Adelaide United keeper Paul Izzo says imports like Usain Bolt stop search for next Daniel Arzani
ADELAIDE United goalkeeper Paul Izzo backs youth development over publicity stunts as the Reds launch new season kit for the FFA Cup campaign.
ADELAIDE United keeper Paul Izzo is underwhelmed by former club Central Coast Mariners courting Olympic sprint legend Usain Bolt ahead of Wednesday’s FFA Cup clash at Marden.
Izzo, who represents A-League’s rising home grown talent, believes cherry picking Bolt just takes another spot away from the next Daniel Arzani.
“There is always talk that Australia needs strikers and need to be playing regularly in the A-League and then you go and give a sprinter a trial to take away another striker’s spot,” said Australian under-23 custodian Izzo.
Young Australian players are starved of opportunity due to a 10-team competition and plethora of foreign spots on A-League rosters.
“In my opinion I don’t really agree with it too much. I feel especially for the players in the Youth League and NPL,” said Izzo with eight-time Olympic gold medallist Bolt also linked to an Austin Texas-based United Soccer League franchise.
“The publicity is great but the bigger picture is grow youth in Australia. The Mariners have other plans and that is entirely up to them.”
However, Izzo has been heartened watching the A-League flavour in Ange Postecoglou and Bert van Marwijk’s Socceroos squads with Celtic-bound prodigy Arzani, Josh Risdon and Andrew Nabbout igniting at Russia 2018.
“It is really motivating as previous years the A-League wasn’t looked at too much for national team selection. Batches of A-League players were pretty strong in the World Cup squad,” Izzo said.
Izzo proved A-League’s premier penalty blocker last season with three show stopping saves. Izzo denied Besert Berisha from the spot and hot follow-up to inspire nine-man United to a win against Melbourne Victory in December.
Izzo, who spent 2015-17 with the Mariners before returning home to replace Reds great Eugene Galekovic, wants to lift gears starting against Mike Mulvey’s unit in Wednesday night’s round of 32 clash.
“It is a big game against the Mariners, former club. You want to take it to another level and this season that is what I want to do,” said Izzo with United donning a new FFA Cup kit from official on-field partner Macron inspired by its inaugural 2003 jersey.
Adelaide lost to Sydney FC in last season’s FFA Cup final and Izzo wants to go one better in a side sporting new midfielders Mirko Boland, Ken Ilso, stopper Michael Jakobsen and returning 2015-16 championship winger Craig Goodwin.
“We want to take the Cup home,” said Izzo of Adelaide who this week signed youth league player of the year Louis D’Arrigo, extending Marco Kurz’s squad to 23.
“Coming so close we know what we have to do to win the final.
“Jakobsen is an experienced player and gives that comfortable feeling at the back. Mirko is looking very sharp and to play in Germany for so long he has to be decent. It is like Craig never left, fitted in really well.”
Adelaide United on Friday unveiled its new home kit for the FFA Cup 2018 campaign, which will be worn for the first time against Central Coast Mariners next Wednesday.
The home kit, designed and manufactured by the Club’s Official On-field Partner, Macron, draws inspiration from the inaugural Reds jersey worn in 2003 with navy shorts. The likes of Aurelio Vidmar, Richie Alagich, and Goran Lozanovski were some of the famous names to don the similar-looking jersey during the 2003/04 National Soccer League season.