Liam Graham and Luis Esteves have been involved with the NZ U20`s previously and haven`t made the cut.
They were never players of any pedigree when they left NZ
Marinovic on the other hand must have a good chance of making the Olympic squad
I don't really know if Graham and Esteves are up to it or not, though their progress in recent seasons would suggest they are and they're certainly amongst our top group of youth players playing overseas and are still very young (Graham is 19 and Esteves turns twenty today). Some of our best US college players may be decent enough too.
Both were regarded quite highly when with Central United and Auckland City in 2009-10 as capable youth players.
Esteves was a starter in every game for that successful u-17 team in the World Cup in Nigeria in 2009 and originally in the u-20 squad in early 2011 preparing for the OFC qualifiers, but signed for Portland Timbers U-23's around the time of the qualifiers and didn't make the squad in the end- he may have not been released or available.
Esteves was still playing in the u-20 team after the qualifiers in their early build-up games before the finals such as the May 10 2011 win over Nigeria which he started in:
Suwon International Youth (U-20) Tournament 2011
Suwon World Cup Stadium
Suwon, Korea Republic, May 10
Nigeria 3 (18’, 65’ 66’)
New Zealand 4 (Cameron LINDSAY 36’, Nick BRANCH , Marco ROJAS 71’, Dakota LUCAS 77’)
Halftime: 1-1
New Zealand: Stefan MARINOVIC (gk), Luis ESTEVEZ (Ant HOBBS 46’), Nick BRANCH (c), James MUSA (Nikko BOXALL 80’), Andrew MILNE (Liam HIGGINS 66’), Ryan CAIN, Adam THOMAS (Zane SOLE 90’), Cameron LINDSAY, Marco ROJAS (Michael BUILT 88’), Andy BEVIN, Dakota LUCAS (Sean LOVEMORE 89’).
Substitutes not used: Alex CARR (rgk), Jamie DORIS, Ethan GALBRAITH.
Coach: Chris MILICICH
Liam Graham was on the bench for every game in the OFC qualifiers in April 2011 and had just signed for Vicenza in Italy at that time. I have no idea why he didn't make the squad for the World Cup Finals in Colombia in October 2011. But there's always a range of possible reasons from not being rated/ falling out of favour with the coach, to not being released (clubs are not obliged to release players even for FIFA youth finals, except the Olympics for the first time this year) or injury. Actually, Graham was injured for Vicenza around that time I think as he became a regular starter for them only in January 2012.
Esteves (left) with Andrew Milne, and Adam Thomas on tour with the NZ u20s, Korea, 2011