Popovic To Name 26-Man Squad After Socceroos Vs Mexico
Australia will name its 26-man World Cup squad immediately after socceroos vs mexico in Los Angeles on Sunday. Tony Popovic has already narrowed the field, but the Rose Bowl warm-up still gives fringe players one last chance to shape the final cut before the World Cup opener against Turkey on 14 June.
Popovic And Rose Bowl Selection
Popovic said the Mexico match can still settle one or two places. “The Mexico game can help in terms of seeing what we want to see,” he said this week. “We may have an idea about a player that we want to give some minutes to in that game, to see what he can do, and that might confirm something.”
He added, “We’re very close as it is now.” The coach also pointed to balance in the squad, saying, “We have players that are very versatile, who can play in different positions,” and, “We need to make a good decision based on versatility and also the player that’s a specialist in his role, to see that the balance is right.”
Florida Camp Decisions
Twenty-nine players have spent the past week in camp in Florida for 26 World Cup places. Once Cristian Volpato joins the group on Saturday after switching allegiance from Italy, three outfield players will be cut. One of those exits will be a defender.
The defender group gives Popovic options with Milos Degenek, Kye Rowles, Kai Trewin and Jason Geria all able to play centrally or on the right. In a camp where every place is being weighed, that flexibility may end up being as valuable as form.
Goalkeeper Battle
Four goalkeepers are in camp, but Mat Ryan remains the clear No 1. Patrick Beach, Joe Gauci and Paul Izzo are the other names in the group, and their presence adds another selection squeeze before the final list is read out after the Mexico match.
Brandon Borrello and Nishan Velupillay are among the A-Leagues players in the squad mix, while Cameron Devlin and Awer Mabil are among the fringe players under pressure. A Socceroos staff member indicated Volpato is unlikely to play against Mexico, which leaves the late arrival as a selection factor rather than a match-day one.
The final squad will follow the Rose Bowl match in Los Angeles, and that makes Sunday the last real checkpoint for players trying to hold their place. Australia then turns to Turkey at 2pm AEST on 14 June, with the names already trimmed to 26.
