With three FIFA World Cup™ qualifying points in the bank, Graham Arnold has called upon three Hyundai A-League players as his Caltex Socceroos go in search of six more in October.
Hyundai A-League alumni Matthew Leckie, with a double, and Aaron Mooy were on the scoresheet as Australia kicked off their Qatar 2022™ qualification campaign with a 3-0 victory in Kuwait in September.
Arnold has named a 23-man roster for his next two Group B encounters, against Nepal, at GIO Stadium in Canberra on Thursday, October 10, and Chinese Taipei at the Kaohsiung National Stadium on Tuesday, October 15.
The same three domestic-based players that featured in Arnold’s previous squad are included again: Sydney FC pair Andrew Redmayne and Rhyan Grant and Melbourne City striker Jamie Maclaren.
Grant was the only one of the quartet to see action against Kuwait but, with Arnold facing the challenge of a five-day turnaround and a long flight between fixtures, his entire squad will be well prepared for game time in this window.
How to watch Caltex Socceroos v Nepal live and free
Strong Caltex Socceroos squad set for Canberra & Kaohsiung
Rhyan Grant
Grant has gone on to collect nine Caltex Socceroos caps since making his debut in a 3-0 friendly victory against Lebanon in November 2018.
The swashbuckling Sydney FC right-back has made the position his own since being introduced at half-time in Australia’s 2019 AFC Asian Cup opener back in January.
A key component of Arnold’s successes in the Harbour City, the 28-year-old has playing his whole career in the Hyundai A-League, amassing 168 appearances across 11 years in Sky Blue.
His silverware collection is an impressive one — with Hyundai A-League Premiership and Championship prizes in his cabinet.
Jamie Maclaren
Maclaren provides Arnold with an out-and-out number nine option, alongside former Brisbane Roar frontman Adam Taggart and Cyprus-based Apostolos Giannou.
The K-League top goalscorer Taggart, now with Suwon Bluewings, received the striker’s jersey for the opener in Kuwait, with Giannou replacing him on 68 minutes.
With Maclaren now further up to speed with an additional month of pre-season training under his belt, the Melbourne City poacher will be pushing for minutes in the October window.
The 26-year-old netted five times in nine Hyundai A-League games last season following a mid-season move from German club SV Darmstadt 98, and has notched six goals in four FFA Cup games so far in 2019.
Andrew Redmayne
Sydney FC shot-stopper Redmayne provides competition for Premier League outfit Brighton & Hove Albion’s gloveman and established Caltex Socceroos number one Mathew Ryan.
The hero of the Hyundai A-League Grand Final 2019, Redmayne was named as a substitute alongside Nagoya Grampus Eight goalkeeper Mitchell Langerak for the 3-0 win in Kuwait.
The 30-year-old earned his only senior cap in green and gold to date as a starter in the 1-0 June friendly loss against Korea Republic in Busan.
Redmayne has tallied up 142 Hyundai A-League appearances for five clubs, having also turned out for Central Coast Mariners, Brisbane Roar, Melbourne City and Western Sydney Wanderers in an 11-year career.
