Let me start my first Socceroos blog by stealing a line from one of 442's forum members, YNWAMelbHeart.
I think he said it best when he commented: ''Beauchamp. WTF?''
He's somewhat the forgotten man of Australian football after being plucked from the A-League as a bolter for the 2006 World Cup squad.
Flash forward four years later, and Beauchamp is a bolter again - for entirely different reasons.
Has he even played a game since scoring a goal for Paraguay in Brisbane in 2007?
A quick Google search tells me he has, but there have been a whole host of players jump ahead of him in the queue between the 2007 Asian Cup and now.
Really though, you'd be clutching at straws to find too many surprises in what is a massive squad.
The major task is to now establish who will be the unlucky few to get the axe.
All things being equal, Eugene Galekovic will miss, as he is simply a back-up in case either of Mark Schwarzer, Adam Federici and Brad Jones.
From the defenders, surely Beauchamp is one to go, you would think along with one more. Shane Lowry will benefit from the experience from being around the squad initially, but when it comes to the crunch may be left out. All the same, there will still be a few sleepless nights ahead for Jade North after what has been a truly disastrous year for him.
On to the mids and, much in the same mould as Tommy Oar, the selection of James Holland is a great one for the future benefit of our game. But, like Lowry, you would expect Holland to be one of the eight on the outer when it comes to getting on the plane to South Africa in three weeks time.
We all know Pim loves Brett Holman - and surely he will be smart enough to keep Nicky Carle - Mile Jedinak is able cover for Vince Grella and Jason Culina, while Richard Garcia offers something different if we look to change formation. Leaving the unlucky Carl Valeri as the one who, at this stage, is on the outer.
The forwards are an interesting bunch. Harry Kewell, Tim Cahill and Josh Kennedy obviously select themselves. Before today's announcement I wouldn't have been surprised to hear that Scott McDonald had been left out all together, such is his knack of not being able to score goals for the green and gold.
But here's what Pim had to say on Macca today.
''So far he hasn't done it in the international team,'' he said. ''But it's time for him to score some goals, so hopefully he waited to do that job until the World Cup.''
So Scotty will be there. And, if you read between the lines, does that suggest there is a chance of Scotty actually getting some game time and therefore being part of a change in formation in South Africa? Doubtful, but that's a topic for another day.
Two have to go from that list. Nikita Rukavytsya and Dario Vidosic are, as far as I'm concerned, one in the same in terms of the role they would play for the Roos. So for his pace, I would keep Ruka and drop Vidosic.
And then there is Tommy Oar. Writing a news story about the squad announcement this morning, I noted that Verbeek had made a surprise selection in naming Oar in his initial squad. That caused a bit of debate with the sport subs. I suppose, given it is a 31-man squad, it is no surprise at all. If he makes it into the 23, now that's a surprise. But I just can't see how he is going to fit, can you?
He can't take Ruka's space. If you wanted to move him into the midfield group then you've got to take out someone like Garcia or, God forbid, Carle.
I would love to see Oar go, but, much like Holland and Lowry, the experience of being involved with the squad initially will be surely enough experience - for now.
Now if my maths is correct, that takes us to 24. We've taken out a goalkeeper, two defenders, two midfielders and two attackers.
Our attack list is thin as it is, you can't take any more from there.
Likewise the midfield, I struggled to name Valeri as the one to miss out altogether.
Therefore, let's imagine I was Pim, I would have no option but to drop Mark Milligan.
There are so many places you could choose to ply your trade in the lead up to the World Cup, but Milligan decided to go to, not the first division, but the SECOND division of Japan. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm sure Milligan would be the only player from that league to make the cut of any of the 32 World Cup squads. On top of that, I'd be willing to bet he'd be one of, if not the only, player from the second division of ANY Asian league to make the cut.
We've got enough cover in the centre of defence with North and even Rhys Williams if need be. I think if someone needed to go, he would be it.
So there you go, you heard it here first - our 23-man squad for the World Cup weeks before it needs to be announced on June 1.
An interesting sidebar for anyone who knocks the quality of the A-League.
Yes, only two current A-League players have made the list of players in this extended squad. And yes, Culina is likely to be the only one to be there in South Africa.
But have a look at the squad again and see how many of whom have played in the A-League over the course of its first five years.
Galekovic (Adelaide), Craig Moore (Brisbane), David Carney (Sydney), North (Newcastle), Beauchamp (Central Coast), Culina (Gold Coast), Carle (Newcastle), Jedinak (Central Coast), Oar (Brisbane), Rukavytsya (Perth) and Vidosic (Brisbane).
From two players - Milligan and Beauchamp - in 2006 to 11 in 2010 (in an extended squad, I know), surely that says something for how far our fledgling competition has come in such a short space of time.
Food for thought.
