The Matildas squad are continuing their preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Still in Sweden, they have spent an additional week in a training camp. Part of Gustavsson’s preparation is making the players train with several layers of clothes, to simulate the high heat and humidity expected in Tokyo.
Several Matildas and non-Olympic Australians did see club play however this past week in the nordic leagues.
Icelandic Úrvalsdeild Women
Emma Checker has continued her season with Icelandic club Selfoss. Now captain of the club, she played in both matches this past week. Selfoss tied last place Tindastóll in a 0-0 draw on Wednesday. They then faced first place Valur yesterday. Despite a strong defensive performance from Checker, they lost the match 2-1.
Selfoss were lucky to have a relatively strong start to the season. Their three games won and two draws are currently keeping them third in the league after three league game losses since the beginning of June.
Selfoss next play on Tuesday, July 13 against eight ranked Keflavík.
Norwegian Toppserien
Matildas keeper Tegan Micah’s Sandviken faced fellow Aussie’s Nikola Orgill’s Klepp in the Norwegian league. Klepp were looking for their first win since June. However it was not to be.
Second ranked Sandviken beat the seventh ranked team 3-1. While Micah was obviously in goal, Orgill played on the right side of a back three for Klepp. Both Aussies were in their respective starting line-ups and played the full 90 mins.
Micah is not expected to play again until her post Olympic duties are over. Orgill’s Klepp play this Saturday against last placed Avaldsnes.
Swedish Damallsvenskan
Dylan Holmes saw several minutes of play in Häcken’s 6-2 thumping of Kristianstad. The win propelled them four points clear of the third place. It was the sixth appearance of the year in all competitions for the defender. Häcken play Linköping tomorrow.
Charlotte Grant, who was added to the full Olympic squad last week after a change by FIFA which saw alternates integrated, was once again on the bench for her club Rosengård’s draw against Örebro. The club plays Väkjö on Thursday.
After almost a year out of the game, due to an ACL injury, Matildas defensive midfielder Elise Kellond-Knight saw action in the final minutes of last Saturday’s match. Kellond-Knight’s Hammarby were facing Clare Polkinghorne and Emily Gielnik’s Vittsjö.
The match was a tight affair, with Vittsjö taking the three points in the 93’ minute of the game due to a long range goal from a free kick by Fernanda da Silva. The Vittsjö win propelled the club to seventh in the league while Hammarby fell to fourth.
Vittsjö meet Kristianstad tomorrow while Hammarby meet Örebro on Thursday. No news has been shared as to whether the Matildas will be present or already in transit to Tokyo.
The Damallsvenskan will then take a six week Olympic break and return to play the the second to last week of August.
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