Graham Arnold, it seems, has developed quite the taste for the unexpected.
After the naturalisation of Bruno Fornaroli and a penalty shootout gamble that made global headlines, come both a teenager with a CV that can be measured in minutes and a colourful striker who revels in a nickname with all sorts of inappropriate undertones.
Add to that Arnold talking Mitch Langerak into reversing his international retirement, first call-ups for five other players including Fulham youngster Tyrese Francois, and a first recall in three years for Thomas Deng – the Socceroos coach has thrown a number of cards into the air for the two friendlies with New Zealand this month, and who knows how they will land in terms of the World Cup.
You could well argue that the inclusion of Garang Kuol and Jason Cummings is a multi-purpose tool – not just to see how they react to the environment of international football, but to lay down the gauntlet to Arnold’s incumbent attack that has scored two goals in Australia’s last four competitive matches. Nothing should concentrate the mind like the possibility of being edged out of the squad for Qatar.
Cummings in particular is no less an eyebrow-raising inclusion for all that; he was a popular fan pick for the A-League All Stars against Barcelona in May and has marketability in spades for his club. Whether he has the pace or subtlety of movement to trouble international defences is something else entirely, qualities that Arnold will assess up close.
Kuol is chosen entirely on potential, the sort of gut instinct that led Bert van Marwijk to include Daniel Arzani four years ago in Russia. He also impressed against Barcelona in terms of his fearlessness, and that direct quality prompted praise from Barca boss Xavi.
At 17, his apparently effortless progress so far is underpinned by a tremendous work ethic – he and his two brothers at the Mariners can be seen after school most days working on the pitch at the club’s training ground. It’s certainly possible to see Kuol sneak into the World Cup squad and become a nothing-to-lose option off the bench.
Arnold will also look anew at a clutch of the Olyroos he took to the Tokyo Games last year, but it’s the return to the fold of Langerak which is an even bigger surprise.
Reluctant to leave his family behind during Japan’s strict COVID lockdowns, the former Melbourne Victory keeper has been in remarkable and award-winning form in the J-League. His decision to rejoin the national team once more is a boon for Arnold and deserved reward for a popular and engaging character.
There is a sign of ruthlessness in Arnold’s picks, especially in an extended squad of 31. Gianni Stensness and Kye Rowles miss out through injury – assuming he recovers from a broken metatarsal, Rowles is a shoo-in for the World Cup – but Jason Davidson and Kenny Dougall miss out despite regular game time this season for their clubs.
Socceroos Squad | September FIFA International Window 2022 | Australia v New Zealand
Supplied by Football Australia.
| Name | Current Club, Country | ‘A’ Caps (Goals) | Junior Club (Member Federation/Country) |
| Nathaniel ATKINSON | Heart of Midlothian, Scotland | 3 (0) | Riverside Olympic FC(Football Tasmania) |
| Keanu BACCUS | St Mirren FC, Scotland | 0 (0) | Parklea FC (Football NSW) |
| Aziz BEHICH | Dundee United, Scotland | 52 (2) | Meadow Park SC (Football Victoria) |
| Martin BOYLE | Hibernian FC, Scotland | 18 (5) | Lewis United FC/Montrose FC (Scotland) |
| Jason CUMMINGS | Central Coast Mariners, Australia | 0 (0) | Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale FC (Scotland) |
| Harrison DELBRIDGE | Incheon United, Korea Republic | 0 (0) | Capital Area Soccer League Elite (United States) |
| Milos DEGENEK | Columbus Crew, USA | 36 (1) | Blacktown City FC (Football NSW) |
| Thomas DENG | Albirex Niigata, Japan | 1 (0) | Adelaide Blue Eagles(Football South Australia) |
| Cameron DEVLIN | Heart of Midlothian, Scotland | 0 (0) | Sutherland Sharks (Football NSW) |
| Mitchell DUKE | Fagiano Okayama, Japan | 20 (7) | Liverpool Rangers SC(Football NSW) |
| Tyrese FRANCOIS | HNK Gorica, Croatia | 0 (0) | Camden Tigers (Football NSW) |
| Denis GENREAU | Toulouse FC, France | 3 (0) | Brighton SC (Football Victoria) |
| Ajdin HRUSTIC | Hellas Verona FC, Italy | 19 (3) | Heatherton United SC(Football Victoria) |
| Jackson IRVINE | FC St. Pauli, Germany | 48 (7) | Ringwood City SC (Football Victoria) |
| Fran KARACIC | Brescia Calcio, Italy | 9 (1) | NK Lokomotiva (Croatia) |
| Joel KING | Odense Boldklub, Denmark | 2 (0) | Shellharbour Junior FC(Football NSW) |
| Garang KUOL | Central Coast Mariners, Australia | 0 (0) | Goulburn Valley Suns(Football Victoria) |
| Mitch LANGERAK (Gk) | Nagoya Grampus, Japan | 8 (0) | ATW FC (Football Queensland) |
| Mathew LECKIE | Melbourne City FC, Australia | 71 (13) | Brimbank Stallions FC(Football Victoria) |
| Awer MABIL | Cadiz CF, Spain | 28 (7) | Saint Augustines FC(Football South Australia) |
| Jamie MACLAREN | Melbourne City FC, Australia | 25 (8) | Green Gully SC (Football Victoria) |
| Riley MCGREE | Middlesbrough FC, England | 9 (1) | Gawler Eagles FC(Football South Australia) |
| Connor METCALFE | FC St. Pauli, Germany | 3 (0) | South Cardiff FC(Northern NSW Football) |
| Aaron MOOY | Celtic FC, Scotland | 52 (7) | Carlingford Redbacks FC(Football NSW) |
| Andrew REDMAYNE (Gk) | Sydney FC, Australia | 3 (0) | Gosford City Dragons FC(Football NSW) |
| Mathew RYAN (Gk) (Cpt) | FC Copenhagen, Denmark | 74 (0) | Blacktown City FC (Football NSW) |
| Trent SAINSBURY | Al-Wakrah, Qatar | 60 (4) | Armadale SC (Football West) |
| Ryan STRAIN | St Mirren FC, Scotland | 0 (0) | Aston Villa FC (UK) |
| Adam TAGGART | Cerezo Osaka, Japan | 16 (6) | ECU Joondalup SC (Football West) |
| Marco TILIO | Melbourne City FC, Australia | 3 (0) | APIA Leichhardt FC/Sydney Olympic FC (Football NSW) |
| Bailey WRIGHT | Sunderland AFC, England | 27 (2) | Langwarrin SC (Football Victoria) |
Socceroos vs New Zealand
Date: Thursday, 22 September 2022
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Queensland
Kick-off: 8.00pm AEST
Tickets: On sale now from www.ticketek.com.au
New Zealand vs Socceroos
Date: Sunday, 25 September 2022
Venue: Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand
Kick-off: 4.00pm (local time), 1.00pm (AEST)
Tickets: On sale now from www.ticketek.co.nz
