Matildas The Matildas Thread

swingdog

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Suggestion this morning on social media that Mackenzie Arnold has signed with West Ham but I have not found anything official.

If it is true, then there are only EVE and Kennedy in the NWSL and since Orlando isn't playing the Challenge Cup, there are no Australians involved in that tournament.

That's such a fast shift.
 
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Ante Milicic departs Westfield Matildas
Football Federation Australia (FFA) today announced Ante Milicic has stepped down from the role of Head Coach of Australia’s senior women’s national football team, the Westfield Matildas, and will honour his pre-existing three-year contract with incoming Hyundai A-League club Macarthur FC.

Milicic was appointed to the role of Head Coach of the Westfield Matildas in February 2019, and over the past 18 months oversaw Australia’s successful qualification for the women’s football tournament at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, and helped Australia reach the Round of 16 at the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™.

Milicic signed on to become the inaugural Head Coach of Macarthur FC in May 2019 prior to last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup™, and while he was due to complete his time with the Matildas at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the rescheduling of the Games to 2021 due to the unprecedented, global COVID-19 pandemic has regrettably forced a decision on Milicic’s coaching future to be made.

“FFA respects Ante’s decision to honour his contract with Macarthur FC,” FFA Chief Executive Officer, James Johnson, said.

“Ante agreed to become Macarthur FC’s inaugural Head Coach prior to last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup™, and while FFA extended his time with the Matildas following France after receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback from the players and staff, the unfortunate rescheduling of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games to July-August next year has meant that a decision had to be reached.

“We would have loved Ante to remain in the role for Tokyo 2020 and beyond, however FFA and Ante agree that overseeing two elite teams is not a workable solution, with both programs deserving of, and requiring, complete focus.

We acknowledge the increased professionalism that Ante brought to the Westfield Matildas over the past 18 months and wish him well in his time at Macarthur FC. Ante has been a long-serving employee of FFA, working with the Socceroos, multiple youth teams, and the Westfield Matildas, and he departs the organisation with our thanks for his many contributions to the game.

“Assistant Coach Ivan Jolic and Technical Analyst Kate Cohen will also depart FFA to join Macarthur, and we acknowledge their contributions to the team and FFA throughout their respective tenures,” he said.

Outgoing Westfield Matildas Head Coach Milicic said he’ll look back on the past 18 months with the team as some of the fondest of his career, having had the chance to mentor and build bonds with Australia’s top female footballers.

“I have enjoyed the past 18 months with the Matildas immensely and, in an ideal world, we would have been in Japan right now just days away from the start of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games,” Milicic explained. “Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic and the rescheduling of the Games has created the unenviable situation where people will assess whether I have chosen one team over another.”

“Truth be told, I have simply chosen to honour the commitment I made to Macarthur over a year ago, and hope that the Matildas’ players, staff, and fans, many of whom I have grown close with, will accept that.”

“Coaching the Matildas has been a highlight of my career – they are a great team made up of fantastic players and people, and they all have so much to look forward to and work towards. I will be following their progress individually and as a team over the next few years with interest, and look forward to watching them in Tokyo, at the Women’s Asian Cup in India in 2022, and at the FIFA Women’s World Cup here in Australia in 2023,” he said.

FFA will immediately commence the recruitment process for a new Head Coach of the Westfield Matildas.

Johnson added: “We expect there will be no shortage of interest in this prestigious role, particularly given all that the team has on the horizon. This will be a crucial appointment and we therefore must focus on putting in place a robust and objective process to ensure the best credentialed candidate is appointed to help the Matildas maximise their potential ahead of, and at, the 2021 Olympics, 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup and the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ in Australia and New Zealand in 2023.”


Right decision? Who will be the a good appointment for the role?
 
Joe Montemurro would be top of the wish list. Just a question of whether he could or would be prepared to do the national team and Arsenal simultaneously.

Jill Ellis won the World Cup with the USWNT and is out of a job. She copped criticism for her tactics, though.

Whoever gets the job should have more prior experience with women's football than what Milicic had before being appointed to the role.
 
Left field appointment would be Rado Vidisic. Coached Melbourne City to the title and had a lot of Matildas (both current and on the fringes) under his coaching. Used to coaching internationals and created a system that would, I think, benefit the Matildas current strengths.
 

nobbyiscool

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To me that's a really surprising decision, just cos it's not at all the decision that I would've made.

You can take a secure national team job through to a World Cup in 3 years... or you can take charge of a brand new start up in the middle of a pandemic, in a league that's rapidly trending towards "tin pot", with a team that's already had back room turmoil before they'd signed a player.
 
To me that's a really surprising decision, just cos it's not at all the decision that I would've made.

You can take a secure national team job through to a World Cup in 3 years... or you can take charge of a brand new start up in the middle of a pandemic, in a league that's rapidly trending towards "tin pot", with a team that's already had back room turmoil before they'd signed a player.
Agreed.
Job security?
Maybe fear of failure with Matildas >> start-up new team?
 
Aug 14, 2011
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Interesting piece from Tracey Holmes given that she was the mouthpeice for the anti Stajic group within FFA, actively promoting his demise & linked to Ms Reid.


Tracey plays the gender card again, surprise, surprise .....
 
Yeah, the news was leaked this morning. Pretty pleased that they hired someone who has experience with winning teams. This is the best group of players in a generation and they should be pushed to achieve their best. Hopefully the new coach can do that.

And I'm pleased it isn't Phil Neville.
 

stax on the mull

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I wonder if he's going to be mainly based in Europe now that so many of the team is there. I see he's planned a November training camp there. They'd need someone here to keep an eye on and support new talent coming through.

Also, nice first goal by Ellie Carpenter for Lyon.

They asked him that in the press conference screened live today (it should be up soon on the Matildas website, if not already).

As far as I can remember, he said initially because of COVID he'll stay in London for the time being and coordinate as a lot of the current squad are playing in Europe - but he'll look to move to Sydney. He said there was more than one pathway to make it as a Matilda (i.e. not just being a player who plays overseas) - he'll be travelling a lot from Australia to watch the players play in Europe as well as observing local games and also trust on the support of his other coaches already in place in programs here in Australia who have knowledge of the youth teams and W-League.

He will be appointing an assistant coach somewhere down the line.
 
Expansion draft happening now for the new Louisville team joining the NSWL next season. So far, they've selected Alanna Kennedy and Caitlin Foord from Orlando Pride and Portland Thorns respectively. Kennedy will probably suit up for Louisville, as she is only on loan to Spurs in the FAWSL, but I don't see Foord leaving Arsenal for a team that will probably struggle in the first couple of years of its existence (although Louisville did also select Tobin Heath from the Thorns).



 

stax on the mull

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Pretty awful goalkeeping here by our no 2 keeper Mackenzie Arnold playing for West Ham against Chelsea a few days ago.

Reckon Teaghan Micah should be ahead of her as next in line, but think its another area of weakness for the Matildas along with defence.

Williams is turning 33yo in May and has been a great servant, a fantastic shot stopper, but even she has weaknesses in playing the ball out with her feet and maybe as a stopper of penalties in a shoot-out situation.

Jada Whyman is probably the only other one with potential but a long way off.



 
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stax on the mull

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Actually take back what I said about Jada Whyman in previous post. She's also got a lot of work to do with controlling the high ball and positioning on corners and has let in some howlers in recent games. Her clean sheets are as much caused by Sydney's good season and that she's rarely tested by shots on target.
 
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