Caitlin Foord under injury cloud for Matildas before Olympics
Matildas star Caitlin Foord is under an injury cloud before the Paris Olympics. Photo: Getty
Matildas star Caitlin Foord is set for a stint on the sidelines after picking up a hamstring injury.
The Arsenal star lasted just 15 minutes after being brought on as a substitute in the first match of Australia’s two-game series against China, leaving coach Tony Gustavsson worried about her availability for the Games in Paris.
Foord passed a medical assessment after the match but did not train with the main group before their Monday night clash at Accor Stadium.
With the Olympics fast approaching and captain Sam Kerr already ruled out due to a knee reconstruction, the 29-year-old is unlikely to feature again in the friendly series in a bid to prevent further injury.
Coach Tony Gustavsson fears he made the wrong call to risk Caitlin Foord against China in a 1-1 draw that posed more questions than answers before the Matildas’ Olympic selection on Tuesday. https://t.co/JwPSreP13O #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/qneDn0FQWE
— 7NEWS Sydney (@7NewsSydney) June 1, 2024
The Matildas are looking to bounce back after a hard-fought 1-1 draw with former coach Ante Milicic’s Chinese side last Friday in Adelaide.
Gustavsson, undecided on four spots for the 18-women squad to contest the Olympics starting in late July, opted for an experimental line-up at Adelaide Oval.
Regular starters Foord, Steph Catley, Ellie Carpenter and Hayley Raso were named on the bench, making way for Charli Grant, Kaitlyn Torpey, Claire Wheeler and Cortnee Vine.
Zhang Lynyan scored in the 30th minute before the big guns were sent on, with Australia scraping the draw courtesy of a 95th-minute equaliser from Michelle Heyman.
What a welcome back to Adelaide 🙌
Five years between visits to South Australia, 5️⃣2️⃣, 9️⃣1️⃣2️⃣ fans packed into @TheAdelaideOval and TURNED UP! 👏#Matildas #TilitsDone pic.twitter.com/X1ISeW9MfN
— CommBank Matildas (@TheMatildas) June 1, 2024
Foord still has a strong chance to feature in the Olympic squad despite question marks around her fitness, while Gustavsson has yet to rule out Katrina Gorry (ankle).
The Matildas coach famously included Kyah Simon in last year’s World Cup squad, nine months after the striker tore her anterior cruciate ligament.
Simon did not feature in any of Australia’s World Cup matches.
“Part of performing in the Olympics is to look at players for selection,” Gustavsson said.
“That’s a part of coaching and I’m happy to take criticism for that.
“That first game in this camp, we had a lot of players with tired legs and fatigue and some niggles from a very long season and I need to protect them to not get injured because that’s also one of my jobs.
How do you get your head around exiting something that has been part of you for your entire adult life? #Matildas number 138, @lydsaussie Lydia Williams reflects on her 20 years with the national women’s football team (full interview on this week’s The Sports Ambassador podcast).… pic.twitter.com/dIjZ3zZfjI
— Tracey Holmes (@TraceyLeeHolmes) June 2, 2024
“And then we had some players that were on the fringe to be selected that I think deserved the last chance to show if they should be on the plane to Paris.
“This game is a bit different. We managed to save some legs and hopefully some of those that had limited minutes will be more available now.
“It’s the last game before we travel to France and we really want to finish off with a good performance and hopefully a win here.”
-AAP