Last week, we looked at six teams: Adelaide United, Brisbane Roar, Canberra United, Central Coast Mariners, Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory (see: The Week in Women's Football: A-League preview P1; signings, sales and predictions - TribalFootball.com).
TribalFootball.com also talked exclusively to 2023/24 A-League Goalkeeper of the Year Morgan Aquino, who moved to the D.C. Power of the new USL Super League this summer, on her thoughts on the new league, comparison of play to the A-League and hopes to move up from youth international teams to the full national side.
A-League Women 2024-25 Season Preview (Part 2)
Newcastle Jets
The Newcastle Jets made the playoffs last season for only the third time in 16 seasons and then advanced to the semifinals. However, Philippine international Sarina Bolden has moved to Europe to join Como in Italy’s Serie A and her 14 goals—a season record for the club—will be sorely missed; all credit to the club who released her from the second year of her contract so she could pursue opportunities in Europe. New additions this season for the Jets include Canadian goalkeeper Danielle Krzyzaniak (27). Originally from Caledon in Ontario (outside of Toronto), Krzyzaniak recently played in the Czech Republic with AC Sparta Prague. Prior to her time in Prague, Krzyzaniak played in Romania with FC Carmen Bucuresti. She played collegiately at NAIA school Bethel University in Tennessee.
Another new player with experience in North America is Isabel Rolley (23), who holds dual American and Australian citizenship and grew up playing for Merewether United in Newcastle before moving to the U.S., where she completed five years in college playing for the Universities of Southern California, Oregon and Illinois.
Rolley is thrilled to return home to Newcastle after spending time abroad: “It’s a very exciting moment to be able to come back home and start my professional career here. I’m so grateful to be back playing in front of my family and alongside my brother Bronson, who is in the Jets’ Academy. More than 15 years ago I was playing for Merewether United and sitting in the stands of Jets games….I can’t wait to join this club and help us contend for an A-League Grand Final this season.”
Also new to the club for 2024/25 is New Zealand international forward Deven Jackson, joining from Canberra United, where she scored two goals in 21 games last season after winning a league title at home with Eastern Suburbs in 2022. The forward has made one appearance for the New Zealand national team, coming on as a substitute against the United States in 2023.
American forward Gia Vicari (23) joins from Danish side Odense Boldklub Q of the Kvinde-DM Liga, after playing for Rutgers University in New Jersey.
Center-back Mia Green (18) signed on a scholarship deal with the Jets. She joins from Queensland NPL side Brisbane City, where she won both the Premiership and Grand Final.
Re-signings included Libby Copus-Brown (27) for the next two seasons. Copus-Brown, who is a Novocastrian (Newcastle native), returned to the Jets in 2023/24 after spending time with Lewes FC in England and the Western Sydney Wanderers. In total, Copus-Brown has made 62 appearances for the Jets, scoring six goals.
Midfielder Sophie Hoban (23) has re-signed for two seasons, having played in 23 games and scoring once. Young Matildas defender Claudia Cicco (20) has also signed for two more seasons. In her first season with the Jets in 2023/24, she made 18 appearances and was selected for the Young Matildas squad for the AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup in Uzbekistan. Another returnee is Swiss international defender Lorena Baumann (27), who made 25 appearances for the Jets last season. Baumann won five league titles at home with FC Zurich and also played in Iceland and Portugal.
Lara Gooch (19) has re-signed for the 2024/25 A-League season. Gooch, who came through the Jets Academy, played in 20 matches last season, scoring four goals. Gooch has also featured for the Young Matildas this year at the AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup and the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, where Australia lost all three games this summer to Mexico, Cameroon and host side Colombia, by 2-0 scores in each game.
Gooch is delighted to continue her career at her hometown club: “I’m very happy to be signing on at Newcastle. This place is my home and I am so grateful to be playing in front of my family and loved ones, who hold such a special place in my heart, who I wouldn’t be here without them. I never take playing here for granted… There is no other place where I would rather be, especially with the support of the Newcastle community. They are the best there is.”
