Latest news with #CommBankMatildas
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Sayer comeback double seals Matildas win over Argentina
Amy Sayer scored a double in her first Matildas start in 549 days to send off coach Tom Sermanni in winning style against Argentina. Making a long-awaited return to the starting line-up from a devastating ACL injury, the 23-year-old struck twice in the first half to secure a 4-1 win in front of a record 25,125 crowd at GIO Stadium in Canberra on Monday night. The Matildas dominated possession and scoring opportunities, as the midfield pairing of Kyra Cooney-Cross and Clare Wheeler outclassed their South American opponents. But some nervy moments at the back between Steph Catley and Natasha Prior gave the tourists a sniff, with the dangerous Kishi Nunez a persistent threat. Regardless, their sixth-straight victory on home soil is a happy parting gift to interim coach Sermanni in his final game in charge of the national side before being replaced by former Lyon boss Joe Montemurro, who was at the game. Emily Van Egmond is there to profit from Heyman's tenacity and the Novocastrian makes no mistake 💥🎥 @ParamountPlusAU #Matildas #AUSvARG — CommBank Matildas (@TheMatildas) June 2, 2025 Australia were buoyed by the return of captain Catley and Arsenal teammates Caitlin Foord and Cooney-Cross to the starting XI. The trio were rested for Friday's 2-0 win over Argentina following their Women's Champions League triumph. Sayer opened the scoring in the 14th minute, popping up at the far post to ram home a deflected volley into the far corner after a searching Kahli Johnson cross evaded a sea of players. Argentina struggled to play through the Matildas' high press and failed to exert any real pressure when the home side had the ball. But a seemingly innocuous through-ball left Prior all at sea and after misjudging an interception left the door open for Nunez to steal in behind unchecked. The diminutive No.9 settled herself, opened herself up and with her right foot curled the ball past a diving Teagan Micah inside the far post, ending a streak of four clean sheets for the Matildas at home. But the home side wouldn't lay down their lead for long. Foord menaced the visitors all night, constantly harrying the Argentinian defenders in possession and threatening to win the ball high up field. After nicking the ball near the halfway line, the 30-year-old drove into the Argentinian half before releasing Sayer in behind a retreating opposition defence. From an unfriendly angle, Sayer picked out the far corner past the outstretched gloves of goalkeeper Solana Pereyra. Michelle Heyman pounces after a relentless and aggressive high press forces the mistake from the visitors 👀🎥 @ParamountPlusAU #Matildas #AUSvARG — CommBank Matildas (@TheMatildas) June 2, 2025 As the Argentinians tired in the second half, the chances came thick and fast for the Matildas. Sayer nearly sealed a hat-trick in the 54th after being sent through by Catley but sprayed her shot from the right high and wide. Holly McNamara nearly scored her first Matildas goal in the 57th minute but the prolific Melbourne City forward's volley from eight yards out was smartly stopped by a well-positioned Pereyra. Hometown hero Michelle Heyman, subbed on for Sayer, nearly sent the Canberra crowd into raptures in the 66th minute but was denied by Pereyra with two smart back-to-back saves. She almost scored again when sent one-on-one with the goalkeeper six minutes later but Pereyra poked the ball away from Heyman's feet, only for it to be turned in by Emily van Egmond. Heyman finally got her goal in the 83rd minute after Foord again pressured the Argentinian defence into a mistake on the edge of their box, with the veteran squeezing the ball in off a defender from a tight angle. Debutant Isabel Gomez also managed to get a run late on but failed to make much of an impression with her limited time. An early concern for Montemurro will be the fitness of youngster Kahli Johnson, who limped from the field late in the first half.
New York Times
12-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Alanna Kennedy, toughest player in women's soccer?
Who could forget Alanna Kennedy's reaction during Australia's friendly encounter with New Zealand in 2022, when she caught a glimpse of her freshly broken nose on the jumbotron and shrugged? She didn't flinch — she just laughed it off. Last Tuesday, Kennedy proved once again that pain is a state of mind. In the 32nd minute of a 2-0 friendly win over South Korea, she was involved in a crunching collision with teammate Tameka Yallop. The players clashed heads and lay on the floor before receiving treatment and playing on. Kennedy walked away with a massive shiner. Just another day at the office. We've seen this before from @Alanna Kennedy 🤣 @CommBank Matildas ♬ original sound – AttackingThird 'As long as I was cleared for concussion, I was going to play,' she tells The Athletic over a video call from Houston. She's back from international duty, perhaps still a bit jetlagged, but suited up for her new squad, Angel City FC, against the Houston Dash, with a shiner to match. 'It was always going to bruise and once the pain happens then you just move on, keep playing. I watched so many women do the same thing.' Advertisement Kennedy posted pictures from the game and a video of the aftermath on Instagram, and the comments quickly lit up with praise for her grit. 'Toughest player in Women's football,' commented one follower. 'She is a star, a real shiner on and off the field ;)' chimed in another. 'It is the same color as Manchester's third kit,' said one, presumably referencing Manchester City's maroon strip. The praise reflects the resilience she has shown throughout her career, a trait she developed as a young girl in Rosemeadow, a suburb of Sydney, where she played soccer with boys. 'Maybe it all stems from those early years — when I was a kid, I was the only girl on the team,' she says. 'I remember always feeling slightly out of place, like they didn't want me there, and they'd hack my ankles. So I guess I learned to be resilient pretty early on.' Others recognized her talent and cherished it. At Westfields Sports High School, a selective school renowned for its athletic programs, Kennedy started to turn heads. She earned a spot on the Australian Under-14 national team and by 17 she was a Young Matilda. 