Perth's Jacob Italiano is one step closer to realising a World Cup dream which seemed unlikely just nine months ago, after joining the Socceroos' pre-tournament training camp in Florida.
Fresh Additions to the Squad
Italiano is among a wave of high-profile Australians arriving in Sarasota, Florida, as part of a 12-strong group of new additions that includes veteran midfielder Jackson Irvine and star wing-back Jordan Bos. These arrivals complement the 18 players already assembled in the USA, with preparations for the Socceroos' opening World Cup match against Turkiye well underway under coach Tony Popovic.
Italiano's Rise
The former Perth Glory prodigy made his national team debut only last October against Canada. However, a strong season with Austrian club Grazer AK has elevated him to become Australia's first-choice right wing-back contender. An Achilles injury to Blackburn Rovers defender and incumbent Socceroos wing-back Lewis Miller has opened up the competition, and after three consistent performances against Canada, USA, and Cameroon, Italiano appears the favourite to start against Turkiye in Vancouver on June 14 (WA time).
WA Contingent
Italiano, who debuted for Glory at 16 and was signed by German Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach within a year, is the third Western Australian player in the camp, alongside centre-back Cameron Burgess and young gun Daniel Bennie. They will be joined by another WA talent, Parma centre-back Alessandro Circati, after the Serie A season concludes next week.
New Faces and Injury Updates
Popovic has also called up 18-year-old defender Dylan Leonard, a prospective debutant who moved to German side Schalke last year but faced injury and registration issues during their promotion back to the Bundesliga. Leonard joins Feyenoord star Bos and two other German-based players: Irvine and his St. Pauli teammate Connor Metcalfe, who are heading to Florida. A Scottish contingent of Martin Boyle, Ante Suto (both Hibernian), and Cameron Devlin (Hearts) are also in the squad.
Additional players added to the train-on squad include Gianni Stensness (Viking), Jason Geria (Albirex Niigata), Milos Degenek (APOEL FC), Aiden O'Neill (New York City FC), and Jordan Bos (Feyenoord). Meanwhile, Portsmouth defender Hayden Matthews has left the camp due to injury.
Next Steps
The Socceroos will add more players next week ahead of their first warm-up game against Mexico in Los Angeles. Popovic will then trim the squad and name the final 26-man roster by June 1.
