Injury blows for Riley McGree and Patrick Yazbek as Tony Popovic faces final squad decisions
For the past few weeks, coach Tony Popovic has been announcing the names of players invited in droves to Australia’s pre-World Cup training camp in Florida, as if a music festival promoter is trickling down the squad to encourage ticket sales.
Well, the final lineup has been announced. Almost. The final names announced on Tuesday morning (AEST) have narrowed the names in contention for the Socceroos’ 26-man squad to just 29; There is less than a week left until Popovic submits his final list to FIFA.
As always, there are surprises. Without them, Popovic’s announcement would not have happened. But the picture he’s been working on (the one in his head, the one the rest of us can’t see) is now clear, and he’s only left with three decisions to make.
But first, let’s put aside two players who would almost certainly have made the roster had it not been for ill-timed injuries.
Riley McGree wasn’t even supposed to play in the English Championship play-off final, but Middlesbrough were granted a late reprieve due to Southampton’s expulsion in the Spygate 2.0 scandal.
Notoriously injury-prone, McGree suffered a hamstring injury with 15 minutes left in the match, which forced him out of the contest. While he dreamed of playing in the Premier League and the World Cup within a few hours, he frustrated both ambitions.
SCREENING THE FOOTBALL WORLD CUP TEAM PUZZLE
CURRENT TEAM (29 will be reduced to 26)
Patrick Beach (GK – City of Melbourne), Aziz Behiç (LB/LWB – City of Melbourne), Brandon Borrello (ST/RW – Western Sydney Travellers), Jordan Bos (LB/LWB – Feyenoord), Martin Boyle (RW/ST – Hibernian), Cameron Burgess (CB – Swansea City), Alessandro Circati (CB – Parma), Milos Degenek (CB/RB – APOEL), Cameron Devlin (DM/CM – Hearts), Joe Gauci (GK – Port Vale, on loan from Aston Villa), Jason Geria (RB/CB – Albirex Niigata), Lucas Herrington (CB – Colorado Rapids), Ajdin Hrustic (AM/CM – Herakles Almelo), Nestory in Iran (RW/LW – Watford), Jackson Irvine (CM/DM – St. Pauli), Jacob Italiano (RB/RWB – Grazer AK), Paul Izzo (GK – Randers), Mathew Leckie (LW/ST – City of Melbourne), Awer Mabil (LW/RW – Castellon), Connor Metcalfe (CM/AM – St. Pauli), Paul Okon-Engstler (DM/CM – Sydney FC), Aiden O’Neill (DM/CM – New York City), Kye Rowles (CB/LB – DC Combined), Maty Ryan (GK – Levante), Harry Southtar (CB – Leicester City), Muhammed Ture (ST/LW – City of Norwich), Kai Trewin (CB/DM – New York City), Engagement Velupillay (LW/RW – Melbourne Victory), Tete Yengi (ST/RW – Machida Zelvia on loan from Livingston)
SENT HOME FROM TRAINING CAMP
Daniel Bennie (LW/RW – QPR), Raphael Borges Rodrigues (LW/RW/RWB – Wigan Athletic, on loan from Coventry City), Anthony Caceres (CM/AM – Macarthur FC), Mitchell Duke (ST – Macarthur FC), Dylan Leonard (CB – Schalke), alex robertson (DM/CM – Cardiff City), Gianni Stensness (CB/DM – Viking), Ante Suto (ST – Hibernian)
INJURED AT TRAINING CAMP
Nick D’Agostino (ST/RW – Brisbane Roar, on loan from Viking), Hayden Matthews (CB – Portsmouth)
I DID NOT
Riley McGree (AM/LW – Middlesbrough), Patrick Yazbek (CM/DM – Nashville SC)
This is cruel for both him and the Socceroos because he cannot be easily replaced; especially considering that Adrian Segecic, who would be very useful in McGree’s position, has defected to Croatia.
Then there’s Nashville SC’s rising midfielder Patrick Yazbek, who a few weeks ago hit a quadruple during warm-up for his Major League Soccer team’s CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinal rematch against Mexican team Tigres. Although Popovic has another favourite, his misfortune opens the door to others: particularly Hearts favorite Cameron Devlin, who looks to be the direct beneficiary of the midfield reshuffle triggered by Yazbek’s injury.
So, to those still in the mix.
One of the three players to be cut will be a goalkeeper. There are four left standing and there is a clear pecking order: Captain Maty Ryan will start, with Paul Izzo at number two and Patrick Beach and Joe Gauci for the other spot.
The other two? As always, it depends. However, looking at the balance of the squad and which departments are best stocked in terms of depth, it seems likely that one defender and one forward will have to leave the team.
Assuming Popovic believes Kai Trewin is adequate backup to Jacob Italiano on the right wing, Kye Rowles, Jason Geria, Milos Degenek or Lucas Herrington won’t make it. It will be a difficult decision as the first three are loyal, reliable servants of the national team and the latter is not only one of Australia’s best centre-back prospects but is also in sensational form for the Colorado Rapids.
Mitchell Duke is one of those sent home, ending his bid for a second World Cup. It looks like it will be a head-to-head battle between first-choice striker Mohamed Toure and Brandon Borrello, and gunner Tete Yengi, who has been called up for the first time as an alternative option.
No disrespect to him, but Borrello is lucky to be there. He had a poor A-League season in a weak Western Sydney Wanderers team but that doesn’t make him a bad player and it’s clear Popovic is on to something this training camp.
His problem may be that he isn’t different enough from Toure or the squad’s part-time forwards Mathew Leckie, Nestory Irankunda and Martin Boyle to complete the profile mix Popovic is likely to want.
The big-bodied soloist Yengi, who is 197 cm tall, offers a different dynamic. The younger brother of 11-time Socceroo Kusini has spent this year on loan from Scottish club Livingston at Machida Zelvia, the Japanese side where the Duke plays.
The 25-year-old hasn’t exactly scored regularly, but he has scored at key moments in the run-up to the AFC Champions League final, has been useful in the Japanese league and could be a glass-breaking solution if the Socceroos need to go long and direct at any stage during the World Cup.
Expect the final draft to take place on Sunday (AEST) at the famous Rose Bowl Stadium in Los Angeles; Here, the Socceroos will face World Cup hosts Mexico in their penultimate friendly before the opening match of Group D.
The squad will be determined the next day.
