Sydney FC will be further depleted for the A-League's opening round next month with Ali Abbas being recalled to the Iraqi national squad.
Abbas joins forward Bernie Ibini-Isei, who was handed his first Socceroos call-up on Thursday, and Austrian marquee star Marc Janko who will also be on international duty over the first round of the A-League season which kicks off on October 10.
Abbas has been named in the Iraq side for the first time since defecting to Australia seven years ago for friendly games against Bahrain (October 10) and Yemen (October 14), both to be held in the Bahraini capital of Manama.
The 28-year-old has also been named in an extended squad for November's Gulf Cup and will be looking to impress in these two friendlies.
"It's been a long time that I've been waiting to play international football for Iraq again," Abbas said.
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"Now the time has come, I'm proud to be representing my country of birth and can't wait to play in the friendly games against Yemen and Bahrain, although I will be disappointed to miss the start of the A-League season."
Abbas was a member of the victorious Iraqi national team that won the Asian Cup in 2007.
He fled his war-torn homeland after playing an under-23s international against Australia north of Sydney in 2007, and was later granted asylum to stay in the country.
Abbas, who has played for five years in the A-League, first with the Newcastle Jets before joining the Sky Blues in 2012, has impressed Iraq's head coach Hakeem Shaker with his form over the last 12 months.
He's hoping to make the Iraqi squad for January's Asian Cup to be hosted in Australia.
"It would be great to play in Australia for Iraq and great to play in front of the Sydney FC fans in the Asian Cup, if I'm selected," he said.
Ibini-Isei was called up by Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou for matches against Qatar and UAE, while Janko will captain Austria in their European championship qualifiers against Moldova and Montenegro.
Sky Blues coach Graham Arnold would not be happy about losing three key players for Sydney's season-opener against Melbourne City at Allianz Stadium on October 11 where Spanish star David Villa is set to make his A-League debut for City.
But Arnold will be able to call on All Whites striker Shane Smeltz as New Zealand opted not to utilise the FIFA-sanctioned international friendly dates.
