Arnold will on Wednesday unveil an extended squad for the September 22 and 25 games - with the Central Coast attacking pair of Garang Kuol, 17 and Scotland-born Jason Cummings, 27, pencilled in for their maiden call-ups.
 

MAESTRO MITCH PONDERS ROOS RECALL

 
  • Goalkeeper Mitch Langerak is understood to be in line for a shock Socceroos return - possibly for this month's internationals against New Zealand.
 
  • Japan-based Langerak quit international football 16 months ago but is believed to have had a change of heart.
 
  • The custodian has been a massive hit for J1 League Nagoya Grampus since joining the club in 2020.
 
A third Mariners player, goalkeeper Danny Vukovic - a Socceroos squad ever present during World Cup qualifying - has been placed on standby.
 
The inclusion of impact weapon Kuol - who has yet to start in the A-League - and Cummings, with 10 goals in 21 appearances, shows Arnold’s desire to roll the dice and experiment ahead November-December’s World Cup in Qatar.
 
Whilst the apparent willingness of Langerak, 34, to make himself available again - after standing aside to spend more time with family amid onerous Covid travel regulations last year - would ramp up the competition on long reigning number one Mat Ryan.
 
Andrew Redmayne - the penalty shootout hero in the qualifying playoff against Peru - also remains heavily in the mix.
 
As recently as July, Nagoya Grampus cult hero Langerak said he wasn’t actively considering a comeback and had no regrets over standing aside.
 
However, it appears his stance has since softened and the willingness to add to his eight caps may be alive again.
 
Langerak has been a revelation since arriving in the J1 League in 2018, ripping asunder the record books at Nagoya.
 
He has kept 11 clean sheets this campaign, tied for the third in the competition. Last year, Langerak kept 18 clean sheets in 28 games for Nagoya - breaking the record he set in 2020.
 
Meantime, Kuol - who underscored his soaring potential with a stunning cameo for the A-League All Stars against Barcelona in May - is closing in on a January switch to Europe, and could be genuine World Cup bolter.
 
He turns 18 on Thursday and his selection will be the perfect gift for the highly-prized prospect.
 
For Cummings, it’s a reward for re-booting his career in the A-League after it burned brightly in Scotland but was in danger of fizzling out.