NRMA Insurance Western Sydney Wanderers defender Reece Caira will employ resilience when he heads to Turkey later this month for the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
NRMA Insurance Western Sydney Wanderers defender Reece Caira will employ resilience when he heads to Turkey later this month for the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
The 20-year-old is buoyed by his selection for the Qantas Young Socceroos and was presented with his playing shirt at Football Federation Australia Headquarters today.
“It feels great and it is always a massive honour,” said Caira.
“I am feeling confident, excited and ready for the challenge of playing in a massive tournament against the best young players in the world.”
Wanderers Assistant Coach Ante Milicic, a member of staff from the last campaign, was asked to officially attend the farewell function.
Having competed in the same competition in 1992, Milicic is impressed with the crop of players selected by Head Coach Paul Okon.
“You can see that a lot of the A-League boys are doing well and they deserve to be there,” said Milicic.
“Hopefully with the way now that Australian football has developed and changed – we will see some improvements from our younger ranks on the world stage.”
The attitude Caira has adopted is to enjoy the challenge of playing in a massive tournament but to stay focused on the task at hand.
“We will go in with the Australian mentality of never giving up and we won-t get intimated,” Caira said.
“I want to lap up the experience and play my part in trying to win every game.”
Milicic echoes Caira-s approach, and encourages the players to work hard and be their best.
“Be open-minded and see how we compare to other countries,” Milicic said.
“They will get to see a lot of different styles and players in their positions which will be a good learning curve.
“Go there, be ambitious and firmly believe.”
