By Kieran Yap 19/2/26
Above: Kahli Johnson. Photo: Football Australia
The Matildas squad for the Asian Cup has harnessed the potential of Australia’s youth and experience. It is a balanced squad, that has avoided some of the temptations and errors of previous tournaments and provides multiple options and backups.
Australia squads are always contentious, outside of a few locked-in stars, fans will always have strong opinions over about half the selected players. However, Joe Montemurro’s team to take on Asia’s best feels at once safe, and exciting. There are some surprises, but few risks and that is a good thing.
One of the issues that has plagued recent Matildas campaigns for a trophy has been the selection of injured players. That Montemurro has delayed announcing this team until the absolute deadline might indicate that they were giving some players every chance to prove their fitness and in the end, only Teagan Micah is currently listed as injured by her club.
Jamilla Rankin and Charlize Rule have been chosen in defence. This gives Australia two strong options at Right and Left Back. If Steph Catley is used at Centre Back, Rankin could very easily find herself starting, but the selection of Winonah Heatley also means that Catley can shift out to left back while Australia maintains a classy, passing defender in the middle of the four.
Essentially, in defence there are multiple options for every role. Rule/Ellie Carpenter, Rankin/Courtney Nevin and Catley/ Heatley/Catley/Hunt/Kennedy. Injuries at the back can derail even the best of teams, but Australia has good cover with all players except Kennedy being regular starters in Europe.
In midfield, Tameka Yallop misses out through injury. The Brisbane Roar star suffered a severe hamstring tear back in December and was not able to win the race to be fit in time.
It is hard to be a fan of Australian football without being a Yallop fan. But she has rarely been a starter for Australia and even more rarely been used in her best attacking midfield position.
This is heartbreaking for Yallop, particularly because recent national team camps have given her the chance to play in that role, but Joe Montemurro has made a surprising but popular choice in her replacement.
Alex Chidiac is a fan favourite. The two-time Julie Dolan Medallist and current Seria A star with FC Como might not have Yallop’s versatility but can play that attacking midfield or playmaking role as well as anyone. Chidiac is creative, brave on the ball, and an excellent finisher.
Off the bench, or starting, “Chids” is the sort of player than can spark a game, panic defences and entertain crowds. She is loved and feared because of the way she plays, a tenacious, tough footballer with audacity and skill to beat any team. Her selection is only a surprise because she has always been on the fringes of the national team setup for reasons that perplex many observers. Based on footballing merit, she belongs in this squad and can clearly help Australia lift the cup.
There are no real shocks in the rest of the midfield. A mix of Kyra Cooney-Cross, Clare Wheeler and Katrina Gorry should ideally start, but depending on the formation and tactics, Amy Sayer could be a valuable weapon at the attacking point of a midfield diamond or trio.
It remains frankly shocking to look back at the 2023 World Cup and realise that Wheeler received no minutes in that tournament. She was good then, has only gotten better since and can give Australia both stability and drive from a deep midfield position. If we want to see Australia’s attack at their best, Wheeler can provide the foundation for that.
Van Egmond is a player who divides fans, and at club level has not exactly been in career best form. Her cautious style can frustrate supporters, but her continued selection suggests that she is doing exactly what coaches ask of her.
She has almost always performed well in tournaments for Australia, and although her best football might be behind her, she can play most midfield or attacking roles and provide tactical flexibility whether Australia is chasing a goal or defending a lead.
In attack, Montemurro has once again given himself options to replace players with like-for-like alternatives and maintain tactics regardless of injuries, or to change things up if need be.
Kahli Johnson is one of Australia’s brightest rising stars. Her game style is similar to Caitlin Foord’s in that she can play with her back to goal, roll off defender and shoot or cross. Her acceleration makes her a threat in behind, and her finishing is improving, but ever dangerous.
Should Foord be unavailable for a game and Montemurro want to keep the same structure and game-plan, Johnson can slot right in without anybody missing a beat. She is likely to play a big part in the future of The Matildas and even if game time is limited in this tournament, she will have the opportunity to learn of some of the world’s most accomplished forwards.
