Socceroos coach Tony Popovic has declared that World Cup heroes Harry Souttar and Mathew Leckie possess the mental resilience and experience to overcome their recent injury setbacks and press their claims for a spot in Australia's squad for the upcoming tournament.
The pair headline an initial eight-man group that has been assembled for Australia's pre-tournament training camp in Sarasota, Florida. Souttar, a centre-back for Leicester City, and Leckie, a Melbourne City star, have both recently returned from significant injuries, but Popovic believes their experience navigating adversity will serve them well.
Popovic will gradually add more players to the camp before the first pre-World Cup friendly against Mexico in Los Angeles on May 30. The final 26-man squad will be announced on June 1.
First Arrivals in Florida
The first players to arrive in Sarasota include six A-League representatives: Leckie, Mitch Duke, Anthony Caceres, Brandon Borrello, Nicholas D'Agostino, and Nishan Velupillay. They are joined by England-based duo Souttar and Hayden Matthews.
Well-publicised injury battles have restricted Souttar and Leckie to a combined total of just 358 minutes of playing time since the start of the season, all of which have come in the past month. Despite this, Popovic was full of praise for the pair's determination to regain full fitness in time for the World Cup.
“Harry and Mathew, if you see how long they’ve been out for, that’s a mental resilience you can’t buy. You have to go through that adversity, and they’ve done that,” Popovic told reporters on Monday.
Souttar's Presence and Leadership
Popovic highlighted Souttar's impact in his two recent appearances for Leicester City, which included a draw and a win. “If you watch him perform and you watch those two games, there is presence, there is aura, there is a leader,” he said. “You can’t get that in a young player overnight; that takes time, and he’s done it at a World Cup when he played also underdone.”
Souttar was arguably Australia's best player at the 2022 World Cup, but he has played only two matches for Leicester this season after suffering a torn Achilles in December 2024, followed by a knee issue that delayed his return.
Leckie's Resilience
Leckie, whose memorable solo goal against Denmark in Qatar in 2022 secured Australia's place in the round of 16 for the first time in 16 years, underwent hip surgery in December. Popovic noted Leckie's outstanding performance in Melbourne City's recent match against Auckland, where he was named the best player on the park despite limited game time.
“They’ve shown the resilience and mentality you need at a World Cup, because you need to be able to suffer, you need to be able to go through tough times,” Popovic said. “If you watch the game that was just played, Mathew was the best player on the park, at 35 with no football under his belt — that, a young player can’t do as yet. That’s the difference, and that’s what you need at a World Cup.”
Camp Strategy and Selection
Popovic stressed that the early selection of these eight players does not guarantee them a spot in the final squad. Instead, they have been called up to Florida this week to give them the best possible chance of making the team. “If we give them a week or two off, we feel they will fall behind... we are sure that this camp can help these players,” he explained.
The coach also did not rule out other local players, such as Leckie's 20-year-old Melbourne City teammate Marcus Younis. “Marcus has done well. He’s come back, he’s played regularly, made a difference for Melbourne City in terms of their run, in terms of results and form, and it’s a player that certainly has caught our eye,” Popovic said.
The Socceroos will continue to build towards the World Cup with their camp in Florida and the upcoming friendly against Mexico, as Popovic finalises his squad for the tournament.
