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2026 World Cup Squad

Decentric said:
The defence must be strong to omit Rowles.

The central midfield must be strong to omit Balard.

Both have done well in stats/ data.

That Boyle was in the Roo frame until recently, and Hrustic is in the forwards, shows the Aus lack of depth in attack. Their data is mediocre over a long time, compared to McGree, Iran, Toure, Metcalfe, Villupillay.

Mabil’s finishing gets him in.

Juric did everything well except create chances!
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I would have included Rowles. As others have pointed out, Balard did nothing wrong when called upon. Hrustic has been nominated as one of the midfielders but we'll see where he plays, if he gets a run. I guess he provides an additional dead-ball option. It was concerning when Irankunda was taking corners against one of the Sth American teams. They were generally poor quality. When Elder came on there was a marked improvement in that aspect. We have a lot of tall timber in the squad so we want our corners and free kicks to be good quality.
 
dr. bellows said:
I would have included Rowles. As others have pointed out, Balard did nothing wrong when called upon. Hrustic has been nominated as one of the midfielders but we'll see where he plays, if he gets a run. I guess he provides an additional dead-ball option. It was concerning when Irankunda was taking corners against one of the Sth American teams. They were generally poor quality. When Elder came on there was a marked improvement in that aspect. We have a lot of tall timber in the squad so we want our corners and free kicks to be good quality.
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To me Rowles is the most surprising omission?

Even at Left Wing Back he was effective.

I have compiled comprehensive stats over time that he is one of our best 1v1 ball winners, plus he is tidy on the ball. It must have been a tough decision with him, Geria, Trewin, Degenek and Herrington, for the coaching staff.
 
Decentric said:
To me Rowles is the most surprising omission?

Even at Left Wing Back he was effective.

I have compiled comprehensive stats over time that he is one of our best 1v1 ball winners, plus he is tidy on the ball. It must have been a tough decision with him, Geria, Trewin, Degenek and Herrington, for the coaching staff.
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No he isn't effective. He couldn't work on tight space. Defensively is okay but offensively is just god awful.
 
Decentric said:
I’m surmising Volpato will be the sub, as the other two are match fitter.

Shame Volpato isn’t fitter so he can be appraised like for like. He showed great skill in his highlights reel, which wasn’t on show against the Swiss.
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Either or. Probably doesn't make much difference tbh.
 
mkxx said:
No he isn't effective. He couldn't work on tight space. Defensively is okay but offensively is just god awful.
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To his credit, Rowles has displayed quite a lot of composure on the ball in tight spaces. I’ve seen a lot of footage on replays.

I suppose a positive is as one of the 2 CB starters in the Qatar WC, Rowles not being selected may indicate more quantity of quality Socceroo CBs for the USA/Canada/ Mexico WC.

To think that 5-6 others have surpassed him in 4 years is auspicious for the future, including the younger Trewin, Herrington and Circati.
 
Toure is reportedly under a potential injury cloud according to Vince Rugari:

Alameda: There is a cloud over the Socceroos ahead of their World Cup opener against Turkey after star striker Mohamed Toure appeared not to train with the team on Wednesday (local time).

All members of Australia’s 26-man squad were present at the Oakland Roots facility, including Toure, who a team spokesperson said had arrived on the bus from the hotel and had taken part in a team photo before the session.

However, the 22-year-old forward was not on the pitch for the 15-minute window in which media can observe training, raising concerns about his ability to play in Sunday’s (2pm AEST) clash with Turkey in Vancouver, Canada.

No further information about his fitness status was provided.

Toure has been one of the Socceroos’ form players at club level, scoring 10 goals in 12 games for Norwich City since his mid-season transfer to the English Championship club, a productive stint that was interrupted by a groin injury.

It would be a serious blow if he were not fit to play Australia’s first Group D fixture, as Toure is expected to be a key part of coach Tony Popovic’s game plan, using his pace to hit Turkey on the counter-attack and get in behind their defensive line.

Natural striking options in the squad are limited, with Tete Yengi – who made his international debut in the 1-1 friendly draw against Switzerland – the only genuine No.9.

However, Mathew Leckie and Nestory Irankunda are both capable of playing up front, with the former a logical back-up option given the intensity of the occasion, even though he hasn’t played there much of late for Melbourne City.
 
Hopefully purely just a headline - he was on the can fingers crossed :)

the 22-year-old forward was not on the pitch for the 15-minute window in which media can observe training
 
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