Maty Ryan Omitted from Socceroos Squad for Brazil Matches
Maty Ryan has been dropped from the Socceroos squad altogether, as Tony Popovic swings hard towards the future for Australia’s first matches since the World Cup – and a double-header against Brazil.
The national captain, 34, is the headline omission from a list that includes seven uncapped players and a raft of fresh faces for the clashes in Brisbane on 25 September and Townsville on 28 September.
Ryan out, Beach in – again
Ryan’s absence comes after a turbulent World Cup for the veteran goalkeeper. He lost his starting spot to Patrick Beach during the tournament, only to be thrown on for the round-of-32 penalty shootout against Egypt in a move that baffled many.
After the defeat, Ryan revealed he was only told he might replace Beach as extra time began. Popovic has since insisted the keeper knew that scenario was on the table before kick-off.
Back at club level, Ryan has started the new La Liga season strongly with Levante, which only sharpens the sense of surprise around his omission.
Instead, uncapped St Mirren keeper Jacob Chapman has been called in to join Beach and Paul Izzo. Chapman is one of seven players yet to make their senior debut named for the Brazil fixtures.
New blood on the fringes
Popovic has leaned into youth and potential. Untried left-back Kasey Bos – younger brother of injured star Jordan Bos – returns for another camp, joined by 19-year-old defender Dylan Leonard.
Former A-League livewires Marcus Younis (Brondby IF) and Eli Adams (Gamba Osaka) have earned maiden call-ups, as have Kealey Adamson (QPR), Chapman and Yaya Dukuly (NK Celje).
Sixteen members of the 26-man World Cup squad are back, forming the spine around which Popovic is clearly trying to build the next phase.
There are notable absentees. Jordan Bos (knee) and central defender Cam Burgess (achilles) are both out injured. Cristian Volpato is sidelined with a hamstring issue and sits at the centre of off-field scrutiny after being fined last week for driving with cocaine in his system in July. The Sassuolo attacker maintains his innocence and will contest the charges in court. Popovic is yet to speak publicly about the situation; that changes in this camp.
Riley McGree and Patrick Yazbek return after missing the World Cup through injury, while Alex Robertson has been recalled.
Cameron Devlin, Nishan Velupillay, Mathew Leckie, Ajdin Hrustic, Kai Trewin and Awer Mabil all miss out this time. Aziz Behich stands alone as the only A-League Men representative in the squad.
Popovic’s eye on the Asian Cup
“We are looking forward to coming together for the first time since the Fifa World Cup 2026,” Popovic said in a statement.
“We have picked a squad with an eye on the Asian Cup and an eye on the future, and it’s a great opportunity for us to continue growing as a team.
“We are also very excited to be playing at home for the first time since March in what are two crucial matches for us, against Brazil, the most successful team in Fifa World Cup history.
“We will only have two camps and four matches before we select our Asian Cup squad, so these matches are critical for us in preparation for our next major tournament.”
Two camps. Four games. Then the Asian Cup squad is locked in. For the uncapped brigade, the stakes could hardly be clearer.
Australia squad to face Brazil
- Goalkeepers: Patrick Beach, Jacob Chapman*, Paul Izzo
- Defenders: Kealey Adamson*, Aziz Behich, Kasey Bos*, Alessandro Circati, Milos Degenek, Jason Geria, Lucas Herrington, Jacob Italiano, Dylan Leonard*, Harry Souttar
- Midfielders: Jackson Irvine, Riley McGree, Connor Metcalfe, Aiden O’Neill, Paul Okon-Engstler, Alexander Robertson, Patrick Yazbek
- Forwards: Eli Adams*, Yaya Dukuly*, Nestory Irankunda, Mohamed Toure, Tete Yengi, Marcus Younis*
* Uncapped
Ryan watches on from Spain. Brazil loom. For Popovic and a new wave of Socceroos, the countdown to the Asian Cup starts now.
