Because the Nix having arguably the best academy in the HAL and then give their academy products a chance in the first team.

https://youtu.be/kgQT3J4NzkI

What a cracking goal by NZ! While I think we're producing some decent youth, the set up, skills and teams are a shambles. Terrible first touch and no awareness. 

When I say 'we' I mean Australia 

Settle fellas, nz qualified through oceania...
played a terrible concacaf team in Honduras and a Norwegian side with a bunch of injuries. If you look at the other groups, they are much stronger.

The goal was actually scored by a former Young Socceroo.

Kiwi kids are onto pens vs Colombia right now! 1:0 NZ after one each.

Norway beat South Africa 7:2. They've got their shooting boots on. 

Both Colombia and NZ miss their 2nd pens. 

2:1 NZ after 3 each. 

It's now 2:2 after 4 each. And 3:3 after 5. Sudden death! 

Colombia score.  Now 4:3. NZ must convert. 

It's 4:4. We go again. 

Colombia win 5:4 on penalties. Heartbreak for NZ. 

Devo for NZ. They did themselves proud though. 

Looking forward to how this bunch progresses to the full squad and how they develop as professionals. 

What I witnessed from NZ in this tournament above all else was a desire to win.

Results are important in youth football. We need to instill that ethos back into our junior teams.

Shhhh, if you say it out loud it might come true.  Alot of people in football have too much money riding on the current state of affairs not to mention the unaccountable FFA head office staff.  

So impressed with the Kiwis look to have a talented group the semis could have been a realistic goal had they gone through on PKs but not to be but they have extremely well.

Thier u20s would beat our u20s if they play today. 

Here's one from left field.

I've been watching mostly all the NPL games streamed by the various NPL's on FB and YT.

I honestly think the bulk of our U19's U20's NT squads could come from these teams playing in high stakes high pressure games and we'd be better off.

I've seen some pretty talented players over the last few months, those of whom have now played a couple of senior games for their respective teams, but won't get picked up because they are now effectively too old to get picked up by any AL academy.   The majority of the guys playing in these games would be 18-19 and their next step is only to play NPL seniors, or if they have an absolute blinder of a season maybe just maybe could get picked up by an AL team. 

I think Dejan Pandurevic, was picked to play at an U20's tournament whilst playing for Manly, and I'm pretty sure Giordano Marafioti was chosen to go to a camp for the U19's a couple of years ago whilst playing for South Melbourne. I'd like to see us actually embrace the fact we actually do have another football competition that arguably does a better job at nurturing players for the 'World game' and not the one we have in OZ atm. 

What do others think? should we be looking at NPL senior players for underage National teams? (excluding Joeys (U15's - U17's))

EDIT: Obviously players not playing in AL academies in NPL as well. 

What makes you say that ? I recon we could pick 2 squads from Aus U 20s that would beat NZ next week.
NZ path to these finals is pretty simple , Aus on the other hand are faced with the very Tough Asian groups , chalk and cheese tbh .
people love to stick the boot into Aus underage teams (sometimes warranted) but I would back them any day of the week v the Kiwis .

Nz would beat our u20?

Off the top of my head, the starting 11 would have looked something like...

/Delianov/
/Atkinson/Ouzonidis/Mourdokoutas/Cordier/
/Pasquali/Metcalfe/
/Najjarine/Genreau/Arzani/
/Folami/

I'll take the non replies, as a 'you're joking,'

No disrespect to our lads but as much i rate some of these guys, but in the last 10 to 15 years or so we have struggled to make win a game let alone do what the Kiwis have done which is make the 2nd round and get very close to a quarter or potential semi-final based on who they are up against later.
(Last time we won a game was in 2003 against the might of Brazil).

We have struggled in Asia for a reason and have not done enough to rectify these problems, of course, an easier route to the world cup helps but when we got there the kiwis have the runs on the board in recent times with results.

We need to do alot better but i have my doubts if anything is done about it.

I never said we lack in talent but i just think the Kiwis right now could beat us on their good day, i think we under underestimated the talent they have.

Some of these guys like Just, Bell, Pijaker would good enough to play in the a-league.

I agree mate, we need to be giving players an opportunity in a national youth team. Players like Marafioti and others deserve their chance, there is an 18 year old starting for Pascoe Vale every week, would be good to see him given an opportunity considering the thread bare options past Folami in the Young Socceroos. We really need to make our youth national team camps bigger and encourage more players to keep trying, as I am sure it is so easy to get discouraged and give up if you feel like you are going nowhere.

I’d love to see some AUS v NZ friendlies organised at U20 and U23 level. 

Same, wish we played more games with the New Zealand national teams in general.

It must have been back in Oceania days. We played NZ very often at youth level seemingly having quarterly matches. It was always on sbs. 

At every level (u13 up) at least two times per year. Lets have a gala day! One home one away. 

How about the FFA arrange a regular NPL select vs A-League select games to see the truth. 

So u20 NPL vic Select vs U20 A-League select....

I honestly believe that an NPL 'all-stars' U20 vs an A-League U20's (Young Socceroo's) team would be a brilliant way for the scouts to see see how much of a gap there is between the two competitions. I think you'd find that the NPL team would take it right up to the AL team.

We talk about how divided the game is in Australia, and there is no connection from AL to grassroots, well the FFA cup was sort of one move in the right direction. But this would be an even bigger step.  Have a few camps over the season.

Midway through writing this I remembered that the two seasons don't even line up. So theres the first major setback for those plans.