In what is becoming an annual summer event, we cast our eyes across this season’s A-League Women imports.
Which players are not counted as imports?
Australian citizens who have chosen to represent another national team, such as Canberra United’s Vesna Milivojevic (seven caps for Serbia) and Western United’s Tyla-Jay Vlajnic (three caps, also for Serbia), are not included. Overseas-born players who are Australian citizens, such as Newcastle Jets’ Cannon Clough and Western United’s Danielle Steer, are also not regarded as imports.
Non-citizens who are Australian permanent residents – such as Brisbane Roar’s Margot Robinne, who holds French citizenship and recently became a permanent resident – are not counted as imports because they do not require a visa to participate in the league.
Aussies playing for Wellington Phoenix (such as Claudia Cicco and Isabel Gomez) will not be regarded as imports in this article, but Kiwis playing for Australian teams are as they still require visas to participate (e.g. Melbourne City’s Hannah Wilkinson). Under the terms of Wellington’s entry into the competition, at least five of their players must be Australian (down from seven last season), but those Australian players can be dual nationals with eligibility to represent New Zealand (such as Brianna Edwards).
Competition rules around imports
Teams are allowed to field five visa players in total: four with full-season contracts, and one as a guest player. A guest player is defined as a player who is limited to half the season (nine games in season 2022-23); they do not need to be foreign (as in the case of Australians leaving partway during the season to participate in Nordic competitions), so clubs can conceivably have more than one guest player. The nine games may be non-consecutive, which can lead to some interesting juggling for coaches and consequences for teams. An example of a 2022-23 guest player is American Jessica McDonald, currently with Western United.
If a player (either Australian or import) becomes injured and is unable to fulfill the agreed term of their contract (or part thereof), clubs are able to seek an import as an injury replacement for the duration of that injury.
The mix of nations in 2022/23
In the 2022-23 A-League Women’s competition, 41 players from 15 different nations are regarded as imports, compared to 26 players from 10 nations last season. Clubs clearly have a greater appetite for taking on board a larger complement of international players.
The most common source of internationals traditionally is the United States and 2022-23 is no different, with 19 Americans gracing our shores (more than doubling the eight from last season).
New Zealand supplies seven imports (one up on last season, even though players such as Paige Satchell and Marisa van der Meer have joined Wellington Phoenix from other A-League Women clubs), while the Philippines and China are joint-third on this list with two each.
While it is perhaps a little surprising that the Nordic countries (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland) don’t have more players in the league – their seasons are generally complete a good month prior to A-League Women commencing – the slightly longer season now makes it more challenging for Nordic players to return in time for the start of the 2023 Nordic campaigns.
Last season, half of the imports had played in an Australian NPL season just prior to the A-League Women campaign. The story is different this season, with the pendulum very much swinging in favour of the ‘fly-in and play’ cohort.
2022/23 import breakdown by team
Adelaide United
Fiona Worts from England, Nanako Sasaki from Japan, Xiao Yuyi from China and Maruschka Waldus from the Netherlands comprise a diverse international contingent for the team from South Australia.
Attacker Worts is in her third campaign with the club, having won both the league’s Golden Boot and the Julie Dolan Medal last season. She spent the winter months in Norway with LSK Kvinner.
Worts sustained an injury late in Adelaide’s season opener against Sydney FC, missing the next two games and then returning to a starting berth in Round 4. At the time of publication she is yet to record a goal in 2022-23.
Japanese midfielder Nanako Sasaki is in her second season at Adelaide United and has started most of their games. Sasaki enjoyed a fine inaugural Reds campaign with plenty of game time, one memorable goal and two assists. Her winter consisted of a second season with Adelaide Comets, having previously spent four seasons at Adelaide City.
Chinese midfielder Xiao Yuyi is best known for scoring the winning goal in the 2022 Asian Cup final, when China defeated South Korea 3-2. This is her first stint in the league, and she is on loan from Shanghai Shengli. Xiao, who has 31 appearances and five goals for her country, started Adelaide’s first three games but has not been able to maintain a regular starting role since.
Dutch defender Maruschka Waldus is in her second stint with Adelaide – and her third in the league – having played eleven games during the 2020-21 season, as well as 22 games for Western Sydney Wanderers between 2017 and 2019. Waldus is also known for her time in Norway (one season at Avaldsnes and two at Vålerenga) and in the Dutch Eredivisie with PSV, where she played earlier this year.
Waldus has played every minute of Adelaide’s season to date. She is friends with Vivianne Miedema and not long ago invited her to stay in Adelaide for two weeks.
Brisbane Roar
American goalkeeper Hensley Hancuff and Swedish defender Kajsa Lind are new to Australian football. However, two other imports are familiar faces: American attacker Shea Connors and Brazilian attacking midfielder Mariel Hecher.
