Graphic: Michael Alesich

With much success in the first decade of the W-League, Canberra United have found the going more difficult in recent seasons. Under the guidance of new coach Vicki Linton, and an altogether different character to the league this season, the team from the nation’s capital will once again be thinking of success in what could be a very open campaign.

Photo from https://www.coachinglife.com.au/article/vicki-linton-interview/

The end of season review for Season 2019-20 shows that Canberra United started the season with much promise, with imports Simone Charley and Kaleigh Kurtz making their mark in particular. A poor month from Boxing Day put paid to their finals chances with the team left exposed on multiple occasions and chasing games. Bright notes were debut seasons for locals Hayley Taylor-Young and Jessie Rasschaert, and Karly Roestbakken continuing her Matildas career in style off the back of another solid W-League campaign. The team finished in 6th place.

Ins and Outs

There are plenty of good news stories at Canberra United this season, with home-comings for several beloved players such as Michelle Heyman, Grace Maher, and Nicki Flannery, and a call-up to the Matildas Talent Identification Camp for Maher, Laura Hughes, and Sally James.

Grace Maher (10) leads the pack at the Matildas Talent Identification Camp. Photo: @TheMatildas

With many Matildas now playing in Europe, W-League teams retaining even a single Matilda can count themselves fortunate for the 13th edition of the league. Canberra United is amongst the teams affected, with local wunderkind Roestbakken having signed on for two further seasons with LSK Kvinner in Norway. While she has indicated an interest in a short stint in the W-League, the Toppserien resumes in March 2021. Then there is the small matter of quarantine at either end of the trip, not to mention a foot tendon injury picked up late in the Toppserien season which may require additional recovery time.  

Ins:

Keeley Richards (Logan Lightning, Goalkeeper)
Isabella Foletta (Perth Glory, Defender)
Clare Hunt (Sydney University, Defender)
Jessika Nash (Football NSW Institute, Defender)
Kendall Fletcher (Sydney University, Midfielder)
Bianca Galic (Sydney University, Midfielder)
Grace Maher (Melbourne Victory, Midfielder)
Nickoletta Flannery (Newcastle, Forward)
Demi Koulizakis (Sydney University, Forward/Midfielder)
Michelle Heyman (Sydney University, Forward)
Paige Satchell (New Zealand, Forward)

Coach – Vicki Linton (U.S. Soccer Federation’s Development Academy)
Assistant Coaches – Sarah West, Emily Husband

Outs:

Sham Khamis (Macarthur Rams)
Elise Thorsnes (Avaldsnes, Norway)
Annalee Grove (Adelaide United)
Leena Khamis (Western Sydney Wanderers)
Katie Stengel (Houston Dash, USA)
Simone Charley (Portland Thorns, USA)
Patricia Charalambous (Perth Glory) 
Emma Stanbury (coaching)
Rebekah Horsey (Mitchelton FC)
Kayleigh Kurtz (North Carolina Corage, USA)
Nikola Orgill (Western Sydney Wanderers)
Karly Roestbakken (LSK Kvinner, Norway)
Taren King (Sydney University)
Olivia Price (Western Sydney Wanderers)
Aoife Colvill (Glasgow City, Scotland)

Coach – Heather Garriock (Taekwondo Australia CEO)

Staying:

Sally James (Goalkeeper)
Jessie Rasschaert (Defender)
Rachael Goldstein (Defender)
Lauren Keir (Defender)
Laura Hughes (Midfielder)
Ashlie Crofts (Forward)
Hayley Taylor-Young (Forward)

Assistant Coach/consultant – Scott O’Donell

The recruiting ethic in this very different edition of the competition seems simple: let’s bring the band back together and, while we’re at it, let’s bring along some of their team-mates from the premiers of the toughest NPLW competition in the land, Sydney University.

The squad size this year is reduced by five players, to 18. Seven of the 18 come from the Season 12 Canberra United team. A further five are Canberra United alumni who played in the 2020 NSW NPLW competition with Sydney University (Hunt, Maher, Flannery, Heyman, and Fletcher). To round out the Sydney Uni connection, two other team-mates in Bianca Galic and Demi Koulizakis are on board the Canberra United train this season. 

That’s a remarkable 14 out of 18 with either a Canberra United or Sydney University connection or both… and yet there remain four other players in the 2020 Sydney University squad with a Canberra United connection from the past who are not running out in green this year (Taren King, Briana Oliverio, Georgia Boric, and Sarah Morgan)! 

Junior Matilda captain Jessika Nash, Kiwi international Paige Satchell, Logan Lightning (Queensland) goalkeeper Keeley Richards, and Perth Glory defender Isabella Foletta round out the squad.

Strengths

The feel-good factor brought upon by the joining of Canberra United players both old and new cannot be understated. Add to this the already mentioned Canberra United-Sydney University squad connection this season, and you have two interlocking and already cohesive groups joining as one. 

That’s smart recruitment by Linton, and this pre-existing bond should help the team get off to a sharp start. Not only that, the strategy ensures that the number of players with a local connection is higher than usual, which is bound to further endear an already vocal home ground fanbase to the cause.

