The current Socceroos may not have the star power of the golden generation of 2006, but the team that will fly Australia's flag in Russia will be one that grew up in our own backyard.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The public may not hold them with the same prestige but there's a fondness born of familiarity surrounding the class of 2018 that boasts the biggest contingent of players to have come through the domestic competition.
Of the 11 players who started for Australia in their 3-1 win over Honduras on Wednesday night, nine progressed through the A-League on their way to the national team. One other - Tim Cahill - has since returned to the league. Two of the three substitutes used the A-League as their first stepping stone, while the third returned to consolidate his national team spot. Of all 14 who played, only Bailey Wright never set foot in the A-League.
It extends to the coaches. Ange Postecoglou was appointed after his success with Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory. Assistant Ante Milicic learnt his craft with Melbourne Heart and Western Sydney, while Peter Cklamovski worked at Victory.
They join 18 members of the playing squad who've come through the A-League, the most since the inaugural season of the competition in 2005 and two others who've since joined it.
By contrast, when Australia beat Iraq 1-0 to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, only 13 players honed their craft in the A-League before being selected for the Socceroos. Winger Matt Leckie spent two seasons with Adelaide United before he got his chance to move to Europe and says the domestic competition has been a good stepping stone for several players.
"The A-League is a really good starting point for a lot of the boys. For me personally, it got me the opportunity for a scout to come out and watch me," Leckie said. "When you're a young player in the A-League and you're playing well, its an opportunity to get overseas."
However, the A-League is far from the finishing school. Robbie Kruse spent four years with Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory before moving to Germany where his game accelerated considerably and made him into the international regular he is today.
"It's a testament to the A-League," Kruse said. "In saying that, it's a different ball game in Europe... It's cut-throat, you have to adapt to that but the A-League is a good stepping stone. Players can play here, play a hundred games in the A-League and then go to Europe."
