Aussies name young squad for Korea Republic test

Holger Osieck has named a youthful 19-man squad for Australia’s upcoming international against Korea Republic in Hwaseong on 14 November. Only four players that featured in the Socceroos’ 2010 FIFA World Cup™ squad are selected, with five uncapped players named. Receiving a maiden call up are A-League players Tom Rogic (Central Coast Mariners) and Aziz Behich (Melbourne Heart), along with Eli Babalj of Serbia’s Crvena Zvezda. Returning to the Socceroos squad after varying periods of absence are Mathew Leckie (FSV Frankfurt 1899, Germany), Mathew Ryan (Central Coast Mariners), both of whom are also yet to debut, and Michael Thwaite (Perth Glory). This will be the 25th match between Korea Republic and Australia with the teams last squaring off in the group phase of the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar where they played out a hard-fought 1-1 draw. The pair are both in the midst of FIFA World Cup qualifying, with the other eight remaining Asian nations featuring in next week’s Brazil 2014 matches. Australia are currently in second position of Group B with a win against Iraq (2-1), draws against Oman (0-0) and Japan (1-1), and a loss to Jordan (1-2) at the half-way point of the final round of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers. Korea Republic are at the top of Group A with wins against Qatar (4-1) and Lebanon (3-0), a draw against Uzbekistan (2-2), and a loss to Iran (0-1). Australia squad Goalkeepers: Mathew Ryan (Central Coast Mariners), Mark Schwarzer (Fulham/Eng) Defenders: Aziz Behich (Melbourne Heart), Ryan McGowan (Hearts/Scotland), Lucas Neill (Al Wasl/UAE), Matthew Spiranovic (Al Arabi/Qatar), Michael Thwaite (Perth Glory), Luke Wilkshire (Dinamo Moscow/Russia) Midfielders: James Holland (Austria Vienna/Austria), Matt McKay (Busan I'Park/Korea Republic), Tommy Oar (Utrecht/Netherlands), Adam Sarota (Utrecht/Netherlands), Carl Valeri (Sassuolo/Italy) Forwards: Eli Babalj (Crvena Zvezda Beograd/Serbia), Alex Brosque (Al Ain/UAE), Mathew Leckie (Frankfurt 1899/Germany), Tom Rogic (Central Coast Mariners), Nikita Rukavytsya (Mainz/Germany), Archie Thompson (Melbourne Victory) From Fifa