US-born Connors played one season with Icelandic side KR Reykjavik in 2018 before coming to Australia and playing four NPL seasons (two with Logan Lightning, one with Lions FC and one with APIA Leichhardt). She is now in her third season with the Roar and has started every game in 2022-23, but is yet to register a goal.
Now in her third campaign with the Roar, Mariel Hecher – an osteopath by trade, treating musculoskeletal injuries – suffered an ACL injury in Brisbane’s third game (against Western Sydney Wanderers) and is currently recovering. She has spent the last four NPL seasons with Lions FC and is a relatively recent convert to outdoor football, having spent many years playing futsal prior to linking up with the Lions.
Goalkeeper Hensley Hancuff has impressed in the opening rounds, playing seven out of Roar’s first eight games and making 32 saves. Hancuff comes to our shores from Gotham FC and was the 34th overall pick in the 2022 NWSL College Draft. Hancuff is yet to make her NWSL debut.
Kajsa Lind is a team-mate of Katrina Gorry and Clare Polkinghorne at Swedish side Vittsjö and made her way to the Roar via that connection. She has played five seasons at Vittsjö and can also play in midfield. Lind is yet to miss a minute of Roar’s 2022-23 campaign.
Canberra United
Another team with a diverse set of internationals, Canberra United have recruited attacker Grace Jale from New Zealand, midfielder Wu Chengshu from China and defender Kennedy Faulknor from Canada.
Jale’s goal for Wellington Phoenix against Canberra United last season in the Nix’s historic first win may have left a lasting impression on the team in green. She has slotted into her new team well with two goals and two assists so far.
Canberra coach Njegosh Popovich spoke with enthusiasm to Beyond 90 about Chinese recruit Wu and the impact she is likely to have on the squad. She was a member of the victorious Chinese squad for the 2022 Asian Cup, scoring in the semi-final win over Japan.
Wu was only cleared to train with Canberra United just before the Round 1 game and was still finding her feet with the team when she sustained a Round 2 facial injury as the first Canberra United goal of that game was scored. After missing five games, she scored in her return to action against Newcastle Jets at McKellar Park.
Faulknor has represented Canada four times at senior level. All four of those games were in 2015 when at age 15 she became the youngest ever centre-back to earn a Canadian senior cap. In December 2015 she was named the Canadian U17 Women’s Player of the Year.
The Houston Dash invited her to train with them early in 2022 but this did not amount to NWSL game time. In the four years previous, Faulknor played college football with the UCLA Bruins, making 67 appearances.
During the early rounds, Faulknor was a vital cog in the heart of Canberra United’s defence. Fingers crossed that Faulknor won’t take too long to regain full fitness after sustaining what appeared to be a knee strain during the clash with Melbourne City.
Melbourne City
City has a full complement of internationals.
Football Ferns striker Hannah Wilkinson is in her second season with Melbourne City. After a US college career at the University of Tennessee, Wilkinson played 35 games for Vittsjö GIK and 17 games for Djurgården (both Swedish clubs), 15 games for Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon and 10 games for German outfit MSV Duisburg. Wilkinson had a delayed start to this season after suffering a quad injury, scoring her first goal for 2022-23 in their 1-1 derby draw with Melbourne Victory.
Compatriot Kiwi defender Katie Bowen has embarked on her debut A-League Women campaign with six NWSL seasons and over 90 appearances under her belt. She played for Kansas City, Utah and most recently North Carolina Courage. Bowen has played almost every minute of the Melbourne City season thus far.
Chilean forward Maria ‘Cote’ Rojas is held in high regard for her close ball skills and character. She has had a flying start to the current season, scoring four goals in the opening rounds. Rojas is a 13 year veteran for her national team (‘La Roja’) and is one of their highest-scoring strikers with 11 goals in 43 international games. Her career has taken her to the US, Japan, Germany, Lithuania and Czechia, while more recently she has been influential in NPL South Australia for both Adelaide University and Salisbury Inter.
In A-League Women, Rojas played for Canberra United, Adelaide United and Sydney FC before coming into this season’s Melbourne City squad as an injury replacement for Hannah Wilkinson. After Wilkinson’s return, Rojas linked up with the Chilean national team for a training camp ahead of their 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifiers. She will then rejoin the club as Emina Ekic‘s injury replacement (see below).
Two Americans round out the City import list, winger Julia Grosso and forward Emina Ekic.
Grosso is a versatile player from the US college system who can also comfortably slot into a fullback role. She captained University of Kentucky during the last two years of her five with the team. Grosso has started in seven of City’s games to date and is yet to record a goal.
A-League Women seemed to suit Ekic, who netted four times for City and assisted one goal in her six games before unfortunately fracturing her ankle, curtailing her season. Prior to that, Ekic had played 34 games for Racing Louisville over the last two NWSL seasons (mostly off the bench), scoring three goals in that time.
