Next step Socceroos for Reds hero Goodwin

FFA Cup final hero Craig Goodwin admits he has “a point to prove” as he hunts a Socceroos recall and seeks to build a case for a second coming to Europe.

Source: AAP

The 26-year-old Adelaide United flier’s stunning double in Tuesday night’s 2-1 victory over Sydney FC at Coopers Stadium has already been noted by Australia coach Graham Arnold ahead of November’s internationals against Korea Republic and Lebanon.

And Goodwin, back in Adelaide for a second stint after his two-season spell with Sparta Rotterdam ended in frustration, believes he can “bring something” if Arnold decides to recall the thrice-capped winger for January's AFC Asian Cup.

“I’m trying everything I can, but in terms of Socceroos chances I know I have to be performing consistently well,” he said.

“I feel like I’ve done that since I returned to Adelaide but it’s only two games into the A-League season and we have another game on the weekend against Central Coast.

“If the chance does come again, I back my ability and believe I can bring something for the Socceroos.

“I was in and around the squad reasonably consistently for the last couple of years until the last six months in Europe when the new coach came in at Sparta and I found myself hardly playing.

“I can play on the left or the right and I feel I’m good in both positions.”

Arnold, who was in Adelaide for the match, told AAP: “Craig Goodwin scored two fantastic goals ... his performance was very good.”

Goodwin could have remained in Europe but choose to return on a three-year deal in pursuit of the regular football German coach Marco Kurtz was offering him.

The thought of taking another shot overseas appeals but he’s in no mad rush.

“If the right option came up it is definitely something I would look into,” he said. “But I know for that to happen I need to be performing at the top of my game.

“There are options I would definitely consider but to get anywhere near that I need to focus on Adelaide and impressing here first.

“I do feel that after the last six months in Holland I have a point to prove.

“And things have started really nicely with Adelaide. If you could write a script for coming back home, with the start I’ve had I don’t think it could have been a better one.”

Whilst Goodwin might have dug his heels in and found another club in Europe, rather than revisiting the A-League, for him it wasn’t a difficult decision.

“There were a couple of options (to stay there) but the decision to come home was all about getting the best out of my football,” he added.

“It was about performing at my best and as getting as many minutes as possible.

“I feel like I am coming into my prime and I need to be playing consistently, especially after coming off six months of struggling for match time (at Sparta).

“I wasn’t being given a chance and needed to be somewhere where I could play consistently and continue on the path of progressing and improving as a player.

“I felt Adelaide was the place to do that.”

And his summation of Kurtz?

“He’s a very passionate person and somebody who wears his heart on his sleeve,” he added.

“The thing I love about him is that he gives everything for the team and that rubs off on the boys and in turn you want to give everything back to him.

“Last night we showed that even though we had four or five players out injured who could easily have made the starting lineup, we still had the depth to be able to beat what has been the best team in the league for the past two seasons.”