This week, we start with the Home Nations and the high profile friendly this week in which Northern Ireland hosted Scotland, along with squad news for both teams as well as for Wales, who entertain Scotland next week during the international window. We also look at Swansea City capturing the domestic double in Wales. We next present the roster for Great Britain's team for the Olympic Games Finals next month in Japan.

In NWSL news, French international Gaetane Thiney has gone on loan to NJ/NY Gotham, while San Diego is officially granted an expansion franchise for 2022 and two-time WWC winning head coach Jill Ellis is the team president. The United Soccer League is reinstituting its W-League—defunct since 2015—and announced its first eight teams for the 2022 season. For Australia, we look at Western Sydney Wanderers new head coach and the Matildas roster for their European trip to Denmark and Sweden, which started with another loss to a high-profile European side in their first game.

Northern Ireland falls to Scotland 1-0 in a home friendly

Northern Ireland gave an outstanding performance in a narrow 1-0 loss to Scotland on June 10 in Belfast at Seaview Stadium, the home of domestic side Crusaders. The difference on the scoresheet between the two sides was Caroline Weir's successful penalty kick goal in the 78th minute. Scottish midfielder Christie Murray was fouled in the penalty box by Toni-Leigh Finnegan, which led to the penalty kick award. Northern Ireland had its share of attacking play—a noticeable feature since head coach Kenny Shiels was appointed in mid-2019. The game was viewed by a limited capacity crowd of about 400 people at the 3,400 seat venue.

Shiels named a 22-strong squad for the Scotland friendly with one potential debutant in Cliftonville Ladies midfielder Fi Morgan, who is currently with the U-19 side and also played with the Irish U-17's. Morgan did not see action and will have to wait for a debut cap. Some returnees to Shiels' squad who did not play against Ukraine in the successful EURO's Finals play-in earlier this year included: Lisburn Rangers defender Ella Haughey, Glentoran Women forwards Casey Howe and Lauren Wade plus Glentoran Women midfielder Joely Andrews, with only Wade seeing action against Scotland—starting and playing for an hour. Experienced defender Ashley Hutton was not available for the camp after rupturing an anterior cruciate ligament in her knee while playing for Linfield Ladies last week, and Everton Women striker Simone Magill was also unavailable. Shiels was also missing through injuries Rachel Furness, Demi Vance, Megan Bell, Caragh Hamilton and Abbie Magee. Scotland are currently ranked 23rd in the world, while Northern Ireland are 48th.

Ahead of the match, Shiels said, "It's important that we hit the right spots and that we don't put a total focus on the single game. We've addressed the players about the culture of where we are and what point we have reached. I'm confident if we can take the next step and we make progress—whether that's on the back of a defeat or a draw or from a victory—it's important that the focal point is to progress. Because we have achieved something so great—[making next summer's Women's EURO Finals in England for the first time ever] it doesn't mean that we talk about what we've done … we want to move on and try and improve again."

The game was an important match ahead of Northern Ireland's opening encounters in six-team Group D for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 qualifiers at home against Luxembourg on September 17, followed by another home match against Latvia on September 21. The Northern Ireland roster, with three based in England, included:

Goalkeepers – Jackie Burns (Glentoran Women), Becky Flaherty (Blackburn Rovers Women, ENG).

Defenders – Julie Nelson (Crusaders Strikers), Rebecca McKenna (Linfield Ladies), Rebecca Holloway (Birmingham City Women, ENG), Laura Rafferty (unattached), Toni-Leigh Finnegan (Cliftonville Ladies), Ella Haughey (Lisburn Rangers).

Midfielders – Marissa Callaghan, Louise McDaniel and Fi Morgan (all Cliftonville Ladies), Nadene Caldwell, Joely Andrews and Sam Kelly (all Glentoran Women), Chloe McCarron (unattached), Sarah McFadden (Durham Women, ENG), Ciara Watling (unattached).

Forwards – Kerry Beattie, Casey Howe and Lauren Wade (all Glentoran Women), Kirsty McGuinness (Cliftonville Ladies), Emily Wilson (Crusaders Strikers).