Melbourne Victory
The back-to-back Champions have a familar list of internationals. Victory kept faith with three imports from last season, while two international injury replacements have also joined the group: Dane Rikke Madsen and Irishwoman Sarah Rowe.
Football Ferns defender Claudia Bunge is in her third season with Victory. She made her debut for the national team in 2019 against China and has 14 Ferns appearances. Outside of her time with Victory, Bunge’s club football has been played in New Zealand, apart from a 2022 stint with NPL NSW side Northern Tigers.
American centre-back Kayla Morrison is in her second season as Victory captain – and third season with the club – having come back from a ruptured ACL sustained early in the 2021-22 campaign. Morrison played college football at the University of Kansas and then professionally in the Swedish second division with Morön BK, before spending three seasons in NPL Victoria with Bulleen Lions (2018, 2019 & 2021).
She recently became the first centre-back to score an A-League Women hat-trick, which she achieved in the Round 5 match against Newcastle Jets a week before Christmas.
As of January 14, Morrison is eligible for Australian citizenship and there is much speculation among fans as to whether she will become an Aussie and therefore also eligible for the Matildas.
American attacker Catherine Zimmerman – who featured in Beyond 90 podcast episode 71 – started her third season with the Victory but fractured a fibula during Victory’s round-two defeat to Sydney FC. ‘Zim’ played one season with NWSL side Sky Blue FC in 2016 and two seasons with NPL Victoria outfit Calder United.
Danish forward Madsen was recruited as Zimmerman’s injury replacement and is on loan from NWSL side North Carolina Courage, where she has played just four games. Between 2019 and 2021, Madsen played 47 games for Norwegian outfit Vålerenga, including their 2020 Championship-winning season. Prior to that, Madsen played 18 games in the Danish league for VSK Aarhus.
Madsen has played 21 games with one goal for her national team.
Ireland’s Sarah Rowe has been announced as a short-term injury replacement for Melina Ayres while she recovers from a hamstring injury. A cross-code player (football, AFL & Gaelic football), Rowe was already training with Victory to stake a claim for a spot in Ireland’s World Cup squad. Rowe represented Ireland’s U15s, U17s and U19s, and also had a short stint with the senior team in 2015.
Newcastle Jets
Three Americans new to the league make up the Jets’ international contingent this season.
Defender Emily Garnier joins the Jets from NWSL’s Chicago Red Stars, where she is yet to take the field competitively. Following a successful US college career, she played for Italian sides Empoli FC and Napoli Femminile, as well as Fortuna Hjørring in Denmark. Garnier has played every minute of the Jets’ season to date.
Attacker Murphy Agnew came to the Jets having played a season in Iceland with Thróttur Reykjavík, after coming through the US college system. Agnew has enjoyed a good start to her campaign, scoring once and assisting twice in seven games.
Sarah Griffith has added some real zing to the Jets attack. Having played 19 NWSL games for Chicago Red Stars after a college career with Purdue University, Griffith scored four goals in the first six Jets games, including a hat-trick against Western Sydney Wanderers. She is able to play as a winger, attacking midfielder or striker.
Perth Glory
Glory has filled all four full-contract visa slots, with three players from the USA and one from New Zealand.
New Zealand defender Liz Anton first played for the Football Ferns in 2017 after several junior World Cup appearances for both their Under 17s and Under 20s. She has now appeared 12 times in the national jersey at senior level. Anton is in her third season with the club and has played every minute of Glory’s current season as of the time of writing.
Attacker Cyera Hintzen is a former USA Under-19 international and had a successful first season with Glory – scoring five goals and claiming their 2021-22 Golden Boot – after a season with reigning Icelandic champions Valur Reykjavik. Hintzen has scored twice this A-League season and has provided goal assists on four occasions. She has started in most Glory games.
American Gabriella Coleman is also a forward who is in her first A-League Women stint. Coleman has seven appearances, three starts and one goal to her name so far. Her football coaches at Oklahoma State University encouraged her to play overseas and after a successful season in Iceland with second-tier HK Kopavogur, her connection with Hintzen brought her to the attention of Glory coach Alex Epakis.
Rylee Baisden played 11 games for Brisbane Roar in 2019-20 and has signed on with Glory for the current campaign. The attacker enjoyed a fine start to the season, scoring five goals, and was the league’s equal top scorer when the dreaded ACL injury curse struck in Round 8.
In between A-League Women stints, Baisden played 12 games for North Carolina Courage across two NWSL seasons.
Sydney FC
New Zealand defender Anna Green has 18 appearances between 2008 and 2022 for her national team and is embarking on her third A-League Women’s campaign, following stints with Adelaide United (2011-12) and Sydney FC (2013-14). To date, Green has only taken the field in two games. Green also played 11 times for Reading in the FA WSL over two seasons between 2017 and 2018.
