Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson is trying to find a silver lining in his team’s injury crisis.Credit:Kate Geraghty
Gustavsson baulked at using his depth players at the World Cup,and has attracted criticismfor asking too much of the same core group of starters during major tournaments,but he and stand-in captain Steph Catley said they were confident the next crop will be up to the task against the world No.31-ranked Mexicans,who last month fell to Brazil in the CONCACAF Gold Cup semi-finals.
The long list of absentees has yielded chances for uncapped duo Winonah Heatley and Sharn Freier,as well as US-based defender Kaitlyn Torpey,who debuted inAustralia’s qualifying victories over Uzbekistan earlier this year,while rarely used players like Everton midfielder Clare Wheeler should see more substantial game time.