Four-time A-League Women’s Championship and two-time ALW Premiership striker Melina Ayres (25) will be taking some time away from football. She has played in the A-League Women since she was 16, first with Melbourne City, then Melbourne Victory and last season with the Jets, as well as with NPLW sides and abroad with Breidablik in Iceland in 2022.
She explained: “After nine consecutive back-to-back seasons, I have decided to take a break from football to reflect on the future. I’m not retiring, I intend to play again, and when I do, it will be with the Jets, as I have loved playing and living in Newcastle.”
Newcastle Jets GM of Football, Ken Schembri, said: “Life as a professional women’s footballer is challenging, often combining ALW/NPLW seasons for year-round football. We support Melina’s decision to take a break from football and will welcome her back with open arms when she is ready to rejoin our ALW program.”
Ayers has been an exciting player to watch over the years and scored some spectacular goals. We wish Melina Ayers all the best during her time off and hope to see her grace the football field again in the future.
Matilda attacker Gema Simon (34), who also played in Canada, Iceland, Korea Republic and Norway, and Alex Huynh (30), who won one Matilda cap and played collegiately in the U.S. and professionally in Italy, Denmark and with Newcastle and Western Sydney, have both retired after the 2023/24 season.
Perth Glory
Perth Glory had a difficult season in 2023/24 and finished tenth in the table, after sixth and fifth place endings in the previous two seasons, when they just missed the playoffs in both campaigns. They now have not made the playoffs for five consecutive seasons since Sam Kerr scored 17 goals in 2018/19 before leaving for Chelsea in England.
Their 2023/24 A-League Goalkeeper of Year Morgan Aquino, who was fabulous in goal last season for a struggling side, has left for the D.C. Power in the new USL Super League and is on a two and one-half year contract (see our column earlier this summer: The Week in Women's Football: Preview of USL Super League (P2); new additions & controversy - TribalFootball.com). TribalFootball.com talked to Morgan Aquino on October 23 before a road trip with her new club in Washington D.C.
Morgan Aquino explained her process of coming to the USL and moving to the States: “I’ve been playing for a while but it’s only been recently when I’ve gotten good minutes. (Last season, Morgan played all 22 games for Perth, led the league with 126 saves, which was 35 more than second-placed American Izzy Nino—who now plays for the Spokane Zephyr in the Super League—and recorded a save percentage of 81.1% while also saving two of the three penalties she faced and recording four shutouts).
"I’ve been part of the A-League for six years…I just wanted something different and this opportunity came about and I thought, ‘I’ve got to take an opportunity at some stage and this one seems right and it was a change as well.’ I was looking to go into Europe somewhere as well but this opportunity was right for me and was what I wanted to achieve.”
We asked Morgan Aquino what she thought playing in a brand new league in the Super League has been like: “It’s different than obviously playing for a club that has a foundation. It’s still a work in progress. Everything that the league and the club is trying to do is the best for everyone. It is getting there slowly. It will take time but it’s exciting also.”
TribalFootball.com then asked her to compare the pace, the style and level of play between the new Super League and the A-League, which she has played in for eight years: “It’s different. I think if you look at how people play in Europe versus America in general, I think Australia is quite similar to Europe in terms of everything is quite structured and everyone wants to play (with the ball), whereas in America, it is quite fast-paced, transitional and more physical, I would say.”
Aquino also reflected on Perth Glory’s 2023/24 season: “Last season was quite disappointing, in terms of the way we started, we were first or second and looking like we were going to make finals for sure and were doing well and then the New Year came and we didn’t win a game. It was quite tough but that was where I grew as a player, not that you want to be defending all the time, but that’s where I grew.”
(Note: Perth was in First Place on Christmas Day 2023 with a 5-2-2 (W-D-L) record but then slid down the table in 2024 with one win, four ties and eight loses to finish tenth with a 6-6-10 record. The Glory allowed 32 goals, sixth best in the league, but their goal scoring let them down with only 25 scored to finish eleventh best in the league.
Lastly, Aquino talked about her hopes to move into the full national team, as she has been a fixture with the Australian youth sides and is in the full WNT pool: “For me, it’s the pinnacle of anyone’s playing career to play for your country and going the way I’m going and keep training hard, working hard and getting minutes at a consistent level, I’m hoping to get my foot in the door to get a national team cap and then see where it goes from there.”
