Sam Kerr, Mary Fowler, Kyra Cooney-Cross headline Matildas in action as WSL kicks off
Our Matildas heroes will be in action for the first time since the World Cup when the England’s Women’s Super League kicks off this weekend — but will Sam Kerr be there? Check out all the details for who is playing and when!
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After a well deserved break – or tough pre-season – 10 Matildas World Cup stars will be back in action this weekend as the English Women’s Super League kicks off. But will all the fan favourites be on the pitch?
It remains to be seen if super striker Sam Kerr has fully recovered from the calf injury she picked up days before the World Cup.
Will Mary Fowler’s impressive performances on the global stage earn her more minutes at Manchester City?
Will rising star Kyra Cooney-Cross be a starting player or an impact player for Arsenal?
SAM KERR
Optus Sport journalist Isobel Cootes said with a line-up as strong as Chelsea’s, manager Emma Hayes won’t rush to play superstar Kerr if there is any chance of her re-injuring her calf.
“I know she played all those games and played so many minutes after missing the first few at the World Cup but Hayes has such depth in her squad that she’s not going to be rushing to put one of the best strikers in the world back on the park if she’s not 100 per cent,” Cootes said.
“We might not see her this weekend, hopefully we will, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she either comes on off the bench or has limited minutes for the first few weeks of the competition.”
MARY FOWLER
Fowler, who showed the world what she can do during the World Cup, had very limited minutes on the field during her first season at Manchester City.
The 20-year-old played five times as many minutes in the month-long World Cup than she did for her club – registering just 154 minutes across 11 WSL games last season.
But her age and inexperience weren’t the only factor with Fowler fighting for a spot alongside some of the best players in the world.
With the Paris Olympics fast approaching game time will be important. Cootes believes it is something Fowler will be blessed with this season.
“After the performance she put in it’s going to be hard to deny her a start in a lot of the games or at least valuable minutes on the pitch,” she said.
“Gareth Taylor didn’t value what she brought in, it was her first season and she was obviously a year younger and had less experience under her belt so hopefully this year after the World Cup and what she did on the world stage, he will take another look and allow her to play again.
“Because as we saw at the World Cup, fatigue by that third playoff game was huge. So they’re going to need a lot of conditioning for Paris 2024.”
KYRA COONEY-CROSS
Midfield sensation Kyra Cooney-Cross became one of the hottest commodities after the World Cup with some of the biggest clubs on the planet chasing her signature – and it was Arsenal who won out.
The move to the WSL from the Swedish league is a big one for the 21-year-old, but it also puts her at the same club as Matildas teammates Caitlin Foord and Steph Catley.
Arsenal were willing to pay the rumoured $271,000 AUD transfer fee for Cooney-Cross because they were desperate to plug a hole in their midfield – especially with a player with a knack for taking on a defensive role.
Cootes said there was no doubt Cooney-Cross had a key role to play – but she might be eased into it.
“Arsenal have been looking for a natural defensive midfielder for a while, they’ve had to shove different plays in that position, just based on who they had in the arsenal.
“So the biggest thing is going to be the fact that she is obviously a natural defensive midfielder and likes to play there.
“I know she plays attacking midfield sometimes for her club so we could see her there but I think Arsenal really wanted her in that holding midfield role, just to kind of do what she did at the World Cup.
“If she starts that’ll be huge for her career and huge for Australian football generally, given the names that are in that squad.
“But I think realistically, she’s going to have to be eased in because it’s a very different league to the Swedish league that she’s coming from and again, the names in that Arsenal squad are just insane.”
Cootes said having all three Aussies in the same squad would be a huge benefit in the lead up to the Paris Olympics next year.
“Since that partnership (Foord/Cately) has been in practice we’ve had two major tournaments, we’ve had the Tokyo Olympics and the World Cup, and both times we’ve finished fourth, so you can’t deny how important that is,” Cootes said.
“So to add an extra name into that partnership at a club and have them playing and training week in week out together is going to be huge and the flow on effect for the Matildas is going to be insane to watch.”
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MUST WATCH
While a total of 10 Matildas could be in action across the weekend in the WSL all eyes will be on the Arsenal and Liverpool clash.
It’s a chance to see four Matildas in action with Foord, Catley and Cooney-Cross playing for Arsenal and goalkeeper Teagan Micah making her first WSL appearance with Liverpool.
“I think it’s going to be awesome,” Cootes said. “They’ve sold over 50,000 tickets and its at Emirates so the major stadium and it’s going to be insane to watch that.”
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Originally published as Sam Kerr, Mary Fowler, Kyra Cooney-Cross headline Matildas in action as WSL kicks off
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