Rising Stars and Veteran Hopes
Mitch Duke has been making a strong case to Socceroos coach Tony Popovic that he still has what it takes. Craig Goodwin might yet have one last chance to prove himself, while Aziz Behich seems to be on the verge of securing a spot. These are all former heroes of World Cup campaigns who are now playing in Australia and hoping for one more opportunity.
However, the search for a last-minute World Cup inclusion has brought up a name that is less familiar. Marcus Younis has been impressive since joining Melbourne City on loan from Danish club Brondby in January. In just 11 matches, he has scored seven goals and provided three assists, showing his potential as a key player.
A New Contender
Like Daniel Arzani in 2018 and Garang Kuol in 2022, who both made the Socceroos World Cup squads as teenagers due to their outstanding A-League performances, Younis, at 20, has emerged from nowhere to become a serious contender.
“Marcus Younis has been exceptional for us since his arrival in January,” said City coach Aurelio Vidmar. “The number of goals and assists he’s made and created, and his form, have been very good.”
Despite this, all the speculation will be in vain unless Younis can demonstrate his ability under the pressure of the A-League Men finals this weekend. He and his City teammates will face their toughest challenge yet: an elimination final against Auckland on Saturday.
City goalkeeper Patrick Beach and left-back Aziz Behich already seem likely to be included in Popovic’s squad. “Aziz, who’s certainly in the mix, has been our Scott Jamieson award winner this year and been extremely consistent,” Vidmar added. However, the tournament may come too soon for Mat Leckie, the hero from the Socceroos’ win over Denmark in Qatar, and Andrew Nabbout, who are still recovering from injuries.
“Leckie, as valuable as he is, he’s only just had the last two or three weeks off the bench, so he’s trying to pick up some minutes,” Vidmar said, adding that Nabbout is in a similar situation. “All these guys are capable, absolutely, but you need to be playing consistently at your club level to be considered.”
Veteran Presence
Duke has at least met that criterion. The target man came from Japan to Macarthur in December and has scored five times, including a brace against the eventual premiers Newcastle Jets. Even at 35, he remains an option for Popovic as a powerful presence, and few forget his goal against Tunisia in 2022.
“I really do believe he deserves the spot,” Bulls coach Mile Sterjovski told AAP this week. “He’s a different profile to what the Socceroos are like. Whether he starts or whether he comes off the bench, I feel like he’s got something different.”
Duke – who hasn’t played for the Socceroos since October – will be watching the finals this weekend after the Bulls finished seventh. As will Popovic, given the tantalising showdown between Socceroos aspirants that highlights the second elimination final.
Key Matches and Players
Sydney FC’s visit to AAMI Park for the clash against Melbourne Victory pits the Sky Blues’ Paul Okon-Engstler, who has muscled his way into recent Socceroos squads, against a talented Victory midfield. It contains six cap-Socceroo Denis Genreau – who, after a solid campaign back in Australia, said this week he hasn’t given up hope of making the trip to North America – as well as emerging pair Louis D’Arrigo and Jordi Valadon.
Victory coach Arthur Diles described Okon-Engstler as “a fantastic young footballer” who will be a formidable opponent for him and his players on Saturday. “It’s a competition for Denis to stand up, and whoever plays in the midfield, whether it’s Louis, whether it’s Valadon,” he said.
“Valadon’s a fantastic footballer, I don’t see why his name should never be far away from Socceroos conversations. He’s shown in the last two seasons that he’s a big young talent in this country.”
Strong Australian Talent
A-League Men premiers Newcastle and runners-up Adelaide United are similarly fuelled by Australian talent. At the Reds alongside Goodwin, who has just returned from a groin injury, is a cadre of capable young Australians such as Ethan Alagich and Jonny Yull.
Few would begrudge Popovic taking a closer look at the premiership-winning Jets, such as wingers Eli Adams and Clayton Taylor, veteran Max Burgess, or Joel Bertolissio, who could help fill the Socceroos’ hole at right-back left by the injured Lewis Miller.
But while those players rest this weekend, the focus shifts to others like the Victory’s Nishan Velupillay, who was part of the Socceroos’ last squad that hosted Cameroon and Curaçao. Diles is an unashamed advocate for his players, and hopes when Popovic names his World Cup squad on 1 June it will have a “sprinkling” of Victory players.
“In the end, I think Tony’s got a massive headache ahead of him,” he said. “It’s a pleasing headache, one that he would love, because there’s so many good players out there at the moment.”
