The team has been named five months in advance to ensure coach Timote Polovilli has sufficient time to prepare his side, who will need to win the preliminary tournament in January in order to advance to the main event in April.
The winner of the OFC U-17 Championship will earn a place at the FIFA U-17 World Cup, set to take place in the United Arab Emirates in October and November of next year.
While he is aware the odds of making it all the way to UAE are stacked against his young charges, Polovilli is convinced the players selected are the best Tonga have to offer.
He feels they will prove to be a competitive side come January where they will clash with fellow OFC member associations American Samoa, Cook Islands and Samoa.
“These boys have put in a good effort to make it to the last 20,” Polovilli says.
“They have all worked hard and made it past a series of trials and exercises.”
The winner of the preliminaries will move on to join Fiji, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tahiti and Vanuatu – who are all granted direct entry – at the tournament proper.
Polovilli’s squad includes four survivors of the Tongan side that fell to four heavy defeats in the 2011 OFC U-17 Championship in New Zealand and the experience of Taniela Vaka’uta, Hoponoa Pahulu, Venasio Poasi Vaka’uta and Silakivai Maile will be vital as Tonga’s youngsters look to make an impression on the tournament.
“These four boys will be the backbone of my team but they can’t win the games by themselves,” Polovilli says.
The team is training regularly under the guidance of Polovilli and assistant coaches Lokoua Taufahema and Heneli Saafi and is scheduled to assemble for a training camp two month’s prior to the preliminary tournament.
“Despite a lack of experience, we have 20 weeks to train and things should shape up nicely,” Polovilli says.
“It’s going to be tough and challenging but there is no short cut to victory.”
Tonga squad for OFC U-17 Championship Preliminary
Taniela VAKA’UTA
Hoponoa PAHULU
Hola MALAFU
Maletino HALAPIO
Soane LAVELUA
Moimoi FEKE
Sifa KITEKEI’AHO
Pita KATOA
Kilifi FAUPULA
Venasio POASI VAKA’UTA
Ofa LATU
Utae FOSITA
Fuimaono TAVITE
Amanai LAU’I
Tevita FAKATAVA
Toniso TOLU
Keni LAVE
Soakai VEA
Sateki MATAKAIONGO
Silakivai MAILE
For more on Tonga football go to www.tongafootball.to

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