Welcome back to Matildas Abroad, where I analyse the performances of all our Aussies playing overseas!
Europe (Champions League) — Godden scores but Nike Lusso suffer a heavy defeat
Katie Godden (pictured) scored for Nike Lusso, though the match didn't go as planned, losing comfortably to a stronger side in Czarni Sosnowiec. Image source: Instagram (@wfcnikelussoofficial).
This week was the first of the UEFA Champions League qualifiers, with one little-known Aussie at a little-known club featuring this week. Katie Godden, a 23-year-old who formerly played for English side Charlton, played the entire match and scored for Georgian side Nike Lusso, who won the Women's League unbeaten in the 2025 season (earning the right to represent Georgia in the Champions League) and currently sit a distant third in the ongoing 2026 season. However, her goal wasn't near enough for the team from Tbilisi to advance, with Nike falling to a heavy 7–1 defeat to a stronger team, Polish side Czarni Sosnowiec, a club based in Sosnowiec that won the Ekstraliga in the 2025–26 season. The fourth mini tournament, which consists of Czarni and Nike as well as Irish side Athlone Town (an Athlone-based side who won the League of Ireland) and Macedonian side Skopje (a Skopje-based side that won the 1. Liga), is being hosted entirely in Czarni due to them being the highest-ranked side in the draw. With Athlone cruising to a 4–0 win over Skopje, Nike will face the latter in the third place match while the former will face Czarni in the final on Saturday, 25 July.
America (NWSL) — Kerr provides the winning assist, Arnold's Thorns lose back-to-back
Sam Kerr (pictured) provided the winning assist for Gotham FC in their 3–2 win over Seattle Reign. The win saw them claim second place, on equal points with league leaders Washington Spirit. Image source: Instagram (@mofoshoo).
Gotham FC kicked off the week in the NWSL, with the Bats securing three points with a 3–2 win at home over Seattle Reign. Sam Kerr was on the bench to begin with (as she was on her début in the Queens Classic against Washington Spirit), but after coming off the bench she provided the winning assist to USWNT star Rose Lavelle in the seventh minute of second-half stoppage time. Gotham have now moved up to second place on the NWSL ladder, on equal points with the Spirit (their arch-rivals), with both having a game in hand. Meanwhile, Portland Thorns suffered another setback, failing to maintain their lead to lose 2–1 away to newly-created franchise Denver Summit. The loss is another setback for the Thorns, who now sit fourth and have lost back-to-back matches, despite being only three points off the top spot. Mackenzie Arnold played the entirety of the match in goals, though despite failing to keep a clean sheet, she remains only two clean sheets behind the Golden Glove race leader Ann Katrin-Berger as she also conceded twice. In another major stat for goalies, she's also made the second-most saves for any keeper in the league this season, having saved 52 shots (behind only Houston Dash's Jane Campbell, a USWNT backup, with 59).
Canada (NSL) — Johnson and Tumeth score
Kahli Johnson (centre) headed in the equaliser for Calgary Wild. However, the Wild once again failed to hold on, and still remain winless this season. Image source: Instagram (@northernsuperleague and @calgarywild).
We begin this week in the NSL with Vancouver Rise, who secured an important and emphatic 3–0 victory over AFC Toronto away from home, a win that sees the Rise shoot up to third place despite a poor first half of the season. Just a week after she captained the side to victory, wearing the captain's armband for the first time since signing at the start of the season, Tori Tumeth played the entire game and found the back of the net for the first time, scoring in the 12th minute to wrap up and incredible start to a well-needed win for the reigning NSL champions, who have now won back-to-back games for the first time since their three wins in a row in May. Meanwhile, Kahli Johnson, who made her return from injury, also found the back of the net for Calgary Wild, scoring her second goal of the season to equalise in what ended up to be a 2–1 away loss to Ottawa Rapid. The loss sees the Wild, managed by Leah Blayney, still sitting dead last in sixth place, and with just two points are still yet to win a single match this year.
Friendlies — new recruits make their débuts in European friendlies
Jamilla Rankin (pictured) played her second match for Eintracht Frankfurt, another friendly after last week's one in which she scored on début. Image source: Instagram (@eintrachtfrankfurtfrauen).
In Germany, Frankfurt defeated 2. Bundesliga side Sand 3–1 at home, with two starting 11s playing (one for the first half and one for the second half). Jamilla Rankin was named in the first half 11, while Hayley Raso was named in the second half 11. On the other hand, Emma Ilijoski's team Odense from Denmark's A-Liga travelled south of the border to play against Hamburg, with HSV ending up cruising to a 5–1 win at home.
