With Australia almost set to kick off their first Olympic Men's Football tournament since 2008, here's your chance to get to know every member of the Olyroos' squad.
Graham Arnold has no shortage of quality midfielders to choose from - here's everyone who could feature in the centre of the park.
THE OLYROOS PODCAST: Listen now!
Olyroo Profile: Caleb Watts
Age: 19
Place of Birth: England
Position: Midfield
Club: Southampton FC
Former club: Queens Park Rangers
International experience: Joeys, Australia U-23
Caleb Watts is an English born midfielder. With his mother English and father Australian, Watts had the choice of either country when it came to representing internationally.
Ultimately his decision to represent football for Australia came from the affinity he feels towards the country. Honouring his grandparents and father not only associates Watt’s with an unmatchable sense of national pride but extends his appreciation and devotion to Australia.
Watts’ football career started in the UK, playing with the Queens Park Rangers academy. In 2019 Watts was scouted by the Southampton Saints and signed a three-year professional contract. The same year Watts burst onto the stage at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil, where he represented Australia.
Over the last few seasons with Southampton, Watts has advanced through their U-18's and U-23’s sides, he also became a heavily featured member of their Premier League 2 side.
2021 has been Watts’ breakthrough season at Southampton. Starting off on 16th of January, which was also Caleb’s 19th birthday, the young gun was named amongst the substitutes when the Saints versed Leicester. Then less than 72 hours later he played his Southampton senior debut in the FA Cup.
On the 26th of January 2021, Watts fulfilled the milestone that every Football player dreams of when he made his Premier league debut. Coincidentally his debut was against Arsenal, the team he’d grown up a long time supporter of.
This debut made him the 52nd Australian representative to play in the premier league and the 3rd Australian to represent Southampton at that level.
READ MORE & LISTEN: How Australian support helped "surreal" Premier League debut sink in for Watts
Olyroo Profile: Cameron Devlin
Age: 23
Place of Birth: Sydney, Australia
Position: Midfielder
Club: Newcastle Jets
Previous clubs: Sydney FC, Wellington Phoenix
International experience: Australia U23
Cameron Devlin will make his Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020 as a midfielder for the Olyroos, when Australia takes on the sixteen-strong field in the Men’s Football event.
Born in Sydney, Devlin began his professional football career for the Western Sydney Wanderers U21 in the National Premier League. He moved to the Sydney FC U21 for two years, and was soon called up to the A-League for Sydney FC, where he made seven appearances over the 2019-2020 season.
Cameron declined a stay in Sydney at the end of the 2019 season, moving to New Zealand to play for Wellington Phoenix FC on a two-year deal. He made over 45 appearances for the team. He was awarded the A-League Player of the Month after an outstanding performance filling in for regular midfielder Alex Rufer.
With over fifty A-League appearances to his name, Devlin will be one to look out for when the Olyroos descend upon the pitch in Tokyo.
LISTEN: The Olyroos Podcast - Devlin's roller-coaster journey to Tokyo
Connor Metcalfe
Age: 21
Place of Birth: Australia
Position: Midfield
Club: Melbourne City
Grassroots club: Cardiff Junior Football Club
International experience: Australia U23, Socceroos cap #611 (2 appearances)
Melbourne City FC Connor Metcalfe will make his Olympic Debut as a midfielder for Australia at Tokyo 2020
Connor, who had been admitted to the scholarship group for Melbourne City FC, was called to the senior squad in 2017. At seventeen-years-old, the Newcastle born talent was signed on a one year deal, which was subsequently extended.
He played for Melbourne City FC in the NPL Victoria 2 for three years, before moving up to the A-League where he has played for the past four seasons.
The midfielder made his debut for Melbourne in the A-League in January 2018, against the Central Coast Mariners, where his last ditch cameo helped the team score a draw, 2-2.
Metcalfe was a member of the Australian Under-20’s team that competed at the 2018 AFC U-19 Championships in Indonesia. Australia was drawn into Group C, where they finished in the top half of the pot. They advanced into the knockout stage where they played eventual champions Saudi Arabia in the quarterfinals, where they were defeated 3-1.
He has had a strong 2020/21 season, appearing in 24 games and scoring five goals. Connor was a part of the 2021 A-League Premiership Champions Melbourne City FC in their win against Sydney FC, who they had lost to in the final in 2020.
