Australia coach Tony Popovic has announced the first eight members of what he calls a train-on squad that will head to a pre-camp in Florida ahead of the World Cup. Speaking before departing for Sarasota, the Socceroos boss explained that he wanted to give players returning from injury or those with limited club playing time a chance to press their claims for final squad selection.
Popovic noted that the alternative would have been giving these players time off, but that would have caused them to fall behind with the limited preparation window. The initial group of eight includes half a dozen players who recently completed their A-League domestic campaigns, including Macarthur FC duo Mitch Duke and Anthony Caceres, Brisbane forward Nick D'Agostino, returning Mathew Leckie, Melbourne Victory forward Nishan Velupillay, and Western Sydney's Brandon Borrello.
Key defender Harry Souttar, who has suffered multiple injury setbacks over the past 18 months, also heads to the USA camp, along with Portsmouth defender Hayden Matthews. Popovic expressed delight at seeing Souttar back in contention, noting his quality as a fantastic player and the importance of giving him game time recently. Australia will name their final 26-man squad on June 1, with the coach estimating he is about 75 to 80 percent confident about the final group, leaving room for players to impress during the camp.