FC Rosengård's Australian trio: Izzy Gómez (left), Remy Siemsen (centre) and Bryleeh Henry (right). All three played in the friendly against FC Copenhagen, with the former and the latter impressing on their débuts as new recruits. Image source: Instagram (@fcrosengard).
In Sweden, this week of friendlies kicked off with Rosengård winning 3–2 at home over Danish A-Liga side Copenhagen, who travelled across the Øresund Bridge that connects Copenhagen and Malmö. As expected, Remy Siemsen started, but so too did new signing Bryleeh Henry, who impressed after making her début for the club. Another débutant was Izzy Gómez, who came off the bench and likewise impressed in her first game. Speaking of cross-national friendlies across the Sound, Malmö played out a 1–1 draw at home with Brøndby. The Himmelsblått played with essentially two 11s, with Courtney Nevin and Amy Sayer starting in the first half before coming off like every other outfield player, with Swedish veteran keeper Zećira Mušović being the only one to play the entire match. Charli Grant was not fielded in the match, though she has officially signed for the club. Vittsjö also played out a friendly at home, defeating Trelleborg 3–2, with Daniela Galić playing the entire match. And finally, to wrap things up in Sweden, Linköping cruised to a 3–0 victory over fellow Elitettan side KIF Örebro, with Polly Doran captaining the side to victory.
Leia Varley (pictured) and FC Nuremberg defeated Vrouwen Eredivisie giants Ajax Amsterdam away from home in a preseason friendly. Image source: Instagram (@leia.varley).
Elsewhere around the world, German side Nuremberg headed to Amsterdam to play Ajax, who they defeated 3–1 on the road, with Leia Varley starting before coming off as a substitute. Meanwhile, Norwegian side Vålerenga headed across the Skagerrak to face Brøndby, where they played out a 0–0 draw. Tijan McKenna played the entirety of the scoreless draw to make her début after signing from Perth Glory, while her former teammate Hana Lowry (who signed from Sydney FC earlier in the year) came on as a sub.
Transfer Talk — Johnston and H. McNamara head to the WSL, four more head elsewhere
Welcome back to another loaded edition of Transfer Talk. So far it's been a very proactive transfer window for our Aussies, with so much movement between clubs and probably much more to come!
Tijan McKenna (pictured) has signed for Vålerenga IF in the Toppserien. She's already made her début, playing the entirety of a goalless draw away to Brøndby IF. Image source: Instagram (@vifdamene).
First up, Tijan McKenna has officially signed for Toppserien club Vålerenga from Perth Glory. The Perth-born centre-back, the younger sister of Melbourne City's Leticia McKenna, will be playing in the Champions League qualifiers this season and aiming to turn around a fairly poor start from the Oslo-based side, who won back-to-back league titles in 2023 and 2024. She will play alongside former Glory teammate Hana Lowry, who signed from Sydney FC after the end of the 2025–26 season. Formerly a youth international for Australia, she was called up to play for Croatia but never actually got capped, and later stated after watching her sister make her Matildas début that she too wanted to wear the green and gold, though she faces tough competition due to our depth in centre-backs.
Sarah O'Donoghue (pictured) has secured a rather unusual move, moving to Shanxi Xinhua in the Chinese Women's League One. Image source: Instagram (@impetusfootball).
For a more unusual transfer, Sarah O'Donoghue is heading from Heidelberg United to China's second division (the Chinese League One), having signed for Shanxi Xinhua. The transfer came as a surprise, given she lacks Chinese background and that foreigners are a rarity in East Asian women's football leagues, which tend to focus more on local player development in order for those players to be scouted by European and American clubs. Indeed, I believe she'll be the only Aussie woman playing in China. Xinhua have a relegation battle ahead of them though, being 14th and in the relegation zone, albeit by just three points. Either way, it will be interesting to see how an Australian goes in another Asian league, something we've rarely seen despite the plethora of Japanese and (to a lesser extent) Chinese and Korean players in the A-League and NPLW.
Grace Johnston (pictured) has joined newly-promoted Women's Super League (WSL) club Charlton Athletic. The Perth Glory midfielder will be seeking consistent game time at a spot at the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil next winter. Image source: Instagram (@cafcwomen and @gracejohnst0n).
