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If anywhere looms as the venue for Jamie Maclaren to notch his first Socceroos goal then Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium is surely the most fitting.
The 25-year-old enjoyed two goal-laden A-League campaigns at the Brisbane Roar, notching 42 goals in 59 appearances in all competitions including many at the Queensland venue.
Yet to hit the back of the net for the national team in six appearances, Maclaren admits it's nice to be back on familiar territory ahead of Saturday's friendly against South Korea.
"I've been dreaming about scoring my first Socceroos goal for a while now and hopefully it does come soon," Maclaren said on Wednesday.
"I love playing in front of this stadium and obviously the Brisbane fans were fantastic for me ... I've got some great memories here at Suncorp."
The South Korea match looms as a potentially pivotal one for Maclaren's Socceroos career as the national team hunts for a goalscorer to fire them to glory in next year's Asian Cup.
After being unused for the World Cup in Russia, Maclaren missed Graham Arnold's first match as national team coach in October against Kuwait due to a back injury. In Maclaren's absence Apostolos Giannou scored his first goal for the Socceroos in a 4-0 win.
Fit again, Maclaren has been recalled to the squad while Giannou missed out, with Arnold admitting he wants to give every one of his attacking options a shot at proving themselves before the Asian Cup begins in January.
"Everybody brings something different, I'm a different striker to say Tomi Juric or Apo Giannou, but we all can bring something to this squad which makes it better," he said.
"For me, it's just about working hard, staying confident and being patient for those opportunities."
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