'I consider myself pretty lucky,' she says. 'Obviously there is a lot of hard work but for me I had a very upward trajectory from a young age.' Kennedy's professional career has not been short on passport stamps or silverware. She kicked off her professional journey with Sydney FC in 2010 as a teenager in Australia's W-League. Over the next six seasons, she moved across Australia, playing for a handful of teams, before heading to the U.S. to join the now-defunct Western New York Flash. For the then 21-year old, moving to Buffalo in the dead of the winter was a bit of a shock. 'I did not expect it to be as cold as it was when I first got there!' she remembers. 'It was isolating.' She missed the good coffee and famous Aussie breakfasts of her beachfront hometown. She also recalls how different the standards were back then, with facilities and resources far more limited. But the hardships and the leap paid off: Kennedy helped the club win the 2016 NWSL Championship in what turned out to be the franchise's final season in New York. Advertisement The following year, she was traded to Orlando Pride in exchange for midfielder Sam Witteman. During the NWSL off-season, she flew back to Australia — first suiting up for Melbourne City, then returning to her roots at Sydney FC, where she claimed her third W-League title. At the time, the longer NWSL offseason lined up perfectly with the Australian league schedule. 'It's funny 'cause now I know why it is so important to have an offseason,' she says. 'But at the time we had to keep fit and keep playing. It was just the norm. And I was a lot younger then!' Then came 2020 and with it, a global pause. But Kennedy didn't stay still for long. As the NWSL scrambled to salvage the Covid-impacted season with a makeshift Fall Series — 18 games played in regional pods to limit travel — she took a different path. Kennedy headed to London, joining Tottenham Hotspur on a six-month loan with an option to stay. Meanwhile, Racing Louisville snagged her rights in the NWSL expansion draft. But when her contract wrapped, Kennedy signed with Spurs through the end of 2021 before making the leap to Manchester City, where she made 64 appearances in all competitions, including three strong seasons in the Women's Super League. And in between it all, came a career-defining chapter: representing Australia on home soil in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup — a moment that changed everything. 'It was definitely the highlight of my career,' she says. 'It was a pivotal moment for our team. Plenty of Australians knew the Matildas, but the way the entire country embraced us, that was honestly so amazing.' Now 30, Kennedy is back in the NWSL; this time on the west coast with one of the most exciting teams in the league, playing alongside USWNT's rising stars Alyssa and Gisele Thompson, and the New Zealand captain, Ali Riley. From the facilities to the fans, Kennedy recognizes how much the league has achieved in the last five years. Advertisement 'It's amazing to see the growth of the game,' she says. 'Nothing was handed to us, as female footballers. I think we worked really hard to get the game where it is now, which in some respect something to be really proud of but also something that maybe comes a lot easier to men's football.'
New York Times
26-02-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Australian radio host leaves role after ‘unacceptable' comments on women's national soccer team
A radio host in Australia has left his role following comments about the women's national soccer team that were labelled 'unacceptable' by the national governing body. Marty Sheargold has been stood down from his position with the Triple M network after saying on air that the current women's national team reminded him of 'Year 10 girls' as well as mocking the name of the SheBelieves Cup. He later asked a co-host if they had 'got any men's sport' to discuss instead. Advertisement On Wednesday Triple M's parent company, Southern Cross Austereo (SCA), confirmed a decision had been reached for the network to 'mutually part ways' with the 53-year-old comedian. Football Australia, the body that runs soccer in the country, welcomed the 'swift response' calling the comments 'unacceptable', saying they 'diminish the extraordinary achievements and contributions of our women's national football team' while also failing to recognise the 'profound impact they have had on Australian sport and society.' They also called on the incident to act as 'a stark reminder' of the 'responsibility media outlets and personalities have in fostering respectful and constructive discussions about women's sport and its participants.' Football Australia is deeply disappointed by the unacceptable comments made by Marty Sheargold on Triple M regarding the CommBank Matildas. — CommBank Matildas (@TheMatildas) February 26, 2025 SCA's chief content officer Dave Cameron said the incident offers his company the chance 'for reflection and review' with Sheargold saying he fully understood 'the gravity of his comments' and apologising for them. Australia have appeared in eight World Cups since debuting in 1995 and reached the semifinals on home soil in 2023. They are three-time champions of Oceanian Cup and will host the Asian Cup — a tournament they won in 2010 — next year. 'With just 12 months to go until Australia hosts the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026, we look forward to building on the incredible story of the CommBank Matildas and continuing to elevate women's football,' the Football Australia statement added. 'This tournament will provide another platform to showcase women's football and further inspire future generations. 'Football Australia remains steadfast in its commitment to equality, diversity, and ensuring that the next generation of women and girls in football see a sport that values and respects them. Advertisement 'We appreciate the swift response from Southern Cross Austereo and hope this leads to meaningful conversations about the role of media in shaping public perceptions of women's football and women's sport in general.' The team will play its final match of the SheBelieves Cup Wednesday night against Colombia. They lost their first two matches of the tournament to Japan and the United States. (for Football Australia)
