Update: (17-Feb-2025): Midfielder Clare Wheeler has been withdrawn due to a thigh injury. The uncapped Alana Murphy of the Melbourne Victory has been called in as a replacement. (matildas.com.au) Also, the Australia WNT has published the players’ shirt numbers for this tournament (Instagram).
While the USA’s roster for the 2025 SheBelieves Cup will likely feature a significant number of less experienced players, the Australia Women’s National Team, which is once again under the direction of Tom Sermanni, though only in an interim capacity, will feature 15 players who played in 25 or more senior international matches, including six who each have over 100 caps.
Among the 23 Matildas players named for this friendly tournament are all 11 starters from Australia’s 1:2 loss to the United States Women’s National Team in the group stage of the 2024 Paris Olympics, plus five of their seven substitutes. Just one of those 18 players, Claire Polkinghorne, has retired (press release), while the other absent player, North Carolina Courage forward Courtnee Vine, continues to be on leave for mental health reasons.
Three current NWSL players were named to the roster: Center-back Alanna Kennedy, who signed with Angel City in January, Portland Thorns goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold, and San Diego Wave outside-back Kaitlyn Torpey, who is listed as a forward. Seven more Matildas players on this roster have previous NWSL experience, including forwards Caitlin Foord and Hayley Raso, who are both former Portland Thorns players, as well as outside-back Steph Catley, who played for three NWSL clubs from 2014 to 2019, and recent San Diego Wave midfielder Emily van Egmond. Additionally, goalkeeper Teagan Micah played NCAA soccer for the UCLA Bruins from 2016 to 2019 (Micah’s UCLA profile).
The most hyped player selected for this roster is also, unsurprisingly, its youngest. Only a teenager, she is an attacking midfielder who currently plays in the Netherlands for a team that was in the UEFA Women’s Champions League this season. Yes, the Matildas have their own Daniela Galić, who will undoubtedly be the subject of comparative articles involving the USWNT’s Lily Yohannes.
The only uncapped player on Australia’s original roster was forward Laini Freier, whose twin sister, forward Sharn Freier (9 caps, 2 goals) is unavailable due to a minor ankle injury (aleagues.com.au). At age 23, the uncapped Freier is playing just her first season of top-flight soccer in Australia, but is having a breakout debut with back-to-back hat-tricks in her first two starts (Brisbane Roar press release).
With the addition of 19-year-old defensive midfielder Alana Murphy, who was a late replacement for Clare Wheeler, the Matildas now have two uncapped players on their SheBelieves Cup squad.
One of the other newer names on the squad is forward Holly McNamara (3 caps, no goals), who at the age of 22, has already suffered three ACL injuries as well as a foot stress fracture (7news.com.au). This is McNamara’s first call-up since January 2022 (ESPN article).
For more on Daniela Galić, Laini Freier, and Holly McNamara, as well as Natasha Prior and Charlotte Grant see: “2025 SheBelieves Cup: Player Spotlights — Australia”.
Except for the uncapped Freier, all of the remaining 22 players on Australia’s SheBelieves Cup squad were named to the Matildas’s super-sized 36-player roster for the last international window (matildas.com.au), however midfielders Katrina Gorry and Clare Wheeler were withdrawn due to minor injuries suffered during club matches (matildas.com.au) and forward Mary Fowler withdrew due to “mental and physical fatigue” (matildas.com.au).
Star forward Sam Kerr remains unavailable as she is still in a recovery phase from the ACL injury she suffered in January 2023 and is not expected to be match fit for her club, Chelsea, until March, if not later this month (The Guardian).
From Sermanni’s last roster, four players, each with at least 25 caps, have not been recalled.