In these early weeks at Canberra United training, the atmosphere must be electric and the grins broad. The four “outsiders” (who will not feel like that for long at all with this group) must have been standing there with their mouths open on Day 1 at training, witnessing players re-uniting and all the excitement and joy that brings. Frankly speaking, this writer wishes they were there to witness it.

Looking across the squad, W-League debuts will be handed to Nash, Galic, Richards, and Koulizakis when they hit the competition field for the first time. The same goes for Football Fern Satchell, who has 3 international caps to go alongside her 9 appearances in the Bundesliga with the Sand club.

The balance of the Canberra United squad has W-League experience under their belts, and they will be led by the experience of ex-Matilda Heyman (119 W-League appearances) and Fletcher (79 W-League appearances alongside numerous NWSL and Swedish Damallsvenskan appearances). Leadership will also come from young but experienced campaigners Maher (62 W-League games), Flannery (46 games), and Hughes (in her fourth season with Canberra United having just completed a season in Iceland with ThrĂłttur ReykjavĂ­k).

Challenges

In a 12 round season, the first three games will be vital. Canberra United will need to win against Perth Glory in Round 1 and then must set the tone for the season with their first two home games – both tough assignments in the form of Sydney FC and Melbourne City. 

Assuming the team in green can navigate the middle part of the season and maintain form away, there is also the perennial banana-skin that is a Brisbane Roar away game in the final game of the season. 

The Beyond 90 Season 13 draw analysis also points out that United are the only team to play three of last season’s top four sides both home and away, which can be both a blessing and a curse; there’s no better way to sharpen up your game than by consistently playing high performing opposition.

Assuming Roestbakken doesn’t play a guest stint, United will be among those teams with no active Matildas in the playing group. However, as shown in this Beyond 90 analysis, having one or more Matildas on board is perhaps not so much a guarantee of success, but rather a deterrent to failure.

How the team adjusts to not playing at fortress McKellar Park this season is also an open question. Viking Park has a terrific surface and the action is close to the members pavilion a la McKellar Park, and therefore has some chance of retaining the same vibe.

The squad looks to have plenty of depth in the attacking and defensive ranks, but not that many out-and-out midfielders. Linton will be counting on Hughes, Maher, Fletcher, and Galic remaining fit, although there are other options with players in the squad such as Koulizakis and Goldstein able to fulfil multiple roles. 

Neither of the signed goalkeepers in James – who was Sham Khamis’ understudy last season – or Richards has played a game in the W-League. This campaign offers the wider sporting public a chance to enjoy their qualities for the first time on the national stage. 

Key players 

Defence – a commanding central defender? 

Canberra United have always set up with a commanding central defender – think Kaleigh Kurtz, Rachel Corsie, Toni Pressley, and even back to Ellie Brush and Thea Slatyer. It’s quite possible that Clare Hunt will be a defensive leader this year, and she has her own experience in her 11 appearances alongside Pressley in season 2017-18 to draw inspiration from.  

Hunt isn’t the only option, and it will be intriguing to see how Linton lines her defence up in the first game. Jessie Rasschaert, Lauren Keir, and Junior Matilda captain Jessika Nash also have claims to the central defensive role.

Midfield – Kendall Fletcher/Laura Hughes/Grace Maher

Laura Hughes formed an effective midfield partnership with Olivia Price last season. With a year of experience under her belt in the tough Icelandic league, the prospect of her fighting and ball-winning qualities in midfield – combined with cool hand Kendall Fletcher steering the team around and Grace Maher’s touch and vision – makes for a mouth-watering prospect for the Canberra United faithful.

Photo credit: Mark Brake/Getty Images

Attack – Paige Satchell

In the last few years we’ve seen Michelle Heyman transform from a tearaway striker – with a great finish and a knack being in the right place at the right time – to a central attacker who uses her skill and wiles to bring others into the game around her in the attacking third while retaining those positional instincts.

Whereas in earlier years Heyman primarily played facing the opposition goal, these days she is just as likely to be shielding the ball around the penalty box with her back to the goal.

With Flannery and Taylor-Young having a liking for playing wide, Paige Satchell could be a vital contributor to the Canberra United attack in that more central striker role – perhaps playing off Heyman and/or Maher – where she will likely be vying for the position with Ashlie Crofts. One or both of them will want to have big seasons if Canberra United are going to once again be a force.

One to watch

Bianca Galic has played in midfield for Sydney University for several years and is known for her consistency and work ethic. On paper Canberra United has fewer midfielders than other roles, so Galic is likely to see game time.

Season 13 of the W-League could well be the season where a national audience gets to sit up and pay attention to the qualities that Galic brings to the table. 

Prediction

If Canberra United can emerge strong from their first three games then they have every chance of contesting finals, and this writer is tipping them to do so. In a 12 game competition with a level of openness rarely seen in the league, a cohesive unit such as the squad Linton has put together should go far, as long as the limited number of specialist midfielders can stay healthy all campaign.

Courtesy Canberra United

Keep up to date with the full squad list here.

Steffen Moebus
Steffen Moebus
Steffen is a life-long Canberra resident and enjoys covering football in and around his home town, as well as Aussies participating in the Nordic leagues (Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark).
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