Arnold is Matildas’ No.1 again as Fowler and Kerr make appearance in Perth

3 days ago 6

The minister for defence is back – even if she is not willing to acknowledge it.

But Teagan Micah’s devastating withdrawal has planted Mackenzie Arnold firmly between the posts for the Asian Cup and given the goalkeeper another shot at helping the Matildas achieve something historic.

Mackenzie Arnold poses for a selfie with a Matildas fan after training in Perth on Wednesday.

Micah, who has not played for Lyon for more than a month since sustaining a concussion in training, was named in the Matildas squad last Thursday, only for Football Australia to announce her withdrawal on Saturday and the late call-up of Brisbane Roar’s Chloe Lincoln.

The 28-year-old said she was “truly devastated” to have suffered yet another setback as a result of a head knock.

“The timing feels absolutely cruel,” Micah posted on Instagram. “And sometimes football and elite sports can break your heart and truly test you not just as a player but as a person.”

Arnold knows this well, having spent years on the Matildas bench as a back-up goalkeeper before seizing her opportunity in the lead-up to the 2023 World Cup, cementing her spot while Micah was sidelined long term with a concussion, and shooting to stardom for her penalty-shootout heroics.

Almost three years on, both were embarking on this tournament with seemingly no knowledge of which Joe Montemurro viewed as the first choice, with the head coach playing each in turn throughout the first games of his tenure.

Micah’s withdrawal means Arnold, who is in NWSL pre-season with Portland Thorns and has not played since the Matildas’ 5-0 friendly win over New Zealand in November, appears the unequivocal No.1, given Lincoln has only three caps and Jada Whyman none.

“Honestly, there’s not really any conversation about that,” Arnold said. “We’ve never really had a conversation about that leading in to any major tournament. Whoever plays, plays. I think they’re going to be able to do the job anyway; we’re all here for a reason.”

Sam Kerr made a brief appearance at the Sam Kerr Football Centre but did not train.

“I think if you even look at the World Cup, that was my first year as the starting goalkeeper, and you just got to take each game as it comes. I don’t think your position is ever certain – unless, maybe, if you are Sam Kerr.

“But it’s very different obviously with the goalkeeping position. We’ve always been in very heavy competition … I, especially, take each game as it comes to never get too far ahead.”

All 26 members of the Matildas squad are now in camp, with the last arriving in Perth on Tuesday. That included Arsenal trio Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord and Kyra Cooney-Cross following Arsenal’s 3-0 FA Cup win over Bristol City, and Sam Kerr and Ellie Carpenter after Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat of Manchester United, while Mary Fowler landed on Tuesday night on a delayed flight.

None participated in training on Wednesday, though Fowler on Sunday will have been thrilled to have made her first start in 315 days since tearing her ACL, playing 63 minutes in Manchester City’s 4-0 victory over Sheffield United.

The one-hour session in 37-degree heat was a relatively casual affair centred around individual loading to cater for jet lag and club minutes.

Mary Fowler stuck to gym work three days after her first start with Manchester City since tearing her ACL almost a year ago.

Arnold, who turned 32 on Wednesday, spent about 15 minutes on the pitch before taking her leave with Whyman, leaving Lincoln the sole goalkeeper to see out the session.

The majority completed all drills in front of an audience of hundreds of fans at the Sam Kerr Football Centre, but it wasn’t until near the end that Kerr herself emerged, sans boots, spending the final 10 minutes sitting at the sideline before joining the whole squad to take photos and sign autographs.

Catley and Carpenter came out too to walk a lap of the field, while Fowler and Cooney-Cross stayed inside for gym work until making an appearance for the team jersey presentation.

The Matildas open their Asian Cup campaign against the Philippines at Optus Stadium on Sunday, with the carrot of a first major tournament on the line since Australia’s Asian Cup win of 2010.

“I think there’s a lot of expectation,” Arnold said. “I think there’s always going to be pressure surrounding a home tournament, but we sort of try and keep that internal.

“We know what we can do. We know what we expect of each other. After coming off the Olympics, it probably wasn’t our most successful campaign, and we know that.”