American attacker Madison Haley has made quite the impression during her inaugural A-League Women campaign, scoring five goals in six games. Her hometown is Dallas, Texas and she was formerly a Stanford University striker, earning two NCAA College Championships. Haley was selected by Chicago Red Stars with the seventh pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft but is yet to appear for them.
Another American attacker, Rola Badawiya is well-known to followers of the NPL NSW competition, helping Sydney University win the 2022 Premiership in her first campaign with The Students. Along the way, she scored 13 goals and was named NPL NSW Player of the Year.
Sydney FC announced Badawiya as a signing in January. She made her first appearance off the bench in Sydney’s 2-0 loss to Western United.
Wellington Phoenix
The ‘Nix squad is comprised of players from Australia and New Zealand only.
Western Sydney Wanderers
The Wanderers have five imports on their books but unfortunately one – Tess Boade – has already returned home to the USA. Boade was on loan from North Carolina Courage after playing five games for them (scoring twice) in 2022. Unfortunately, Boade suffered a shoulder injury during December’s Sydney Derby at Marconi Stadium. Striker Sarina Bolden (see below) joined the Wanderers at the end of December as Boade’s replacement.
Technically gifted New Zealand midfielder Malia Steinmetz has appeared eleven times for her country. Now a regular starter in her second season with the red and black, Steinmetz has shown herself to be an important part of the Wanderers’ midfield engine, building on her experience with Perth Glory in 2020/21. Steinmetz has also played for NPL NSW side Northern Tigers in 2019, 2021 and 2022, successfully shifting to centre-back last year as her team roared into the Grand Final.
Goalkeeper Jordyn Bloomer has made 29 saves in the Wanderers’ opening nine games. The shot-stopper was the 26th pick in the 2022 NWSL draft and made her Racing Louisville debut last April when they met Houston Dash in the Challenge Cup. Bloomer was twice named Goalkeeper of the Year by the Big Ten Conference – the oldest intercollegiate conference in the USA. Bloomer’s loan to the Wanderers is her first playing experience outside her home country.
Midfielder Jitka Chlastáková comes to A-League Women from Czechia, whom she has represented 55 times since 2012, scoring six goals. Chlastáková has played limited minutes to date for the Wanderers, mostly as a substitute. Her senior career has been split between Sparta Prague and Slavia Prague, although she spent one season in the German Bundesliga with USV Jena.
Sarina Bolden joined the Wanderers in December from Japanese side Chifure AS Elfen Saitama as Tess Boade’s injury replacement. She has been part of the Philippines national team since 2018 and has featured in 29 matches, scoring 17 goals. Bolden was the top scorer of the 2022 AFF Championship and played a significant role as the Wanderers upset both Melbourne City and Western United in Bolden’s first two games with the club.
Western United
The league’s newest team has a full complement of internationals, including a guest player. Three of their contingent hearken from the USA.
Guest player Jessica McDonald is an attacker who has played in the NWSL since 2010. She has finished her first campaign with Racing Louisville after spending time at six other NWSL teams, most notably North Carolina Courage.
McDonald has pulled on the national team jersey 13 times, and in keeping with her impressive career has played every minute for Western United thus far, scoring two goals and providing one assist.
Goalkeeper Hillary Beall became a team-mate of McDonald at Racing Louisville in 2022 but is yet to be named in one of their matchday squads. She previously played five seasons with the University of Michigan. Like McDonald, she has played every minute of United’s season thus far. For more information, the Beyond 90 Getting To Know Hillary Beall article is recommended.
United’s third American import is attacker Hannah Keane. She has UEFA Women’s Champions League experience, plus stints in Germany (USV Jena), Portugal (SC Braga) and Spain (SC Huelva’s 2021-22 campaign, where she scored five league goals and helped the team reach the Cup final).
Current league golden boot Keane has already made her mark for United, scoring six goals, providing three assists and starting in every United game.
The first Guyanese player in the competition’s history, central defender Sydney Cummings has also played every minute of United’s season to date, scoring twice along the way.
Cummings joined San Diego Wave in July 2022 but is yet to take the field for her NWSL club. Last year, she scored three goals in four games for Guyana.
Midfielder Jaclyn Sawicki represented Canada at youth level and made one senior appearance for them in 2011 before changing allegiances to the Philippines. Previously, Sawicki played Canadian second-tier football before embarking on stints in Japan and Sweden.
Sawicki has played 12 times for the Philippines. Unfortunately, injury has hampered her start to life as a Western United player and she has only made two substitute appearances so far.
Recently announced Canadian footballer Danielle Steer isn’t counted as a visa player for Western United, as she holds an Australian passport thanks to her Sydney-born mother.
There’s your wrap of all A-League Women imports! Follow Beyond 90’s A-League Women coverage here and view this season’s squads here.
