Esposito, Young Socceroos want Asian glory, not just a World Cup berth
Young Socceroos skipper Sebastian Esposito is aware of what an honour it would be to qualify and play at an U20 World Cup. But first, he wants to beat Iraq to get there, and then lift an Asian crown.
The stakes of Saturday evening’s AFC U20 Asian Cup quarterfinal against Iraq are clear for the Young Socceroos. Win, and they’re off the U20 FIFA World Cup in Chile. Lose, and Australia’s absence from that global junior showcase will extend to at least 15 years. For skipper Sebastian Esposito, however, the group’s focus doesn’t end at the last eight. Instead, it’s about winning the whole continental showpiece.
Becoming the first Australian side to win all three of their group stage matches at the tournament, the Young Socceroos' reward for finishing top of Group A was a clash with Iraq, who, despite finishing second in Group B, went undefeated and handed group winners Saudi Arabia a 1-0 defeat.
Win in that game, and Trevor Morgan’s side will punch their ticket to a World Cup for the first time since 2013, the last group that represented Australia on that stage featuring the likes of Jackson Irvine, Jason Geria, Adam Taggart, and Jamie Maclaren. The Saudis will face China, South Korea will clash with Uzbekistan, and Iran will face Japan in a heavyweight bout across other quarterfinal meetings.
The benefits that a global stage can provide a player’s development, as well as their exposure to prospective clubs around the world, is obvious. The last Australian boy’s side to qualify for a World Cup, Morgan’s U17 side that went to the 2019 tournament, featured the likes of Jordan Courtney-Perkins, Joshua Rawlins, Cameron Peupion, Ryan Teague, and Noah Botić.
But for all the talk of qualification for an U20 World Cup, Australia has never won its Asian equivalent since entering the region, and, with the Cubs of Mesopotamia a challenge that can’t be overlooked, this is the focus for Esposito and his teammates.
“Everyone's excited,” the defender said. “We've got through every challenge that people have thrown at us. We started really well in the first game [a 5-1 win over the Kyrgyz Republic], we came from behind in the second [a 3-1 win over Qatar], and then in the third game we closed it out quite well [a 2-1 win over host nation China].
“So the boys are ready, and we're looking forward to Saturday,
“[A World Cup is] the biggest honour in football. I mean, who doesn't want to go to a World Cup? But the boys, we're just focused on the next game. We still have to get there. We just take it game by game.
“We're not looking to get to the World Cup; we want to win this tournament. That's the goal for this camp.”
Born in Melbourne and previously on the books of Melbourne City, Esposito moved to Italy at the end of 2023, joining the youth side of Lecce, who won promotion back to the Italian top flight after winning Serie B in 2022.
The centre-back – not to be confused with Italian youth international Sebastiano Esposito – has yet to make his senior debut for I Giallorossi but did feature in their squad as an unused substitute in the opening week of the 2024-25 Serie A season and the opening round of the Coppa Italia.
A senior bow, however, feels like it can’t be too far away for the 19-year-old, be it in Apulia or on loan elsewhere, as he has played nearly every minute of every game he’s been available for with the club’s Primavera side, donning the armband as he does.
“Everything's moved very quickly,” he reflected. “I moved to Lecce straight after my first call-up to the national team. So it was like opportunity after opportunity. But it's been amazing. I got great experience while I was in Melbourne, training a lot with the first team there. And then moving to Lecce, it's another experience and another thing that helped me get to this point.
“All these different experiences are shaping my performances and helping me to play my best football, especially trying to help the [Young Socceroos] in this tournament.
“[Playing in Italy is] amazing. A few of our boys were playing in the Euros, especially [now Fiorentina defender] Marin Pongračić. He plays for Croatia, and he played in the last Euros. To train with him nearly every day with the first team was an amazing experience.
“You learn so much. My game has developed a lot since I've left, and I'm very grateful for the opportunity they've given me.”