Was there a team that surprised at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup than Australia? The Matildas captured hearts around the world on their way to fourth place in the tournament, a team best.
Since then Australia has struggled to keep players healthy. Star striker Sam Kerr is out with an ACL tear after being used sparingly in the World Cup. In a recent closed door friendly against Canada, five players were ruled out of the match due to precautionary measures. With the Olympics quickly approaching, Australia needs to find a solution to their injury woes, and fast.
While it’s impossible to say what’s causing the problem from an outside perspective, let’s focus on some players who’ve become Matildas staples as a result of these post-World Cup injuries.
Michelle Heyman
Michelle Heyman’s road to the Olympics is one of the most fascinating of the entire squad. Heyman, now 36 years old, had retired from international competition in 2019. She didn’t feature heavily with the Matildas, so she hung up the green and gold jersey and continued to play for her longtime club Canberra United in the A-League Women.
While Canberra’s performance was middling at best in the 2023-24 season, Heyman was sensational. She won the Golden Boot with a staggering 17 goals. This is the most a Golden Boot winner has scored in a single season, beating her own previous record of 15 in the 2011-12 season.
Sam Kerr’s ACL tear in January 2024 meant the Matildas would have to look elsewhere for another cheeky finisher. Tony Gustavsson and co. decided Heyman’s prolific goal scoring abilities were worth another look after her last Matildas call in 2018.
Heyman’s ability to finish from almost anywhere is exactly why she was called back to the Matildas squad. What she lacks in speed she makes up for in clever dribbling.
Heyman has consistently started for the Matildas since getting her first call back into the squad. That being said, she’s an important player who can come up big off the bench too. Look for her to be an impact player, especially if the team is playing from behind.
Sharn Freier
The young Freier’s first Matildas call up was in March 2024. In the four months since then, Freier has catapulted herself to an Olympic alternate slot. Given the unique rules surrounding alternates in the Paris games, it’s likely that the 22-year-old will see some playing time over the course of the tournament.
Freier’s initial call up was on the back of her breakthrough 2023-24 season in the A-League Women with the Brisbane Roar. Despite the team’s middling performance, she notched three goals and five assists. Freier won the Brisbane Roar Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year, Fans’ Player of the Year, and Players’ Player of the Year.
Freier’s strength is being able to slip behind almost any back line undetected. She can use this to provide stellar assists or have a go on goal herself. Her ability to be in the right place at the right time is a great skill to pair with someone like Michelle Heyman or Mary Fowler who are more creative dribblers.
Australia Head Coach Tony Gustavsson had glowing remarks about Freier after their closed door match against Canada on July 15:
I also think Sharn Freier maybe had a little bit of her breakthrough game for the Matildas… Not just the goal but the way she plays as well and how brave and confident she was, everything from pressing to tackles to taking on 1v1.
If the Matildas’ injury problems persist through the Olympic tournament, Freier will certainly be called into action. She’s a consistently good player off the bench, a must for a grueling schedule like the Olympics. Freier has the ability to come up big at the right moments. Will she be able to use that ability on the world’s biggest stage?
Cortnee Vine
While Vine became an Aussie legend for her game-winning penalty kick against France, overseas soccer fans may not be familiar with Vine’s game after the World Cup. She had a lights-out season with Sydney FC, in which she was the club’s top scorer for a third consecutive year.
With the help of Vine, Sydney became A-League Champions for the second year in a row. It was obvious the 26-year-old needed a challenge. After the celebrations ended, she announced her departure to the North Carolina Courage.
In the wake of Kerr’s injury Vine has become an important piece of the Matildas’ attack alongside Mary Fowler. Her speed is her biggest asset, followed closely by her audacity. Vine will shoot from almost anywhere, and most of the time the ball ends up in the back of the net.
While Vine is arguably starter quality, she’s been recently utilized as an impact player off the bench. Expect to see her start at least one group stage game to give Michelle Heyman some much-needed rest.
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