Socceroos Squad Changes: Maty Ryan Omitted as New Talents Enter

Maty Ryan has been dropped from the Socceroos squad altogether, with coach Tony Popovic turning sharply towards the future for Australia’s first matches since the World Cup – a glamour double-header against Brazil on home soil.

The national captain, who lost his starting spot to Patrick Beach in Qatar, is the headline omission in a 26-man group stacked with seven uncapped players and only one A-League Men representative.

Ryan out, new blood in

Ryan’s situation has hovered over the Socceroos since that chaotic World Cup round-of-32 exit to Egypt. Beach started the match, only for Ryan to be brought on purely for the penalty shootout – a move that backfired and sparked confusion.

Ryan later said he was only told as extra time began that he might replace Beach for spot-kicks. Popovic has since maintained the veteran knew that scenario was on the table before kick-off. The tension around that decision now has a hard edge: Ryan, 34, is out of the squad entirely.

His omission is all the more striking given his club form. The Levante goalkeeper has opened the La Liga season strongly, yet Popovic has instead handed a first call-up to St Mirren’s Jacob Chapman, who joins Beach and Paul Izzo as the three keepers.

Chapman is one of seven players chasing a first cap in the September friendlies against Brazil in Brisbane (25 September) and Townsville (28 September).

Seven uncapped, one A-League survivor

Popovic has gone deep into the next generation.

Untried left-back Kasey Bos, younger brother of injured star Jordan Bos, returns for another camp, still waiting for his debut. He is joined by fellow uncapped defender Dylan Leonard, just 19, as the coach refreshes his back line.

In attack and midfield, former A-League livewires Marcus Younis (now at Brondby IF) and Eli Adams (Gamba Osaka) are rewarded with maiden call-ups, as are Kealey Adamson (QPR) and Yaya Dukuly (NK Celje). Chapman completes the group of seven debut hopefuls.

Sixteen players from the World Cup squad survive the cull. The flip side is brutal: Cameron Devlin, Nishan Velupillay, Mathew Leckie, Ajdin Hrustic, Kai Trewin and Awer Mabil all miss out. So does Ryan.

Aziz Behich stands alone as the only A-League Men player selected, a stark snapshot of where Popovic believes the core of his squad now lies.

Injuries, absences and a looming Asian Cup

Australia will be without some key pillars. Star left-back Jordan Bos is sidelined with a knee injury, while central defender Cam Burgess is out with an achilles problem. Cristian Volpato is missing with a hamstring issue.

Volpato’s name will still hang over this camp. The Sassuolo attacker was last week fined for driving with cocaine in his system in July, charges he intends to fight in court while maintaining his innocence. Popovic is expected to address the matter publicly for the first time during this window.

There is better news elsewhere. Riley McGree and Patrick Yazbek both return after missing the World Cup through injury, and Alex Robertson has been recalled as Popovic reshapes the heart of his midfield.

Popovic made his intentions clear in a statement.

“We are looking forward to coming together for the first time since the Fifa World Cup 2026,” he said. “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. Every minute against Brazil will carry weight.

The squad in full

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*

*Denotes uncapped

A captain left at home. A cluster of fresh faces thrown into the fire against Brazil. With the Asian Cup sprint already underway, Popovic has nailed his colours to the mast – now the question is whether this new-look Socceroos side can grow up fast enough.