Perhaps the most curious of those omissions is 22-year-old Courtney Nevin (Matildas profile), a left-footed outside-back who has 29 caps and was an unused alternate at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She was also on Australia’s squad for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Nevin is apparently healthy, as she made a substitute appearance for her club, Leicester City, in their last WSL match (womensleagues.thefa.com). While the 23-player roster is not lacking in outside-backs, with Charlotte Grant and Kaitlyn Torpey as substitute options and Hayley Raso (2021 blog post) as an emergency option for starters Ellie Carpenter and Steph Catley, including one more out-side back and one less of the seven forwards may have been the more prudent decision.
A less surprising absence is that of former Racing Louisville midfielder Alex Chidiac (Matildas profile), who has 35 caps and two goals for the Matildas. Chidiac, who turned 26 in January, was a member of Australia’s 2023 FIFA WWC squad but was not named to last year’s Olympics roster. She is also apparently healthy, having played the full 90 in the Melbourne derby on February 1st (aleagues.com.au).
Not among the nine players age 30 or older on Australia’s roster is former Kansas City Current midfielder Chloe Logarzo, who celebrated her 30th birthday in December. Logarzo has 56 caps and eight goals for the Matildas but was last named to a FIFA tournament roster in 2021 for the Tokyo Olympics.
The only other omitted player from the last roster with 50-plus appearances is Logarzo’s partner in last year’s The Amazing Race Australia: Celebrity Edition 2 (10play.com.au), forward Emily Gielnik, who has 60 caps and 12 goals, with her latest international goal coming against Chinese Taipei in Australia’s last match of 2024. The 32-year-old Gielnik’s most recent FIFA tournament was also the 2021 Summer Olympics. However, unlike Logarzo, Gielnik was a member of Australia’s squad for the 2022 Asian qualifying tournament to the 2023 FIFA WWC.
Alphabetical Roster, By Position
Goalkeepers (3):
- Arnold, Mackenzie (Portland Thorns FC / USA)
- Lincoln, Chloe (Western United FC / AUS)
- Micah, Teagan (Liverpool WFC / ENG)
Defenders (7):
- Carpenter, Ellie (Olympique Lyonnais / FRA)
- Catley, Steph (Arsenal WFC / ENG)
- Grant, Charlotte “Charli” (Tottenham Hotspur WFC / ENG)
- Heatley, Winonah (FC Nordsjælland / DEN)
- Hunt, Clare (Tottenham Hotspur WFC / ENG)
- Kennedy, Alanna (Angel City FC / USA)
- Prior, Natasha (Newcastle Jets FC / AUS)
Midfielders (6):
- Cooney-Cross, Kyra (Arsenal WFC / ENG)
- Galić, Daniela (FC Twente / NED)
- Gorry, Katrina (West Ham United FC / ENG)
- Murphy, Alana (Melbourne Victory / AUS)**
- van Egmond, Emily (Birmingham City WFC / ENG)
Wheeler, Clare (Everton WFC / ENG)**- Yallop, Tameka (Brisbane Roar FC / AUS)
Forwards (7):
- Foord, Caitlin (Arsenal WFC / ENG)
- Fowler, Mary (Manchester City WFC / ENG)
- Freier, Laini (Brisbane Roar FC / AUS)*
- Heyman, Michelle (Canberra United FC / AUS)
- McNamara, Holly (Melbourne City FC / AUS)
- Raso, Hayley (Tottenham Hotspur WFC / ENG)
- Torpey, Kaitlyn (San Diego Wave FC / USA)
*uncapped
**On February 13th, Wheeler was withdrawn and replaced with Murphy
Detailed Roster
