Matildas ready to face the heat at Tournament of Nations
MATILDAS coach Alen Stajcic knows Australia’s competition at the Tournament of Nations will be hot but it’s another type of heat that has him sweating.
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MATILDAS coach Alen Stajcic knows Australia’s competition at the Tournament of Nations will be hot but it’s another type of heat that has him sweating.
With Stajcic and a number of his 21 strong squad flying to the US from one of Australia’s coldest winters in recent memory, he is concerned how the heat will affect his players.
Prior to leaving for the US for the series of friendlies starting after this week, Stajcic said he was bracing for temperatures in Kansas City to soar into the mid to high 30s.
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“Fortunately we have 10 or 11 over there in the US so hopefully they will be better acclimatised,’’ he said.
A new-look Matildas squad, complete with two uncapped teenagers and scoring sensation Sam Kerr, is bidding to defend the Tournament of Nations crown Australia won a year ago against the US, Brazil and Japan.
The tournament marked the first time Australia had ever beaten the US.
Chicago Red Star player Kerr is one of Stajcic’s 11 players competing in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in the US and was last year one of the stars of the Tournament of Nations where Australia went through undefeated, scoring 11 goals and conceding just three.
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Others playing in the NWSL include teenager Ellie Carpenter, Caitlin Foord and Hayley Raso, who are all with the Portland Thorns, and Clare Polkinghorne and Kyah Simon of the Houston Dash.
Stajcic last week named a squad with the experience to defend the title but also with an eye on the future, specifically next year’s World Cup in France.
In the squad are uncapped 15-year-old Mary Fowler and 16-year-old Amy Sayer.
The Matildas first match is against Brazil early Friday (AEST) with following matches against the US early Monday and Japan the following Friday.