Re-signing with Perth for 2024/25 are Philippine international defender and 2023 WWC finalist Jessika Cowart (24) and Australian attacker Susan Phonsongkam (23). Cowart started all 22 of the club’s matches in her debut campaign in 2023/24. She represented the Philippines at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Forward Phonsongkham has 38 career appearances for Perth and started the 2023/24 campaign with three goals in her side’s first four matches until their post-Christmas slide. She finished the season with four goals and one assist and played on loan at KR in Iceland in 2022, scoring 5 goals in 14 matches. She played this summer with Preston Lions in the NPLW Victory State League, scoring three goals in 11 games; the Lions made the State Final, which they lost 3-2 to Heidelberg. Unfortunately, the Australian youth international suffered an ankle injury in that match and will miss 3-4 months of the A-League season as she recovers.
American striker Gabby Hollar (24) scored 18 goals in 19 matches in the off-season for Boroondara-Carey Eagles in the NPLW Victoria state league. She played at Purdue, West Virginia and finally at South Alabama collegiately in the States, where she was the Sun Belt Player of the Year with 12 goals and 5 assists in 20 games during the 2023 season.
Another new signing is Wales winger Megan Wynne (31), who has played for Watford, Millwall, Bristol City, Charlton Athletic, Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur (the latter in the WSL). She signed a two year contract. She played the last two seasons with Southampton of the second tier Championship. She has 19 caps for Wales. She suffered a wrist injury during pre-season training and is expected to miss the first two-to-three games of 2024/25.
Other new signings for this season are: Defender Onyinyechi Zogg (27) of Switzerland, who plays internationally for Nigeria, and has played at home, in France and Germany. She is yet another player who will miss some early matches with a muscle injury in her knee.
Forward Miku Sunaga (29) of Japan, played for new Glory head coach Stephen Peters (below) at Macarthur Rams in the New South Wales NPLW, where she was the Player of the Year in the league this season. Sunaga helped Macarthur to three successive NSW NPLW titles, making more than 70 appearances and scoring 24 goals.
Forward Kelli Brown (23) of New Zealand also played at Macarthur Rams and scored 23 goals in 28 matches in 2023 when they won the State title in the NPLW. She played for Wellington Phoenix in 2021/22 and 2023/24. She was a member of New Zealand’s U-17 side that finished third in the 2018 U-17 WWC in Uruguay.
Gone from last season are Millie Farrow (28) and midfielder Hana Lowry (21), who both moved to Sydney FC. Lowry started with the club in 2019/20 and played in 72 games and scored 11 goals in five seasons. She was named the club’s “Most Glorious Player” at the end of the season. Defender Tasha Rigby (31), who first started with the side in 2016/17 and played in 117 consecutive matches for the Glory, has retired. She is a prison guard full-time and has had difficulty juggling playing with her job, particularly during COVID.
The Perth Glory’s women’s head coach for the past four seasons, Alex Epakis, who compiled a 21-14-31 (W-D-L) record) left the club during the off-season for personal reasons. Alex Epakis did a tremendous job with the team, including two seasons when the club was severely hampered by governmental COVID restrictions and only played only one game at home in 2021/22.
He said: “I have also hugely valued the opportunity to work with the players and staff across the four seasons. I’m extremely grateful to the playing group for the respect and belief they’ve shown me across my tenure and I wish them all the absolute best. I believe the club is heading in the right direction and that the strong leadership of Anthony, Stan and the Pelligra Group (new ownership group) will no doubt return Perth Glory to its competitive best. I look forward to seeing the club progress and achieve future success.”
Under Epakis, the Glory finished in ninth, fifth, sixth and slid to tenth last season after a long losing streak after New Year’s Day. The 2023 New South Wales NPL Women’s Coach of the Year Stephen Peters was appointed on a two-year deal after guiding Macarthur Rams to back-to-back NPL titles in New South Wales.