Scotland Roster Information

For Scotland, interim Head Coach Stuart McLaren (45) brought in four uncapped players for the Northern Ireland friendly on June 10 and then against Wales on June 15—goalkeeper Eartha Cummings (Charlton Athletic), defender Brianna Westrup (Rangers), defender Leah Eddie (Hibernian) and forward Christy Grimshaw (AC Milan). Brianna Westrup, one of five Rangers players in the squad, was born in America and qualifies for Scotland through her mother; she joined Rangers last October from Newcastle United. Grimshaw played for AC Milan recently in their Women's Coppa Italia Final where her side lost out on penalties to Roma but did qualify for next season's UEFA Women's Champions League. Grimshaw broke into the Aberdeen first team at the age of 16 before spending five years at Barry University in Miami, Florida in the States and playing in France with Metz for a season; she signed with AC Milan after Metz' relegation.

Fiorentina of Italy striker Lana Clelland, who has not played for the national team since the Women's World Cup finals in 2019, was also been called into the squad. Team regulars Lisa Evans (Arsenal), Martha Thomas (West Ham United)—another who grew up in the States and played collegiately at the University of Charlotte before playing in France at Le Harve—and Jen Beattie (Arsenal) were all ruled out due to injury while Emma Mitchell (Reading) is also not included after recently announcing her pregnancy.

The squad still has some experienced members with midfielder/forward Kim Little entering the Northern Ireland game with 139 caps and 59 goals, midfielder Caroline Wier has 77 caps and 12 goals and defender Rachel Corsie was on 122 caps and 17 goals. Erin Cuthbert just came off of playing in the 2020-21 UEFA Women's Champions League final—she has 42 caps for Scotland and 15 goals.

McLaren moved over from the U-16 men's national team for Scotland; he spent most of his playing career in Australia and was capped at the U-20 level. Leanne Ross (39), who won 133 caps with 9 goals for Scotland in an 11 year career, will be Stuart McLaren's assistant along with Bristol City head coach and Australian native Tanya Oxtoby. Oxtby played at home for Perth Glory and in England for the Doncaster Rovers Belles. She has since managed England's Under-19s and Nottingham Forrest as well as being an assistant coach at Birmingham City and Perth Glory.

Scotland is preparing for their first World Cup 2023 qualifiers that will begin in September against Hungary and the Faroe Islands.

Eleven players in McLaren's team are based with clubs in England, eight are from Scottish sides, two from Italy and one each are with clubs in Sweden and the U.S.

Scotland squad

Goalkeepers

Lee Alexander (Glasgow City)
Jenna Fife (Rangers)
Eartha Cummings (Charlton Athletic, ENG)

Defenders

Rachel McLauchlan (Rangers)
Kirsty Smith (Manchester United, ENG)
Nicola Docherty (Rangers)
Brianna Westrup (Rangers)
Rachel Corsie (Kansas City, U.S.)
Sophie Howard (Leicester City, ENG)
Leah Eddie (Hibernian)

Midfielders

Lucy Graham (Everton, ENG)
Kim Little (Arsenal, ENG)
Caroline Weir (Manchester City, ENG)
Christie Murray (Birmingham City, ENG)
Chloe Arthur (Aston Villa, ENG)
Lisa Robertson (Celtic)

Forwards

Christy Grimshaw (AC Milan, ITA)
Fiona Brown (Rosengard, SWE)
Claire Emslie (Everton, ENG)
Erin Cuthbert (Chelsea, ENG)
Lana Clelland (Fiorentina, ITA)
Kirsty Hanson (Manchester United, ENG)
Lizzie Arnot (Rangers)

Wales Roster Information

Wales called in 26 players for their home match versus Scotland on June 15 at the Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli. Megan Wynne is back after over a year away with an ACL injury but Ceri Holland is sidelined with an injury. This game is a good warm up for Women's World Cup qualifiers in September as Cymru have been drawn alongside France, Slovenia, Greece, Kazakhstan and Estonia in Group I. On September 17, they open against Kazakhstan at home and then play Estonia away on September 21.

The Scotland game will be played behind closed doors due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Of the 26 squad members, the vast majority play in England (21), with two based at home, two players come in from the U.S. and one is playing in Scotland.

