Sydney FC Women’s Head Coach James Slaveski has praised the club’s exciting crop of young talent following the Sky Blues’ first win of the A-League season, a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Brisbane Roar.
The Sky Blues bounced back from last weekend’s defeat to Melbourne City to secure all three points at Gioca Stadium, with Faith Webber’s winning goal and a clean sheet providing plenty of positives for Slaveski.
However, it was the performances of Sydney FC’s emerging stars that particularly impressed the Head Coach, who believes the club possesses a number of future Matildas.
“We’ve got a really good group of footballers, a really good group of people, and I’m really happy with the performance today,” Slaveski said.
“I felt it should have been more than one, to be honest.”
The return of seven players from international duty provided a significant boost to the Sky Blues, with 16-year-old Claire Corbett and fellow young star Willa Pearson among those impressing.
Pearson’s return from captaining the Junior Matildas at the Under-17 Women’s World Cup added quality to the side, while Slaveski reserved special praise for Corbett’s ability and enormous potential.
“We know Willa’s qualities. She’s an exceptional player, exceptional talent. Her aggressiveness without the ball is her weapon and her hallmark.
“But then I also look at someone like Claire Corbett, who just sees things and does things that not many players can do.
“She’s 16 years old, and it’s scary what she can become, to be honest.
“She added some real quality to us in there today, along with Maddie Caspers, who I thought was excellent, as were Amy and Liv as well.”
The winning goal was another example of the exciting talent emerging at Sydney FC, with Caspers winning possession before producing a decisive pass for Webber to finish.
Slaveski believes the American forward, who scored her first goal for the Sky Blues, has the potential to become a major attacking force in the A-League.
“Really pleased for Faith. It’s a great finish. Her quality is exceptional, to be honest.
“I think she’s got a very high ceiling, and we’ve got a really good one there.
“She’s got that monkey off her back now, and I think we’ll start to see what her quality really is, because she’ll start to score more and more at this level, definitely.”
The victory was particularly pleasing given the significant number of players Sydney FC have been without during the opening three rounds.
With the likes of Jada Whyman, Charlotte McLean, Natalie Tobin, Indiana Dos Santos, Amelia Cassar and Sarah Hunter still sidelined, Slaveski believes there is considerable improvement to come as the squad returns to full strength.
“These players are all starters, and some of them are Matildas already,” he said.
“Unfortunately, they came back to pre-season with injuries, out of our control really, so we’re trying to work them back into full fitness at the moment. They’re not far.”
Slaveski also highlighted the influence of Sydney FC’s international recruits, particularly Kenzie Roling and Kiley Dulaney, in helping create an environment where the club’s next generation can flourish.
“Especially Kenzie and Kiley in particular, [they] were exceptional. Kiley Dulaney is one hell of a footballer,” he said.
“And then the young ones, they’re learning. Last year they had a good learning experience, probably more football than what ordinarily they probably should get at that age.
“But this year we made a real conscious effort of bringing some experience in around them and having depth in the squad, and then also bringing in certain qualities from our internationals that can help them as well.
“Because those players, in the right environment, like I’ve said before, they’re special talents.
“I think it’s not a matter of if they become Matildas, I think it’s a matter of when.”
“But we just need to take our time with them and be patient, and they’ll get there.”
The win takes Sydney FC to four points from their opening three matches, a return Slaveski believes represents an encouraging step forward given the squad’s early-season availability challenges.
“We take the three points, and four points from a possible nine with 15 or 16 unavailable in the first three games is a step forward.”
With experienced players still to return and a new generation already making its mark, the Sydney FC Head Coach has plenty of reasons to be optimistic about what lies ahead for the Sky Blues.
