Six Junior Matildas will return to Sydney FC this week following Australia’s World Cup exit overnight, giving the Sky Blues the perfect remedy to bounce back from Sunday’s loss and get back to football ahead of their away game against Brisbane Roar FC on Saturday afternoon.
Head Coach James Slaveski was without 16 of his regular squad due to injury and International duty, and to get them back to training ahead will be a plus.
“Our under-17 Junior Matildas will be back on Wednesday so we are excited to welcome them back ahead of our next match, and it will be a short turnaround for them so that will just be another challenge for us,” Slaveski said.
“This group has gone three or so weeks now with the numbers we’ve had – we’ve had to push our players probably more than what we would like to, and we’re just in a situation where it’s all hands on deck at the moment.
“We have a lot of new players that have come in, and quite a young side with a lot of players coming into their first season and this being only their second game in the league, so we have a long way to go.
“With some of our players returning to the squad, it’s a good opportunity for us to kind of bounce back and get back to our football.”
Amid disappointment in the result, Slaveski was pleased with the Sky Blues’ fight to the finish in the second half.
“I think the confidence is there from our girls,” he said.
“There was more of a response in the second half, which I asked for and which we spoke about at half time, but it shouldn’t have come down to that – Melbourne City were just much better than us today and they deserved the win.”
Being only the second game of the season, Sky Blues stand-in Captain Charlotte McLean is proud of her team’s heart and pride that they brought to Allianz Stadium, and looks forward to building up the squad as they move on from Round 2 in the 2026/27 season.
“At half time we spoke about getting our foot in the game, being aggressive and having some pride, and I’m really proud of the girls because I think in the second half we did play with pride, and that’s all we could really ask for today,” McLean said.
“We’ve got so much building to do, it’s round two and we’re a completely new side so I think that there are a lot of positives that will be coming our way.
“Today was just a really big teething period that we needed to experience as a team and can grow from, especially with a lot of young and new girls.”
The Sky Blues have a bye following this weekend’s trip to Brisbane and hope to have a near full strength side in time for their home clash with Canberra United at Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre on Saturday 21st November (5pm).
