Cain coached the 2009 Young All Whites to a ground-breaking appearance in the knockout stages of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Nigeria and will now build a new crop of youngsters towards the 2011 edition in Mexico.
“You always like to think we can go one better, but realistically if we can equal what the last group did then it’s a start, but if we can take them even further then it’s a huge step forward for the game,” Cain said.
“The trick now is to negotiate the knockout phase and take the lessons we learnt from the last World Cup and hopefully use that experience to go further this time around.”
Beyond tournament aims, getting more players into professional environments is high on the list of priorities for Cain.
“We’ve got three players from the last group at British clubs and Gordon Murie at University in the United States and I expect two or three more to join him in the next few years. So looked at from that point of view, we‘ve had some success and I wouldn’t be surprised to see these players and some others graduate into U-20s for the next campaign.”
Milicich joins the national set-up for the first time boasting a successful coaching record with New Zealand Football Championship franchise Waitakere United.
Under Milicich, Waitakere collected two NZFC Minor Premierships, one NZFC Grand Final win, and two OFC Champions League titles, but realises his new role may require a different blend of immediate and long-term success as he and his side target qualification for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia.
“Developing players that are capable of stepping up to Olympic and then All White levels as well as into professional environments around the world is a core component of the U-20s role,” Milicich said.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity and one I feel very privileged and ready to take the team as far as we can.
“We could focus too much on getting results with a pragmatic style but that would be a disservice to the players and where we fit within the national hierarchy.”
Previous U-20 coach Stu Jacobs, who has been in charge of the Junior All Whites since 2006 and led the U-23 side to the Beijing Olympics in 2008, pulled out of the U-20 appointment process citing a desire to spend more time with his family.
The respective Oceania qualifying campaigns will be hosted in Auckland next year, with the U-20 Championships held in January, and the U-17 version following in April.
Story courtesy NZ Football.