Harry Van der Saag makes Sydney FC debut against Mariners

Footballer Harry Van der Saag has described his A-League debut as a dream come true but there was still something about it that was a little odd.

Harry Van der Saag making his debut against the Mariners. Pic: Jaime Castaneda

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It’s a 10 minute stint he will never forget on a night he will long remember.

Just weeks after making his Australian debut in China, northern beaches gun Harry van Der Saag has made his A-League debut

The 20-year-old, one of the original members of the Sydney FC Academy, graduated to the big time when sent in as a sub in Sydney’s FC’s gritty 1-0 win over the Central Coast Mariners.

Sydney FC Academy players back on early 2016. Harry Van der Saag is fifth from the left.

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The debut follows on from Van der Saag playing for Australia in a series of under 23 matches in China last month ahead of the 2020 under 23 AFC Championship in Thailand where three Asian Football Confederation qualification places for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics are up for grabs.

The Narrabeen footballer has been in the extended Sydney FC squad for multiple weeks but finally got his call-up against the Mariners.

“I went on in the 83rd minute as a sub for Alex Baumjohann and was on for about 10 minutes,’’ Van der Saag said on Sunday.

“It was so good. A dream come true.’’

Oddly, given the occasion, Van der Saag said he was not nervous during his A-League debut.

“It was just business as usual,’’ he said.

“It was quite a tough game and there was work to be done.

Harry Van der Saag competes the ball with Abdou-Lakhad Diallo of Paris Saint Germain during the International Super Cup 2019.

Kosta Barbarouses in action for Sydney FC in the match against the Mariners on Saturday night. Pic: AAP/Dan Himbrechts.

“It’s great to have ticked the box. The debut is the hardest part.’’

Van der Saag was involved in Sydney FC’s fifth straight win this season.

Van der Saag, Ryan Teague, 17, and Marco Tilio, 18, were all promoted to Sydney FC’s A-League squad in September.

Teague was the first of the original Sydney FC Academy squad to debut, taking the pitch for Sydney FC a week earlier.

Sydney FC’s next outing is against Wellington Phoenix on Saturday.

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