Photograph: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images
Coach Tony Gustavsson has made two changes to the squad that took Australia and the Women’s World Cup by storm two months ago as the Matildas prepare for the Olympic qualifying tournament starting later this month.
The familiar group, headlined by captain Sam Kerr, will reassemble to face Iran, the Philippines and Chinese Taipei in Group A of the Asian qualifying leg over the course of a week in Perth.
Chelsea striker Kerr will return to her home town to lead the 23-woman squad alongside vice-captain and Arsenal defender Steph Catley.
Related: ‘Full circle moment’: Matildas striker Kyah Simon returns to A-League Women
But veterans Aivi Luik and Kyah Simon miss out on the tournament as they recover from injury. Simon was selected in the World Cup squad in July despite sustaining a serious ACL injury in October 2022 while playing for then-club Tottenham.
After the Matildas’ third-place playoff loss to Sweden in August, Gustavsson said the striker had made significant progress on her rehab from that injury, but had experienced other injury setbacks during the tournament.
In their place, Gustavsson has called up Australian Under-23s captain Amy Sayer, who was named as part of the Matildas’ extended World Cup squad before being cut from the final list.
The Kristianstads DFF midfielder, who has been capped six times for the senior national team, has impressed with her recent form in Sweden’s top women’s league Damallsvenskan.
Twenty-year-old Charlize Rule will join the squad in a development capacity as a train-on player and is not eligible to play in the games. The Brighton forward is also part of the Under-23 program led by Matildas assistant coach Melissa Andreatta.
Penalty shootout heroes Mackenzie Arnold and Cortnee Vine will be back in the action, as will young guns Mary Fowler and Kyra Cooney-Cross who have been rewarded for their World Cup performances with game time at their clubs Manchester City and Arsenal.
Amy Sayer trains ahead of the Women’s World Cup. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP
Gustavsson reflected on returning to play in the country two months on from the “exhilarating and unifying month of football in Australia”.
“While we have had some time to reflect on the impact of this remarkable team on and off the pitch, the special trait of this group is that they are always looking to embrace the next challenge and that is now qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” he said.
“With just over 285 days to go until that opening kick-off in France, we have called up players that we know are ready to take us forward to the next phase of qualifying, while looking to reward a couple who have performed strongly in the Under-23 program.”
Under Gustavsson, the Matildas narrowly missed out on a medal at the 2022 Tokyo Olympics, losing to the USA 4-3 in the bronze-medal match.
After another fourth-place finish at the World Cup the Swede said the group were now looking “to build on the legacy for this team”.
“We understand the importance of high-quality performances and know these will be challenging matches against teams who will also be committed to continuing their journey to Paris next year,” he said.
The match against World Cup debutants the Philippines on 29 October had to be moved from the smaller HBF Park to Perth’s Optus Stadium to accommodate high ticket demand.
Matildas squad: Mackenzie Arnold, Teagan Micah, Lydia Williams; Ellie Carpenter, Steph Catley, Charlotte Grant, Clare Hunt, Alanna Kennedy, Courtney Nevin, Clare Polkinghorne, Charlize Rule; Alex Chidiac, Kyra Cooney-Cross, Katrina Gorry, Emily van Egmond, Amy Sayer, Clare Wheeler, Tameka Yallop; Caitlin Foord, Mary Fowler, Sam Kerr, Hayley Raso, Cortnee Vine.
Fixtures
26 October: Australia v Iran (HBF Park)
29 October: Australia v the Philippines (Optus Stadium)
1 November: Australia v Taiwan (HBF Park)
