EXPOSURE for the Extra Bula FC’s younger players at a professional level in the OFC Pro League will aid them greatly when the U20 World Cup qualifiers happen, says head coach Stéphane Auvray.
Auvray shared these sentiments following the team’s 1-2 loss to Vanuatu United in the league’s semi-final playoff on Sunday in Auckland, New Zealand.
The loss also meant their exit from the inaugural season of the Pacific’s first professional football league competition.
Meanwhile, Auvray has ironed out what the exposure of young players such as Maikah Dau, Nabil Begg, Sterling Vasconcellos and others would mean in the long run.
“We had a lot of teenagers playing today; those guys will play the qualifiers for the U20 World Cup,” Auvray pointed out.
“So, it’s good to have them play at the professional level because we know the repercussions for the youth national teams and in the future for the senior (teams), it will be huge.”
He added patience was a necessary quality to possess in this phase.
Auvray’s words come at a time when the national U20 will attempt to earn a spot in the World Cup through the OFC U-19 Men’s Championship next month in the Cook Islands.
This is the most recent opportunity for the national team to redeem themselves from their fourth place overall finish in the 2024 edition of the championship.
They had missed out on the top two spots required to earn a place in the World Cup then.
The championship will be held from June 6-12.
