Kuol, Cummings picked but Langerak left out of Socceroos’ World Cup squad

Garang Kuol and Jason Cummings are set for their World Cup debuts, but Mitch Langerak has been left out of the Socceroos’ plans in a bombshell decision by Graham Arnold and his goalkeeping coach John Crawley.

Despite being coaxed out of international retirement two months ago, sources have told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that Langerak has been omitted from Arnold’s final 26-man squad for Qatar, which will be officially revealed at 4pm on Tuesday.

Mitch Langerak won’t be at the World Cup with the Socceroos.Credit: Getty

Central Coast Mariners pair Kuol, 18, and Cummings, the 27-year-old former Scottish international, have both been picked - but there is heartbreak for Langerak, 34, who has been in career-best form at Nagoya Grampus, was recently named as the Japanese club’s player of the season, and last year broke his own J1 League record for clean sheets.

Having stepped away from the Socceroos last year due to the impact of Japan’s strict coronavirus restrictions on his young family, he made himself available again for international duty after a personal plea from Arnold and was picked for September’s two friendlies against New Zealand, but did not see any game time.

It was assumed then that Langerak was a lock for the World Cup, and that Arnold and his coaching staff didn’t need to see him in action because of the strength of his performances in Japan - especially since the Socceroos boss has repeatedly underlined the importance of first-team minutes in his selection considerations.

But the fact he has been left out altogether will come as a major shock, with Central Coast Mariners gloveman Danny Vukovic and Sydney FC’s ‘Grey Wiggle’ Andrew Redmayne believed to have gotten the nod over him as back-ups to skipper Mathew Ryan - all of whom have long histories with Crawley, who masterminded the plan to deploy Redmayne in the Socceroos’ penalty shootout win over Peru that confirmed their place in the World Cup.

Socceroos coach Graham Arnold.Credit: Getty

Langerak kept 14 clean sheets in 33 games for Nagoya Grampus this year, logging more minutes than any other Aussie goalkeeper, and had mounted a strong case to challenge Ryan, who has been demoted to the bench at his Danish club FC Copenhagen, for Australia’s No.1 spot - but now it appears unlikely he will ever add to his eight caps for the national team.

As a result, Ryan is totally assured of being the Socceroos’ starting custodian for the team’s three Group D fixtures against France, Tunisia and Denmark, despite carrying a minor knee niggle that kept him out of action for FC Copenhagen’s last domestic match on Monday morning (AEDT).

Ryan, who is expected to be passed fit and will travel to Doha despite the injury, had welcomed Langerak’s return to the Socceroos fold in an interview with this masthead in September.

“As soon as he texted me to tell me that he was retiring, I already flagged it with him then that I sensed there was going to be a comeback,” Ryan said.

Jason Cummings and Garang Kuol have made the cut for the Socceroos.Credit: Getty

“Thrilled for him, thrilled for the team. He’s had a great few years over there in Japan. The team’s definitely stronger with him in it. You know you’ve got to be on top of your game in order to earn the right to play. That’s what every position has got to be like.

“That’s the environment we want to create within the national team - no one is ever entitled to play, and you’ve got to go out there and earn the right to play through your performances in training and matches.”

While Langerak’s snub will confound some fans, Arnold has seen fit to reward Kuol and Cummings for their stellar domestic form for the Mariners, with the latter believed to have been picked over Adam Taggart - a stalwart of Australia’s qualifying campaign who featured at the 2014 World Cup under Ange Postecoglou.

Excitement machine Kuol, who will join Premier League side Newcastle United in January, looms as the Socceroos’ impact player off the bench and has been selected despite having not started a single match at A-League level - but his work off the bench has proved irresistible for Arnold.

Cummings’ call-up takes his career revival to a new level. Once seen as Scottish football’s next big thing, he is eligible to represent Australia through his mother, and moved to the Mariners in January after a series of off-field incidents saw him deemed as damaged goods by several clubs in his birth country.

Cummings has since cleaned up his act and become a creative force for the Central Coast Mariners. He is not only a goalscoring threat but a creative frontman who is capable of bringing teammates into play, and now has the opportunity to test his skills on the game’s biggest stage.

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