Socceroos head coach Graham Arnold has announced a new-look 31-player squad to take on New Zealand in a two-game friendly series to mark the 100th anniversary of the Australian men’s national team.
Key points:
Seven uncapped players were named in the Socceroos’ 31-man squad
Goalkeeper Mitch Langerak has been called out of international retirement
The friendlies are being played at Lang Park on September 22 and Eden Park on September 25
Arnold has made a number of changes to the squad who defeated Peru in June’s World Cup qualifying play-off, including calling up seven uncapped players to take on the All Whites in Brisbane on Thursday September 22 and Auckland on Sunday September 25.
Seventeen-year-old Central Coast Mariners sensation Garang Kuol has earned his maiden call-up to the senior side after impressing in the A-League Men’s competition, where he is yet to start his first full match, as well as in the A-League All Stars match against Barcelona in May, where his “unbelievable” cameo performance earned praise from opposition head coach Xavi.
Kuol is joined by Mariners team-mate Jason Cummings, who represented Scotland at senior level but has spoken publicly of his desire to switch allegiances to Australia, which he is eligible to represent through his mother.
The five other uncapped players Arnold has called upon include St Mirren players Keanu Baccus and Ryan Strain, Incheon United defender Harrison Delbridge, Heart of Midlothian midfielder Cameron Devlin and Olyroos captain Tyrese Francois.
The Socceroos played their first “A” international game against New Zealand in Dunedin on June 17, 1922.(supplied: NSWSFA)
In addition, Arnold has called up a number of players with 10 caps or fewer including Nathaniel Atkinson (3), Thomas Deng (1), Denis Genreau (3), Fran Karacic (9), Joel King (2), Riley McGree (9), Connor Metcalfe (3), Andrew Redmayne (3), and Marco Tilio (3).
Mitch Langerak (8), who has been one of the most consistent goalkeepers in the J-League for Nagoya Grampus over the past year, has also been selected after temporarily retiring from international football in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s a squad chosen, in part, with an eye to the future as the Socceroos celebrate their centenary against the first national side they ever played, in June 1922.
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