Australia dump Neill for soccer World Cup warmup

MELBOURNE: Australia coach Ange Postecoglou has omitted long-serving captain Lucas Neill and a clutch of seasoned players from a 23-man squad for a World Cup warmup against Ecuador, underlining his intent to inject some new blood into the team.

Under former coach Holger Osieck and 35-year-old skipper Neill, Australia booked their ticket to the Brazil finals after a stuttering last phase of Asian qualifying but were heavily criticised for their stodgy play. With German Osieck sacked in October following back-to-back 6-0 friendly defeats to Brazil and France, his replacement Postecoglou has been tasked with rejuvenating a demoralised team in time for the June 12-July 13 finals. The 48-year-old coach signalled his intentions by bringing four uncapped players into the squad for the March 5 friendly at The Den in London, while snubbing 96-cap defender Neill, along with veteran midfielder Mark Bresciano and forward Brett Holman. "The squad to face Ecuador represents the first steps in what I believe is the building of the next golden generation for Australian football acknowledging there is a need to balance experimentation and experience to achieve this," Postecoglou said in a statement on Wednesday. "This squad reflects that direction... both in the short term and the long term." Postecoglou also omitted 34-year-old defender Sasa Ognenovski but has not completely broken from the past, with forward Tim Cahill, also 34, retained and experienced defender Luke Wilkshire recalled for the team`s last international before a provisional 30-man World Cup squad is named in May. Cahill and Wilkshire are joined by fellow World Cup alumni, including midfielders Mile Jedinak and Mark Milligan, and Switzerland-based forward Dario Vidosic. CAHILL FAVOURED Postecoglou, who won his only game in charge with a 1-0 victory over Costa Rica in a Sydney friendly in November, will not unveil a new captain until the Ecuador match but New York Red Bulls striker Cahill is favoured to take the armband. At the helm since 2006, Neill led Australia to victory over Costa Rica but has been without a club since parting ways with Japanese side Omiya Ardija in November. He signed a short-term deal with second-tier English Championship side Watford this week in a bid to stake his claim for Brazil. His omission could spell the end of a distinguished international career that has included World Cup appearances at the 2006 finals in Germany and in South Africa four years later. Postecoglou said he needed to make "hard decisions" before Brazil but denied the door was shut for former Millwall, Blackburn Rovers and West Ham United defender Neill. "Good form, regular football will not be overlooked," he said. Postecoglou has named a pair of uncapped defenders in Scotland-based 20-year-old Curtis Good and Aston Villa`s Chris Herd. Germany-based forward Ben Halloran and Swindon Town midfielder Massimo Luongo will also push for their maiden caps. Australia squad: Oliver Bozanic, Tim Cahill, Jason Davidson, Ivan Franjic, Curtis Good, Ben Halloran, Chris Herd, James Holland, Mile Jedinak, Brad Jones, Mitchell Langerak, Matthew Leckie, Massimo Luongo, Ryan McGowan, Matthew McKay, Mark Milligan, Tommy Oar, Tommy Rogic, Matt Ryan, Adam Sarota, Matthew Spiranovic, Dario Vidosic, Luke Wilkshire