The three big decisions Popovic must make to finalise Australia’s World Cup squad

For the past few weeks, coach Tony Popovic has been unveiling the names of players who have been invited to Australia’s pre-World Cup training camp in Florida in batches, as if he were a music festival promoter drip-feeding the line-up to stimulate ticket sales.

Well, the final line-up has landed. Almost. The last release of names on Tuesday morning (AEST) has narrowed those in contention for the Socceroos’ 26-man squad to just 29, with less than a week to go until Popovic has to submit his final list to FIFA.

As always, there are surprises. It wouldn’t be a Popovic announcement without them. But the picture he has been working towards - the one in his head, which the rest of us don’t get to see - is now clear, leaving him with just three decisions left to make.

First, though, let’s spare a thought for two players who almost certainly would have made the squad if it weren’t for badly timed injuries.

Riley McGree wasn’t even supposed to be playing in the English Championship’s play-off final, but Middlesbrough earned a late reprieve because of Southampton’s expulsion due to the Spygate 2.0 scandal.

Famously injury-prone, McGree came off with 15 minutes to go with a hamstring injury, which has ruled him out of contention. Within a few hours, he went from dreaming of playing in the Premier League and World Cup to having both ambitions dashed.

It’s brutal for him and for the Socceroos, since he won’t be easily replaced - especially now that Adrian Segecic, who would be pretty handy in McGree’s position, has defected to Croatia.

Then there’s Patrick Yazbek, the rising midfielder at Nashville SC, who did his quad a few weeks ago in the warm-up before the Major League Soccer side’s CONCACAF Champions Cup semi-final second leg against Mexican outfit Tigres. Though he was another Popovic favourite, his misfortune opens the door for others: in particular, Hearts favourite Cameron Devlin, who appears to be the direct beneficiary of the midfield reshuffle Yazbek’s injury has triggered.

So, to those still in the mix.

One of the three players to be cut will be a goalkeeper. There are four of those left standing, and there’s a clear hierarchy: captain Maty Ryan will start, Paul Izzo is the number two, and it’ll be between Patrick Beach and Joe Gauci for the other spot.

The other two? It depends, like always. But looking at the balance of the squad and which departments are best stocked in terms of depth, it seems most likely that one defender and one forward will have to drop out.

Assuming that Popovic believes Kai Trewin is adequate back-up for Jacob Italiano at right wing-back, then one of Kye Rowles, Jason Geria, Milos Degenek or Lucas Herrington won’t make it. That will be a tough call, since the first three have been loyal, dependable servants of the national team, and the latter is not only one of Australia’s best centre-back prospects, but is also in sensational form for Colorado Rapids.

Up front, Mitchell Duke is one of those who has been sent home, ending his bid to make a second World Cup. With Mohamed Toure the nailed-on first-choice striker, it looks like a head-to-head battle between Brandon Borrello and bolter Tete Yengi, who has received a first-time call-up, to be the alternative option.

No disrespect to him, but Borrello is lucky to be there at all. He had a poor A-League season in a poor Western Sydney Wanderers team - but that doesn’t make him a bad player, and clearly Popovic has seen something at this training camp.

His problem might be that he is not different enough to Toure - or the part-time strikers in the squad, namely Mathew Leckie, Nestory Irankunda and Martin Boyle - to complete the mix of profiles that Popovic probably wants.

Yengi, a hulking frontman who stands at 197cm tall, offers a different dynamic. The younger brother of 11-time Socceroo Kusini, he has spent this year on loan from Scottish club Livingston at Japanese side Machida Zelvia, which is ironically where Duke used to play.

The 25-year-old hasn’t exactly been banging in the goals with regularity, but did score at important moments in their run to the AFC Champions League final, has been serviceable in the Japanese league, and could be the break-glass solution if the Socceroos need to go long and direct at any stage during the World Cup.

Expect the final auditions to take place on Sunday (AEST) at the famous Rose Bowl Stadium in Los Angeles, where the Socceroos will face World Cup co-hosts Mexico in their penultimate friendly before their opening Group D fixture.

The squad will be named the day after.