Maty Ryan Dropped from Socceroos Squad Ahead of Brazil Friendlies
Maty Ryan has been dropped from the Socceroos squad in a stunning call from coach Tony Popovic, who has instead turned to a wave of new faces for Australia’s first matches since the World Cup.
The 34-year-old Levante goalkeeper, captain and long-time standard-bearer for the national team, is out altogether for the September friendlies against Brazil in Brisbane (25 September) and Townsville (28 September). In his place, uncapped St Mirren shot-stopper Jacob Chapman has been drafted in alongside World Cup starter Patrick Beach and Paul Izzo.
Ryan’s omission lands just months after a turbulent World Cup campaign. He lost his starting spot to Beach during the tournament, then was dramatically brought on specifically for the penalty shootout in the round-of-32 clash with Egypt. Australia went out, and the decision has hovered over the camp ever since.
Ryan said after the defeat he was only told as extra time began that he might replace Beach if the game went to penalties. Popovic later pushed back, insisting the keeper knew that scenario was on the table before kick-off. Now, with Ryan in strong form to start the La Liga season, his absence from this squad adds another layer to that story.
Popovic turns to youth
Popovic has doubled down on regeneration. Seven uncapped players headline a bold 26-man list, with the coach openly using this window as a bridge to the Asian Cup.
Chapman is one of those seven. He joins a refreshed defensive group that includes untried left-back Kasey Bos, younger brother of injured star Jordan Bos, and 19-year-old defender Dylan Leonard. Both Bos and Leonard are in again after previous camps without a cap, and both now sit a step closer to a full debut.
Further up the pitch, former A-League livewires Marcus Younis (Brondby IF) and Eli Adams (Gamba Osaka) have earned their first senior call-ups. Kealey Adamson (QPR) and Yaya Dukuly (NK Celje) round out the list of debutants in a squad that blends the familiar with the raw.
Sixteen players from the World Cup group return, anchoring a side that still carries the core of Popovic’s tournament squad but looks unmistakably younger around the edges.
Injuries, absences and a high-profile controversy
Australia will be without some key figures. Star left-back Jordan Bos remains sidelined with a knee injury, while central defender Cam Burgess misses out due to an achilles problem. Creative attacker Cristian Volpato is also unavailable with a hamstring issue.
Volpato’s name will loom large regardless. Popovic is set to speak publicly for the first time since the Sassuolo attacker was fined last week for driving with cocaine in his system in July. Volpato has denied wrongdoing and plans to contest the charges in court, a cloud that now hangs over one of Australia’s most talented young players.
Riley McGree and Patrick Yazbek return after missing the World Cup through injury, while Alex Robertson has been recalled as Popovic recalibrates his midfield options.
On the other side of the ledger, Cameron Devlin, Nishan Velupillay, Mathew Leckie, Ajdin Hrustic, Kai Trewin and Awer Mabil have all been left out. Veteran full-back Aziz Behich stands as the only A-League Men representative, a stark snapshot of where Popovic believes the national-team standard now lies.
Brazil, the Asian Cup and a ticking clock
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.”
Brazil at home is no gentle reintroduction. For Popovic, that’s the point. With only four games before he locks in his Asian Cup list, there is no time for soft landings or sentimental selections.
That reality has left Maty Ryan on the outside looking in. It has thrown the door open to a new generation of Socceroos. And it leaves a blunt question hanging over the next international window: is this a temporary shock for the captain, or the start of a changing of the guard in goal for Australia?
Australia squad
- 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*
* Uncapped