Metcalfe made his international debut for Australia on 7 June 2021 against Chinese Taipei, becoming the 611th man to play for the Socceroos. The Australian travelled to the World Cup Qualifiers in Kuwait City to compete in the Group B Stage. In his debut match, Australia thrashed opponents Chinese Taipei, 5-1.
He played a total of 118 minutes for Australia at the tournament, spread across two games.
ULTIMATE GUIDE: Everything you need to know about the Olyroos at Tokyo 2020
Denis Genreau
Age: 22
Place of Birth: Paris, France
Position: Midfield
Club: Macarthur FC
Previous club: Melbourne City
International experience: Australia U-23, Socceroos (cap #610)
After regular appearances with Melbourne City’s Youth team, Denis Genreau made his A-League debut at age 17 as a second-half substitute against Perth Glory.
Whilst at Melbourne City, Genreau was afforded little opportunities to perform at a senior level, and was subsequently loaned to Dutch side PEC Zwolle for the 2018/19 season where he trained and played amongst the best of the national Eredivisie.
Once he was back in Australia, Genreau returned to Melbourne City for the 2019/20 season and subsequently signed a contract with A-League newcomers Macarthur FC for the following season.
Socceroos head coach Graham Arnold rewarded Genreau's hard work and impressive form in June 2021 with a call-up to the senior Australian side. Genreau made his international debut in a World Cup Qualifying match against Chinese Taipei.
READ MORE: Meet the Goalkeepers!
Keanu Baccus
Age: 23
Place of Birth: Durban, South Africa
Position: Midfielder
Club: Western Sydney Wanderers FC
Grassroots club: Parklea SFC
International experience: Australia U-23
As a youth product of the Western Sydney Wanderers, Keanu Baccus made his A-League debut in 2016 and was eventually rewarded with a two-year professional contract the following year.
Since his first appearance, Baccus has become a mainstay in the Wanderers’ senior team and the Australian U23 side.
In 2019, Baccus was the March nominee for the A-League’s Young Footballer of the Year award after displaying consistently strong performances with the Wanderers.
Throughout the Olyroos’ World Cup Qualifying process, Baccus was an integral part of the unit that booked the team a place in Tokyo and will assuredly once again prove critical to the Australian side’s success at the Olympic Games.
READ MORE: The Socceroo who inspired Baccus to pursue ‘one dream & love’ of football
Riley McGree
Age: 22
Place of Birth: Australia
Position: Midfield
Club: Birmingham City (on loan from Charlotte FC)
Previous clubs: Adelaide United, Club Brugge, Newcastle Jets, Melbourne City
Grassroots club: Gawler Eagles
International experience: Joeys, Australia U23, Socceroos cap #609 (3 appearances)
Born and raised in the town of Gawler situated just north of Adelaide, RIley McGree began playing football at a young age and never looked back.
After eventually rising up through the ranks of A-League side Adelaide United, McGree made his professional debut in March 2016 against the Western Sydney Wanderers. The attacking midfielder scored his first A-League goal with his second start for Adelaide, as McGree found the back of the net with a piercing effort against the Wellington Phoenix.
McGree left Australia in July 2017 to sign with Belgian side Club Brugge after multiple strong performances in the A-League. Once in Belgium, McGree was loaned to A-League side Newcastle Jets, where he played a critical role in the side’s success in the 2017/18 season, including scoring a magnificent scorpion kick goal that was nominated for the FIFA Puskas Award.
Once he returned to Bruges, McGree was again sent on loan, this time to Melbourne City for the duration of the 2018/19 season.
McGree returned to Adelaide United in July 2019 for one season before being sold to American expansion side Charlotte FC, and was immediately loaned out to English side Birmingham City. McGree earned strong game time in Birmingham, and his loan has now been extended to January of 2022.
After multiple stints in the Australian youth setups, McGree was selected for the Australian senior squad for the 2018 World Cup qualification matches against Iraq and UAE.
In June 2021, McGree made his debut for the Socceroos as a second-half substitute in a 3-0 victory against Kuwait. In his second appearance and his first start just days later, McGree delivered a top performance in a 5-1 drubbing of Chinese Taipei, as the now 22-year-old provided two assists for his country.
Now ready to enter the Olympics in the U23 setup, McGree will be looking to continue his international momentum in Tokyo.
READ MORE: Meet the defenders!
