Brisbane Roar winger Sharn Freier became the latest Liberty A-League star to make her Matildas debut on Wednesday morning, coming on as a late substitute in the Matildas’ 2-0 win over Mexico in Texas.
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Goals either side of half-time from Hayley Raso and Caitlin Foord sealed the victory for Tony Gustavsson’s side at Toyota Field in San Antonio.
Fresh off capturing the Liberty A-League Golden Boot, Michelle Heyman was rewarded for her stellar recent form with a start while Sydney FC’s Cortnee Vine was inserted into the contest in place of Heyman midway through the second half, before Freier received her first minutes in green and gold late on.
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“What I’m so happy about, once again, is that we got another debutant out there,” said Gustavsson when discussing Freier becoming Matilda number 228.
“I’m very, very proud about getting the players an opportunity.
“One of the reasons why Sharn got the debut minutes here is because of what she’s done in training, otherwise she wouldn’t get playing time.”
The win for the Matildas made it three-straight for Gustavsson and co but, crucially, gave the national team boss plenty more to consider as he begins to draft his 18-player squad for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Having shone in San Antonio, Arsenal forward Foord drew plenty of praise from the Network 10 experts post game, with the panel believing the former Sydney FC striker should now be considered as one of the best players in world football.
“The work she does is sort of insurmountable for this Matildas team,” said Network 10 commentator and former Matildas striker Grace Gill. “You talk about the ‘A-Team’ – she’s pretty much your first name on that list.”
“She’s the most important player in the team,” added Network 10 commentator Andy Harper. “She wins us games and she’s been the ingredient that has separated the Matildas from losses for 18 to 24 months now since this huge rebirth in her already very impressive career.
“Today she just reconfirmed that she’s just a phenomenon.”
Another player to catch the eye for the Matildas was former Melbourne City defender Kaitlyn Torpey, who showcased her versatility by putting in an impressive display at left-back – a performance Harper believes could earn her the nod for Paris.
“I just think she was magnificent today, as close to flawless as a performance that was out there…”
He continued: “I just thought as an understudy to Steph Catley you know, wow, what a job she did. Her ability to run is incredible and she played the position very well.
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“Tony Gustavsson has spoken about some players coming into the national team setup and it being a really big jump and other players coming in and just fitting in quite seamlessly. Kaitlyn Torpey is in the latter in that conversation,” added former Matilda Gill.
“Her versatility is no surprise to me, this hasn’t come from nowhere in terms of her performances, she’s been performing in the Liberty A-League for some years now.
“So three appearances for the Matildas, three different positions and I think in context as well, we’ve got to think about the 18-player squad (for the Olympics).
“When you have that versatility and athleticism, with the ability to turn around three, four days between games you need players who can back up very quickly. In my eyes, Kaitlyn Torpey falls into that.”
The Matildas also now know who their final opponent will be at the Paris Olympics in four months time, with Zambia booking their spot at the Olympic Games following a 3-2 aggregate win over Morocco.
The first of three games in Pool B sees Gustavsson’s side face Germany on July 26 before facing Zambia three days later and then closing out their pool fixtures with a mouthwatering clash against the USA on August 1.
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Attention now returns to domestic matters this weekend as the 2023-24 Liberty A-League Finals Series gets underway.
Kicking off at the new Regional Football Facility in Tarneit, Western United host Newcastle Jets in the first Elimination Final of the weekend as they look to exact some revenge on the Jets, who famously defeated them in the first ever game at their new ground.
Then on Sunday all eyes will be on a crucial clash between Melbourne Victory and Central Coast Mariners as the pair go head–to-head in a mouthwatering shoot-out at the Home of the Matildas, kick off 4:00pm (AEST).
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