Now for a less niche but very exciting transfer, Grace Johnston has moved from Perth Glory to newly-promoted Charlton Athletic in the WSL, joining a large cohort of Aussies plying their trade in the English league system. The move largely came as a surprise, given she was rarely discussed as a potential transfer target and has never played overseas before. However, her time at Charlton should prove to be highly beneficial, and consistent good performances over consistent minutes could potentially see her join the long list of players competing for a spot in the 26-player squad for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. Nominally a midfielder, she can also play as a defender, so it'll be interesting to see how the Ackies chose to play her. Despite her underrating, she does have valuable experience outside her three years at the Glory, having played for the Young Matildas and later the U23 Matildas, being part of the entirely homegrown side that won the 2025 ASEAN Championship against senior national teams.
Ava Piazza (centre) will be adding to her European experience next season, with the former Brisbane Roar defender joining Greek Women's A Division club AEK Athens, who are hoping to reclaim the title after losing it last season. Image source: Instagram (@ava.piazza).
Back to a more niche one, Ava Piazza has departed Brisbane Roar and has signed for Greek A Division club AEK Athens. A Young Tilly, the defender will be adding to her surprisingly strong European experience by playing for one of Greece's top clubs. Before joining the Roar, she played for Liga BPI side Albergaria in Portugal and Women's Premier League (WPL) side Pyunik in Armenia, and due to her Italian background also speaks fluent Italian (potentially opening the door to an Italian move in the future). She joins fellow Australian Erin Kontousikos (who formerly played in the NPLW SA) in the Greek top flight, though unlike her lacks Greek background, making the transfer even more unique. AEK will be looking to improve on last season's results, where they came in as the reigning champions and finished runners-up, though were eight points behind champions PAOK Thessaloniki in the end.
Holly McNamara (pictured) has officially made her long-awaited move to the WSL, signing for Everton. In a huge step up, she'll be wearing the number nine jersey for the Toffees, indicating they see a valuable player in her that should become key to their team next season. Image source: Instagram (@evertonwomen).
Now for some long-awaited breaking news: back-to-back A-League Women Golden Boot winner and regular Matildas call-up Holly McNamara has officially signed for Everton in the WSL, joining Clare Wheeler at the aspiring club in what's been a huge window across the board for the WSL and WSL 2, further cementing their statuses as the best league and best second division in the world, respectively. Nicknamed Holly Mac, the legendary former Melbourne City striker will be making a huge step up, being given the number nine jersey, likely indicating she will start and play a key role in the Toffees' attack in the upcoming season. It was long thought that she would make a move to the WSL, and the move has been widely praised by fans across the board as being the right fit for the future Tillies nine. Counting Grace Johnston, there will so far be 11 Aussies playing in the WSL and four in the WSL 2 next season (making a combined 15 Australians playing in the top two women's divisions of England), and the transfer window doesn't even end until September.
Annalise Rasmussen (pictured) has been loaned out from Juventus to Toulouse. She'll be aiming for consistent minutes and good performances week in, week out, in an attempt to earn not just her first Matildas cap, but also a spot on the plane to the World Cup in Brazil. Image source: Instagram (@toulousefcfeminines and @annalise.rasmussen1).
And last but not least, Annalise Rasmussen has been loaned out to the Première Ligue, joining newly-promoted side Toulouse. Having signed for Serie A Women club Juventus from Central Coast Mariners before being stuck in Doha due to the war in the Middle East, only to return just to play a single match on the final day (which she scored and got Player of the Match in), she'll be looking to boost her minutes ahead of the World Cup next winter in Brazil. She's still yet to be capped for the Tillies, but a strong performance (which is expected from her) at Toulouse should surely earn the Gosford-born former Mariners striker her first cap and possibly a spot on the plane to Brazil. She joins just two other Aussies in the Première Ligue, those being Réunion-born Young Matilda Clara Hoarau at Fleury and out-of-contract and injured Lyon goalkeeper Teagan Micah. Toulouse have been spending proactively this window in their bid to stay up after being promoted last season, hoping to establish themselves the way their men's team have done in Ligue 1 after winning Ligue 2 in 2021–22.
Player of the Week — Tori Tumeth
Tori Tumeth (centre) netted her first Northern Super League (NSL) goal this week, just a week after captaining Vancouver Rise for the first time. The Rise have now won back-to-back games. Image source: Instagram (@northernsuperleague, @vancouverrisefc and @torii.tumeth).
For the second time in a row, Tori Tumeth is this edition's Player of the Week for her goal and defensive clean sheet against AFC Toronto. Well done Tori!
Conclusion
That's all for this week, but stay tuned for next week! As always, feel free to jump into the comments with any questions or to discuss the weekend's matches. Thanks for reading, hopefully you found this helpful!