This summer Perth Glory hosted the Perth International Football Cup with Manchester City, West Ham, Leicester City—all of England—and Paris Saint-Germain in late August and early September. The results were as follows:
Leicester 0 (3) – 0 (4) Man City
West Ham 0-1 PSG
West Ham 2-5 Leicester (Third-place play-off)
Man City 0-1 PSG (Final)
Sydney FC
Sydney FC has won two league championships in a row and Ante Juric is back for his eighth consecutive season as head coach, for a team that has made the playoffs each of their 16 A-League campaigns. There was quite a bit of player turnover in the off-season. Cortnee Vine and Charlotte McLean both moved to the NWSL’s Carolina Courage over the summer (see more at: The Week in Women's Football: NWSL club review; Orlando showing genuine star power - TribalFootball.com).
Sydney FC forward Princess Ibini (24) is set to break the club’s all-time appearance record, having signed on for her 10th season with the Sky Blues. Ibini made her first appearance for Sydney FC in October of 2015 as a 15-year-old and has been a one-club player in her senior career. Ibini has won three Liberty A-League Championships and three Premierships at the club in 140 appearances. She’s also appeared in more Grand Finals than any other player in competition history (eight).
Also back is Mackenzie Hawkesby who has re-signed for 2024/25. The player of the match in this season’s Liberty A-League Grand Final, Hawkesby has won three Liberty A-League Premierships and two Championships with the club. Hawkesby re-joined the club in January after a stint at Brighton & Hove Albion in the WSL and explained: “I absolutely love playing for Sydney FC; I am Sky Blue and bleed Sky Blue. I knew I would enjoy coming back here whatever happened this season and I had a fire burning inside of me; so, I’m delighted to be returning next year as well. It’s a great club with a great group of girls, excellent training facilities and a fantastic culture, so I can’t wait to defend our title.”
Jada Whyman left Sydney FC after four outstanding seasons (playing 73 games with 36 clean sheets and winning three Premierships and two Grand Finals) for AIK in Stockholm, Sweden. She should be a crucial signing for the club which is struggling this season in the Damallsvenskan and this summer was heavily favored for the drop. Whyman came in with 10 regular season games to help out and she was a very positive acquisition.
Her impact was immediate as she played in eight league matches at the end of the season—after losing her first three matches, AIK won three games with two ties as she had two shutouts. AIK ended up in twelfth place with 26 points, far ahead of automatically relegated KIF Orebro (19 points) and Trelleborg (3 points). AIK had to play Elitettan third place side Umea in a two leg playoff later this month. AIK is a dominant club on the men’s side but has been a yo-yo club on the women’s side between Divisions one and two.
Whyman told Sydney FC’s website about her move to Sweden: “The decision comes from, mostly just wanting to take that next step in my career. I feel like I’ve got to this point where I want to grow a bit more. I’ve loved playing in the A-League and I’ve loved playing at Sydney FC, but I feel like there’s more out there in terms of playing football overseas… If it were not for Sydney FC, I would not be in the position I am today and I am excited for the future… I wish the club all the best for next season and beyond.”
Whyman is in the national team pool and former CommBank Matildas and Sydney FC stars Lisa De Vanna and Remy Siemsen who also played for AIK in the past.
To replace Whyman, Sydney brought in New Zealand international goalkeeper Briana Edwards (21) for this season. She grew up in Australia and played for Australia at the U-17 level but switched to New Zealand for the U-20 level and has one full cap. She played for Wellington Phoenix for all of their three seasons in the A-League Women (see more below).
English native forward Millie Farrow (28) comes in from Perth Glory after previously playing a few games with the North Carolina Courage. She was capped at the U-19 and U-23 levels by England. She played in the WSL with Reading, Bristol City and Chelsea. Another new English import for Sydney FC is defender Faye Bryson (27), who has played 21 games in the league with one goal for Central Coast Mariners in 2023/24.
For the forward line, a highly touted Australian—Amber Luchtmeijer (17)—joined the A-League after three seasons in the New South Wales NPLW, scoring 7 goals in 17 matches for the Blacktown Spartans in 2023. She then won the NPLW Golden Boot in 2024 with 17 goals in 19 games for the Macarthur Bulls FC Academy, as the club finished tied for eighth in the league.
