Sam Kerr is set to continue her rehabilitation from a long-term knee injury with the Matildas this week in Sydney after being cleared of further punishment by Football Australia for her drunken run-in with London police.
Social media has unleashed a lot of bad stuff on modern sport,but this might be the worst development yet.
The equation is simple for Australia after their 2-0 victory in China:win their next match and they’ll seal qualification for next year’s tournament.
Australia’s direct qualification hopes for next year’s World Cup will now come down to June’s clashes with Japan and Saudi Arabia after an important victory in Hangzhou on Tuesday night.
FIFA expanded the World Cup to 48 teams partly to give China a better chance to qualify. But unless they beat the Socceroos on Tuesday,they will likely fall short again.
Injuries to Adam Taggart and Kusini Yengi have further exposed Australia’s lack of quality striking options - an issue coach Tony Popovic probably can’t fix until after 2026 World Cup qualification is clinched.
Craig Goodwin is assessing his club options ahead of a likely move away from Saudi Arabia. On recent form,he could hold his own in a top five league in Europe.
Tony Popovic’s Socceroos are clearly a work in progress,as their first 15 minutes against Indonesia showed. But there is clear progress being made.
It’s been a long time since Daniel Arzani was billed as the Socceroos’ next big thing. If Tony Popovic’s public bake can’t bring out his best,maybe nothing will.
The appointment of Patrick Kluivert as Indonesia’s national team coach is the latest sign that Australia’s northern neighbours are finally getting serious about their national sport.