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Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek oversees a training session at Docklands Stadium. AAP Image/Julian Smith
The popular assumption following yesterday’s announcement of the preliminary 31-man Socceroos squad is that Pim Verbeek has, yet again, shunned the A-League – a league he considers at a lower level than a training session at a Bundesliga club.
Missing from the extended squad were Perth Glory trio, and former Socceroos, Mile Sterjovski, Jacob Burns and Chris Coyne.
Alex Brosque and Simon Colosimo’s brilliant performances, which were instrumental in Sydney FC’s premiership and championship wins, also weren’t enough for Verbeek, who overlooked the duo.
Even Eugene Galekovic, the undoubted star goalkeeper of the A-League, despite Adelaide United’s woeful season, could only manage the “fourth” goalkeeper spot, with Verbeek going out of his way in his squad presentation to note that Galekovic will only feature in the final squad should Mark Schwarzer, Adam Federici and Brad Jones succumb to injury.
Injury robbed Shane Stefanutto, Matthew Kemp and Archie Thompson of the chance to be considered for South Africa – and Verbeek did single them out in his presentation – but it’s highly doubtful they would have been given the nod ahead of European based candidates such as Nathan Burns, Bruce Djite, and Neil Kilkenny.
Only Jason Culina of Gold Coast United is a currently contracted A-League player, meaning that the Socceroos will be going to South Africa with two less A-League players than they took to Germany in 2006 (Archie Thompson, Mark Milligan and Michael Beauchamp were in the squad but didn’t feature four years ago).
The perception to emerge yesterday, therefore, was that the A-League had been overlooked yet again as a result of Verbeek’s prejudice against the league and the obvious lack of technical ability within it.
Verbeek’s unfortunate past comment was a public black eye for the league, but his belief was only confirmed by the Socceroos squad he picked, we were told yesterday.
But let’s ignore the reasons why the A-League isn’t in a position to provide more Socceroos at present (that requires its own column), and look at what it has contributed to this current squad.
Scratch beneath the surface and look beyond the current clubs alongside the names in the 31-man squad and you’ll find that almost half of the players named have A-League experience, with many of them starring in our domestic competition before moving on.
According to my calculations, of the 31 named in the squad (let’s include the unlucky Galekovic for the moment), 13 of the players have A-League experience, and even more encouragingly is how many of the them are youngsters and represent the future of the Socceroos beyond the so-called “Golden Generation”.
Tommy Oar is just one example, with fans undoubtedly relieved that the incredibly talented teenager made it into the 31.
Oar, along with Dario Vidosic, were products of the Brisbane Roar, and their grounding and training in the A-League, along with their impressive performances, put them on the road to Europe and, hopefully, the World Cup.
Nikita Rukavytsya was a star for Perth Glory before moving to Holland. Michael Beauchamp and Mile Jedinak were products of the Central Coast. Nicky Carle, James Holland and Jade North were instrumental in Newcastle Jets’ successes in the A-League before going in very different paths, which could culminate in South Africa.
David Carney’s performances at Sydney FC gave him a second crack at Europe.
The A-League may come under criticism for its ability to produce Socceroos based on how many current domestic based players were selected, but delve deeper and you’ll find it is doing the job of providing a springboard for players to get to Europe, and Asia, and the Socceroos.
Finally, it would be remiss not to mention the amount of coverage and attention the squad announcement received yesterday.
Live blogs and live streaming were run on major newspaper websites across the media spectrum.
(The exception being SEN Radio who, according to Melbourne based Roarers, cut away from Verbeek’s speech as he was still reading out the names – not cool.)
Interest in the squad selection far outweighed that of four years – undoubtedly helped by the controversial makeup of the Socceroos under Verbeek’s rule.
But it’s yet another sign of the growing stature and importance we are placing on the Socceroos. As we debated and argued over players included and missing, it proved they matter more to us than ever before.