Latest news with #PaulOkon-Engstler
West Australian
16-05-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Son of a gun called into Socceroos training squad
The son of former Socceroo Paul Okon is set to get his first taste of senior national team football after being selected in Australia's warm-weather training camp in Abu Dhabi. Paul Okon-Engstler, a 20-year-old midfielder on the books of Portuguese side Benfica, was on Friday named to attend a Socceroos camp in the United Arab Emirates later this month. Okon sr is part of Tony Popovic's coaching staff and while his son is unlikely to receive a call-up proper for next month's must-win World Cup qualifiers with Japan and Saudi Arabia, he is clearly viewed as a player of potential. Okon-Engstler was part of the Young Socceroos squad which won the U20 Asian Cup earlier this year. Hibernian defender Jack Iredale and Aberdeen-bound Western Sydney Wanderers playmaker Nicolas Milanovic are also called into the Socceroos' set-up for the first time. The squad is drawn from players whose seasons in the A-League Men or Europe have already finished. "I'm very grateful to Football Australia for their support with this training camp which is invaluable for the players and staff ahead of our games in June," Popovic said. "We've got players finishing up their seasons at a range of different times, so it's important they remain physically and mentally sharp in the weeks leading up to the final squad selection. "I'm looking forward to the chance to work together for an extended period. "There are also a lot of players who are currently in-season with their clubs, and we'll be monitoring them closely over the coming weeks." Striker Kusini Yengi, who was released by Portsmouth earlier this week, is included after injury curtailed his involvement in the March qualification window. Encouragingly for Popovic, Middlesbrough's Riley McGree and St Pauli's Connor Metcalfe are back in the fold as the Socceroos boss looks to cover the loss of Jackson Irvine. Irvine will miss the June 5 clash with Japan in Perth and the June 11 meeting with Saudi Arabia in Jeddah with a foot issue. Two wins will guarantee the Socceroos qualification for next year's World Cup in North America. SOCCEROOS TRAINING SQUAD Goalkeepers: Mat Ryan, Joe Gauci, Paul Izzo, Tom Glover. Defenders: Milos Degenek, Jason Davidson, Cam Burgess, Lewis Miller, Ryan Strain, Alex Gersbach, Jack Iredale. Midfielders: Riley McGree, Connor Metcalfe, Keanu Baccus, Anthony Caceres, Max Blard, Nectar Triatnis, Paul Okon-Engstler. Forwards: Martin Boyle, Adam Taggart, Brandon Borrello, Kusini Yengi, Nicolas Milanovic.
Perth Now
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Son of a gun called into Socceroos training squad
The son of former Socceroo Paul Okon is set to get his first taste of senior national team football after being selected in Australia's warm-weather training camp in Abu Dhabi. Paul Okon-Engstler, a 20-year-old midfielder on the books of Portuguese side Benfica, was on Friday named to attend a Socceroos camp in the United Arab Emirates later this month. Okon sr is part of Tony Popovic's coaching staff and while his son is unlikely to receive a call-up proper for next month's must-win World Cup qualifiers with Japan and Saudi Arabia, he is clearly viewed as a player of potential. Okon-Engstler was part of the Young Socceroos squad which won the U20 Asian Cup earlier this year. Hibernian defender Jack Iredale and Aberdeen-bound Western Sydney Wanderers playmaker Nicolas Milanovic are also called into the Socceroos' set-up for the first time. The squad is drawn from players whose seasons in the A-League Men or Europe have already finished. "I'm very grateful to Football Australia for their support with this training camp which is invaluable for the players and staff ahead of our games in June," Popovic said. "We've got players finishing up their seasons at a range of different times, so it's important they remain physically and mentally sharp in the weeks leading up to the final squad selection. "I'm looking forward to the chance to work together for an extended period. "There are also a lot of players who are currently in-season with their clubs, and we'll be monitoring them closely over the coming weeks." Striker Kusini Yengi, who was released by Portsmouth earlier this week, is included after injury curtailed his involvement in the March qualification window. Encouragingly for Popovic, Middlesbrough's Riley McGree and St Pauli's Connor Metcalfe are back in the fold as the Socceroos boss looks to cover the loss of Jackson Irvine. Irvine will miss the June 5 clash with Japan in Perth and the June 11 meeting with Saudi Arabia in Jeddah with a foot issue. Two wins will guarantee the Socceroos qualification for next year's World Cup in North America. SOCCEROOS TRAINING SQUAD Goalkeepers: Mat Ryan, Joe Gauci, Paul Izzo, Tom Glover. Defenders: Milos Degenek, Jason Davidson, Cam Burgess, Lewis Miller, Ryan Strain, Alex Gersbach, Jack Iredale. Midfielders: Riley McGree, Connor Metcalfe, Keanu Baccus, Anthony Caceres, Max Blard, Nectar Triatnis, Paul Okon-Engstler. Forwards: Martin Boyle, Adam Taggart, Brandon Borrello, Kusini Yengi, Nicolas Milanovic.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Okon Jr ready to follow path blazed by his father
Paul Okon-Engstler is eager to follow in the footsteps of his famous father and lead the Young Socceroos to their first U20 World Cup in over a decade. Okon Jr, a midfielder currently on the books of Portuguese giants Benfica, is in China as part of Australia's squad for the U20 Asian Cup. A semi-final finish or better will guarantee Australia qualifies for this year's World Cup, which kicks off in May in Chile. Preparations continue in Shenzhen 💪#YoungSocceroos #AFCU20 — Football Australia (@FootballAUS) February 10, 2025 Australia hasn't made it to an U20 World Cup - a tournament historically seen as a shop window for emerging players - since 2013. The Young Socceroos' recent struggles on the global stage flies in the face of the success Paul Okon Snr enjoyed as captain in 1991 Youth World Cup. Okon Snr led a team containing the likes of Tony Popovic, Mark Bosnich and Steve Corica to the semi-finals, an achievement that remains one of the best performances by an Australian junior national team at a World Cup. Okon Jr captained Australia's U20s last year and appears the leading contender to take the armband in Wednesday's tournament opener against Kyrgyzstan. "It's always special to captain your country," Okon Jr told AAP. "It's a big responsibility and for me it's special because my father has done it and I've had the chance to share the same role as him. "You have a different responsibility for your team and I like that opportunity. "I've obviously spoken to him about it, I didn't know he'd captained Australia at an Under 20s World Cup and he said it would be good if I could do that too." After facing Kyrgyzstan, the Young Socceroos will meet Qatar (February 15) and hosts China (February 18) to round out their group stage matches. For the 20-year-old Okon, it's a rare chance to show his talent after he has been restricted to just four games at club level in Benfica's B team. "It hasn't been the best year for me, in terms of game time," he said. "I've obviously prepared myself for this tournament, and I think I'm ready to to display (my quality with) my performances and help my team. "When a player doesn't play, they get frustrated. It's normal. "I think at a club like Benfica it's difficult to always be playing but at this age I think it's important to be playing constantly. "My focus is on here and living in the moment, I'll worry about that other stuff when this tournament finishes."
