Keanu Baccus is determined to help the Red & Black show their true colours after stamping Australia’s U-23’s ticket to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics for the first time since 2008.
Keanu Baccus is determined to help the Red & Black show their true colours after stamping Australia’s U-23’s ticket to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics for the first time since 2008.
Baccus and Wanderers teammate Tass Mourdoukoutas played pivotal roles in ending the Olyroos’ Olympics drought as Graham Arnold’s side secured their Tokyo berth with a 1-0 win over Uzbekistan in the AFC U-23 Championship in Thailand last Saturday.
The 21-year-old midfielder ranks the achievement as a career-best – but Baccus cannot afford to celebrate for much longer as time for the Wanderers to turn their campaign around begins to tick away.
He is hopeful of using Australia’s heroics in Thailand as a catalyst for the Red & Black to mount a bid for Finals Football, and wants to replicate the culture and camaraderie on show in Thailand back in Western Sydney.
“Everyone was there determined to achieve good things. It was a great group of boys that was aiming for the same target,” said Baccus.
“Hopefully, we can bring that sort of similar culture back and show what the Wanderers are really made of.”
If there is a time for Western Sydney to draw a line in the sand, it is against now.
Jean-Paul de Marigny has taken the reins as assistant coach and his first assignment is an away trip to Central Coast Mariners this Sunday afternoon.
Another defeat would see the Mariners leapfrog the 2014 AFC Champions League winners into ninth position cand could be terminal to the Wanderers’ hopes of making the top six.