Matildas midfielder Taylor Ray (23) left Sydney FC at the conclusion of the club’s Championship-winning Liberty A-League campaign. Ray had 64 appearances with the Sky Blues, along with two Championships and two Premierships and a pair of U-20 Women’s Player of the Year awards at the club. She signed with the Central Coast Mariners for 2024/25. Other departures were former Julie Dolan Medalist Fiona Worts (28), who went back to Adelaide United, and talented youngster Jynaya Dos Santos (17) to Canberra United (see more in our 2024/25 A-League Part 1 preview from last week).
Wellington Phoenix
Head coach Paul Temple guided the Phoenix to by far their best season in 2024/25 with 28 points for an eighth place finish; they were in the race to the playoffs throughout the season. Unfortunately, 10 goal-scorer Mariana Speckmaier, a Venezuelan international from the U.S., moved to Melbourne City in the off-season. New Zealand international Macey Fraser (22) also left the club for the Utah Royals of the NWSL last April, but Temple hopes to build on the momentum from last season and made some impressive signings for 2024/25.
Both of their goalkeepers from last season have moved on (see below) so they signed Portuguese youth international goalkeeper Carolina Vilao (23) from Benfica. Vilao won eight trophies, including four Portuguese league titles.
Phoenix head coach Paul Temple believes she will be perfect for the club’s ‘small ball’ tactical approach to football and hopes she will help with building out of the back, saying that: “I think it’s exciting that we can sign a player from a club like Benfica that plays in the Champions League and we’re able to attract a player like Carolina to the club. That sort of experience is massively valuable but she’s also young and hungry. Bringing in players with ambition, (a) desire to improve and (a) will to win is important for the team and its growth. She’s also a very technical and modern European goalkeeper… Carolina’s very calm on the ball, good with both feet, picks passes through the lines and breaks pressure. Her ability in possession is really key, as well as obviously being a good all-round goalkeeper.”
Portugal youth international Vilao said: “The Phoenix are a team who showed a real interest in me. For me right now, it’s really important that someone takes me and gives me the value I think I have to progress in my career. Wellington were a team who looked at me and said ‘We believe in you and go with you in your career.’ To play outside of Portugal, it has been a dream of mine since I was a kid.”
Canadian youth international Rylee Foster (26—to Everton of England’s WSL) and New Zealand full international Brianna Edwards (21—to Sydney FC) won’t return to the club for 2024/25. Foster spent one season in Wellington, where she made an impressive return to professional football only two years after a car accident in Finland that nearly took her life. Foster started 19 of Wellington’s 22 league games in the 2023-24 season and has said that she is very grateful to the Phoenix for taking a chance on her to rejuvenate her career. Edwards (21) meanwhile, moves on after three seasons and 23 appearances. The Australian-born New Zealand international made her professional debut at the club and was the clear starter at keeper in 2022/23 until Foster came in last season.
Edwards said: “It has been an honour to wear the Nix jersey and live and play in Wellington. New Zealand has become my second home and I’m so grateful to the club, my teammates and the fans for making the last three seasons so memorable. Walking out onto Sky Stadium in the first professional women’s football game played in New Zealand will always be one of the highlights of my career (in 2022/23 after playing their first season in the Sydney area due to COVID).”
She played for a short time at the University of Louisiana-Monroe in the States in 2021, during the COVID pandemic, when the college season was in turmoil, including switching from their usual fall to an abbreviated spring season.
Other new imports coming to Wellington this season include:
Defender Imane Chebel (29) of Canada—she plays internationally for Algeria. She was born in Quebec City and has played in Kazakhstan with BIIK, in France with Fleury in Division 1 and Brest in Division 2, in Norway with Arna-Bjornar and earlier this season with Flamengo in Brazil prior to signing with Wellington.
