Matildas news: Chloe Logarzo’s injury recovery provides hope for Ellie Carpenter’s World Cup push
Chloe Logarzo’s ability to recover from a horror ACL tear in under 12 months has coach Tony Gustavsson hopeful Matildas superstar Ellie Carpenter can do the same.
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Chloe Logarzo’s remarkable recovery from an ACL tear in less than 12 months has given coach Tony Gustavsson hope star defender Ellie Carpenter can do the same in time for the World Cup.
Logarzo, 27, tore her ACL during a Matildas camp in September last year, following the Tokyo Olympics.
A strict rehab program, mostly carried out in the US alongside her club Kansas City Current, has her back on her feet and fit to train with the national team in less than 12 months.
Gustavsson said the quick recovery was a credit to Logarzo’s character.
“The same night she got injured I met her in the corridor at the hotel on crutches,” Gustavsson said.
“She understood what it was then even though she hadn’t had it confirmed with an MRI.
“At that point there is a lot of emotion and I meet her and want to shoulder the support and say ‘Chloe sorry, it’s a tough journey ahead of you’.
“She just looked me in the eyes and said ‘Tony you know what – this is going to make me a better player. I’m going to commit like I’ve never done before. I’m going to have that World Cup in the back of my head and I’m going to be back stronger than ever’.
“A player saying that the same night you go on crutches says a lot about Chloe and she brings that character on the field as well.”
Carpenter, who plays a pivotal role in the Matildas squad, tore her ACL during the Champions League final, playing for Lyon, in May, giving her just more than 12 months to be fighting fit for the World Cup.
Gustavsson said Logarzo’s speedy recovery and Carpenter’s can-do attitude made him hopeful the right-back will be good to go come July 2023.
“That hope was always there,” he said.
Carpenter underwent surgery overseas but has since returned to Australia for her rehab.
“We have had the privilege of working with Ellie for a long time now. She’s been back in Australia for a large chunk of her rehab which means our full time physio has been able to work with her hands on sometimes triple sessions a day, double sessions a day,” Gustavsson said.
“Knowing Ellie and how professional she is, she is way above her age when it comes to maturity and professionalism. So if there is a player that is going to come back after an injury like that being better than before it is Ellie.”
Recent videos of her rehab, shared on Instagram, show Carpenter hoping and skipping on her injured leg and lifting weights.
This week Gustavsson said he was very close to locking in his preferred squad for the World Cup campaign.
He said it would be hard for players not named in the current extended squad to work their way back in.
But the injured Carpenter was the exception.
“Obviously there are some players, like Ellie, who plays as a starting right back in Lyon, one of the best teams in the world … it is going to take a lot before those players are bounced off a roster like this. We are not there with the depth in this team,” Gustavsson said.
The Matildas are also missing forward Kyah Simon, who is continuing to recover from an ankle injury.
Following a spate of serious injuries, including the ACL tear suffered by Spain’s Alexia Putellas on the eve of the European Championship, Gustavsson said a lot of questions were being asked about loading in the women’s game.
“It is a big debate, especially over in Europe, with all of the injuries going in to the tournament and during the tournament,” Gustavsson said.
“It is a huge concern from both club and country when it comes to that. There are some in depth discussions going on behind the scenes on the calendar and all these things on how we can protect the players’ welfare and well being.”
Matildas host reigning Olympic champions Canada in two friendlies next month. The first at Suncorp Stadium on September 3 and then again at Allianz Stadium on September 6.
‘Line in the sand’: World Cup clue as Matildas squad revealed
The Matildas biggest stars, including star striker Sam Kerr, will line up against reigning Olympic champions Canada, as coach Tony Gustavsson confirms he has a solid idea of who he wants to don the green and gold for next year’s Women’s World Cup.
It follows 18 months of experimenting, which included giving 17 players a chance to debut for the national team, and resting big names like Kerr and Steph Catley.
Gustavsson did cop heavy criticism from former players and football experts for his selection decisions, particularly in the wake of the heavy 7-0 defeat to Spain in June.
Of the 23-player squad named ahead of the two matches with Canada on September 3 and 6, just two have less than 10 caps against their name – Cortnee Vine and Charlotte Grant.
Both have been tipped as potential replacements for injured right back Ellie Carpenter should she not recover from her ACL tear in time.
With less than a year until the World Cup Gustavsson said the time to experiment was now over.
“We went back because we had plenty of time between this camp and the previous one, we looked at every single player, looked at every training, every minute they played and everything they have done in club land,” Gustavsson said.
“We looked at past tournaments again and then said okay let’s draw a line in the sand and narrow down the focus on the core group of players that is going to prepare so we get some cohesion and consistency, focus on a smaller player pool just to focus on the World Cup.
“It doesn’t mean the door is closed to players but it is going to be much more difficult to actually get selected for the national team now.”
Experienced stars Kerr, Catley, Caitlin Foord and Alanna Kennedy, who all have all played more than 100 games in the green and gold, have been pulled back into the squad.
It will be the first time since April the senior squad has been in camp together.
Gustavsson said he was excited to get the team back together for what he called a “massive game for us”.
“There is a lot of faith within the inner circle, staff and players know exactly what we’ve done over the past 18 months and why we have done it,” he said.
“It doesn’t mean everything is going to be perfect for the Canada games. I understand that from the outside maybe it needs to be good results to gain back the faith but in my opinion it needs to be good performances similar to the ones we had against Brazil in the double header when we played on home soil and one of the US games and both games against New Zealand.
“If we can play that way people will see we are heading in the right direction.”
Chloe Logarzo, who tore her ACL during a national camp in September last year, has been named in the squad but Gustavsson said it was yet to be determined how many minutes she would play.
“She is tough, she is mentally strong and physically strong and she has combined that with technical skills as well,” he said.
“We need to be a little bit mindful that she is still less than 12 months away from the injury. She is selected because she hasn’t been with us since we moved to a 4-3-3 and I want her to see the playbook, see the training, and meet the team again. She is ready for training at a national level but might not be prepared for too many game minutes as of now.”
Matildas will take on Canada at Suncorp Stadium on September 3 at 2.45pm and Allianz Stadium on September 6 at 7.40pm.
Matildas’ 23-player squad for Canada friendlies:
Mackenzie Arnold, Steph Catley, Alex Chidiac, Kyra Cooney-Cross, Larissa Crummer, Caitlin Foord, Mary Fowler, Emily Gielnik, Katrina Gorry, Charlotte Grant, Alanna Kennedy, Sam Kerr, Chloe Logarzo, Aivi Luik, Teagan Micah, Courtney Nevin, Clare Polkinghorne, Hayley Raso, Emily van Egmond, Cortnee Vine, Clare Wheeler, Lydia Williams, Tameka Yallop
Originally published as Matildas news: Chloe Logarzo’s injury recovery provides hope for Ellie Carpenter’s World Cup push
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