Cymru: Laura O'SULLIVAN (Cardiff City Ladies), Olivia CLARK (Coventry United, ENG), Poppy SOPER (Plymouth Argyle, ENG), Rhiannon ROBERTS (Liverpool, ENG), Gemma EVANS (Bristol City, ENG), Maria FRANCIS-JONES (Cardiff City Ladies), Charlie ESTCOURT (London Bees, ENG), Hayley LADD (Manchester United, ENG), Josie GREEN (Tottenham Hotspur, ENG), Elise HUGHES (Blackburn Rovers, ENG- On loan from Everton, ENG), Anna FILBEY (Celtic, SCO), Sophie INGLE (Chelsea, ENG), Angharad JAMES (North Carolina, U.S.), Jess FISHLOCK (OL Reign, U.S.), Carrie JONES (Manchester United, ENG), Kayleigh GREEN (Brighton & Hove Albion, ENG), Natasha HARDING (Reading, ENG), Rachel ROWE (Reading, ENG), Helen WARD (Watford, ENG), Lily WOODHAM (Reading, ENG), Georgia WALTERS (Blackburn Rovers, ENG), Ffion MORGAN (Crystal Palace, ENG), Esther MORGAN (Tottenham Hotspur, ENG), Megan WYNNE (Bristol City, ENG), Bethan ROBERTS (Reading, ENG), Chloe WILLIAMS (Manchester United, ENG).

Swansea City Ladies capture the double in Wales Domestic Football in 2020-21

Interestingly, none of the national side members are with Swansea City Ladies, who won the domestic double title in 2020-21, taking the Orchard Welsh Premier Women's League trophy for the first time in a decade with a 0-0 draw against Abergavenny Women on the final day, edged out Cardiff Metropolitan University by a single point (42 points to 41) with a 13-3-0 (W-D-L) record in the nine team league. The league title gives Swans the country's only UEFA Women's Champions League berth. The club also won the League Cup with a convincing 4-1 win over Cardiff City at Dragon Park. With an entirely domestic-based squad, the only defeat that Swansea City suffered during the course of the campaign was in the UWCL to Apollon Limassol of Cyprus, who won 3-0 in November of last year in the one-match preliminary round held instead of the four team group play because of the COVID pandemic.

Swansea City celebrating another title with some Champaign. Photo Courtesy Swansea City WFC.

The Swans scored 53 goals in their 16 WPWL games this season, second to Cardiff Metropolitan's 60. Swansea had 15 clean sheets in 16 matches and allowed only one goal all season.

Team Great Britain Squad Selected with 15 of the 18 from England

England national team head coach Hege Riise named 18 players and 4 alternates to Team Great Britain for July's Summer Olympic Games Finals in Japan. One surprise selection was 36-year-old goalkeeper Karen Bardsley, who was born to English parents and grew up in Southern California and joined OL Reign in Tacoma, Washington on loan from Manchester City in February. Bardsley played collegiately at Cal-State Fullerton and then in WPS for Sky Blue FC. After WPS folded, she played one season in Sweden with Linkopings and moved to England in 2013 to play with Lincoln, before joining Manchester City in 2014. Her last appearance for England came in a friendly against Canada in April and was her first since suffering an injury during the 2019 World Cup quarterfinals. Bardsley is one of five holdovers from the last time Team GB played in the Olympics, when it reached the quarterfinals at the 2012 London Olympics. One of those players was Scotland midfielder Kim Little, who scored 32 goals in three NWSL seasons with the Seattle Reign. The others returnees from 2012 are from England and include their captain Steph Houghton, Jill Scott and Ellen White.

All the players represent England except Caroline Weir (Scotland), Sophie Ingle (Wales) and Little (Scotland). The squad is dominated by players from Manchester City: 10 in all, plus Karen Bardsley—who is currently on loan to OL Reign in Tacoma in the NWSL, with the agreement due to expire on June 30. The Houston Dash's Rachel Daly was also named to the squad. Riise's four reserve/stand-by players are all from England—with Everton's Sandy MacIver (who missed out in favour of Bardsley), Arsenal's Lotte Wubben-Moy (who played collegiate at the University of North Carolina in the States), Chelsea's Niamh Charles and Manchester United's Ella Toone.

Team Great Britain Roster:

Goalkeepers: Karen Bardsley (OL Reign, U.S.—on loan from Manchester City, ENG), Ellie Roebuck (Manchester City, ENG).
Defenders: Millie Bright (Chelsea, ENG), Lucy Bronze (Manchester City, ENG), Rachel Daly (Houston Dash, U.S.), Steph Houghton (Manchester City, ENG), Demi Stokes (Manchester City, ENG), Leah Williamson (Arsenal, ENG).
Midfielders: Sophie Ingle (Chelsea, ENG), Kim Little (Arsenal, ENG), Keira Walsh (Manchester City, ENG), Jill Scott (Manchester City, ENG), Caroline Weir (Manchester City, ENG).
Forwards: Lauren Hemp (Manchester City, ENG), Fran Kirby (Chelsea, ENG), Nikita Parris (Lyon, FRA), Georgia Stanway (Manchester City, ENG), Ellen White (Manchester City, ENG).

