Who is Mackenzie Arnold? Meet the goalkeeper with nerves of steel who sent the Matildas to the semi-finals

In the dressing rooms after Australia’s quarter-final victory over France, their spot in the semi-finals assured, the Matildas players screamed a chant at the top of their lungs: “Macca’s on fire, nah nah nah nah, Macca’s on fire ...”

“Macca” is Mackenzie Arnold, Australia’s goalkeeper whose heroics, nerves of steel and technical ability earned her player of the match honours against France and sent the nation to its first football World Cup semi-final.

Mackenzie Arnold (right) embraces her Matildas teammates after Australia won the penalty shootout against France in the World Cup quarter-final.Credit: Reuters

In modern sporting parlance, Macca was “clutch”. She saved a series of French shots to keep a clean sheet and take Australia to extra time, then to penalties.

Then, during those penalties, she saved two early shots by the French before crossing the line to take her own kick when the match was up for grabs. She missed, but stayed composed, even as one shot slipped in off her gloves and another fell in off the crossbar. When she made her next save it was disallowed on video review and a retake was ordered, so she saved it again.

In the end, it was Arnold’s defiance that allowed Cortnee Vine to take the winning shot for Australia.

Not only did she have 49,461 people in the stands watching her do all this, but more than 4.703 million on Channel Seven, tens of thousands more at fan sites, and millions around the world.

That’s some pressure.

So, who is Mackenzie Arnold and how did she find herself standing on that goalkeeper line with the weight of Australia on her shoulders?

Junior days to the big stage

Arnold grew up on the Gold Coast and spent her junior football days playing for Burleigh Heads and Robina City in Queensland.

Mackenzie Arnold has emerged as the Matildas first-choice goalkeeper in the past year.Credit: Getty

Then, like most of the Matildas, Arnold was “made in the A-Leagues”, as the saying goes, before heading to Europe to finesse her craft. She started with Perth Glory in 2011, then did stints at Canberra United, the Western Sydney Wanderers, back to Glory, and onto Brisbane Roar before signing with Arna-Bjornar in Norway in 2018.

Jamie Harnwell, CEO of Football West, was Arnold’s coach at Perth Glory when she was in her late-teens and early 20s, and noticed her mental strength and self-assured nature from the outset.

“We weren’t a great side that year (in 2011), to be perfectly honest. [But] she was resilient. She had an inner-confidence and belief that she had the ability to do well. We had a number of setbacks that she bounced back from,” Harnwell said.

“In 2014, we had a great team. But ... she fractured her cheekbone in our final league game that season, and rather than missing games she had to wear a mask in the semi-finals.

Mackenzie Arnold (main) after being named player of the series at last year’s Cup of Nations; as a youngster (top right) recruited to Canberra United with fellow goalie Trudy Burke; and scrambling desperately (bottom right) to protect the goals for Brisbane Roar in the W-League in 2020.Credit: Getty/Canberra Times

“I’ve always known that she’s had the ability and the potential to step up and be one of the best in the world. I’ve been waiting to see when this would actually happen and when she’d fulfil her true potential, so [I’m] just over the moon for her.”

After one year in Norway, Arnold was picked up by the Chicago Red Stars briefly in 2019 before catching the eye of, and signing with, West Ham United in 2020, where she now plays.

She earned her first national cap and started to become a regular in Matildas squads in 2013 when Lydia Williams and Melissa Barbieri were unavailable. She was named in the 2015 and 2019 World Cup squads and 2016 and 2020 Olympic teams, but, as the third choice goalie, rarely featured.

From third-best keeper to national hero within a year

Arnold went from third-string to preferred starter to national hero in little more than a year.

She only saw the pitch twice playing for her country last year. Firstly, for Australia’s 18-0 Asian Cup win in Indonesia and then for a 7-0 friendly loss to Spain.

The latter match was a reality check. She was brought on for Teagan Micah at half-time and conceded six goals in 45 minutes. The important context here was that the Australia squad was missing most of its preferred starters, including Sam Kerr, Caitlin Foord and Hayley Raso. But Arnold took the drubbing personally and, momentarily, became resigned to the thought her spot on the team was behind Micah and Lydia Williams.

