Matildas The Matildas Thread

[Dixie Flatline]

Story about the design of the Matildas' strip.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2019/apr/09/female-footballers-own-kits-world-cup-2019

 

[stax on the mull]

First round of the NWSL is this weekend. Washington Spirit v Sky Blue and North Carolina Courage v Chicago Red Stars are on Sunday at 9am Melbourne time, Orlando Pride v Portland Thorns at 7am Melbourne time on Monday, Houston Dash v Seattle Reign at 8am Melbourne time on Monday. Utah has the bye. This season there are 13 Australian players on rosters in the NSWL, and all of them are Matildas (or have played for Australia in the last couple of months):

• Ellie Carpenter - Portland Thorns
• Steph Catley - Seattle Reign
• Caitlin Foord - Portland Thorns
• Amy Harrison - Washington Spirit
• Elise Kellond-Knight - Seattle Reign
• Alanna Kennedy - Orlando Pride
• Samantha Kerr - Chicago Red Stars
• Chloe Logarzo - Washington Spirit
• Clare Polkinghorne - Houston Dash
• Hayley Raso - Portland Thorns
• Kyah Simon - Houston Dash
• Emily Van Egmond - Orlando Pride
• Lydia Williams - Seattle Reign

Harrison and Simon the two outsiders to make the squad having spent a good deal of the W-League season with injuries. Simon has scored 5 goals in previous World Cups (same as Cahill). Only player who has scored more World Cup goals is De Vanna (7), who also only recently returning from injury.

Probably a risk to take all 3, although I think De Vanna might have earnt a spot with her performance against USA. Only an impact player at 35yo though. 60 minutes tops.

This is where they have to juggle the make up of the squad regarding talent (which all three have) vs who can play a full game.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

 

[Dixie Flatline]

Milicic due to name his squad for the World Cup next week. The Age has a preview.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/soccer/tough-calls-loom-for-milicic-s-matildas-20190507-p51kyr.html

 

[Dixie Flatline]

According to an SB Nation Portland Thorns website article, the US internationals have already played their last games in the NSWL before the World Cup. Supposedly the NSWL is banking on non-US internationals playing for their clubs for two rounds (next weekend, and the following weekend) before they switch to World Cup mode.

The NSWL allows clubs to sign supplemental players and international replacements to fill the holes left by the World Cup.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

USWNT already announced its squad for the World Cup.

Goalkeepers - Adrianna Franch (Portland Thorns FC), Ashlyn Harris (Orlando Pride), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)

Defenders - Abby Dahlkemper (NC Courage), Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars), Crystal Dunn (NC Courage), Ali Krieger (Orlando Pride), Kelley O'Hara (Utah Royals FC), Becky Sauerbrunn (Utah Royals FC), Emily Sonnett (Portland Thorns FC)

Midfielders - Morgan Brian (Chicago Red Stars), Julie Ertz (Chicago Red Stars), Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC), Rose Lavelle (Washington Spirit), Allie Long (Reign FC), Samantha Mewis (NC Courage)

Forwards - Tobin Heath (Portland Thorns FC), Carli Lloyd (Sky Blue FC), Jessica McDonald (NC Courage), Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride), Christen Press (Utah Royals FC), Mallory Pugh (Washington Spirit), Megan Rapinoe (Reign FC)

It will be the fourth World Cup for Carli Lloyd and third Wold Cup for Ali Krieger, Kelley O'Hara, Becky Sauerbrunn, Tobin Heath, Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe.

Comparing the squad named for the World Cup against the squad named for the friendlies the US played in April against the Matildas and Belgium, it looks like Casey Short, Andi Sullivan and McCall Zerboni didn't make the cut. Kelley O'Hara and Morgan Brian weren't in the squad for the friendlies but are going to the World Cup,

 

[stax on the mull]

I watched the Young Matildas games in Myanmar recently and I thought Mary Fowler performed much better than Princess Ibini over the 3 matches, and I'm thinking now if they're going to pick someone a bit raw but talented, it will probably be Fowler.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

Phil Neville has named England's 23-person squad for the World Cup:

Goalkeepers - Karen Bardsley (Manchester City), Mary Earps (Wolfsburg), Carly Telford (Chelsea)

Defenders - Millie Bright (Chelsea), Lucy Bronze (Lyon), Rachel Daly (Houston Dash), Alex Greenwood (Manchester United), Steph Houghton (Manchester City), Abbie McManus (Manchester City), Demi Stokes (Manchester City), Leah Williamson (Arsenal)

Midfielders - Karen Charney (Chelsea), Jade Moore (Reading), Jill Scott (Manchester City), Lucy Staniforth (Birmingham City), Georgia Stanway (Manchester City), Keira Walsh (Manchester City)

Forwards - Toni Duggan (Barcelona), Fran Kirby (Chelsea), Beth Mead (Arsenal), Nikita Parris (Manchester City), Jodie Taylor (Seattle Reign), Ellen White (Birmingham City)

 

[Dixie Flatline]

Milicic's contract extended to the end of the 2020 Summer Olympics.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/footba...n/news-story/ae9c4353e344954381253013b096ebd2

 

[Dixie Flatline]

Squad announcement tomorrow morning at 9.30am.

 

[giggler99]

Milicic's contract extended to the end of the 2020 Summer Olympics.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/footba...n/news-story/ae9c4353e344954381253013b096ebd2

Well there goes that rumour of him going to Victory than.