Midfielder Maya McCutcheon (23) of the U.S.—she played at the University of Oklahoma (two seasons) and West Virginia University (three seasons), scoring nine goals in 97 collegiate games in her career. She then spent time this season with the North Carolina Courage on two National Team Replacement contracts. In mid-September, Courage granted American defender Maya McCutcheon her release from her short-term contract so she could sign with the Wellington Phoenix for this season. McCutcheon started as a non-roster invitee in preseason before signing the two interim contracts but did not appear in a regular season match.
Forward Olivia Fergusson (29) of England—she was capped at the U-17 level and has played most recently with Wolverhampton Wanderers, scoring six times in 33 games. She also spent a year with Celtic in Scotland, and a number of clubs in England.
Forward Mebae Tanaka (28) of Japan—she was signed after trialing with the club in pre-season. She has played professionally in Japan and South Korea and joins the Nix from Preston Lions FC, who recently finished runner-up in Victoria’s National Premier Leagues (NPL) competition. Tanaka joined Preston Lions FC in May 2024 from Suwon FC in the South Korean top flight, scoring 10 goals in 18 matches in the NPL. She explained her style of play: “I am a technical player and like to dribble, play short passes, deliver crosses and do a lot of running. To start with, I just want to play and then I want to score goals and assist others.”
Midfielder and New Zealand international Grace Jale’s (25) return to the club is important—she scored six goals in 12 games in the club’s first season in 2021/22 and 12 goals in 48 league games overall after moves to Canberra and then Perth Glory last season.
In past years, having been mandated to carry Australian players during their first two seasons, now Wellington has only one Australian in defender Tiana Jaber (24), who has recently been called into a national team camp by Lebanon. (Wellington was close to entering the league for the 2020/21 but held out after the league determined that they could only have a maximum of five New Zealand players, with the rest having to be Australian. When they joined for 2021/22, they were required to sign seven Australian players and up to 11 New Zealanders, while any import signings docked their quota of signings of NZ natives). Jaber initially joined the Phoenix last season on an injury-replacement contract midway through the campaign, but then played in 11 consecutive appearances to end the season.
Jaber said: “I had the best time in Wellington. I was actually sad to return home to Sydney at the end of the season. The people that I was around, the environment, the lifestyle we had every day at training; everything was just amazing and professional, and I can’t wait to be a part of it again. I know it’s the right environment for me to grow as a player and to keep developing. I’m really excited to keep moving forward under Paul (Temple) and his coaching staff.”
Jaber was born in Australia to a Lebanese father and Italian mother and said about her national team call-up this summer: “It’s my first national team camp. We’re going to be training and hopefully playing a friendly game."
(Note: Lebanon has not played since February of this year at the West Asian Football Federation championship in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where they lost to Nepal 2-1 in the semifinals. Nepal then lost to Jordan 5-3 on penalties after a 2-2 tie for the championship). Jaber also spent time with Western United, Newcastle Jets and Western Sydney Wanderers.
Wellington Phoenix has re-signed U-20 international midfielder Alyssa Whinham (21) on a two-year contract extension, which is set to run through the 2025/26 season. She has played in 38 matches in three previous seasons with the Nix.
TribalFootball.com recently spoke with a New Zealand youth international goalkeeper to watch next season, who would be able to play for Wellington or the new Auckland FC side—which started this season in the A-League (men) and will join the Ninja A-League Women next season. Murphy Sheaff currently plays at Kansas State University and made 102 saves this season, with four shutouts in 18 matches. She started all three games for New Zealand at the U-20 WWC in Costa Rica in 2022 and was at the Olympics this summer as an alternate player.
Kansas City lost to Arizona State University 2-0 on October 17 away in a game that ASU largely had control of and Sheaff’s assessment of the game was: “As a keeper, it’s best to be part of the action but it’s disappointing to come away with a loss but it’s our first game on the road and we have another one on Sunday (against the University of Arizona in Tucson, which K-State lost 5-1) where we can make up for it.”
Murphy has not yet been capped at the senior level by the Football Ferns. When asked about new head coach Michael Mayne, who was appointed just before the Olympics Finals and is also a native of New Zealand, she said: “It’s nice. New Zealand is a very cultural country and, having someone that understands that and connects with that is something that not a lot of teams get to experience, so that is pretty special.” She has played for Mayne in the past: “I had him when I was with the U-17’s. He was one of the assistant coaches. I’ve been around Mayne for awhile.”
