Uzbeks await, there’s something about Mary: What we learned from Matildas’ qualifiers
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1. Uzbekistan await in February
Australia topped Group A in the second round of qualifying and progressed to the third round as the top seed thanks to three consecutive wins over Iran, the Philippines and Chinese Taipei, throughout which they scored 13 goals and conceded none. Japan and North Korea topped the other two groups, and Uzbekistan surprised many by finishing as the best-placed runner-up across the three groups.
Uzbekistan are ranked 50th and have never qualified for a World Cup or Olympics. In their own second-round matches – Group C played theirs in Uzbekistan – they upset Vietnam 1-0, before losing 2-0 to Japan and then defeating India 3-0. At last month’s Asian Games they finished fourth, losing their semi-final 8-0 to North Korea and then their third-place play-off 7-0 to China.
“We’ve never played them before,” said veteran goalkeeper Lydia Williams. “We haven’t played in that country before, so that’s going to be an exciting time.”
The Matildas will play the first leg away on February 24 and the second at home on February 28, with speculation about which venue will host already doing the rounds. Football Australia chief executive James Johnson spoke of the “exciting” prospect of staging the game at the 100,000-capacity MCG. “We’d fancy our chances to sell it out,” he said.
But Taylor Swift’s Eras tour is already threatening to scupper MCG plans, with shows scheduled February 16-18. She will then perform at Sydney’s Accor Stadium the following week.
Mary Fowler was at her best during the three matches in Perth.Credit: Getty
2. Mary Fowler is phenomenal
The girl has talent. We’ve known it since she was discovered at 15. We knew it at the World Cup. And it is even more clear two months later, with some proper club football under her belt. The 20-year-old had struggled for regular game time at Manchester City, but Gareth Taylor has been playing her out wide on the left the past couple of months. Gustavsson mimicked the positional tweak at international level, and it gave Fowler the freedom to showcase her best skills. Exhibit A was her goal against Chinese Taipei, from quite some distance, that broke the hour-long deadlock against a stubborn defence.
“I think it always helps when you get the backing from the coach and the freedom to be able to do that and just to rotate,” Fowler said.
“I think we’re all very free-thinking kind of players and ball players. So to be able to move around quite a bit, it’s very unpredictable for the other team and it just allows us to play our game and have fun out there.”
3. Caitlin Foord is next level
Caitlin Foord fans make themselves known at HBF Park.Credit: Getty
Yes, Sam Kerr this week placed second in the Ballon d’Or and yes, Fowler is setting the world alight. But Caitlin Foord is in a sphere of her own this past year. At Arsenal she has played mostly as a left-winger in combination with left-back and Matildas teammate Steph Catley, but she is also a recognised centre-forward and has often been used by Gustavsson to play off Kerr. From this position, the 28-year-old was the architect of many big Matildas moments. Against the Philippines she scored a hat-trick and added four assists in the 8-0 win. Come Olympics time, Foord will be key to Australia’s hopes.
4. These Matildas have depth
So much of it that Gustavsson effectively said nobody on the fringes had much of a chance of breaking in, especially considering the squad size for Paris 2024 is 18 players (along with four alternates) – five less than at the World Cup.
The Matildas scored 13 goals and conceded none over three Olympic qualifying games in Perth.Credit: Getty
“I’m happy with the development of players and development of the team, but I’m not happy when I think about potentially announcing the roster for the Olympics because that’s going to be a very, very tough job,” Gustavsson said on Wednesday night. “Considering how well this team is performing right now, it’s going to be a very small chance to break into this team for people outside of it. That doesn’t mean you can’t come in, but it’s going to be difficult because we’re performing very well.”
Particular standouts have been midfielder Clare Wheeler, who did not get on the field at the World Cup but scored her maiden international goal against the Philippines, and forward Amy Sayer, who missed out on World Cup selection but is cementing herself as a star of the future.
Tony Gustavsson in Perth.Credit: Getty
5. Gustavsson still vague on future
Will he stay or will he go? Nobody is any the wiser when it comes to his substantial links to the still-vacant United States job. Last week, before the tournament began, Gustavsson would not be drawn either way but issued a warning to Football Australia, saying: “I want to see investment for me to be motivated to stay as well.”
After Sunday’s 8-0 win over the Philippines, he said: “There’s always going to be noise around, there’s always going to be speculation. This group is extremely professional so it hasn’t influenced them at all, we have a very good relationship, we know what we’re doing.”
After Wednesday night’s 3-0 win over Taiwan, he simply said: “You know what? I love this team, and we have unfinished business to do.”
It came after a report in The Athletic that the US women’s team has narrowed its search for Vlatko Andonovski’s replacement down to Gustavsson, its former assistant, Australian Juventus Women manager Joe Montemurro and OL Reign head coach Laura Harvey.
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