NWSL News

French international Gaetane Thiney joins NJ/NY Gotham on loan for the 2021 season

In NWSL News., NJ/NY Gotham FC acquired French international attacking midfielder Gaetane Thiney on loan from Paris FC for the remainder of the 2021 NWSL season. She is expected to join Gotham FC later this month. Gotham FC head coach Freya Coombe said, "Thiney is an elite player who has been a standout player for both club and country. She combines calmness in possession with an ability to unlock defenses and a great work rate. I am very happy for her to be making her NWSL debut with Gotham FC." Thiney (35) is the captain of Paris FC (formerly FCF Juvisy) of D1 Féminine and has played with the club since 2008. In her 13 seasons, she has 139 goals and has been the team's leading scorer for multiple seasons, including the 2013-2014 season, when she netted a career and league high 25 goals.

The French attacker twice helped lead her team to the UEFA Women's Champions League. First in 2010-2011 she scored in the qualifying rounds, the round of 32, and the quarterfinal before losing out to Turbine Potsdam in that quarterfinal found. In 2012-2013, Thiney scored a brace in the round of 32 en route to a semifinal loss to fellow French side Olympique Lyonnais.

At the national team level, Thiney earned her first call up to the senior national team in February 2007 in an international friendly against China. She has 163 full national team caps and scored 58 goals while playing in the 2012 Olympic Games, 2009, 2013, and 2017 UEFA Women's Championship, and the 2011, 2015, and 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.

San Diego is Officially Anounced as a 2022 NWSL Expansion Franchise and will be led by former U.S. Women's National Team Head Coach Jill Ellis

San Diego was formally admitted this week as an expansion franchise to the NWSL for next season and former U.S. National Team Head Coach Jill Ellis will be the team president, which we discussed a few weeks ago (see: The Week in Women's Football: Parsons joins Netherlands; Aluko new director at Angel City; Eastern European book review - Tribal Football). Ellis coached the U.S. Women's National Team from 2014 to 2019 and led the States to eight tournament titles: the 2015 Algarve Cup, the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, the 2016 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship, the 2016 SheBelieves Cup, the 2018 SheBelieves Cup, the 2018 Tournament of Nations, the 2018 CONCACAF Women's Championship and the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Ellis said about San Diego joining the league, "This is a proud and historic moment for soccer in San Diego, Southern California and the United States. The NWSL continues to grow immensely and bringing women's professional soccer back to San Diego, an area with a rich soccer history and passionate fan base, will have a deep and positive impact on this community. I'm incredibly honored to lead this club forward as we prepare for play in this league next year. We aim to become a significant team globally, led by influential women, with the ability to attract the best talent throughout the world. I am eager to begin this project and look forward to leading this club as we build towards the future."

In a conference call with the media on June 8, Ellis talked about what this new role meant to her, "On the personal level it was the opportunity to do something different and grow and do something still connected to the game. [After] 30 years on the sideline, this opportunity presented itself and I thought what a great way to continue to champion for women, provide opportunities for women but also stay connected to the game I love…It is a different lens through which I will look at this game, but common things are there in terms of building a team, building a culture, hiring amazing people and putting a fantastic product on the field. It was the right fit and the right time."

Interestingly, given the Liga MX Femenil recently concluding its ClausuraChampionship (which we discussed last week, see: The Week in Women's Football: Faroe Islands eight-team league; Leichtenstein debut; Tigres take out Clausura championship; - Tribal Football) and the vibrant league since launching in 2017 has a viable franchise in Tijuana—just across the border from San Diego—which could create some competition for fans. Tijuana Xolos (Mexican hairless dog) men's team is typically competitive, won the league title once and competed in the CONCACAF Champions League (2013-14), where they fell in the semifinals, and made the quarterfinals of the CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores as a guest team in 2013; they draw large crowds as San Diego does not have a MLS team. When asked about the possibility of fans from South of the Border coming across to follow the team, Ellis said that she saw an opportunity to work with the Mexican league and had recently talk to the league's commissioner, "It's very important. My daughter is born in Mexico. I know the passion in the country for soccer. It's a huge part of trying to grow our fan base. It would be amazing for them to come across the border to see us." With San Diego as the new franchise, though not at the scale of the men's team, it could go the other way around with Xolos continuing to draw women's fans from the States and away from the NWSL team. This will be interesting to watch.