When asked if she planned to play professionally after her last college season in 2025, she said: “Definitely, I’m looking to go into the professional scene. It has been a dream of mine since I was six years old. That is what I’m looking to do…I’d go anywhere, where-ever they’ll have me: Europe, the U.S. (leagues) or the A-League.” Kansas State finished the 2024 season with a 3-3-12 (W-D-L) record.
Western Sydney Wanderers
Western Sydney Wanderers FC re-signed their 2023/24 Julie Dolan Medal winner Sophie Harding until the end of the 2025/26 campaign. Harding scored 12 goals last year as Western Sydney Wanderers just missed out on the playoffs by goal difference to the Newcastle Jets for the sixth and final spot (0 vs. +7). Harding was called into the Matildas camps in February and this fall. She also was voted into the Liberty A-Leagues All Stars side that played Arsenal FC, a 1-0 defeat on May 24.
Western Sydney Wanderers FC defender Gemma Ferris (20) returns for a third season in 2024/25; she has played 18 regular season matches for the Wanderers and is a U-20 WNT player.
Western Sydney Wanderers captain and midfielder Amy Harrison (28) has signed a two-year contract extension with the Liberty A-League side and will start her fourth season with the club across two spells. She has also played with Sydney FC, one season with the Washington Spirit in the NWSL and two seasons with PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands. She has 13 caps with the Matildas.
Midfielder Talia Younis (16) signed a one-year contract after making history last season with her A-League debut for the Wanderers, breaking the record for the youngest ever debutant in the league at 14 years, 361 days old. Her record was eclipsed a month later by another young Wanderer, Ischia Brooking, who was 14 days younger than Younis. Younis played in 15 games last season and plays with the CommBank Junior Matildas (U-17) squad.
Western Sydney Wanderers FC signed defender Paige Hayward from the Central Coast Mariners where she featured in 24 matches; she has played in 70 A-League matches including two seasons with Adelaide United. Defender Maya Lobo (18) comes in from the NPLW Macarthur Rams, where she played an integral part in the squad that won their third straight Grand Final.
Western Sydney Wanderers FC brought in a new import in Japanese midfielder Ena Harada (23), who has been based in Sydney for the last six months, with the National Premier League Women in New South Wales with Bankstown Lions FC.
A second import this season is also from Japan—midfielder Aya Seino (26), who won the Golden Boot this past season in the New South Wales NPLW League One (second tier) with Bankstown Lions FC.
On November 2, the Wanderers signed Portugal youth international midfielder Siena Arrarte (18) from Spanish side Mislata CF, who this season are in the Tercera Federación Femenina (fourth tier of women’s football in Spain) on an academy contract.
She said about coming to Australia and joining the Wanderers: “I want to make my debut and come on for the team, and of course I want to make the most of that opportunity if that comes, but primarily I want to come into training with the intention of working hard, regardless of if I get that chance. My main aim is to help the team and not myself, so if I can come into training like that and with a smile on my face, everything else will just fall into place.” She has played for Portugal’s U-17 and U-18 national teams.
Head coach Robbie Hooker explained signing Arrarte, who previously had been off-the-horizon among most international scouts: “Siena exploded onto our radar during the off-season and has consistently impressed us during our sessions since. The contract that she has been offered is a testament to the hard work that she continues to put in day in and day out. She has already come a long way for a young player, so she is definitely one to keep an eye on during this upcoming Ninja A-League season.”
Defender Alexia Apostolakis (18) moved to Melbourne City. She started with WSW in 2021/22 and played in 42 games, scoring two goals, in three seasons. She has also represented her country on multiple occasions for the Young Matildas (U-20) and Under-23 squads.
American defender Vicky Bruce (30) departed Wanderland after scoring three goals in 22 matches this season. Bruce, who has also played in Cyprus, Denmark, England, Germany, Iceland, Scotland and Sweden, has joined the new Carolina Ascent in the USL Super League, where she has scored one goal in 11 games. She played collegiately at the University of North Carolina and Davidson College in her home state of North Carolina.
