Wanderers Alexia Apostolakis and Sheridan Gallagher have been named in head coach Leah Blayney’s 21-player squad who will represent Australia at the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup Costa Rica 2022.
The squad has been finalised following the completion of the Young Matildas pre-tournament training camp in Mexico City which included a training match against Club Universidad Nacional Femenil and closed door international friendly against the Mexico U20 Women’s National Team.
Australia’s final squad features a strong A-League Women’s presence with 17 players recording match minutes during the 2021/22 season. The 21 players represent six Member Federations with all players born on or after January 1, 2002.
Blayney has been able to call upon the majority of the group who have featured throughout the Young Matildas preparation that has seen members of the squad participate in April and June’s internationals against New Zealand, the AFF Women’s Championships 2022 in July and a host of training camps.
Speaking of the squad selection, Blayney said: “As we anticipated when we named the extended squad, selecting the final 21 players has been made extremely difficult due to the quality of play and application displayed by the playing group.”
“While it is a young final squad that we have selected, it is a talented squad with a mix of high technical ability, ever-increasing tactical maturity and the heart and desire that are indicative of Australian teams. This is a squad that has the opportunity to demonstrate their quality on the global stage.”
“Over the course of our preparations we have called in over 85 players and every player called in has assisted us in getting to this moment and made my task challenging. I want to thank each player that has represented the U20s since 2020 as they have played a vital part in our road to Costa Rica.”
“Having been on this journey together since March, this is a unified squad of players and staff who are committed and enthusiastic about representing our nation to the best of their ability. There is a togetherness that will be invaluable for us in this tournament against some world-class nations in our group.”
The Young Matildas will feature in the sixteen-nation FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup™ for the first time since 2006 and have been drawn into Group A with Costa Rica, Brazil and Spain. The top two finishers in each of the four groups will advance to the knockout stages, commencing on 20 August 2022.
Australia will open their tournament against hosts Costa Rica at the Estadio Nacional, San Jose on Thursday, 11 August at 12.00 pm AEST. Captaining the side during the tournament will be Western Sydney Wanderers’ Sheridan Gallagher, with the 20-year-old acknowledged for her performances on the pitch and leadership off the pitch.
“Sheridan is one of our most hardworking players,” Blayney said. “In terms of how she conducts herself around the group, she is extremely supportive of all the players and the girls know that. That is who you want in your corner when things are difficult.”
“The other part of Sheridan Gallagher is that she never takes a backward step and that is the epitome of us as a team.”
With the World Cup squad finalised, Australia will now depart for Costa Rica on 1 August with a final tune-up against Colombia on 5 August.
All of Australia’s matches for the tournament will be shown live, free and in HD on SBS and SBS On Demand with a full studio broadcast.
AUSTRALIA U-20 WNT | FINAL SQUAD | FIFA U20 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP COSTA RICA 2022™
| # | Name | Position | Club | Junior Club / Member Fed |
| 1 | Sally JAMES | Goalkeeper | Blacktown Spartans | Majura FC / Capital Football |
| 2 | Charlize RULE | Forward | Sydney Olympic FC | Queens Park / Football NSW |
| 3 | Naomi CHINNAMA | Defender | Blacktown Spartans on loan from Melbourne City FC | NTC Victoria / Football Victoria |
| 4 | Ella TONKIN | Defender | Northern Tigers | Raiders FC / Football SA |
| 5 | Jamilla RANKIN | Defender | Blacktown Spartans | Eureka FC / Northern NSW Football |
| 6 | Sarah HUNTER | Midfielder | APIA Leichhardt on loan from Sydney FC | Northbridge FC / Football NSW |
| 7 | Bryleeh HENRY | Forward | Blacktown Spartans | Penrith FC / Football NSW |
| 8 | Hana LOWRY | Midfielder | Blacktown Spartans on loan from Perth Glory | Cockburn City SC / Football West |
| 9 | Cushla RUE | Forward | Sydney University FC | Western Mariners/ Football NSW |
| 10 | Daniela GALIC | Midfielder | Football NSW Institute | Lidcombe Waratahs / Football NSW |
| 11 | Kahli JOHNSON | Forward | Manly United FC | Manly United/ Football NSW |
| 12 | Miranda TEMPLEMAN | Goalkeeper | FV Emerging Matildas | Melville City FC / Football West |
| 13 | Jynaya DOS SANTOS | Forward | Football NSW Institute | Shellharbour Junior Football Club / Football NSW |
| 14 | Paige ZOIS | Midfielder | Bulleen Lions on loan from Melbourne Victory | Northcote FC / Football Victoria |
| 15 | Alexia APOSTOLAKIS | Defender | Football NSW Institute | Forest Rangers/ Football NSW |
| 16 | Jessika NASH | Defender | Blacktown Spartans | Doonside Hawks / Football NSW |
| 17 | Sheridan GALLAGHER | Forward | Illawarra Stingrays | Illawarra Stingrays / Football NSW |
| 18 | Chloe LINCOLN | Goalkeeper | Canberra United Academy | The Armidale School / Capital Football |
| 19 | Greta KRASZULA | Midfielder / Defender | VCU Athletics | NWS Koalas / Football NSW |
| 20 | Kirsty FENTON | Defender | NWS Koalas | Toronto Awaba / Northern NSW Football |
| 21 | Abbey LEMON | Forward | Blacktown Spartans | Blacktown Spartans / Football NSW |
