Jordan Courtney-Perkins has made an impressive start to the season as he continues to thrive under Ufuk Talay at Sydney FC. aleagues.com.au looks at the numbers behind the in-form full-back amid his mounting Subway Socceroos case.
How close is Jordan Courtney-Perkins to a maiden Socceroos call-up?
“He is pushing for it,” according to his Sydney FC head coach Ufuk Talay.
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Sydney team-mates Hayden Matthews and Anthony Caceres have made their Socceroos’ debuts this season, while Sky Blues skipper Rhyan Grant has emerged from the international wilderness following Tony Popovic’s appointment in September.
Courtney-Perkins could be next in line if the 22-year-old continues his fine 2024-25 and there is plenty of time to stake his claim as Australia are not back in action until March in their pursuit of 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup qualification.
Since Popovic replaced Graham Arnold, the former Melbourne Victory, Perth Glory and Western Sydney Wanderers boss has adopted a back three with Melbourne City captain Aziz Behich and Hibernian’s Lewis Miller deployed as wing-backs, while Jordy Bos of Westerlo has also been used in that position.
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What makes left-footed Australia youth international Courtney-Perkins so appealing is not only his physical output but versatility and ability to play a number of positions – from centre-back to full-back. He has also played in a more advanced role at times under Talay this season.
Courtney-Perkins, who is among only one of eight defenders to have registered an assist this season, has registered 68 carries for the Sky Blues this Isuzu UTE A-League campaign.
To put that into perspective, City skipper and Socceroos left-back Aziz Behich has managed 51 in 2024-25 so far.
The former Brisbane Roar defender, who played for the Subway Olyroos at the 2024 AFC Under-23 Asian Cup, is effective in defence and attack.
This season, no defender has been involved in more duels than Courtney-Perkins (66), with the Sky Blues winning 34 of those to rank third in 2024-25.
He also ranks third for tackles (15) and tackles won (11) – Behich has four, while he is top 10 for possession won (22) and recoveries (22) among defenders in the competition.
By comparison, Behich has won possession 14 times, with 14 recoveries.
In terms of take-ons in the opposition half, Courtney-Perkins is joint first with 12, while Behich is equal 16th (3).
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Courtney-Perkins is also second for expected goals (xG), with 0.61 having scored once thus far.
If we look at his numbers since arriving from Polish top-tier outfit Rakow Czestochowa at the start of 2023-24, they are equally as impressive.
Only one other defender has managed more goals than Courtney-Perkins (4) in that time frame – former Macarthur Bulls full-back Matthew Millar (5), while he is seventh for assists behind Central Coast Mariners star Mikael Doka (7), Melbourne Victory full-back Adama Traore (4), Gabriel Cleur of Western Sydney (4), ex-Mariners full-back Jacob Farrell who now plays for Portsmouth (4), Perth Glory’s Josh Risdon (4) and Wellington Phoenix’s New Zealand international Tim Payne (4).
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Since last season, Courtney-Perkins has won 146 duels which has him ranked eighth behind team-mate Grant (203). He is also sixth for tackles won (37) while if you remove centre-backs from the equation, the Aussie is seventh for interceptions (33).
When it comes to possession won in the middle third, only six other defenders have fared better than Courtney-Perkins (54).
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“Jordy is my 100er, he will run through a brick wall. He will not stop,” Talay told reporters after the Unite Round derby.
“It’s always a competition at training, they always look at their numbers and data, and JCP is always the highest one who has done the most running.
“For us, JCP is important. We play with width on one side and gives us the width on the other side, and he has good moments. But he is still young, I think we forget he is still young and he will improve every game he plays.”
