Returning troops lift A-League Aziz Behich. Michael Zullo, Aziz Behich, James Troisi, Nathan Burns, Matthew Spiranovic. What do they have in common? They are young (aged 25 or under) Australian internationals who have returned home to play in the A-League in a bid to revive careers which, to a greater or lesser extent, had stalled in Europe. Matthew Spiranovic. That they have abandoned, if only temporarily, the European dream and are happy to come back to play at Adelaide United (Zullo), Melbourne Heart (Behich), Melbourne Victory (Troisi), Newcastle Jets (Burns) and Western Sydney Wanderers (Spiranovic), speaks volumes about the competition's development. They could have stayed in England or Europe and tried to rebuild their careers from the lower divisions in various leagues there. Instead, they have recognised that the standard of the A-League, its popularity and, crucially, its visibility, make it a viable alternative, especially in this, a World Cup season. If one or more of them can force their way into Socceroos contention for Brazil 2014 then the domestic competition's status can only be enhanced - not just among players, but among supporters too. It's not just reasonably established men who have returned in recent years. Melbourne Victory provided a haven for youngster Francesco Stella last season when things were not working out in Italy and Scotland, and he is still in the first team squad. Youngster Jamie Maclaren had four years with Blackburn Rovers as it teetered between the Premier League and League One in a period in which managers came and went under the idiosyncratic ownership of the Venky family. He is now back in Australia, leading the line for Perth Glory. Marc Warren, a NSW junior and product of the Central Coast Mariners youth system, chased the dream to Sheffield United and lower-league Scottish club Airdrie. At 21 he has decided that his best option lies in returning home, and he has signed for Sydney FC. Its a stark contrast to the early days of the league, when young players were grateful to be given a chance, but flew through the exit door as soon as they were able whenever a European club - any European club, it often seemed - came calling. Troisi is back with Victory on loan. The wide man is jointly owned by Italian giant Juventus and Serie A club Atalanta Bergamo and is hoping that his year-long loan deal can propel him into World Cup contention. There was a few things going on in Europe, but they fell through. I also had some good offers in the Middle East, but I had a phone call from Ange Postecoglou [Victory coach] and I was interested in what he had to say," Troisi explains. I think its the right decision to come here instead of going somewhere like the Middle East at this stage in my career. It's been happening [the return to Australia] for the last couple of years. The A-League is recognised and it's got a lot bigger and better. It [coming back] was in the back of my mind. I have played for the national team, and with the World Cup coming up, I thought it would help me [catch the manager's eye] if I am doing the right thing on the pitch. Maclaren, who grew up in Sunbury and played his junior football with Victorian Premier League side Green Gully, was happy to quit Lancashire and move to Western Australia to get first-team football. I played with many good players, including Brett Emerton and Vince Grella, at Blackburn. I was in a first-team pre-season fixture, but I never got to play in the first team in the premiership. I could have stayed in Europe, but I wanted first-team experience and when I spoke to Alistair [Edwards, Perth coach] he offered me that and said, 'I am going to give you a chance'. Youngsters in the A-League who get a chance and do well, they do get good moves. I wasn't happy playing reserve and development football, I wanted something else and Alistair has offered it to me. Glory captain Jake Burns is at the other end of the scale. The now 35-year-old former Socceroo midfielder has seen plenty in nearly 20 years in the game, and he believes that the return and reload strategy will only become more popular. The league is getting better and I think we will see more of it. Too often in the past young players left before anyone really knew them and then they got lost in the system overseas. Then they came back but found it very tough to break back into an A-League team because no one had ever seen them play.