It's official - Caitlin Foord is heading to her second Olympic Games.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Shellharbour talent was on Wednesday (AEDT) included in the Matildas squad for Tokyo, however, there was no room for Illawarra Stingrays defender Caitlin Cooper.
Foord and captain Samantha Kerr headline a strong 18-woman squad for Australia, who are currently in a training camp in Europe together. They are set to head to Tokyo in the coming fortnight before taking on Japan in a warm-up game on July 14.
The Matildas will kick off their Games campaign against rivals New Zealand a week later before facing Sweden and the United States in their remaining group G matches.
"First I want to thank every single player out there that fought to get a spot, and they've done it so that I had a difficult decision to make. hat's how it should be for a head coach and that's also how we get better," Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson said.
"It's a team and a roster that is very attacking balanced, but also with a lot of versatility. There's a lot of players in this roster that can play multiple positions with which is exactly what you need in an Olympic tournament."
While Foord and her teammates will look to improve on their showing in Rio de Janerio five years ago, where they were knocked out in the quarter-finals, it's a hard knock story for Cooper.
The Western Sydney Wanderers star was recently recalled to the Matildas squad after two years in the wilderness and has been training with the team.
Earlier this week, Foord told the ABC Football Podcast that it would be unfortunate for the players who missed the final cut.
"This training camp has been tough but there's spots on the line, so the intensity rises. So it's good for our prep but also for everyone to push and show what they can do," she said.
'It's going to be disappointing for the girls that miss out, but also very exciting for the ones that make it. We're such a close team and lots of emotions, but I think everyone will be supporting the team that goes in."
We depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.
Joshua Bartlett
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
