Westfield W-League season preview: Melbourne City

In the latest Westfield W-League team preview we take a look at the prospects for ambitious new club Melbourne City.

Has there ever been a Westfield W-League club to make such a big pre-season splash as Melbourne City have over the past few months. And the winner will surely be Westfield W-League fans as other clubs seek to keep up with City’s glamour line-up. So too, the entertainment value of the players City have assembled is almost without par in the history of the Westfield W-League.

Four Westfield Matildas stars from Canada 2015 will line up – Laura Alleway, Steph Catley, Larissa Crummer and Lisa De Vanna – while a host of young Aussie talent supplements the ranks, not least of all Alexandra Chidiac and Beattie Goad.

Perhaps most exciting of all is the arrival of two superstars from USA’s NWSL; Seattle Reign pair Jess Fishlock and Kim Little. Local fans will recall the all-action midfield star that was Fishlock during the Victory’s unexpected championship win in 2014, while Scottish attacker Little was the NWSL top-scorer last year.

Victory coach Joe Montemurro has assumed the reins, and he proved his value at national league level last season with the city’s other Westfield W-League club. While the many former Victory players among the ranks clearl know what is required to achieve success as they showed in 2014.

The challenge for Montemurro will be to find cohesion for what is a brand new assembly of players. Sometimes that is easy said than done.  It is, however, seemingly improbable that City will fail to make the finals, and this line up is one that is clearly capable of beating anyone on their day at the pointy end of the season.

Whatever happens, it promises to be quite a ride.

Melbourne City
Ins:
Laura Alleway (Brisbane Roar), Trudy Burke (Western Sydney Wanderers), Steph Catley (Melbourne Victory), Alexandra Chidiac (Adelaide United), Larissa Crummer (Brisbane Roar), Brianna Davey (Melbourne Victory), Lisa De Vanna (Melbourne Victory), Jessica Fishlock (Seattle Reign, USA), Beattie Goad (Melbourne Victory), Monique Iannella (Adelaide United), Amy Jackson (Melbourne Victory), Kim Little (Seattle Reign, USA), Aivi Luik (Perth Glory), Rebekah Stott (Melbourne Victory), Marianna Tabain (Perth Glory)