Western United will have five of its star young players taking part in an Australian Under-23 national team training camp next week with Matthew Grimaldi, Abel Walatee, Rhys Bozinovski, Kane Vidmar and Charbel Shamoon all selected.
The squad will assemble in Sydney for a week-long camp over the upcoming international window with the Green and Black strongly represented.
Grimaldi, Walatee and Bozinovski will be returning to the team for the second straight camp after each making their debuts in September.
The trio made a significant impact across two games against Vanuatu in that camp with Bozinovski assisting Grimaldi in the first fixture before scoring himself in the second game.
Vidmar will be represent Australia at Under-23 level for the first time in his young career having previously been selected for the Young Socceroos in 2022.
The 20-year-old made his professional debut for United last season and impressed across 13 total appearances and 12 starts at centre-back.
For Shamoon, this will be a first-ever opportunity to wear the green and gold of Australia having starred at youth level for Iraq, including at the AFC U20 Asian Cup last year.
The 20-year-old has earned this opportunity off the back of three outstanding performances to start the 2024/25 Isuzu UTE A-League Men season, completing 90 minutes in each match so far.
Western United General Manager of Football Mal Impiombato said having five players named in the squad was a remarkable achievement for the Club.
“We are extremely proud as a Club to have five players selected in the Olyroos squad and we are delighted for each individual to earn this recognition,” he said.
“Four of these young men have developed through our Academy and all five made their professional debuts at our Club, demonstrating our commitment to excellence in providing a pathway for young players to flourish.
“Matt, Abel and Rhys have already demonstrated their quality with the Olyroos and we look forward to watching them do so again, while we are incredibly excited for Kane and Charbel to join that environment for the first time.
“On behalf of everyone at the Club, I congratulate each player on their achievement and the coaches and staff that have played a role in making this possible.”
The Western United fab five will be hoping to head into camp next week with a result under their belts when John Aloisi’s men take on Adelaide United on Saturday night.
