Source: Team_Talk
McDonald back in Socceroos squad
Scott McDonald's international career has been revived after he was named in the 20-man squad for friendlies against Switzerland and Poland.[LNB] McDonald was left out of Pim Verbeek's World Cup party for South Africa after failing to score in 16 appearances for the national side.[LNB]It appeared that at 27, the diminutive marksman would be left on the scrapheap, but in what is close to a full-strength squad for new coach Holger Osieck's first two matches in charge, McDonald is one of only four players included who didn't feature in the 23-man squad for South Africa.[LNB]Wellington-bound defender Jade North, AEK Athens rising star Nathan Burns and Urawa Reds youngster Matthew Spiranovic are the others.[LNB]Harry Kewell has been included despite suggestions in the media that his international career is over, while Mark Schwarzer, Lucas Neill and Tim Cahill are also included along with two A-League players, Jason Culina and Michael Beauchamp.[LNB]Osieck said that while he hadn't seen McDonald play for Middlesbrough, he came highly-recommended by several coaches in Europe.[LNB]"I contacted a lot of people in Europe that I respect a lot, top-class coaches who rate him pretty highly. He has got the chance to be called. I will see how well he integrates into the team, how well he can be a valuable asset to our team," the coach said.[LNB]Kewell's inclusion indicates that the Galatasaray forward, who has been involved in a bitter war of words with former Socceroo Robbie Slater, is set to take his place in the Asian Cup in January.[LNB]Osieck hasn't concerned himself with the fallout of the Kewell-Slater bust-up and thinks Kewell's form at club level warrants[LNB]selection.[LNB]"I saw him play in the Europa League game and from my perspective it was a decent performance. He assisted the two Galatasaray goals and apart from that, his overall performance was okay. I don't see any reason not to invite him," he said.[LNB]"I didn't follow the pros and cons in the media too much, I heard about it. It's not my position to get involved with this and my first and foremost occupation is to get a good team together. I had a chat with Harry and was impressed by his attitude, his approach and his commitment to the team."[LNB]The Socceroos take on Switzerland on September 3 and Poland on September 7, before a clash with Paraguay at the Sydney Football Stadium on October 9.[LNB]The Australia squad is: Mark Schwarzer (Fulham), Adam Federici (Reading); Michael Beauchamp (Melbourne Heart), Jade North (Wellington Phoenix), David Carney, Lucas Neill (Galatasaray), Matthew Spiranovic (Urawa Red Diamonds); Carl Valeri (Sassuolo), Jason Culina (Gold Coast United), Tim Cahill (Everton),[LNB]Richard Garcia (Hull), Mile Jedinak (Genclerbirligi), Brett Emerton (Blackburn), Luke Wilkshire (Dinamo Moscow), Dario Vidosic (Nurnberg), Brett Holman; Scott McDonald (Middlesbrough), Harry Kewell (Galatasaray), Josh Kennedy (Nagoya Grampus), Nathan Burns.[LNB]