Table 1: Australia WNT 2025 SheBelieves Cup Roster — Basic Statistics
PLAYER P. HEIGHT D.O.B. AGE WWC27 CAPS GOALS DEBUT
Arnold, Mackenzie GK 5'11" (181cm) 02/25/1994 30.99 33.33 57 - 11/20/2012
Lincoln, Chloe GK 5'10" (178cm) 01/04/2005 20.13 22.47 1 - 12/07/2024
Micah, Teagan GK 5'9" (176cm) 10/20/1997 27.34 29.68 18 - 06/15/2021
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carpenter, Ellie DF 5'5" (164cm) 04/28/2000 24.82 27.15 84 4 03/02/2016
Catley, Steph DF 5'7" (171cm) 01/26/1994 31.07 33.41 132 7 06/24/2012
Grant, Charlotte DF 5'5" (165cm) 09/20/2001 23.42 25.76 28 1 09/21/2021
Heatley, Winonah DF 06/18/2001 23.68 26.02 4 0 10/28/2024
Hunt, Clare DF 5'9" (176cm) 03/12/1999 25.95 28.28 28 1 02/16/2023
Kennedy, Alanna DF 5'9" (176cm) 01/21/1995 30.08 32.42 131 11 06/24/2012
Prior, Natasha DF 5'11" (180cm) 01/20/1998 27.09 29.42 3 2 12/01/2024
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cooney-Cross, Kyra MF 5'5" (164cm) 02/15/2002 23.01 25.35 52 1 06/10/2021
Galić, Daniela MF 5'6" (167cm) 06/17/2006 18.68 21.02 4 0 10/25/2024
Gorry, Katrina MF 5'1" (155cm) 08/13/1992 32.52 34.86 112 17 07/11/2012
Murphy, Alana MF 09/21/2005 19.42 21.75 0 – n/a
van Egmond, Emily MF 5'10" (179cm) 07/12/1993 31.61 33.95 153 31 03/06/2010
Yallop, Tameka MF 5'2" (158cm) 06/16/1991 33.68 36.02 130 14 08/04/2007
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Foord, Caitlin FW 5'5" (165cm) 11/11/1994 30.28 32.62 130 38 05/12/2011
Fowler, Mary FW 5'7" (171cm) 02/14/2003 22.02 24.36 58 15 07/26/2018
Freier, Laini FW 07/24/2001 23.58 25.92 0 - n/a
Heyman, Michelle FW 5'11" (180cm) 07/04/1988 36.63 38.97 74 28 03/03/2010
McNamara, Holly FW 01/23/2003 22.08 24.42 3 0 01/21/2022
Raso, Hayley FW 5'4" (162cm) 09/05/1994 30.46 32.80 92 20 06/24/2012
Torpey, Kaitlyn FW 5'5" (166cm) 03/17/2000 24.93 27.27 10 1 02/24/2024
--- WITHDRAWN ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wheeler, Clare MF 5'4" (162cm) 01/14/1998 27.10 29.44 26 2 09/21/2021
Key:
- P. = Playing Position, per press release
- D.O.B. = Date of Birth (mm/dd/yyyy format)
- Age = Calculated age as of the first match of the SheBelieves Cup (February 20)
- WWC27 = Calculated age as of the first day of the 2027 FIFA WWC (June 24, 2027)
- Caps = Official senior appearances for the Australia WNT
- Goals = Official senior goals scored for the Australia WNT
- Debut = date of first senior international match for Australia
Sources: Caps and goals are from the press release. Heights and dates of birth are primarily from player profiles on the Matildas website. Debut dates are from player profiles on the Matildas website. (Some player profiles are only available via the Wayback Machine for players who have not been called up recently, as those profiles have been removed, even Sam Kerr’s.)
Notes and Notables
See also: “2025 SheBelieves Cup: Player Spotlight Profiles — Australia”.
Tom Sermanni: Three “Thirds”…
Third time in charge of the Matildas: Sermanni was named interim head coach in September 2024 (matildas.com.au) after former USWNT assistant coach Tony Gustavsson stepped down. Sermanni was last in charge of Australia from 2005 to 2012, immediately before his time as head coach of the USWNT. Sermanni was also head coach of the Matildas from 1994 to 1997.