Europe (Champions League) — Godden scores but Nike Lusso suffer a heavy defeat
Katie Godden (pictured) scored for Nike Lusso, though the match didn't go as planned, losing comfortably to a stronger side in Czarni Sosnowiec. Image source: Instagram (@wfcnikelussoofficial).
This week was the first of the UEFA Champions League qualifiers, with one little-known Aussie at a little-known club featuring this week. Katie Godden, a 23-year-old who formerly played for English side Charlton, played the entire match and scored for Georgian side Nike Lusso, who won the Women's League unbeaten in the 2025 season (earning the right to represent Georgia in the Champions League) and currently sit a distant third in the ongoing 2026 season. However, her goal wasn't near enough for the team from Tbilisi to advance, with Nike falling to a heavy 7–1 defeat to a stronger team, Polish side Czarni Sosnowiec, a club based in Sosnowiec that won the Ekstraliga in the 2025–26 season. The fourth mini tournament, which consists of Czarni and Nike as well as Irish side Athlone Town (an Athlone-based side who won the League of Ireland) and Macedonian side Skopje (a Skopje-based side that won the 1. Liga), is being hosted entirely in Czarni due to them being the highest-ranked side in the draw. With Athlone cruising to a 4–0 win over Skopje, Nike will face the latter in the third place match while the former will face Czarni in the final on Saturday, 25 July.
America (NWSL) — Kerr provides the winning assist, Arnold's Thorns lose back-to-back
Sam Kerr (pictured) provided the winning assist for Gotham FC in their 3–2 win over Seattle Reign. The win saw them claim second place, on equal points with league leaders Washington Spirit. Image source: Instagram (@mofoshoo).
Gotham FC kicked off the week in the NWSL, with the Bats securing three points with a 3–2 win at home over Seattle Reign. Sam Kerr was on the bench to begin with (as she was on her début in the Queens Classic against Washington Spirit), but after coming off the bench she provided the winning assist to USWNT star Rose Lavelle in the seventh minute of second-half stoppage time. Gotham have now moved up to second place on the NWSL ladder, on equal points with the Spirit (their arch-rivals), with both having a game in hand. Meanwhile, Portland Thorns suffered another setback, failing to maintain their lead to lose 2–1 away to newly-created franchise Denver Summit. The loss is another setback for the Thorns, who now sit fourth and have lost back-to-back matches, despite being only three points off the top spot. Mackenzie Arnold played the entirety of the match in goals, though despite failing to keep a clean sheet, she remains only two clean sheets behind the Golden Glove race leader Ann Katrin-Berger as she also conceded twice. In another major stat for goalies, she's also made the second-most saves for any keeper in the league this season, having saved 52 shots (behind only Houston Dash's Jane Campbell, a USWNT backup, with 59).
Canada (NSL) — Johnson and Tumeth score
Kahli Johnson (centre) headed in the equaliser for Calgary Wild. However, the Wild once again failed to hold on, and still remain winless this season. Image source: Instagram (@northernsuperleague and @calgarywild).
We begin this week in the NSL with Vancouver Rise, who secured an important and emphatic 3–0 victory over AFC Toronto away from home, a win that sees the Rise shoot up to third place despite a poor first half of the season. Just a week after she captained the side to victory, wearing the captain's armband for the first time since signing at the start of the season, Tori Tumeth played the entire game and found the back of the net for the first time, scoring in the 12th minute to wrap up and incredible start to a well-needed win for the reigning NSL champions, who have now won back-to-back games for the first time since their three wins in a row in May. Meanwhile, Kahli Johnson, who made her return from injury, also found the back of the net for Calgary Wild, scoring her second goal of the season to equalise in what ended up to be a 2–1 away loss to Ottawa Rapid. The loss sees the Wild, managed by Leah Blayney, still sitting dead last in sixth place, and with just two points are still yet to win a single match this year.
Friendlies — new recruits make their débuts in European friendlies
Jamilla Rankin (pictured) played her second match for Eintracht Frankfurt, another friendly after last week's one in which she scored on début. Image source: Instagram (@eintrachtfrankfurtfrauen).
In Germany, Frankfurt defeated 2. Bundesliga side Sand 3–1 at home, with two starting 11s playing (one for the first half and one for the second half). Jamilla Rankin was named in the first half 11, while Hayley Raso was named in the second half 11. On the other hand, Emma Ilijoski's team Odense from Denmark's A-Liga travelled south of the border to play against Hamburg, with HSV ending up cruising to a 5–1 win at home.
