Maty Ryan Dropped from Socceroos Squad for Brazil Friendlies

Maty Ryan has been dumped from the Socceroos squad, with coach Tony Popovic swinging hard towards the future in his first selection since the World Cup and calling up seven uncapped players for a blockbuster pair of friendlies against Brazil.

The national captain is out. Completely.

Ryan, 34, not only loses the No 1 shirt but his place in the squad altogether, despite a strong start to the La Liga season with Levante. His omission comes off the back of a turbulent World Cup, where he was replaced by Patrick Beach as first-choice goalkeeper, then hauled on in bizarre fashion for the penalty shootout in the round-of-32 defeat to Egypt.

After that loss, Ryan revealed he was only told he might replace Beach as extra time began. Popovic later pushed back, insisting the veteran knew that scenario was on the table before kick-off. The tension around that decision now has a sharp sequel: Ryan watching from home as the Socceroos face the most successful team in World Cup history.

New blood, old guard trimmed

Into the vacuum steps Jacob Chapman. The uncapped St Mirren goalkeeper is drafted in to join Beach and Paul Izzo for the September clashes in Brisbane (25 September) and Townsville (28 September). Chapman is one of seven players yet to earn a cap, the clearest sign yet that Popovic is reshaping the squad with one eye firmly on the horizon.

At left-back, the Bos family story takes another twist. With star full-back Jordan Bos sidelined by a knee injury, his younger brother Kasey Bos is handed another camp call-up. The untried defender is joined by 19-year-old Dylan Leonard, another uncapped option in a back line that suddenly looks far less settled and far more experimental.

Popovic has also turned to a new wave of attacking talent. Former A-League livewires Marcus Younis (Brondby IF) and Eli Adams (Gamba Osaka) have been rewarded with maiden selections, as has Kealey Adamson of QPR. Chapman and winger Yaya Dukuly (NK Celje) complete the list of debutants.

Sixteen members of the 26-man World Cup squad survive the cull. Several do not.

Cameron Devlin, Nishan Velupillay, Mathew Leckie, Ajdin Hrustic, Kai Trewin and Awer Mabil are all left out. The domestic footprint shrinks again: Aziz Behich stands alone as the only A-League Men representative in the group.

Injuries, absences and a looming Asian Cup

Injuries have bitten into the spine of the team. Jordan Bos and central defender Cam Burgess both miss out, with knee and achilles problems respectively. Cristian Volpato is also sidelined by a hamstring issue, but his name will hover over this camp for another reason.

The Sassuolo attacker was last week fined for driving with cocaine in his system in July. He has denied the allegation and will challenge the charges in court. Popovic is set to front the media for the first time since that news broke, and questions about Volpato’s future with the national team will be impossible to dodge.

There is some welcome experience returning. Riley McGree and Patrick Yazbek are back after missing the World Cup through injury, while Alex Robertson earns a recall as Popovic tries to rebuild his midfield balance around Jackson Irvine, Connor Metcalfe and Aiden O’Neill.

Popovic made his intentions clear in a statement announcing the squad.

“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. For some of these new faces, this is a trial by fire against Brazil; for Maty Ryan, it may be the moment his long Socceroos reign finally gives way to a new era.

Australia squad vs 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*

*Denotes uncapped