JOSEP Gombau has named a squad of 26 A-League players for an Australian Under-23 training camp to take place on the Central Coast at the end of the month.

The camp is the first step of preparations for the 2018 AFC U23 Asian Cup, with qualifiers to be held in July 2017.

Players will train from Monday 30 January to Wednesday 1 February, with the schedule intended to minimise disruption to the A-League.

All members of the squad are eligible for the 2018 event, while a second camp will be held in Europe in March to facilitate overseas players.

“This is the first step for us to qualify for the U23 Asian Cup in 2018,” Gombau said in a statement.

“I’m excited to be working with these young players who are only one step away from playing with the Socceroos.

“Many of them are playing good football in the Hyundai A-League and we will be able to see them working together to start building the understanding required to succeed in the Asian Cup qualifiers and also observe how they train in the systems we want to play.

“Qualifying for Asian Cups and World Cups is an important part of the development of young players and for football in Australia and this camp is our first preparation opportunity leading into the July qualifiers.”

Western Sydney dominates the squad, with seven representatives, with Central Coast (five), Adelaide (four), Melbourne City (three), Newcastle (three), Perth Glory (two), Brisbane (one) and Sydney (one) also sending players to the camp.

Melbourne Victory is the only Australian club without a representative in the squad.

OLYROOS SQUAD MEMBERS

Daniel Arzani (Melbourne City FC)

Jonathan Aspropotamitis (Western Sydney Wanderers FC)

Keanu Baccus (Western Sydney Wanderers FC)

Adam Berry (Central Coast Mariners)

George Blackwood (Sydney FC)

Trent Buhagiar (Central Coast Mariners)

Devante Clut (Newcastle Jets)

Nicholas Cowburn (Newcastle Jets)

Scott Galloway (Central Coast Mariners)

Benjamin Garuccio (Adelaide United)

Paul Izzo (Central Coast Mariners)

Lachlan Jackson (Newcastle Jets)

Bruce Kamau (Melbourne City FC)

Abraham Majok (Western Sydney Wanderers FC)

Daniel Margush (Adelaide United)

Riley McGree (Adelaide United)

Jordan O’Doherty (Adelaide United)

Liam Rose (Central Coast Mariners)

Kye Rowles (Brisbane Roar FC)

Lachlan Scott (Western Sydney Wanderers FC)

Mario Shabow (Western Sydney Wanderers FC)

Jaushua Sotirio (Western Sydney Wanderers FC)

Jordan Thurtell (Perth Glory)

Ruon Tongyik (Melbourne City FC)

Brandon Wilson (Perth Glory)

Liam Youlley (Western Sydney Wanderers FC)