by Ryan Miller-Woods at Watermans Cove, Sydney (14/2/24).
Above: Young Matildas head coach Leah Blayney (centre) with squad members (left to right) Claudia Cicco, Zara Kruger, Lara Gooch, and Shay Hollman today in Sydney. Photo: Tiff Williams, supplied to Impetus 71 by: Football Australia.
Ahead of next month’s AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup, Young Matildas’ Head Coach Leah Blayney announced her talented 23-player squad that will be headed to Uzbekistan next month.
Blayney knows that if her side can finish in the top two spots in their group which also contains hosts Uzbekistan, South Korea, and Chinese Taipei, they will automatically qualify for the 2024 U-20 World Cup in Colombia in August and September.
If they qualify, it will be the first time they’ll have entered the tournament directly since 2006 – a tournament that Blayney was in as a player.
In what was a real highlight from the squad announcement, 22 of the 23 players are currently plying their trade in the A-League Women with only Milly Boughton, on loan at third-tier English side Ipswich Town from WSL club Tottenham Hotspur being the exception.
In terms of the squad itself and what was the biggest challenge with picking the final 23 players for the upcoming AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup, Blayney said: “I think the fact that we have so many talented players across the country right now all competing for 23 spots.
“I definitely had some tough decisions that myself and our technical team did have to make that went down to the wire for some players and essentially we feel we’ve landed on a group that brings a lot of different qualities to bring our playing style to life, getting a lot of high match minutes in their A-League clubs as well as players who are in form.”
When asked what she’s looking for in this camp ahead of next month’s U-20 Women’s Asian Cup, the Young Matildas head coach said: “I’m very much invested in what we look like with and without the ball and then obviously, how we’re going to look to counter-act some of the strengths we know our opponents have in those matches.”
The influx of talent coming through the Australian footballing system, especially in more recent times within the NPLW and the A-League Women with youngsters playing with skill well beyond their years, emphasises what an exciting time in Australian football this is.
With the expanded Future Matildas program and how that has helped develop the Young Matildas, Blayney said: “It’s been excellent, in terms of reaching more players across the country and being able to deliver some of our national team content into them while they are in their NPL clubs and that environment outside of the A-League (Women), just additional touchpoints, additional opportunities for staff to work with a number of players from all over the country.”
Young Matildas Squad for the AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup:
| Name | Position | Club |
| Alexia Apostolakis | Defender | Western Sydney Wanderers |
| Tegan Bertolissio | Defender | Canberra United |
| Milly Boughton | Forward | Ipswich Town (on loan from Tottenham Hotspur) |
| Madeleine Caspers | Midfielder | Sydney FC |
| Georgia Cassidy | Midfielder | Perth Glory |
| Claudia Cicco | Defender | Newcastle Jets |
| Indiana dos Santos | Midfielder | Sydney FC |
| Jynaya dos Santos | Forward | Sydney FC |
| Gemma Ferris | Defender | Western Sydney Wanderers FC |
| Tahlia Franco | Goalkeeper | Sydney |
| Daniela Galic | Midfielder | Melbourne City |
| Lara Gooch | Forward | Newcastle Jets |
| Sasha Grove | Defender | Canberra United |
| Shay Hollman | Midfielder | Sydney |
| Kahli Johnson | Forward | Western United |
| Zara Kruger | Midfielder | Sydney |
| Chloe Lincoln | Goalkeeper | Canberra United |
| Tijan McKenna | Defender | Melbourne City |
| Alana Murphy | Midfielder | Melbourne Victory |
| Jessika Nash | Defender | Melbourne Victory |
| Naomi Thomas-Chinnama | Defender | Melbourne City |
| Peta Trimis | Forward | Central Coast Mariners |
| Grace Wilson | Goalkeeper | Adelaide United |
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