The leading head coach candidate for the new San Diego team is the former Manchester United head coach Casey Stoney, who recently resigned, and Ellis said that the team would conclude their interviews and hiring process this summer.

USL Brings Back the W-League in North America for the 2022 Season

As we discussed earlier this year, the United Soccer Leagues—which currently runs men's Division 2, 3 and 4 leagues in North America—had planned to relaunch a women's league over the next few years, replacing their women's loop which had run for two decades as a summer amateur league and had folded in 2015 (see: The Week in Women's Football: Riise takes over England; UWS adds teams for 2021; Ludlow leaves Wales - Tribal Football). Those plans are coming to fruition in 2022 as the USL announced this week that the W League is back and will launch next year, again as a summer amateur league. It hopes to have at least 30 franchises and this week announced its first 8 clubs which include:

• Chattanooga Red Wolves SC—one of the founding members of USL League One (third tier of American Soccer) and will play in a new 5,500 seat stadium. They have had a women's youth academy for two years.
• Greenville Triumph SC—joined USL League One three years ago and is the defending league champions. They also have a current women's academy program.
• Hartford Athletic—joined the USL Championship (second tier) in 2019.
• Minnesota Women's Soccer—this independent club has a women-majority ownership group.
• Kaw Valley FC—based in Kansas City, they joined USL League Two (fourth tier) in 2018. They have a current developmental program for young female players.
• Queensboro FC—They will join the USL Championship in 2022 and have had an academy program for two seasons. Former U.S. women's national team player and current Fox Sports television soccer analyst Aly Wagner is an investor in the effort and the club will play at a new 7,500 seat venue at York College in Queens, New York.
• South Georgia Tormenta FC—a founding member of USL League One and began play in what is now USL League Two in 2016. Based in Statesboro, Georgia and with a strong academy system, they recently had Vanderbilt University's Abi Brighton called into the U.S. U-20 national team. They will play in a new stadium in 2022.
• Washington D.C.—led by D.C. United's (Major League Soccer) ownership group, the new club will begin play next spring. A source close to United's business operations said on Monday that the team could potentially split time playing between Segra Field, home of Loudoun United in the USL Championship and United's reserve team, and Audi Field, D.C. United's home stadium. This will be United's first foray into women's soccer since the original USL W-League, when the club fielded D.C. United Women during the 2011 and 2012 seasons.

The competition will launch with a similar structure as the USL's League Two (fourth tier), which has been a long running men's amateur league (formerly known as the Premier Development League), and focuses on player and coach development. Players will not be paid, and the W-League will opt for amateur status to allow NCAA players to retain their eligibility. The return of the W-League will add over 750 opportunities in the women's game, according to an estimate by a source with knowledge of the league's plans.

Former Wanderers player is appointed Head Coach for Western Sydney for 2021/22

Western Sydney Wanderers FC promoted Catherine Cannuli to the role of head coach, following the departure of former Wanderer players: head coach Dean Heffernan and assistant coach Michael Beauchamp—who coached the side for two seasons, including their historic first ever run to the playoffs in 2019/20, but have just stepped away from the positions.

A former Matilda, Cannuli finished her playing career at the Wanderers in 2014 before re-joining the club in 2017 as an assistant coach and working in youth development. In 2020, Cannuli was named Female Coach of the Year at the Female Football Awards for her work at the Wanderers and in grassroots football as Women's Technical Director at Southern Districts Soccer Football Association.

She said upon being promoted, "I've got to hit the ground running now with recruitment and planning. There is a lot that needs to be done and I've been around for a long enough time now so I know what needs to be done."

Matildas squad for second European trip of the year—drops opener against Denmark

Australian women's national team head coach Tony Gustavsson named a 25-player squad for friendlies against Denmark and Sweden in Europe during the June international break. The plan was to arrive in Bastad, Sweden on June 6 before meeting FIFA ranked number 16 in the world Denmark on June 10 in Horsens, Denmark and then number five Sweden on June 16 in Kalmar, Sweden.

