Northern Beaches local Miles Milliner was rewarded with another call-up to Australia’s U17s soccer team, the Joeys, for the Asian Cup.
The 15-year-old defender was the only player in the squad who is not contracted to an A-League side or playing in Europe. Instead, Miles has been plying his trade for local NPL side Manly United, where he has enjoyed impressive form with the U20s side. Before joining the NPL side, Miles came up through the local club Collaroy Cromer Strikers FC.
Speaking on his selection and trip to the cup in Saudi Arabia, Miles said, “[It’s] a good feeling. I think it shows you don’t have to be in a professional academy to get into these squads.”
Miles also played in the Hattrick U17 International Tournament, saying of the experience, “I think it was a really good experience playing some high-level Asian countries there, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Oman. I had to work pretty hard to get into that starting team; I think a couple of good performances set me up really nicely there.”
Despite the Joeys going out in the group stage, thanks to some disappointing results against Vietnam and the UAE, Miles managed to score a thumping header against Japan in their final match, helping them to a respectable 3-2 win.