US women’s soccer team in Australia with 2023 World Cup in mind

A new-look U.S. women’s nationalist squad ends a agelong play with its archetypal quality successful Australia successful 21 years. It comes successful 1 of the fewer distant friendlies for the American squad successful the past 18 months.

Coach Vlatko Andonovski connected Thursday said it’s nary coincidence that the Americans are playing Australia successful 2 matches successful the state which volition co-host the 2023 Women’s World Cup, a tourney the U.S has won 4 times.

The Americans inactive technically person to suffice for the 2023 event, but that’s a foregone decision that should beryllium confirmed aboriginal adjacent year.

“We wanted to trial the players against 1 of the champion teams successful the world,” Andonovski said during a league telephone from the team’s grooming campy successful Sydney. “But besides trial them for the adversity, agelong travel, pitchy lag aft a agelong year. I deliberation precise rapidly into the crippled we volition find retired who is chopped retired for this and who is not.”

An American women’s shot squad past played successful Australia astatine the Sydney 2000 Olympics, taking location a metallic medal aft losing 3-2 to Norway successful the final.

The U.S. plays the Matildas connected Saturday astatine Sydney’s Olympic stadium, wherever a assemblage of betwixt 35,000 and 40,000 is expected, and again adjacent Tuesday astatine Newcastle, a metropolis astir a two-hour thrust northbound of Sydney.

Andonovski volition bash truthful with a acold antithetic lineup than the 1 which bushed Australia 4-3 successful the bronze medal lucifer astatine the Tokyo Olympics successful August. The Americans person mislaid conscionable 2 matches this year, but they were important ones — 3-0 to Sweden successful the round-robin information of the Olympic tourney and 1-0 to the eventual golden medal-winning Canada successful the semifinals.

For the matches successful Australia, determination are lone 10 players successful the 22-player roster from the squad which played astatine the Tokyo Games. There are 12 members with 10 oregon less planetary caps, including 5 uncapped players.

Lindsey Horan, a 27-year-old midfielder, has go 1 of the veterans of the U.S. squad, playing successful 106 matches since 2013 and scoring 24 goals.

“I’d similar to beryllium a relation exemplary for them,” Horan said during the league call. “It’s breathtaking to see, caller younger players coming successful and to commencement a caller cycle, a caller era.”

Matildas caput manager Tony Gustavsson, a erstwhile adjunct manager with the USWNT, said the Americans volition beryllium the sixth apical 10 squad his No. 11-ranked Australian squad has faced successful 2021.

“With each match, we are continuing to get 1 time amended arsenic a team, and astatine the aforesaid clip providing invaluable acquisition to the younger players,” helium said erstwhile the matches were announced. “The U.S. Women’s National Team are a squad with prime crossed the parkland and volition people different large situation for the playing group.”

Veteran striker Sam Kerr is expected to pb Australia successful the matches. The 28-year-old Kerr has 49 goals successful 102 matches for Australia. She plays nine shot for Chelsea successful England.

She’s ever mentioned among the champion players ever to suit up successful the women’s game.

“That’s for different radical to decide,” Kerr told Australian Associated Press this week. “I bash everything I tin to beryllium successful that speech and triumph arsenic galore trophies and beryllium talked astir by radical for years to come.”

Andonovski has nary uncertainty Kerr belongs successful that conversation.

“She is 1 of the champion strikers successful the world,” Andonovski said. “I privation we tin accidental we volition halt a subordinate similar Sam Kerr . . . but we privation to play against the best, peculiarly with a young team, truthful we tin gauge wherever we are.”

For those youngsters, U.S. defender Abby Dahlkemper was asked Thursday if determination had been immoderate radical bonding sessions for the caller players. She gave a typically Australian-centric response.

“We’ve seen koalas, kangaroos and done a (Sydney) harbor cruise,” Dahlkemper said. “It’s important to acquisition the culture. “