In the first match against Denmark, Australia lost 3-2 in their third consecutive losing effort to top European sides under new Matilda's coach Gustavsson, after losing to the Netherlands (5-0) and Germany (5-2) in April. Emily Van Egmond captained the side against the Danes in her 100th national team match, only the eighth player in history to hit the century mark. The Matildas scored two goals in the last five minutes of the match. In the first half, Tameka Yallop scored an own goal as her attempt to clear the ball went awry. Then Denmark scored through Rikke Sevecke (who played with Everton this season after a year at Fleury 91 in France) and another own goal by Australia, courtesy of goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold, put the Matildas in a 3-0 halftime hole that they could not come back from. In the second half, Mary Fowler scored her first international goal and defender Claire Polkinghorne scored Australia's second on a header in injury time.

The Westfield Matildas backline saw the return of Ellie Carpenter and Steph Catley—who both started against Denmark—after missing the European friendlies against Germany and the Netherlands earlier this year due to travel restrictions and a serious injury, respectively.

Veteran centre-back Caitlin Cooper and Alex Chidiac have been selected for the first time since the 2018 AFC Asian Cup. The pair took part in the April edition of the Women's Talent ID Camp after their respective Westfield W-League seasons. Chidiac was a standout for Melbourne City, claiming the club's golden boot. Cooper led the Wanderers as they built momentum during the second half of the season. Neither saw the field against Denmark.

Three 19-year-olds were included in the squad with their chance for a Matilda debut: Courtney Nevin and Charlotte Grant on the defensive side and Kara Cooney-Cross as an attacking midfielder. Nevin and Grant have been regulars for the Westfield Young Matildas and had strong 2020/21 W-League seasons: Nevin for Western Sydney Wanderers and Grant for Adelaide United, before making the move to current league leaders FC Rosengard in Sweden. Nevin has been playing in the NPLW NSW competition for Blacktown Spartans and has featured at both of the recent Women's Talent ID Camps—one before the league season and one after the season was completed. Cooney-Cross, who plays with Nevin for Blacktown Spartans in the W-League offseason, will bring attacking prowess after scoring 14 goals in as many games for the Westfield Junior Matildas and seven goals in eight matches for the Westfield Young Matildas. Cooney-Cross was a FIFA Women's World Cup in 2019 stand-by player. She was a key element in Melbourne Victory's success this past season, including scoring the only goal at the end of overtime from a corner kick in their 1-0 Grand Final win over Sydney FC. Nevin and Cooney-Cross won debut caps in the second half against Denmark.

Further up the pitch, Westfield Matilda regulars Kyah Simon and Elise Kellond-Knight return in a quest for an Olympic Games Final spot. Simon was a late omission from the 2019 WWC side after a late comeback from injury while Kellond-Knight scored her country's only goal in their quarterfinal loss to Norway, 4-1 on penalties after a 1-1 tie. Simon started against Denmark before replaced by Fowler to start the second half while Kellond-Knight did not play.

Goalkeeper Teagan Micah, who played collegiately at UCLA, is another squad member who is waiting for her first cap. After making appearances for the youth national teams, she received her first call up in 2017 as a part of the Tournament of Nations squad. She was also a member of the team that travelled to France in 2019 for the FIFA Women's World Cup but has yet to see full international game action. She had a very strong W-League season in 2020/21 for a struggling Melbourne City side and is now playing in Norway for IL Sandviken, playing in two of their three games this season, maintaining two clean sheets for the team that is currently tied with three other sides for the top of the table position with 9 points.

Seven of the squad currently play in England, four play in Sweden, three in France, two in the Netherlands, and one each in Germany, Norway and Spain, with three based at home in the W-League/NPLW. For the three unattached players, Allana Kennedy was recently released by Tottenham in England while Emily Van Egmond recently turned down a new deal at West Ham United after joining the club in August 2020, initially on loan from the Orlando Pride. Alex Chidiac played this past season for Melbourne City.

Westfield Matildas 25-player Squad | June 2021 | Denmark and Sweden Internationals

WELCOME TO JUVENTUS WOMEN, COACH MONTEMURRO!

Tim Grainey is a contributor to Tribal Football. His latest book Beyond Bend it Like Beckham on the global game of women's football. Get yours copy today.

Follow Tim on Twitter: @TimGrainey