 

[drd23]

 

[stax on the mull]

Midfielder Alex Chidiac the only surprise omission for me.

Haven't seen 3rd Goalkeeper Teagan Micah play as she hasn't played W-League but has been playing in the US college league.

Kyah Simon and Kyra Cooney-Cross will both go to the World Cup training base in Turkey.


Edit: Correction. Micah has played 1 W-League game back in 2016.

 

[SunGirl89]

Do we really need 3 keepers?

 

[Dixie Flatline]

Do we really need 3 keepers?

Yes. If your first choice keeper gets injured, it's important to have a second backup keeper on the bench during her absence.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

Squad with international caps and goals:

Squad number	Name	Club, Country	International caps (goals)
1	Lydia Williams (GK)	Seattle Reign, USA	77 (0)
2	Gema Simon	Newcastle Jets FC, Australia	11 (0)
3	Aivi Liuk	Levante UD, Spain	21 (0)
4	Clare Polkinghorne	Houston Dash, USA	116 (9)
5	Laura Alleway	Melbourne Victory, Australia	60 (2)
6	Chloe Logarzo	Washington Spirit, USA	37 (6)
7	Steph Catley	Seattle Reign, USA	71 (2)
8	Elise Kellond-Knight	Seattle Reign, USA	106 (1)
9	Caitlin Foord	Portland Thorns FC, USA	71 (16)
10	Emily van Egmond	Orlando Pride, USA	85 (18)
11	Lisa de Vanna	Sydney FC, Australia	147 (47)
12	Teagan Micah (GK)	UCLA, USA	0 (0)
13	Tameka Yallop	Klepp IL, Norway	78 (10)
14	Alanna Kennedy	Orlando Pride, USA	77 (7)
15	Emily Gielnik	Melbourne Victory, Australia	28 (7)
16	Hayley Raso	Portland Thorns FC, USA	34 (4)
17	Mary Fowler	Bankstown City Lions, Australia	4 (0)
18	Mackenzie Arnold (GK)	Brisbane Roar FC, Australia	23 (0)
19	Katrina Gorry	Brisbane Roar FC, Australia	73 (14)
20	Sam Kerr (C)	Chicago Red Stars, USA	76 (31)
21	Ellie Carpenter	Portland Thorns FC, Australia	31 (1)
22	Amy Harrison	Washington Spirit, USA	10 (0)
23	Teigan Allen	Melbourne Victory, Australia	40 (0)

 

[Dixie Flatline]

I think Amy Harrison is slightly lucky. She was only in the squad for the Cup of Nations and the friendly against the USA because Logarzo was recuperating from her injury suffered in the W-League. But obviously she did enough to edge out Chidiac.

It looks a strong squad, though. Fourth World Cup for Williams, Polkinghorne and De Vanna. Third World Cup for Alleway, K-K, Foord, Van Egmond, Yallop and Kerr. Second World Cup for Catley, Kennedy, Raso, Arnold, Gorry and Allen (who played in the 2011 World Cup but missed the 2015 World Cup). First World Cup for Simon, Luik, Logarzo, Micah, Gielnik, Fowler, Carpenter and Harrison.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

Comparing the squad announced this morning to the squad that was selected to play the USA, Elizabeth Ralston was replaced by Amy Harrison. Otherwise, Milicic went with 22 of the 23 players that traveled to the USA last month. Logarzo was named for the squad to take on the USA but I think she withdrew and was replaced by Harrison.

 

[SunGirl89]

Lisa de Vanna should become our most capped player in the 2nd round (Round of 16), assuming she plays in the friendly against the Netherlands.

She needs 3 goals to reach 50, and then just 1 more to pass Tim Cahill and become Australia's leading international scorer, male or female.

 

[stax on the mull]

Harrison's had two ACL injuries; from memory I think she was a captain in the Young Matildas, but she was a star junior player in the W-League and had played some games for the senior Matidas prior to those major injuries.

She was mostly an off the bench player for Sydney FC in the W-League season just gone and when she played it was as a right back, but she's been a regular starter for Washington Spirit in the US-NWSL as a midfielder, and that's where Milicic played her in the Cup of Nations tournament.

She could be one that's just getting her fitness right at the right time.

Logarzo played her first game on the weekend for the same team (Spirit), but I think Catley (Seattle Reign) is still injured.

Gorry has had very little game time in the last 6 months, and De Vanna and Raso both returned late in the W-League season from injuries, so I can see why they wouldn't take the risk on including Kyah Simon.

 

[drd23]

Do we really need 3 keepers?

Pretty sure its a squad requirement by FIFA. 23 person squad is technically 3 GKs + 20 outfield players (at least on FM it is)

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The online version is behind the News Limited pay-wall, but the Herald-Sun and Daily Telegraph have a two-page spread on Hayley Raso in the paper today.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

 

[Dixie Flatline]

Highlights from the USWNT 5-0 win over New Zealand.

 

[SunGirl89]

Games since April 1 for the USWNT:
2019-04-05 USA 5 - 3 Australia
2019-04-08 USA 6 - 0 Belgium
2019-05-13 USA 3 - 0 South Africa
2019-05-17 USA 5 - 0 New Zealand
2019-05-27 USA - Mexico

Games since April 1 for the Matildas:
2019-04-05 Australia 3 - 5 USA
2019-06-02 Australia - Netherlands