Battery’s Jesse Randall Called up to New Zealand U-23 National Team for Olympic Qualifiers

By: Battery Media

Charleston Battery forward Jesse Randall has been called up to the New Zealand U-23 national team for the upcoming Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Men’s Olympic Qualifier. The tournament decides which team from the OFC region qualifies for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. 

Randall has been a player on the rise in New Zealand’s camp recently. He started for the U-22 team in a pair of friendlies against China’s U-24 squad in March, playing a key role in winning both games.

Now, Randall will have a chance to help New Zealand punch their ticket to the 2024 Olympic Games.

“Being called up to represent my country is a special moment for me and my family,” said Randall. “Qualifying for the Olympics is of huge significance for me and my teammates. It’s a very exciting opportunity that could be a once-in-a-lifetime one. I’m excited to get into camp and get started so we can work towards that goal.

“I’m extremely grateful to be able to put the fern on and I’m very excited to keep the momentum going with this group after a couple of strong performances against China earlier in the year.”

The forward also represented New Zealand in the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil, featuring in all three of their matches. Across all competitions, he made six appearances and scored one goal with the U-17 squad.

New Zealand will compete in Group A and host Papua New Guinea and Fiji on Aug. 27 and Aug. 30, respectively. The top two teams from Group A and B then advance to the knockout stage, with the winner of the final on Sept. 9 securing the spot in Paris.

The country will look to repeat their 2019 performance when they qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Randall has made seven appearances for the Battery in his first year with the club and his return is to be determined based on how far New Zealand progress in the tournament.

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