Australia coach Tony Popovic has sprung a major surprise by omitting long-serving captain Maty Ryan from his squad entirely for the upcoming friendlies against Brazil, opting instead to blood seven uncapped players as the Socceroos begin life after the World Cup.
The matches, scheduled for Brisbane on 25 September and Townsville three days later, will mark Australia's first outings since their World Cup campaign ended with a round-of-32 penalty shootout defeat to Egypt. Ryan, who had lost his starting berth to emerging goalkeeper Patrick Beach during the tournament, was thrust into that shootout as a late substitute in unusual circumstances. The 34-year-old later revealed he was only informed of the possibility of replacing Beach once extra time had already begun, a claim Popovic has since disputed, maintaining the goalkeeper was aware beforehand that the switch could happen.
Despite a productive start to his La Liga season with Levante, Ryan's exclusion is a striking development. In his place, St Mirren's uncapped goalkeeper Jacob Chapman has been drafted into the squad alongside Beach and Paul Izzo, forming part of a group of seven newcomers handed their first opportunity at senior international level.
Among the other debutants is Kasey Bos, the younger sibling of injured defender Jordan Bos, who returns for another training camp along with 19-year-old defender Dylan Leonard. Former A-League standouts Marcus Younis, now with Danish club Brondby, and Eli Adams of Gamba Osaka have also earned maiden selections, joining QPR's Kealey Adamson and NK Celje's Yaya Dukuly on the list of uncapped players.
Overall, 16 members of the 26-man World Cup squad have been retained for the upcoming camp. However, several key figures are missing through injury, including left-back Jordan Bos, who is nursing a knee problem, and central defender Cam Burgess, who is dealing with an achilles issue. Sassuolo forward Cristian Volpato is also sidelined with a hamstring injury, and Popovic is expected to address media questions regarding the player's recent fine for driving with cocaine in his system back in July — an incident Volpato intends to contest in court while maintaining his innocence.
On a more positive note, Riley McGree and Patrick Yazbek have returned to the fold after being sidelined for the World Cup due to injury, while midfielder Alex Robertson has also been recalled. Meanwhile, several established names have dropped out of the squad, including Cameron Devlin, Nishan Velupillay, Mathew Leckie, Ajdin Hrustic, Kai Trewin and Awer Mabil. Aziz Behich stands as the sole representative from the A-League Men competition in the current group.
Speaking about the squad selection, Popovic framed the upcoming fixtures as a pivotal moment in Australia's preparation for future challenges. "We are looking forward to coming together for the first time since the Fifa World Cup 2026," he said in a statement. "We have picked a squad with an eye on the Asian Cup and an eye on the future, and it's a great opportunity for us to continue growing as a team."
He also emphasized the significance of facing Brazil on home soil. "We are also very excited to be playing at home for the first time since March in what are two crucial matches for us, against Brazil, the most successful team in Fifa World Cup history," Popovic added, noting that with only two camps and four matches remaining before the Asian Cup squad is finalized, these fixtures carry considerable weight in shaping Australia's plans.
Based on reporting from Guardian Football.