Sydney FC captain Rhyan Grant has urged the Sky Blues’ host of young players to make the most of their chance against English Premier League club Tottenham next week, saying a memorable performance could shape their careers.
The Sydneysiders will take winning form into next Wednesday’s clash at Allianz Stadium after thrashing NPL Western Australia club Bayswater City 5-1 on Tuesday night.
Standout performers included 20-year-old attacking midfielder Tiago Quintal, who scored a hat-trick, and teenage sensation Akol Akon, who constantly tormented the Bayswater defence.
Similar performances in the Sydney Super Cup against Spurs could lead to overseas scouts taking notice, according to Grant.
“There’s always that cliched saying of ‘you never know who’s watching’, and if you turn it on in one of these games, you never know what can happen from there,” the Sky Blues’ veteran skipper said.
“It’s very true. In this day and age you see a lot of players getting some nice moves overseas, especially from the A-League.
“It’s such a young competition at the moment, so if you can produce it on that stage, you never know what can come from there.”
Grant, who also played for the Sky Blues against Spurs in Sydney 11 years ago, hoped his young teammates “enjoyed” next week’s occasion.
“I do remember the lead up (to the game in 2015), and I was excited by what it was all about,” he said.
“The young boys will be super excited, and hopefully it shows them what it’s all about to maybe get to the next step.
“We can really test ourselves. Everyone’s looking forward to it. It’s always nice to play against some world-class teams.”
Grant said Sky Blues coach Patrick Kisnorbo wouldn’t settle for anything but a win despite Sydney going into the match as underdogs.
“It doesn’t matter if we’re playing Bayswater or Tottenham, (Kisnorbo) wants to win and play a certain style, which is the Sydney FC style now of playing some good football and scoring as many goals as possible,” he said.
“He won’t be saying to take it in and enjoy it, he’ll be wanting to win the game and make sure we’re doing everything that we’ve been working on.”
The Sydney Super Cup will also feature Western Sydney Wanderers and Chelsea, who meet next Tuesday night at Accor Stadium.
The Cup’s highlight will be the all-London affair between Spurs and Chelsea on Saturday week at Accor Stadium.
Event organisers said that as of Wednesday night, only a few thousand tickets remained for the battle between the two Premier League teams.
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