Cortnee Vine will return to the CommBank Matildas squad alongside Sydney FC team-mate Jada Whyman for next month’s friendly against Mexico in the United States.
Vine could feature for the green and gold for the first time since November’s Olympic qualifier against Philippines in Perth, where she succumbed to a hamstring injury.
The announcement also marks Whyman’s third consecutive call-up after being named in the Matildas squads against Canada and Uzbekistan.
Cortnee Vine expressed her excitement to join the side, as she hopes to achieve her life-long dream to play in the Olympics.
“I’m super excited to be part of the Matildas squad in this upcoming camp. It’s in America so that will be really cool, and I’ve never been.
“I’m still hoping to be part of that Olympic squad and I’m feeling very grateful that Tony’s called me back. I’m feeling in a much better position than I have been”, she said.
Vine earned her call-up to the Matildas squad as she continues her stellar season with the Sky Blues.
The forward has scored six goals and made three assists in the past five games, and rose to fifth on the Golden Boot season rankings with nine goals and five assists.
Whyman has also dominated this season, helping the Sky Blues reach the top spot following their victory over Wellington Phoenix this past weekend.
The goalkeeper has the lowest goals conceded from any side of the A-League women.
The Matildas will learn their draw on Thursday morning for the Olympics, where eight out of the top ten sides in the FIFA Women’s rankings will play in the tournament.
Vine, talked about her aspirations to be in the Matildas Olympic side, but as of now, the three-time Premiership winner and one-time Championship winner expects to focus on what she can control.
“I think [the Olympics] is something that’s in the background for me. The Olympics have been a goal of mine since I was probably nine, so being able to do it a sport that I love with a team that I love as well is a dream.
“But it is something in the background, it’s out of my control but I can do as much as I can do in club-land, and in the next coming games to prove myself.”
For Matildas Head Coach, Tony Gustavsson, he will face the challenging task of cutting the 23-player squad taken to the US, down to 18 for the Paris games.
When speaking about this difficult job, he said:
“Our extremely challenging assignment… is to narrow down on the final 18 players that will provide the best chance for success when taking on those rivals in France.
“Following the achievement of Paris 2024™ qualification, our attention turns fully to ensuring the best preparation in terms of matches and training activity for the Olympics.”
“The upcoming international against Mexico will see one eye on preparation mode against a quality opponent who recently defeated the USWNT last month.”
Whyman and Vine’s next game will occur this Sunday at Leichhardt Oval against Adelaide United (4pm), where Sydney FC will aim to move closer to winning a record breaking fourth consecutive Premiers Plate.
Match Details:
Mexico v Australia
Tuesday, 9 April 2024 (local) / Wed, 10 April 2024 (AUS) Toyota Field, San Antonio, TX
Kick-off: 7.00pm (local) / 10.00am (AEST)
Broadcast: Paramount ANZ
Tickets: Click Here
