Adelaide United’s rising star Awer Mabil and 14/15 young signings Mark Ochieng and Ben Warland are in Sydney this week, on a training camp with the Young Socceroo.
Adelaide United-s rising star Awer Mabil is in Sydney this week, on a training camp with the Young Socceroo. Mabil is joined by two of the Reds young signings for next season, Mark Ochieng and Ben Warland, both of whom spent the past season at the AIS in Canberra.
The three young Reds are part of a 23-man squad selected by Young Socceroo coach Paul Okon.
Mabil, born in Kenya, has been one of the breakout stars at Adelaide this season with his pace and skill catching the eye.
Mabil only recently received his international clearance to be eligible to represent Australia and admits it will be a proud day when he can finally play for his new homeland.
“There’s nothing better than representing your country,” Mabil told footballaustralia.com.au at the squad’s Sydney training base on Monday.
“I’ve been raised here, spent half of my life here now so I’m really looking forward to playing with Australia. It was a long process. Sending forms to Africa, getting them back then sending them to FIFA.
“It was back and forth but thankfully it’s done now. I always believed it would work out. If you keep pushing and do everything you have to do I thought it would get through.”
And with the paperwork finally ticked off and rubber-stamped, Mabil can now make that dream a reality with the Young Socceroos.
The 18-year-old is excited by the talent in the playing group and hopes he can bring some of the pace and flair we’ve seen with the Reds to the national set-up. But he’s not getting carried away when talk turns to one day progressing to the Socceroos.
“You can’t think too much ahead of yourself,” he said.
“You just have to work hard, for any level of national team, whether it’s under 20s, 23s or Socceroos.”
The team will train in Sydney this week and play Sydney Olympic in a friendly on Wednesday night at Belmore Sportsground.