Third-in-a-row international window as interim head coach: The upcoming February international window will be Sermanni’s third straight on the sidelines for Australia. In the October window, the Matildas played against Switzerland (1:1 draw), which is helmed by former USWNT head coach Pia Sundhage, and Germany (2:1 win). In the last window, Australia faced Brazil twice (1:3 loss and a 1:2 loss), and then after that window, they played Chinese Taipei twice (3:1 win and 6:0 win). (The full match videos for the Brazil and Chinese Taipei matches are available on Football Australia’s YouTube page, under the “Live” tab.)
Third time facing the USWNT since he was its head coach: The SheBelieves Cup will not be the first time that Sermanni has faced the USWNT since his dismissal in 2014: From 2019 to 2021, he was head coach of the New Zealand Women’s National Team, which played the USA twice, once in a send-off friendly before the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup and again in the 2021 Summer Olympics.
Formation Notes
In his brief time as interim head coach, Sermanni introduced a five-back system (three center-backs and two outside-backs), which is typically described as a “5-3-2” and was first deployed against Switzerland and Germany in October (10play.com.au).
In November, against Brazil, Sermanni started the match with a five-back, but switched to a four-back (two center-backs and two outside-backs), which was described as a “4-3-3” (matildas.com.au).
At the 2024 Olympics, the Matildas, under Tony Gustavsson, utilized a four-back system, which the official Olympic tactical line-ups listed as a “4-4-2” (versus Germany), a “4-4-1-1” (versus Zambia), and a “4-2-3-1” (versus the USA).
League Distribution
Of the 23 players, only six currently play in Australia, while just under half ply their trade in England’s Women’s Super League. Three players are currently signed with NWSL clubs for the 2025 season.
The full list of leagues represented:
- WSL (England): 11 players
- A-League Women (Australia): 6
- NWSL (USA): 3
- Première Ligue (France): 1
- Vrouwen Eredivisie (Netherlands): 1
- Danish Women’s League (Denmark): 1
Players with NWSL Connections
In addition to the three current NWSL players — Arnold, Kennedy, and Torpey — seven other players have spent at least part of one season in the NWSL.
At least two others have also played in the United States, including goalkeeper Teagan Micah, who is a former UCLA Bruin (player profile).
None of the eight players on Australia’s roster who were born in 2001 or later have yet to play in the NWSL.
Current NWSL Players:
- Mackenzie Arnold (Portland Thorns) — since July 2024, also had a brief stint with the Chicago Red Stars (2019)
- Alanna Kennedy (Angel City) — since January 2025, previously spent five years in the league: one season with the Western New York Flash (2016) and then four years with the Orlando Pride (2017-2020)
- Kaitlyn Torpey (San Diego Wave) — since February 2024
Former NWSL Players:
- Ellie Carpenter — Portland Thorns (2018 to 2020), debuted in the NWSL less than two weeks after her eighteenth birthday, was the youngest-ever player at the time (matildas.com.au)
- Steph Catley — Portland Thorns (2014-2015), Orlando Pride (2016-2017), Reign FC (2018-2019)
- Caitlin Foord — Sky Blue FC (2013-2015), Portland Thorns (2018-2019)
- Katrina Gorry — FC Kansas City (2014), Utah Royals (2018)
- Michelle Heyman — Western New York Flash (2015)
- Hayley Raso — Washington Spirit (2015), Portland Thorns (2016-2019)
- Emily van Egmond — just finished three seasons with the San Diego Wave (2022-2024), previously was with the Seattle Reign (2013), Chicago Red Stars (2014), and the Orlando Pride (2018-2020)
Additionally, Tameka Yallop played for the Boston Breakers in 2012 when they competed in the transitional WPSL Elite. Emily van Egmond also played in the WPSL Elite that year with the Western New York Flash.
Football Australia press releases:
- Sermanni selects 23-player CommBank Matildas squad to participate in SheBelieves Cup (3-Feb-2025)
- Sermanni: “I’m happy with the squad we’ve selected” for SheBelieves Cup (3-Feb-2025)
The Matildas website also has media guides from the 2024 Paris Olympics and 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup with player bios and annual statistics for each player.
Women's Soccer Express 