
Conference B
Western Sydney Wanderers
2018/19 A-League Minutes for Players 21 and Under: 6,442 (First in A-League)
Home Ground: Marconi Stadium
Head Coach: Arthur Diles
Squad: Jack Greenwood, Nicholas Suman, Thomas Aquilina, Jamie Percevski, Tate Russell, Mohamed Al-Taay, Daniel Wilmering, Angelo Kalamvokis, Paolo Bonanni, Isaac Hovar, Lochlan Constable, Fabian Monge, Yousef Sawalha, Rory Jordan, Dean Pelekanos, Mohamed Adam, Jake Trew, Jarrod Carluccio, Jacob Vasiliou, Ali Auglah, Evan Tsakos, Oliver Kalac, Nicolas Milanovic
2018/19 Season: Grand Finalists. First in Conference B. Six wins, no draws, two losses and a goal difference of +7.
Best Y-League Result: Champions (2017/18)
Young Player to watch: Fabian Monge
The 2018/19 Y-League Player of the Year, baby-faced Monge is symbolic of the ethos Western Sydney are attempting to instil within their club.
The 18-year-old midfielder was raised in the western Sydney suburb of Bossley Park and, after making the leap to the academy of the Wanderers from Marconi, has quickly become a fixture of the Red and Black academy; playing in every game of their Y-League title-winning campaign of 2017/18 and their 2018/19 season that ended in defeat to Brisbane Roar in the Grand Final.
A frequent recipient of call-ups to Australian junior sides, Monge was most recently a part of the Young Socceroos side that secured passage to the 2020 AFC U19 Championships.
With A-League Head Coach Markus Babbel showing no hesitation in turning to youth should the need arise, expect Monge – who recently received a two-year scholarship contract – to push for senior football in the coming year.
Sydney FC
2018/19 A-League Minutes for Players 21 and Under: 322 (Tenth in A-League)
Home Ground: Leichhardt Oval/Jubilee Stadium
Head Coach: Jimmy Van Weeren
Squad: Aaron Gurd, Adam Pavlesic, Adrian Segicic, Anton Mlinaric, Ben Koop, Calem Nieuwenhof, Calum Talbot, Cameron Fong, Cameron Peupion, Fletcher McFarlane, Jaiden Kucharski, Jake Hollman, Jayden Trenkoski, Jordi Swibel, Levi Kaye, Marco Tilio, Matteo Scali, Mitchell Mattison, Nathan Grimaldi, Olayinka Sunmola, Patrick Wood, Ryan Teague, Samuel Amey, Scott Browning, Thomas Fay, Thomas Main
2018/19 Season: Second in Conference B. Five wins, no draws, three losses and a goal difference of +7.
Best Y-League Result: Champions (2008/09 and 2015/16) and Premiers (2013/14)
Young Player to watch: Cameron Peupion
Head Coach Jimmy Van Weeren has a bevy of U17 World Cup players at his disposal this coming campaign, but Peupion could loom as a dark horse breakout player for the Harboursiders – either in 2019/20 or the years ahead.
Initially coming off the bench for a 24-minute cameo against Ecuador in the Joeys’ opening game of the U17 World Cup, Peupion’s flashes of potential were noticed by Head Coach Trevor Morgan and subsequently rewarded with starts against Hungary, Nigeria and France.
Showing a deftness of touch and an ability to beat players one-on-one, the 17-year-olds ability to force his way into minutes with Sydney’s strong Y-League team will be a storyline to watch in the coming season.
Newcastle Jets
2018/19 A-League Minutes for Players 21 and Under: 1,585 (Seventh in A-League)
Home Ground: No.2 Sportsground
Head Coach: Daniel McBreen
Squad: Blake Archbold, Tom Beecham, Pat Bond, Tom Curran, Sam Donnellan, Ryan Goodhew, Tao Grieves, Kieran Hayes, Keegan Hughes (GK), Noah James (GK), Patrick Langlois, Nicholas Martinelli, Lucas Mauragis, Cole Mutton, Joey O'Connor, Maki Petratos, Adam Sherratt, Jack Simmons, Riley Smith, Bailey Wells, Adam Zervas
2018/19 Season: Fourth in Conference B. Three wins, one draw, four losses and a goal difference of 0.
