Socceroos rookie Kai Trewin declares ‘I can step up to the plate’ for qualifiers

He’s one of six new faces for the Socceroos but rookie Kai Trewin has declared he is ready to ‘step up to the plate’ at the qualifiers, and reveals how City veteran Aziz Behic has made an impact.

Socceroos rookie Kai Trewin is adamant he can “step up to the plate” in Thursday’s crunch World Cup qualifier against Indonesia in Sydney

Coach Tony Popovic is set to unveil a raft of new faces as Australia looks to overturn a shock nil-all draw the last time the two teams met in Jakarta.

Trewin, who earnt his maiden call-up to the senior national squad last week, was one of six new faces named in Popovic’s squad for clashes against Indonesia and then China away as part of 10 changes from the squad that last played in November.

The Canberra-born, Melbourne City defender joins Nectarios Triantis, Alex Grant and Ryan Teague in being called up for the first time, while uncapped goalkeepers Tom Glover and Paul Izzo are also in the squad.

Kai Trewin at the Socceroos training session. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Trewin, who has played at under 20 and under 23 level for Australia, has been mentored at City by Socceroos veteran Aziz Behic, and while Trewin’s call-up came as something of a surprise, the 23-year-iold will be grabbing his chance with both hands should he get his opportunity to play.

“It’s been really good to come in and meet a few of the lads and obviously meet the coaching staff and the rest of staff as well,” he said on Monday.

“There are a lot of people here that are pushing for the same goal. I’m really enjoying it at the moment.

“I think it comes with being a Socceroo really, the expectation of winning all your games and playing well. This is the biggest step for football in Australia, and I think that the expectation just comes with that.

“If I do get a chance to get on the pitch, just giving everything and helping the team to get a good result on Thursday.

Trewin has shone for Melbourne City. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

“I feel like I can step up to the plate. I have a lot of confidence in my own ability, and under pressure, I feel like I will definitely be fine.”

Qualifying for the 2026 World Cup is purely in the Socceroos’ own hands.

They are second in Group C after two draws in the November window against Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, with four games remaining in the third round of qualifying.

That begins with Indonesia on Thursday and Perth Glory goalscorer Adam Taggart, who has found the back of the net seven times for his country but wasn’t in the squad last November, said things under Popovic looked “organised” and he expected a polished showing on Thursday night.

“There’s obviously some top players here. With the games that I’ve watched so far over the past few camps, it’s obviously looked really good, and we look like an organised team,” he said.

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“We’re creating those chances. I always believe in myself to put those away. I think it gives me confidence having that quality in the team and those creative players, so I’m looking forward to that. With chances, you’re always going to have the opportunity to score. I’d back myself to do so.

“It looks clear for everyone what their jobs are. First of all, they’ve been a difficult team to beat. And secondly, it looks like all the players are all buying in and on-board for the cause that you know the boss is putting in place.

“You know the quality is there, just having that extra bit of organisation throughout the team. You can see there’s a clear game plan with each of those last few games, so I’m looking forward to experiencing that and being a part of it.

“We realise how important these two games are, but at the end of the day, with any game in football, you’ve just got to concentrate on what’s in front of you. And, you know, concentrate on the right things, which is the tactical side, having a good mentality and making sure that we’re going in there with nothing but a winning mentality.”

Originally published as Socceroos rookie Kai Trewin declares ‘I can step up to the plate’ for qualifiers