Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek has cut striker Scott McDonald, midfielder Nick Carle and defender Jade North from the provisional 28-man World Cup squad he will take to a training camp in South Africa.
Verbeek trimmed his squad from the original 31 to 28 – one more than originally flagged after convincing Football Federation Australia to let him take four goalkeepers to the camp.
Youngsters Tommy Oar and James Holland are also part of the squad, but Verbeek said they were effectively going for the experience and were unlikely to be part of the final 23-man World Cup squad he names on June 1.
McDonald, who played for most of Monday night’s 2-1 win over New Zealand at the MCG, was the surprise omission.
With a dearth of strikers, Verbeek opted not to plump for McDonald, who has failed to score in 16 matches for his country.
Instead Belgian-based Nikita Rukavytsya and Josh Kennedy will back up Harry Kewell.
Verbeek admitted the Middlesbrough striker struggled in his lone striker system, and had missed out for that reason.
“Scotty is a typical two-striker player, and that’s where he feels happy also,” Verbeek said.
“But we don’t play with two strikers. We play with one striker up top and wingers, so Scotty doesn’t fit in this system.
“He knows it, and he tried everything.”
Everton star Tim Cahill and Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer also headline the squad.
Verbeek said the players from this squad who did not make the final 23 would be kept on in South Africa for the duration of the tournament.
The Socceroos will depart Melbourne on Wednesday for a pre-World Cup training camp in Johannesburg.
They play friendlies against Denmark on June 1 and the United States on June 5 in Roodepoort ahead of their opening World Cup group match against Germany in Durban on June 14 (Australian time).
Provisional Socceroos World Cup squad:
Goalkeepers: Mark Schwarzer, Adam Federici, Brad Jones, Eugene Galekovic.
Defenders: Scott Chipperfield, David Carney, Lucas Neill, Michael Beauchamp, Shane Lowry, Craig Moore, Mark Milligan, Rhys Williams, Luke Wilkshire.
Midfielders: Vince Grella, Carl Valeri, Jason Culina, Mile Jedinak, Tim Cahill, Brett Holman, Dario Vidosic, Mark Bresciano, Brett Emerton, Richard Garcia, James Holland, Tommy Oar.
Strikers: Nikita Rukavytsya, Josh Kennedy, Harry Kewell.
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