Best Y-League Result: Runners Up (2013/14)
Young Player to watch: Jack Simmons
Compared to Mustafa Amini by Jets CEO Lawrie McKinna, although he prefers to model his game on Croatian superstar Luka Modrić, Simmons entire footballing life – bar a single season with the Mariners – has been spent in the Hunter.
Although he wasn’t on the plane to Brazil as part of the World Cup squad, Simmons has been in and around the periphery of the Joeys setup in the past and made his A-League debut in a 21-minute cameo against Brisbane Roar in round 26 of the 2018/19 A-League season.
With the Jets sputtering commencement to the 2019/20 A-League season, a strong Y-League campaign from Simmons could see him force his way into the plans of Head Coach Ernie Merrick sooner rather than later.
Central Coast Mariners
2018/19 A-League Minutes for Players 21 and Under: 5,616 (Second in A-League)
Home Ground: Pluim Park
Head Coach: Nick Montgomery
Squad: Aidan Munford, Brad Tapp, Dan Hall, Matthew Hatch, Bilal Belkadi, Mikey Katsoulis, Kyle Johnson, Jordan Smylie, Dylan Ruiz-Diaz, Harry McCarthy, James Bayliss, Alou Kuol, Joey Jevtic, Max Balard, Damien Tsekenis, Alex Parsons, Zenden Hart, Lewis Miller, John Roberts,
2018/19 Season: Third in Conference B. Five wins, no draws, three losses and a goal difference of +2.
Best Y-League Result: Premiers (2011/12)
Young Player to watch: John Roberts
One of the most intriguing prospects in the Y-League in 2019/20, Mariners scholar Roberts has already been on the books of both Melbourne City and Western Sydney Wanderers in his fledgling career.
A refugee born in the Guinean city of Conakry after his parents fled Sierra Leone, Roberts has previously captained Australia at a junior international level and most recently played a key role as the Young Socceroos booked a place at the 2020 AFC U19 Championships.
The youngster was recruited to Gosford after leaving the Wanderers mid-2019 and landing with NPL NSW club Mt Druitt Town Ranges – his boyhood club – where he found the back of the net three times in 11 appearances in the NSW topflight.
Having impressed Nick Montgomery and Alen Stajčić enough to earn a place in the Mariners Academy in 2019/20, the pressure will be on for Roberts to begin to put it all together and harness his immense talent into a push for senior minutes in the year ahead.
Canberra United
2018/19 A-League Minutes for Players 21 and Under: N/A
Home Ground: McKellar Park/Deakin Stadium
Head Coach: Ray Junna
Squad: Aiden Milicevic, Gian Fiorese, Jackson Paesler, Joe Lawless, Jordan Host, Lachlan Griffiths, Luca Florez, Luca Macor, Michael Piccolo, Nicholas Faust, Nikolau Udjur, Robert Tkatchenko, Sam Brown, Willem Lejeune, Zac Berbatano, Badreldin Abbas, Roy Anderson
2018/19 Season: Fifth in Conference B. No wins, one draw and seven losses with a goal difference of -16.
Best Y-League Result: Fifth in Conference B (2017/18, 2018/19)
Young Player to watch: Zac Barbatano
Times have been tough for Canberra United since they entered the Y-League as the replacement for the now-closed FFA Centre of Excellence side, but, nonetheless, Berbatano is looking to become the latest talented player to emerge from the nation’s capital.
Debuting with Gungahlin United in the senior ACT NPL competition at just 15-years-old back in 2018 – putting his hand up to take a 95th-minute penalty in just his second game in the ACT’s topflight – he was a part of Canberra’s side for all eight of their games during the 2018/19 Y-League season and scored one of their four goals.
The striker made a further 18 appearances for Gungahlin in 2019 and found the back of the net five times.
Described as “extremely creative and fast thinking” by Gungahlin Head Coach Marcel Munoz, Barbatano will be looking to follow in the footsteps of Canberran based talent such as Ned Zelic, Tom Rogic, Leo Mazis and George Timotheou in the years to come.
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