Kyah Simon has been handed a chance to make a late bid for inclusion in the Matildas’ World Cup squad after being invited to a 29-woman training camp in the run-in to the tournament.
The striker, who has been in a race against time to regain fitness after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in October, was on Monday named by coach Tony Gustvasson in a provisional group that will assemble on the Gold Coast for an intensive camp before the final 23-player squad is revealed.
Simon has not played a competitive game since tearing her ACL while playing for her club Tottenham last year and faced missing out on a second straight World Cup through injury.
But the 31-year-old has been offered a way back into contention with her inclusion in Gustavsson’s squad, as the Swede runs through his final preparations for the tournament in a closed high-performance environment.
Simon is joined in the extended group by Alanna Kennedy, Chloe Logarzo and Emily Gielnik, who are in similar situations coming back from injury but hoping to prove their fitness in time to win a place in the final squad to be confirmed on 3 July.
Manchester City defender Kennedy has struggled with a string of injuries and has not featured at the international level since September last year, while Logarzo has been out since January and Gielnik since March.
Sydney FC Jada Whyman was the only uncapped player named on the extended list and the 23-year-old will compete with Mackenzie Arnold, Teagan Micah and Lydia Williams for one of the three goalkeeping spots for the tournament, which begins on 20 July.
Otherwise, the squad is headlined by captain Sam Kerr and fellow heavyweights Ellie Carpenter, Steph Catley and Caitlin Foord.
“From the first day of our first training session in 2021, we said it would take 23 in 23 for the Fifa Women’s World Cup and everyone would have a role to play in that journey,” coach Tony Gustavsson said.
“What we have seen is that it has actually taken more than 23 players to bring us to this moment and for that reason I am thrilled to work with the players named in this provisional squad during the final phase of our preparation.
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“I have been impressed by their full commitment at every step, and now we have the chance to fine tune and solidify our gameplan ahead of a phenomenally exciting couple of weeks.”
The Matildas kick off their tournament against Ireland in Sydney on opening night, before they face Nigeria in Brisbane and Olympic champions Canada in Melbourne in Group B.
Australia provisional squad: Mackenzie Arnold, Teagan Micah, Jada Whyman, Lydia Williams; Ellie Carpenter, Steph Catley, Charlotte Grant, Clare Hunt, Alanna Kennedy, Aivi Luik, Courtney Nevin, Clare Polkinghorne; Alex Chidiac, Kyra Cooney-Cross, Katrina Gorry, Chloe Logarzo, Amy Sayer, Emily van Egmond, Clare Wheeler, Tameka Yallop; Larissa Crummer, Caitlin Foord, Mary Fowler, Emily Gielnik, Sam Kerr, Hayley Raso, Remy Siemsen, Kyah Simon, Cortnee Vine.