“It really put me in a very hard mental place,” she said in June while reflecting on that game.

Mackenzie Arnold saves the fifth penalty from Eve Perisset in the penalty shoot out.Credit: Getty Images

“I had almost come to the realisation that I was probably third keeper at this point, and as it got closer and closer to the World Cup that I probably wasn’t going to have many more opportunities. After that game I thought, ‘that was probably my last chance’.”

Instead of phoning it in, she doubled down, supported by Gustavsson.

The coach started her in Australia’s opening Cup of Nations fixture against Czechia, a 4-0 win. She then started in wins over Spain and Jamaica, made a slew of crucial saves and was named player of the tournament.

The performance cemented her as the Matildas’ first-choice goalkeeper, ahead of Micah and Williams.

Mackenzie Arnold is greeted by young Matildas fans as she arrives in Sydney on Sunday to begin preparing for the World Cup semi-final against England.Credit: Sydney Morning Herald

After Saturday’s dramatic World Cup quarter-final win, Australian vice-captain Steph Catley said she was proud of how far Arnold had come.

“She’s worked so hard, she’s come into her own, she’s been brave, she backed herself. She’s done what we’ve been waiting for her to do,” Catley said post-match.

“We’ve all known she’s capable, and she’s just gone ahead and taken ownership and done it herself.

“You can see it in the games and the gameplay and big saves she makes, but we all know how good she is at penalties.

After the frenzied early celebrations, Mackenzie Arnold let’s Australia’s quarter-finals victory sink in.Credit: Getty

“That’s always been her thing. When we went into this, I was like, ‘We’re good. Mac’s going to save, probably, the lot of them’.

“I’m just so proud of how far she’s come. She’s incredible. She did something so special tonight.”

What makes her a great goalkeeper? Instinct and nerves of steel

Harnwell says Arnold always had a commanding presence and been a “good shot-stopper”.

Australia’s goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold makes a save during the Women’s World Cup quarter-final between Australia and France in Brisbane.Credit: AP

She stands 181 centimetres (five foot ,11 inches), markedly taller than average for a goalkeeper in the Women’s Super League (172 centimetres) or at last year’s European Championships (175 centimetres).

“I think the one thing that’s really helped her, especially during this World Cup, is she’s really good with her feet as well,” Harnwell said.

“She sometimes fancied herself as a bit of an outfield player and would like to join in and try a few tricks. So, that’s always been a benefit to a goalkeeper. You could see that last night as well, but she is just an all-round top goalkeeper.”

On Saturday night, despite all the training and research that led her to arguably the biggest Matildas game in history to date, Arnold said she relied on her gut.

“I think I do have an instinct, and I tend to just trust my gut,” she said post-game.

“We do have a little bit of research, obviously, that goes on behind the scenes, and communication with coaches as well [on opponents’ habits]. I think I just tend to stay a little bit calm, but I wouldn’t say I read it too well – it’s gut instinct that I just go with.”

Those instincts were spot on when a video review found Arnold had come off her line for the 17th kick in the shootout and gave France’s Kenza Dali another attempt.

“It’s a little bit of a mind game, to be honest, whether she’s going to go the same way or change it up. I backed myself and thankfully I got the save again,” Arnold said,

Mackenzie Arnold celebrates with her fellow Matildas after Cortnee Vine’s winning kick.Credit: Getty

Arnold’s recent rise has coincided with the discovery that she has significant hearing loss.

Her older brother Sam has used hearing aids since he was a toddler, and it was during the pandemic – while trying to understand people wearing masks – that Arnold saw a specialist and learned she had lost a significant proportion of her ability to hear high frequencies.

She now wears hearing aids off the pitch, but does not use them on it, as she is reluctant to invite potential distraction.

What does all this mean to ‘Macca’?

In her own words, Arnold knows the quarter-final will be a night she will long remember, but she is also aware bigger opportunities await.

“I definitely haven’t processed it. That is the craziest game I’ve ever played, considering what was on the line,” she said.

“It’s going to take a long time to really realise what has happened and what I’ve done and what the team has done. I’m just super proud to be Australian right now.”

As for her teammates, all they want to say is, “Macca’s on fire”.

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