Caitlin Foord
Date of birth: 11 November 1994
Club: Arsenal
Purposeful in her movement with and without the ball and a key outlet in the final third, Foord does not get the same attention as Kerr but regular observers of the side will tell you the Matildas are at their best when the duo can complement and work off each other. After becoming the youngest Australian to ever play at a World Cup as a 16-year-old in 2011, Foord says her favourite footballing memory came 12 years later, when her family – especially her “Nan” – watched her play in the 2023 World Cup on home soil.
Mary Fowler
Date of birth: 14 February 2003
Club: Manchester City
There’s always been something about Mary: recognised as a prodigy and brought into the national setup as a 15-year-old, selected for the 2019 World Cup and now established with her country and at WSL leaders Manchester City. It all positions her as the heir apparent to Kerr as the next attacking face of the Matildas. However, her inclusion in the squad is the biggest fitness-related gamble taken by Montemurro, given Fowler has logged just one start for City after sitting out nearly a year with an ACL tear. However, she does have more miles in her than most 23-year-olds and the coach is confident she is fit for the Asian Cup. “Mary could feature from the start,” he said. “Mary could come in the last 20 minutes. We’ll just assess each game as it goes.”
Michelle Heyman
Date of birth: 4 July 1988
Club: Canberra United
For all the talk about this being the last chance at glory for the veterans, it is Heyman’s second last chance. The Canberra great announced her international retirement after missing out on selection for the 2019 Women’s World Cup. However, the dearth of striking options available to Gustavsson following Kerr’s ACL injury combined with Heyman’s strong form in the A-League Women saw her return for the Paris Olympics. Even with the skipper’s return, the 37-year-old has retained her place over the likes of Emily Gielnik.
Kahli Johnson
Date of birth: 18 February 2004
Club: Calgary Wild
Debuting under Sermanni, the Asian Cup will be Johnson’s first major tournament with the Matildas, and she is also the only squad member playing in start-up Canadian competition the Northern Super League after moving to the Calgary Wild from Western United last year. The move reflects Johnson’s desire to challenge herself which first saw her swap her home of New South Wales for Victoria and, according to the Wild, live up to her favourite quote of: “Hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t work hard.”
Sam Kerr
Date of birth: 10 September 1993
Club: Chelsea
Kerr is one of the most feared strikers to step foot on a pitch. She is also the only player in the squad who was part of the winning team in 2010. After missing what proved to be a calamitous Paris Olympics amid her 20-month recovery from a ruptured ACL, Kerr is back on the park and set to lead the Matildas in her fifth Asian Cup. She eased back into the national team against Wales and England, then a masterful display of hold-up play and facilitation against New Zealand last December reiterated just how important Kerr is to the Matildas tasting glory. Kerr brings some intrigue, though: there is considerable speculation surrounding her club future, with Sonia Bompastor largely using her as a bench option and the striker off-contract at the end of this season.
Holly McNamara
Date of birth: 23 January 2003
Club: Melbourne City
ALW player McNamara has taken a hellacious road to get to her second Asian Cup. Not long after being part of the 2010 squad in India, she ruptured her left ACL in an ALW game. Then, just days after earning a recall to the Matildas after a return to the park the following year, she re-ruptured her right ACL after first injuring that knee as a 15-year-old. And yet, through all that she has not only preserved, she has established herself as one of the next generation to replace Kerr and company upfront, and stamped her name as the best player in the Australian top flight.
Hayley Raso
Date of birth: 5 September 1994
Club: Eintracht Frankfurt
There has been plenty of fuss made about the dearth of minutes several members of the squad have had before the Asian Cup –especially given it conflicts with Montemurro’s talk of needing “players who were consistently playing and ready to play”. But if there was ever a player able to overcome sporadic minutes at club level it would be Raso, given she has proven time and again that she is capable of finding a new gear in the green and gold. Of course, hope is not a strategy, and it will be on Montemurro to figure out a way to bring Raso’s explosiveness on the right to bear despite just one start in the Bundesliga. Perhaps just as importantly, especially with a Melburnian coach in place, is that she is at home behind a coffee machine.
Remy Siemsen
Date of birth: 10 November 1999
Club: FC Rosengård
Last month Siemsen made the switch from Kristianstads DFF to Rosengård, and by staying in Sweden the former Sydney FC attacker can continue to concoct TikToks with Matildas teammate Nevin. Missing out on the home World Cup was “heartbreaking”, Siemsen said recently, adding that making the Asian Cup squad was the reason behind her decision to change clubs. In her prime years at 26, the striker is still looking for her first goal after 14 caps.
Kaitlyn Torpey
Date of birth: 17 March 2000
Club: Newcastle United
Torpey is nominally listed as an attacker in the squad, but in reality the footballing Swiss Army knife can do a job all across the park, particularly on the wing. It is this versatility that has made her a regular part of the national setup since her debut in 2024. But after sporadic minutes in the NWSL in the US, she recently made the move to join Australian coach Tanya Oxtoby at Newcastle in England’s WSL2. “Newcastle is a club that’s really investing in its players and pushing hard for promotion, and that’s something I wanted to be part of,” Torpey said. “I’ve never played in a league with promotion and relegation before, so it’s a new challenge for me.”
