Glory’s Westfield W-League skipper Sam Kerr will be looking to sparkle on the international stage once again later this month when the Westfield Matildas do battle with USA, Japan and Brazil in the Tournament of Nations.
The 24-year-old did, of course, star in last year’s event, bagging four goals and also claiming two assists as Alen Stajcic’s side won all three games en route to lifting the inaugural Tournament of Nations trophy.
One of those victories was the Matildas’ first ever over the host nation, USA, whom they will face again in their second game on July 29th in East Hartford, Connecticut.
That clash is preceded by a meeting with Brazil in Kansas City, Kansas on July 26th, while their final game against Japan takes place in Bridgeview, Illinois on August 2nd.
17 of the players who featured in last year’s triumph have been selected to take part in the title defence, with 16-year-old Amy Sayer the only uncapped member of the squad.
And Stajcic feels that the tournament will form a key part of the Matildas’ preparation for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
“The forthcoming Tournament of Nations kicks off a massive 12 months for women’s football in Australia,” he said.
“While we will naturally be aiming to defend our Tournament of Nations title, we will also be focused on continuing to develop as a unit while we are in the USA as we look ahead to the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France.
“Brazil, Japan and the USA will provide tough opposition for us over the comings weeks, however, over the past year we have shown on multiple occasions that we can not only match, but beat, the very best.
“The 2018 Tournament of Nations offers us an opportunity to show that we can continue to perform at the highest level against three of the top-ranked nations in world football.”
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