Western United
In two seasons in the A-League Women, Western United has finished second and made the Grand Final in year one, followed by a fourth place finish and first round loss in the playoffs last year. Still, 2023/24 was a solid season for the club as they had a major coaching change mid-season and Kat Smith now can prepare for a full season.
Chloe Lincoln (19) comes in from Canberra United at goalkeeper. She has played for Australia at the U-20 and U-23 levels—including two FIFA U-20 WWC Finals, including this summer in Colombia—and earned her first full WNT call-up last month for the games in Switzerland (1-1) and Germany (2-1), though she did not play for interim head coach Tom Sermanni, who coached the team at the 2007 WWC Finals and helped to launch the A-League Women.
She explained her feelings on her initial call-up to the Matildas: I’m just feeling over the moon – so excited, nervous... I saw the email and I was like, ‘oh my god’ and I totally freaked out. I was a bit teary, even speaking to mum and dad on the phone—it was pretty emotional. This is what you dream of for so long, this is the pinnacle for everyone. I just couldn’t believe it. I’m just hoping to learn as much as possible, enjoy the experience and embrace it.”
New imports this season include Philippines international midfielder Sara Eggesvik (27), who grew up in Norway and joined the WNT just ahead of last year’s WWC in Australia/New Zealand. She has played with Norwegian clubs, except for 10 games in two seasons with Charlton Athletic in the English Women’s Championship (second tier).
Forward Sandra Ibarguen (22) of Colombia has also joined Western United after playing at home with Llaneros and Deportivo Pasto last season, where she had six goals in 12 matches. She is a U-20 international for her country.
Defender Isabel Dehakiz (24) of the U.S. played four seasons at Arizona State University and one at Santa Clara. She played a season at Deportivo Cali and was a National Team Replacement player for the Portland Thorns. She was a 2023 WWC Finals alternate player for Colombia. She played this summer with NPLW Victoria State side Bulleen Lions, where she was the league’s Players’ Player of the Year in 2024.
Returnees include American Catherine Zimmerman, who is back with United for her second season and had 14 goals in 39 games in three seasons with Melbourne Victory, where she won two league titles. Midfielder Grace Maher (25) also returns after playing 23 games last season with Western United. She has scored 15 goals in 111 A-League games for Western United, Melbourne Victory and Canberra United over 10 league seasons. She played for KR in Iceland during the 2019 off-season. Matilda midfielder Chloe Logarzo (29) is back after scoring nine goals in 17 games last season for Western United. She has played in the NWSL, WSL, Norway, Sweden and seven seasons with Sydney FC.
Guyanese international defender Sydney Cummings, who scored four goals in 20 matches with Western United in its inaugural season in 2022/23, felt that, with the new USL Super League—where she plays for Spokane Zephyr—that the new league was an opportunity for players from Super League to also play in the A-League as well as the other way around: “It would be a good avenue to get a relationship between the A-League and an American League (the USL Super League) where you have people coming in and out who wanted to explore both (leagues). I wouldn’t be surprised if next season we see a lot of Australians in this league. (Currently Morgan Aquino—see above is the only Australian who left the A-League thus far for the new league.)
"I think that will start to happen.” She felt that, with a working relationship, that players in the Super League could look at playing in Australia: “as an option in the future” as well as A-League players coming to the States. (See more about Sydney Cummings move to the Super League in: The Week in Women's Football: Spokane Zephyr in focus; how the USL Super League franchise exceeding expectations - TribalFootball.com). We used to see this movement quite frequently, particularly from the States with NWSL off-season players, but now with an expanded format and pre-season training starting early in the new year, NWSL teams have primarily sent a limited number of reserve players. Some Australians have played in the NWSL but many have tended to leave for the WSL in England. This column will continue to monitor this relationship between the two leagues in the seasons to come.
Tim Grainey is a contributor to Tribal Football. His latest book Beyond Bend it Like Beckham on the global game of women’s football. Get your copy today. Follow Tim on X: @TimGrainey