Son of ex-Socceroo star Paul Okon called up for crucial World Cup qualifer
The son of Socceroos great Paul Okon has been called up to join Tony Popovic's 26-man squad in their quest to gain automatic qualification into the 2026 World Cup.
With the likes of Jackson Irvine, Nestory Irankunda and Harry Souttar all sidelined with injury, Paul Okon-Engstler has earned his first call up into the national team.
The 20-year-old is registered at club level in Portugal with F.C Benfica and played a vital role in the Young Socceroos' AFC Under-20 Asian Cup triumph.
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Paul Okon-Engstler looks on during the Australia Socceroos player training camp. Getty
An impressive display during a 10-day camp in the UAE last week saw the uncapped midfielder was cited as a influential reason by Popovic when asked about his selection.
"We monitored him in the under 20s tournament ... and he was outstanding in that tournament," Popovic said.
"We brought him into the camp really open minded to see the level of the young man. Physically he is very capable ... he hasn't had a lot of minutes at Benfica but obviously the training he is getting there has really helped him.
"He deserves to be here, so we are delighted for him."
His father, who has 28 national caps, will also be in camp with the Socceroos as he continues on with his duties as an assistant coach with team.
While Okon-Engstler will be celebrating his selection, several other stars were overlooked for a chance to play in the crucial qualifier.
Uncapped midfielder Max Balard, who attended the UAE camp, was not called up to face Japan, nor was 26-year-old striker Kusini Yengi.
Yengi has featured 11 times in the green and gold jersey, scoring six goals since his debut in November 2023.
Socceroos assistant coach Paul Okon and Tony Popovic are seen during a Socceroos training session. Getty
However, a rocky run and lack of playing time at Portsmouth in the EFL Championship has proved a costly influence in his hopes to return to the national team.
"We saw him for 10 days... the match fitness is one thing but he hasn't trained enough to be in contention for two crucial matches," Popovic said of Yengi.
"We've left him out for now and we'll see what he does next in his club career, but he needs to play some games [at club level]."
Australia could put an end to their battle to confirm their tickets to America for the World Cup, with a win over Japan on Thursday set to all but secure their place in the draw.
Currently sat in third place in the qualifying group, a win over Japan alongside a victory for Bahrain over Saudi Arabia would confirm Australia's spot in the draw.
If Saudi Arabia were to claim victory the race for World Cup entry would remain alive, however, Australia are scheduled to face the team on Tuesday, June 10.
Even if this were the case, Saudi Arabia would still have a tough task to move into the top two in the group as they would need to overturn Australia's 9 goal difference.
However, a loss for Australia against Japan would make the goal difference task a somewhat easier task for Saudi Arabia.
If Australia are not to find success in either match, Popovic's men will be able to contest again for entry in the fourth round of Qualifying that will be held in October.
"A win is something that we are really pushing towards," the Socceroos coach said.
Socceroos head coach, Tony Popovic. Getty
"We as a team have improved since October [when Australia last faced Japan] and we have the opportunity now to show that.
"When we played them in Japan, they had their starting 11 who were all playing over in Europe. We can see that they have a mixture of J League players and Europe-based players in their squad.
"We will have to be at our best to beat the best team in Asia, that is where we want to get to. To be the best, you have to beat the best.
"We've got a good position in the group and beating Japan can take us another step further, and we are almost there."
SOCCEROOS SQUAD
Daniel Arzani, Aziz Behich, Brandon Borrello, Kasey Bos, Martin Boyle, Cameron Burgess, Anthony Caceres, Alessandro Circati, Milos Degenek, Mitchell Duke, Joe Gauci, Jason Geria, Paul Izzo, Riley McGree, Connor Metcalfe, Lewis Miller, Paul Okon-Engstler, Aiden O'Neill, Kye Rowles, Mat Ryan, Mohamed Toure, Adam Taggart, Ryan Teague, Marco Tilio, Kai Trewin, Patrick Yazbek