Remy Siemsen feels like a surprise but probably should not be. She was a regular starter for Kristianstad in Sweden’s top division and has since made the move to Rosengard in the off-season. Siemsen has not always found it easy in Europe, but has stuck it out, improved her game and made herself a fixture at club level.
In terms of what she brings to this Australia side, her goal scoring at international level has not been great, but Siemsen’s hold up and link play can open up spaces for others. She could help the likes of Hayley Raso, or Mary Fowler find themselves one-on-one with defenders, which spells danger for the opposition.
That brings us to Fowler. Since returning from an ACL injury in rapid time, the young forward has only played a few minute for Manchester City, but is an X-Factor and game-changer of unrivalled quality. Fowler’s qualities are well documented, she’s one of our best players and her availability can help Australia win the tournament, even if she cannot play every game or even start for any. She is an option off the bench that few teams in this competition will have an answer for.
Holly McNamara is The A-League Women’s golden boot leader and is an easy choice. It will be interesting to see how she is deployed, if out wide she offers another alternative to Foord, in the middle, she should be able to trouble most teams in front of goal.
Raso is obviously no surprise, and in the absence of Kerr over the last two years has become Australia’s best and most reliable forward. She is unstoppable at international level.
Michelle Heyman is still the A-League Women’s record scorer and although on the face of this season, other strikers have been in better form, she has a good record at international level.
Heyman has shown good chemistry with the rest of this side and along with Kerr is one of the few players who can score headers from open play. Given how often Australia crosses the ball and the quality at fullback and on the wings, this is a real asset. Her international career looked finished before 2023, now she could possibly end it with a trophy.
Heyman will likely be deployed off the bench, but will almost guarantee that Australia’s emergency plan does not amount to throwing a defender up top.
Of the goalkeepers, Teagan Micah and Mackenzie Arnold are the favourites to start, but Jada Whyman could finally see game-time in the Green and Gold. Micah is currently injured, which is a major concern and a departure from the way the rest of this squad has been chosen, but is Australia’s best goalkeeper, and it is a position that Montemurro does not have much depth to choose from just yet.
The likes of Chloe Lincoln have been in recent camps, but it feels like her time is coming, and next month would have been too soon.
Overall, this is a squad that can lift the Asian Cup, but also has more than one eye on the future. Younger player have forced their way into contention in all areas of the pitch, and that is a good thing for a Matildas squad that appeared to be aging quickly at The Paris Olympics.
Rankin, Rule and Johnson, all played at the 2022 U20 World Cup, while Fowler, Cooney-Cross, Nevin, McNamara and Sayer would have been eligible for it.
This squad selection was always going to be a delicate balance, or trying to win the tournament while making sure that “Golden Generation” do not play on too long as a unit.
There is rejuvenation in this team, but crucially, nobody is really going just for the experience. Every player is capable of impacting games, and every one has earned their spot on merit, current form or what they can add tactically. There are no hopeful or sentimental selections here. Only Micah can be described as a gamble but it is one that must be taken. Australia is flexing its footballing depth across the pitch.
These 26 players can set up in a variety or formations and tactics, and outside of a starting three of Kerr, Foord and Raso, it is hard to really predict what the rest of the first XI will look like. That is a very promising attribute in this squad.
The midfield could be Wheeler as a Six with Gorry and Cooney-Cross ahead, it could be Sayer or Chidiac as attacking midfielders with another sitting behind them.
The defence could have any combination of the players selected. Only Ellie Carpenter can be 100% certain of her status as a starter and her position. Catley and Heatley would make an excellent pairing in the middle, but Catley is also a world class fullback and her delivery from wide can create numerous chances.
Australia’s squad presents a multitude of options, a great capacity to change games and a promising combination of youth and experience. There is a lot of ways this can go right and a plan for anything that can go wrong.
It is time to be excited.
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