Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou has some tough choices to make before the World Cup in Brazil. Picture: Scott Barbour. Source: Scott Barbour / Getty Images
ANGE Postecoglou’s FIFA World Cup Socceroos squad should have at least two Adelaide-born products — James Troisi and Ryan McGowan.
Postecoglou’s squad will pick itself and there should be 20 spots cemented down before the 30-man squad camp in Sydney this month.
Troisi and McGowan are almost certain to be in Brazil in the final squad.
Troisi is still training with Melbourne Victory and will take a break after May 9 while McGowan is currently in season with Chinese club Shandong Luneng — Adelaide United’s sister club once upon a time.
McGowan’s side is currently sitting third, nine games into its 2014 campaign.
Troisi and McGowan’s pending inclusion in the final World Cup squad will be the first time SA has had representation since 2006.
John Aloisi and Mount Gambier-born Josip Skoko played for the Socceroos with pride in Germany.
But it should have been three representing SA at Australia’s most successful World Cup to date when Australia was knocked out in the second round to eventual champion Italy in Kaiserslautern.
Tony Vidmar was forced to skip the tournament after a FIFA medical test before the 2006 tournament detected a heart-condition.
Postecoglou is expected to name a preliminary 30-man squad for the farewell friendly against South Africa at Stadium Australia on May 26.
He will then hand out 27 Brazil boarding passes before the Socceroos settle into their surrounds at Vitoria, Brazil.
Then four of Postecoglou’s men will be tapped them on the shoulder to tell them they’re not in the 23-man squad.
D-day arrives on June 2 when FIFA wants all 32 nations to submit their final squads.
Adelaide United goalkeeper of the year Eugene Galekovic is expected to be named in the final 27 to head to Brazil.
Galekovic made Pim Verbeek’s South African cut in 2010 after Liverpool’s Brad Jones was forced to vacate the squad when his late son Luca became ill with leukaemia.
With Mark Schwarzer No. 1 four years ago before he announced his international retirement last year, Galekovic was Verbeek’s No. 3 behind Reading’s Adam Federici in South Africa.
Galekovic has now moved up the pecking order.
But it’s highly unlikely he’ll move past Mat Ryan where with young gloveman comfortably held down a No. 1 spot at Belgium’s Club Brugge.
His club is in line to play UEFA Champions League next season.
Mitch Langerak — No. 2 at Borussia Dortmund — should get a call up given he’s young, 25 and has played football at the highest level in Germany albeit just four matches this season.
Postecoglou has a good option in taking Galekovic who has played every minute of Adelaide’s 28 matches this season.
It would leave the coach perhaps feeling more comfortable than taking Jones, who hasn’t featured in an official match this season with Federici unlikely to be in Brazil.
VAL MIGLIACCIO PICKS HIS SOCCEROOS WORLD CUP SQUAD
THE DEFINITES
GOALKEEPERS
Mat Ryan, 22 — (Club Brugge)
Mitch Langerak, 25 — (Borussia Dortmund)
DEFENDERS
Ivan Franjic, 26 — (Brisbane Roar)
Matthew Spiranovic, 25 — (Western Sydney Wanderers)
Jason Davidson, 22 — (Heracles Almelo)
Curtis Good, 21 — (Newcastle United on loan to Dundee United)
Matt McKay, 31 — (Brisbane Roar)
Ryan McGowan, 24 — (Shandong Luneng)
MIDFIELDERS
Mark Milligan, 28 — (Melbourne Victory)
Mile Jedinak, 29, (Crystal Palace) (captain)
Mark Bresciano, 34 — (Al-Gharafa, Qatar)
Tom Rogic, 21 — (Celtic on loan to Melbourne Victory)
James Holland, 24 — (Austria Wien)
Adam Sarota, 25 — (FC Utrecht)
FORWARDS
Tim Cahill, 34 — (New York Red Bull)
Josh Kennedy, 31 — (Nagoya Grampus)
James Troisi, 25 — (Juventus/Atalanta on loan Melbourne Victory)
Mathew Leckie, 23 — (FSV Frankfurt)
Tommy Oar, 22 — (FC Utrecht)
Ben Halloran, 21 — (Fortuna Dusseldorf)
THE MAYBES
GOALKEEPERS
Eugene Galekovic, 32 — (Adelaide United)
Brad Jones, 32 — (Liverpool)
DEFENDERS
Massimo Luongo, 21 — (Swindon Town)
Luke Wilkshire, 32, (Dynamo Moscow)
MIDFIELDERS
Oliver Bozanic, 25 — (FC Luzern)
Dario Vidosic, 27 — (Sion)
Mitch Nichols, 24 — (Cerezo Osaka)
Jackson Irvine, 21 — (Celtic on loan to Kilmarnock)
Luke Brattan, 24 — (Brisbane Roar)
STRIKER
Adam Taggart, 20 — (Newcastle Jets)
THE LONG SHOTS
Osama Malik, 23 — (Adelaide United)
Adam Federici, 29 — (Reading)
Tomi Juric, 22 — (Western Sydney Wanderers)
Josh Brillante, 21 — (Newcastle Jets)
THE BOLTER
Daniel Da Silva, 17 — (Perth Glory)
ON THE OUTER
Lucas Neill, 36 — (Watford on loan to Doncaster)
Sasa Ognenovski, 35 — (Sydney FC)
Brett Holman, 29 — (Al Nasr, UAE) retired from international football
Alex Wilkinson, 29 — (Jeonbuk Motors)
Robbie Kruse, 25 — (Bayer Leverkusen) (injured)
Rhys Williams, 25 — (Middlesbrough)
Michael Zullo, 25 — (FC Utrecht was on loan to Adelaide United)
Chris Herd, 25 — (Aston Villa)
Nikita Rukavytsya, 26 — (FSV Frankfurt on loan from Mainz)
David Carney, 30 — (Newcastle Jets)
Mark Schwarzer, 41 — (Chelsea) retired from international football
Archie Thompson, 35 — (Melbourne Victory)
Carl Valeri, 29 — (Ternana)
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