Matildas Announce Squad for Kenya Trip

0:00Australia's Matilda's just dropped their squad for the team's first ever FIFA Series trip to Kenya in April. Sam Kerr leads his captain with Steph Katli as deputy alongside stars like Caitlin Ford, Mackenzie Arnold, Alana Kennedy, Hayley Raso and Claire Wheeler. They'll hit the pitch against World Number 153 Malawi on April 11 in Nairobi, then take on either World Number 100, 34 Kenya or World Number 67 India. These matches mark the Matilda's return after that tough 1-0 loss to Japan in the women's Asian Cup final on March 21 in Sydney. Coach Joe Montemorro, who's been on the job just over 10 months, sees this as prime time to tweak the squad and style ahead of next year's women's. World Cup in Brazil. Not everyone's joining the ride though. Mary Fowler tops the absence he list, along with Ellie Carpenter, Kyra Kuni Cross and Katrina Gori, who've been given the green light to sit it out.

1:00Defender Claire Hunt's Side Mind 2, recovering from knee surgery, picked up during the Asian Cup. On the fresh side, Latisha McKinna from Melbourne City earns her Matilda's debut while Jessica Nash and Isabelle Gomez are back in the mix. Kerr, who banged in four goals at the Asian Cup, will steer the ship. Montemorro calls this window key for reflecting on the Cup, building consistency and testing new vibes against the verse foes. It's all about gearing up for those global battles down the line. That's your update from Sydney News Today, powered by AI.