Australia v Canada: international football friendly – stay! | Soccer

Mike Hytner

The new Allianz Stadium is resplendent tonight, all shiny and new and full of fancy lights and noise from the PA system, which is alternating between loud pop music and interactions with followers.

With 20 minutes to go earlier than kick-off, followers are nonetheless making their manner in (and risking lacking the firework show), probably stopping off for a fast cheeseburger spring roll or two from one of many many concourse retailers (disclaimer: I’ve not seen a cheeseburger spring roll and know not what they’re, nor can I vouch for his or her tastiness and/or well being advantages).

Word is the gang is anticipated to be across the 25,000 mark as soon as we get below manner.

Three adjustments for Canada with Scott, Rose, and Levasseur changing Grosso, Beckie, and Yekka.

As anticipated, there are a number of adjustments to the Matildas line-up.

In come Luik, Vine, Foord, and Yallop.

Out go Nevin, Kennedy, Cooney-Cross, and Gielnik.

Preamble

Jonathan Howcroft

Hello all people and welcome to stay protection of the second friendly between Australia and Canada. Kick-off at Allianz Stadium in Sydney is 7.40pm / 5.40am EDT.

What are we in for tonight? Will or not it’s the lengthy awaited jump-start on the Matildas’ flagging World Cup marketing campaign? Another night filled with unanswered questions? Or even perhaps a efficiency that requires drastic motion…

At the tip of 2017 Australia have been ranked fourth on the earth, they’re now all the way down to twelfth, a standing not helped by a run of three matches with no victory, a kind of a 7-0 hammering by Spain. Head coach Tony Gustavsson limps into his twenty sixth match with simply eight wins below his belt.

The Swede was met with such pleasure on his appointment that he obtained an notably lengthy honeymoon interval. The goodwill prolonged to him, and one in every of Australia’s hottest groups, could but come at a value.

The 2023 World Cup on dwelling soil has been the goal for a few years, and again in 2017, two years earlier than the bid was submitted, it was seen as maybe the ultimate piece within the jigsaw to crown the Matildas one of the best on the earth. As Gustavsson famous on the weekend, altering course now could already be too late.

“We actually broke all the Fifa windows down and we have five Fifa windows, that means we have 46 days,” he stated. “Out of those 46 days, 14 days go to travel and recovery. That leaves us with 32 days. Out of those 32 days before the World Cup roster is announced, it’s going to be 11 games and 11 pre-game sessions.

“That leaves us with 10 proper training sessions; 10 sessions where we can play 11 v 11 and work on all the details. That’s how soon we’re going to announce a roster [before] coming here and preparing for the World Cup. So it’s around the corner. Every minute counts.”

Unable to fall again on outcomes, Gustavsson stays focussed on the method. “There’s a belief in the process and I don’t think that belief is going to be lost, even if we lose the game. We’d be more worried if the game didn’t look good or if the performance is not there,” he stated.

Have the video games regarded good? Have the performances been there?

It raises the stakes for the second match in a double-header in opposition to Olympic gold medallists Canada. The first went the best way of the guests in Brisbane, Australia should exhibit progress in Sydney.

As all the time there’s lots to chew over earlier than kick-off. If you need to be part of it you get in contact by way of electronic mail or tweet me @JPHowcroft if that’s simpler.