FC Rosengård's Australian trio: Izzy Gómez (left), Remy Siemsen (centre) and Bryleeh Henry (right). All three played in the friendly against FC Copenhagen, with the former and the latter impressing on their débuts as new recruits. Image source: Instagram (@fcrosengard).
In Sweden, this week of friendlies kicked off with Rosengård winning 3–2 at home over Danish A-Liga side Copenhagen, who travelled across the Øresund Bridge that connects Copenhagen and Malmö. As expected, Remy Siemsen started, but so too did new signing Bryleeh Henry, who impressed after making her début for the club. Another débutant was Izzy Gómez, who came off the bench and likewise impressed in her first game. Speaking of cross-national friendlies across the Sound, Malmö played out a 1–1 draw at home with Brøndby. The Himmelsblått played with essentially two 11s, with Courtney Nevin and Amy Sayer starting in the first half before coming off like every other outfield player, with Swedish veteran keeper Zećira Mušović being the only one to play the entire match. Charli Grant was not fielded in the match, though she has officially signed for the club. Vittsjö also played out a friendly at home, defeating Trelleborg 3–2, with Daniela Galić playing the entire match. And finally, to wrap things up in Sweden, Linköping cruised to a 3–0 victory over fellow Elitettan side KIF Örebro, with Polly Doran captaining the side to victory.
Leia Varley (pictured) and FC Nuremberg defeated Vrouwen Eredivisie giants Ajax Amsterdam away from home in a preseason friendly. Image source: Instagram (@leia.varley).
Elsewhere around the world, German side Nuremberg headed to Amsterdam to play Ajax, who they defeated 3–1 on the road, with Leia Varley starting before coming off as a substitute. Meanwhile, Norwegian side Vålerenga headed across the Skagerrak to face Brøndby, where they played out a 0–0 draw. Tijan McKenna played the entirety of the scoreless draw to make her début after signing from Perth Glory, while her former teammate Hana Lowry (who signed from Sydney FC earlier in the year) came on as a sub.
Transfer Talk — Johnston and H. McNamara head to the WSL, four more head elsewhere
Welcome back to another loaded edition of Transfer Talk. So far it's been a very proactive transfer window for our Aussies, with so much movement between clubs and probably much more to come!
Tijan McKenna (pictured) has signed for Vålerenga IF in the Toppserien. She's already made her début, playing the entirety of a goalless draw away to Brøndby IF. Image source: Instagram (@vifdamene).
First up, Tijan McKenna has officially signed for Toppserien club Vålerenga from Perth Glory. The Perth-born centre-back, the younger sister of Melbourne City's Leticia McKenna, will be playing in the Champions League qualifiers this season and aiming to turn around a fairly poor start from the Oslo-based side, who won back-to-back league titles in 2023 and 2024. She will play alongside former Glory teammate Hana Lowry, who signed from Sydney FC after the end of the 2025–26 season. Formerly a youth international for Australia, she was called up to play for Croatia but never actually got capped, and later stated after watching her sister make her Matildas début that she too wanted to wear the green and gold, though she faces tough competition due to our depth in centre-backs.
Sarah O'Donoghue (pictured) has secured a rather unusual move, moving to Shanxi Xinhua in the Chinese Women's League One. Image source: Instagram (@impetusfootball).
For a more unusual transfer, Sarah O'Donoghue is heading from Heidelberg United to China's second division (the Chinese League One), having signed for Shanxi Xinhua. The transfer came as a surprise, given she lacks Chinese background and that foreigners are a rarity in East Asian women's football leagues, which tend to focus more on local player development in order for those players to be scouted by European and American clubs. Indeed, I believe she'll be the only Aussie woman playing in China. Xinhua have a relegation battle ahead of them though, being 14th and in the relegation zone, albeit by just three points. Either way, it will be interesting to see how an Australian goes in another Asian league, something we've rarely seen despite the plethora of Japanese and (to a lesser extent) Chinese and Korean players in the A-League and NPLW.
Grace Johnston (pictured) has joined newly-promoted Women's Super League (WSL) club Charlton Athletic. The Perth Glory midfielder will be seeking consistent game time at a spot at the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil next winter. Image source: Instagram (@cafcwomen and @gracejohnst0n).
