Wanderer Ellie Carpenter has been selected for the Westfield Matildas squad travelling to Portugal to play in the Algarve Cup beginning on 1 March 2017
Carpenter has had a number of outstanding performances in the Red & Black’s defence and a strong season for the youngster has resulted in her selection once again for the Westfield Matildas.
A host of big name stars have been joined by some returning players in the 21-player squad selected by Westfield Matildas Head Coach Alen Stajcic for the upcoming Algarve Cup in Portugal beginning on 1 March 2017.
With a 25-player squad having concluded a three day camp in Canberra today, Stajcic has narrowed that list down for the tournament that will see the Westfield Matildas play their first international matches since last year’s Rio Games where they reached the Quarter Finals.
A host of Westfield Matildas mainstays over the past two years including 2016 AFC Women’s Player of the Year Caitlin Foord, veterans Lisa De Vanna and Clare Polkinghorne, Westfield W-League 2017 Championship winning captain Steph Catley and German based duo Elise Kellond-Knight and Emily van Egmond will all travel to Portugal alongside a number of players who find themselves back in the fold with another opportunity to stake their claims.
The squad will assemble in Sydney’s west for a three day training camp on Monday prior to departing for Portugal on Wednesday night.
Currently 6th in the FIFA women’s world rankings, the Westfield Matildas have been grouped alongside Sweden (ranked 8th), Netherlands (ranked 12th) and China P.R. (ranked 13th) for the tournament.
“This tournament is a starting point towards looking ahead to the Asian Cup next year, the World Cup the year after and then the Games in Tokyo in 2020,” said Stajcic.
“We’re really looking to test the players and see who is going to be part of this squad moving forward. The Algarve Cup gives us four matches against high quality opponents and I’m sure the team will learn and grow a lot from competing in this tournament.”
The Westfield Matildas’ first match of the Algarve Cup is against Sweden on Wednesday 1 March at 6.30pm local time (5.30am AEDT, Thursday 2 March).
Westfield Matildas squad for the Algarve Cup:
|
Name |
Date of Birth |
Club |
A International Caps (Goals) |
|
Teigen Allen |
12/02/1994 |
Melbourne City FC |
39 (0) |
|
Mackenzie Arnold (gk) |
25/02/1994 |
Brisbane Roar FC |
11 (0) |
|
Ellie Carpenter |
28/04/2000 |
Western Sydney Wanderers FC |
5 (0) |
|
Steph Catley |
26/01/1994 |
Melbourne City FC |
53 (2) |
|
Emma Checker |
11/03/1996 |
Canberra United |
3 (0) |
|
Alex Chidiac |
15/01/1999 |
Adelaide United |
1 (0) |
|
Lisa De Vanna |
14/11/1984 |
Canberra United |
117 (40) |
|
Caitlin Foord |
11/11/1994 |
Sydney FC |
50 (8) |
|
Emily Gielnik |
13/05/1992 |
Brisbane Roar FC |
9 (1) |
|
Katrina Gorry |
13/08/1992 |
Brisbane Roar FC |
49 (13) |
|
Amy Harrison |
21/04/1996 |
Sydney FC |
3 (0) |
|
Elise Kellond-Knight* |
10/08/1990 |
FC Turbine Potsdam, Germany |
76 (1) |
|
Alanna Kennedy |
21/01/1995 |
Sydney FC |
48 (2) |
|
Sam Kerr |
10/09/1993 |
Perth Glory |
46 (8) |
|
Chloe Logarzo |
22/12/1994 |
Newcastle Jets |
12 (0) |
|
Clare Polkinghorne |
1/02/1989 |
Brisbane Roar FC |
92 (7) |
|
Hayley Raso |
5/09/1994 |
Canberra United |
14 (1) |
|
Gema Simon |
19/07/1990 |
Newcastle Jets |
5 (0) |
|
Kyah Simon |
25/06/1991 |
Sydney FC |
70 (20) |
|
Emily van Egmond* |
12/07/1993 |
VfL Wolfsburg, Germany |
57 (14) |
|
Lydia Williams (gk) |
13/05/1988 |
Melbourne City FC |
57 (0) |
This article was originally published at: http://matildas.footballaustralia.com.au/article/westfield-matildas-squad-announced-for-algarve-cup/wzw7q29tartq1l9w66rui52jl
