For the first time in seven years, the Subway Socceroos are back in Adelaide for a competitive fixture – and there’s enough local talent in the 26-player squad to fill a hotel floor.
That was the cheeky quip delivered by a smiling Riley McGree on Tuesday, when the Socceroos star from Gawler, South Australia was asked about the seven-player contingent from his home state named in head coach Tony Popovic’s squad for this month’s two qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup – beginning with Thursday’s clash against China at Adelaide Oval.
“Yeah, we have our own floor (at the hotel), it’s very exclusive!” McGree joked.
“Adelaide, it’s good to be back. We’ve got a strong representation from South Australia, so (I’m) very proud.”
Middlesbrough midfielder McGree is one of seven South Australian products selected in the current Socceroos squad, along with Thomas Deng, Joe Gauci, Craig Goodwin, Nestory Irankunda, Paul Izzo, and Apostolos Stamatelopoulos.
Six of the seven South Australian footballers in the squad (barring Thomas Deng) have played for the state’s Isuzu UTE A-League club, Adelaide United.
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Gauci and Irankunda are the two most recent Adelaide United products to have broken into the Socceroos’ setup; Gauci landed at Aston Villa in February and Irankunda joined Bayern Munich in July in two of the most high-profile Australian moves abroad in recent history.
With South Australian footballers making up more than 25% of the current Socceroos squad, McGree was asked to ponder the reason for the influx of talent from his home state into the international fold.
“It’s not a coincidence,” he said.
“I think South Australia has a lot of talent and we’ve shown that over the years, that we can have a good representation from this state and this city.
“I think going forward that will still be the case, from what I’ve seen at my time at Adelaide United and in the A-League previously (with) the young players coming through as well, I think there’s exciting prospects and exciting times ahead.
“I think it’s just the opportunities taken by the individuals, by the players. The South Australian players, whether it be at Adelaide United or other A-League clubs are just taking their opportunities and doing the best they can to put themselves in the spotlight, and then getting themselves that chance.”
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