Now for a less niche but very exciting transfer, Grace Johnston has moved from Perth Glory to newly-promoted Charlton Athletic in the WSL, joining a large cohort of Aussies plying their trade in the English league system. The move largely came as a surprise, given she was rarely discussed as a potential transfer target and has never played overseas before. However, her time at Charlton should prove to be highly beneficial, and consistent good performances over consistent minutes could potentially see her join the long list of players competing for a spot in the 26-player squad for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. Nominally a midfielder, she can also play as a defender, so it'll be interesting to see how the Ackies chose to play her. Despite her underrating, she does have valuable experience outside her three years at the Glory, having played for the Young Matildas and later the U23 Matildas, being part of the entirely homegrown side that won the 2025 ASEAN Championship against senior national teams.
Ava Piazza (centre) will be adding to her European experience next season, with the former Brisbane Roar defender joining Greek Women's A Division club AEK Athens, who are hoping to reclaim the title after losing it last season. Image source: Instagram (@ava.piazza).
Back to a more niche one, Ava Piazza has departed Brisbane Roar and has signed for Greek A Division club AEK Athens. A Young Tilly, the defender will be adding to her surprisingly strong European experience by playing for one of Greece's top clubs. Before joining the Roar, she played for Liga BPI side Albergaria in Portugal and Women's Premier League (WPL) side Pyunik in Armenia, and due to her Italian background also speaks fluent Italian (potentially opening the door to an Italian move in the future). She joins fellow Australian Erin Kontousikos (who formerly played in the NPLW SA) in the Greek top flight, though unlike her lacks Greek background, making the transfer even more unique. AEK will be looking to improve on last season's results, where they came in as the reigning champions and finished runners-up, though were eight points behind champions PAOK Thessaloniki in the end.
Holly McNamara (pictured) has officially made her long-awaited move to the WSL, signing for Everton. In a huge step up, she'll be wearing the number nine jersey for the Toffees, indicating they see a valuable player in her that should become key to their team next season. Image source: Instagram (@evertonwomen).
Now for some long-awaited breaking news: back-to-back A-League Women Golden Boot winner and regular Matildas call-up Holly McNamara has officially signed for Everton in the WSL, joining Clare Wheeler at the aspiring club in what's been a huge window across the board for the WSL and WSL 2, further cementing their statuses as the best league and best second division in the world, respectively. Nicknamed Holly Mac, the legendary former Melbourne City striker will be making a huge step up, being given the number nine jersey, likely indicating she will start and play a key role in the Toffees' attack in the upcoming season. It was long thought that she would make a move to the WSL, and the move has been widely praised by fans across the board as being the right fit for the future Tillies nine. Counting Grace Johnston, there will so far be 11 Aussies playing in the WSL and four in the WSL 2 next season (making a combined 15 Australians playing in the top two women's divisions of England), and the transfer window doesn't even end until September.
Annalise Rasmussen (pictured) has been loaned out from Juventus to Toulouse. She'll be aiming for consistent minutes and good performances week in, week out, in an attempt to earn not just her first Matildas cap, but also a spot on the plane to the World Cup in Brazil. Image source: Instagram (@toulousefcfeminines and @annalise.rasmussen1).
And last but not least, Annalise Rasmussen has been loaned out to the Première Ligue, joining newly-promoted side Toulouse. Having signed for Serie A Women club Juventus from Central Coast Mariners before being stuck in Doha due to the war in the Middle East, only to return just to play a single match on the final day (which she scored and got Player of the Match in), she'll be looking to boost her minutes ahead of the World Cup next winter in Brazil. She's still yet to be capped for the Tillies, but a strong performance (which is expected from her) at Toulouse should surely earn the Gosford-born former Mariners striker her first cap and possibly a spot on the plane to Brazil. She joins just two other Aussies in the Première Ligue, those being Réunion-born Young Matilda Clara Hoarau at Fleury and out-of-contract and injured Lyon goalkeeper Teagan Micah. Toulouse have been spending proactively this window in their bid to stay up after being promoted last season, hoping to establish themselves the way their men's team have done in Ligue 1 after winning Ligue 2 in 2021–22.
Player of the Week — Tori Tumeth
Tori Tumeth (centre) netted her first Northern Super League (NSL) goal this week, just a week after captaining Vancouver Rise for the first time. The Rise have now won back-to-back games. Image source: Instagram (@northernsuperleague, @vancouverrisefc and @torii.tumeth).
For the second time in a row, Tori Tumeth is this edition's Player of the Week for her goal and defensive clean sheet against AFC Toronto. Well done Tori!
Conclusion
That's all for this week, but stay tuned for next week! As always, feel free to jump into the comments with any questions or to discuss the weekend's matches. Thanks for reading, hopefully you found this helpful!
