Latest news with #Fowler
News.com.au
5 hours ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Matildas could have both captain Sam Kerr and Mary Fowler for Asian Cup
The Matildas could enter the Asian Cup with maximum goal-scoring power after coach Joe Montemurro confirmed that Mary Fowler was 'on track' to make a faster-than-expected recovery from an ACL injury and captain Sam Kerr was set to make an imminent return to action with Chelsea. Australian has drawn an opening-round clash with Philippines for the home tournament next March, and with Fowler starting to run during some training in Sydney this week under a program being run by her club, Manchester City, Montemurro is excited that she could be ready in time. Fowler ruptured her ACL in April, an injury that can take up to 12 months to recover from. 'I spoke to her the other day and she's on track,' Montemurro said at the Asian Cup draw in Sydney. 'She's in Sydney at the moment doing some running. 'She's looking good, and she should be hopefully back playing before November.' Kerr has also moved in to full training with Chelsea more than 18 months after suffering her own ACL injury and looms as a key inclusion, with the tournament opener being played in her home town of Perth. 'All the signs are really, really positive. She's joined in pre-season training with Chelsea,' Montemurro said. 'She's probably into a pretty normal routine now, back to club training, and we hope that all goes well going forward and getting some game time at Chelsea.' Back on the grass! ðŸ˜� — (C)helsea FC Women ðŸ�†ðŸ�†ðŸ�† (@ChelseaFCW) July 28, 2025 Montemurro knows the pressure will be on to replicate the stunning run of the Matildas to the semi-finals of the home World Cup in 2023 when the tournament kicks off. 'In any tournament, the expectations were what they were,' Montemurro said. 'I couldn't predict that I wanted this team or that team. Now it's a little bit clearer, the style of teams we're playing, and it's a little bit clearer on how we approach the build-up into it.' Matildas' Asian Cup matches:: Matildas v Philippines Date: Sunday, March 1, 2026 Venue: Perth Stadium, Perth Time: 5pm AWST/8pm AEDT Matildas v Iran Date: Thursday, March 5, 2026 Venue: Gold Coast Stadium, Gold Coast Time: 7pm AEST/8pm AEDT Matildas v Korea Republic Date: Sunday, March 8, 2026 Venue: Stadium Australia, Sydney
Courier-Mail
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Courier-Mail
Sam Kerr, Mary Fowler on track to return in time for 2026 Asian Cup
Don't miss out on the headlines from Football. Followed categories will be added to My News. The Matildas are banking on Mary Fowler and Sam Kerr. The 2026 AFC Asian Cup kicks off in Australia on March 1 next year and the two biggest names for the Matildas, and their biggest scoring threats, are in a race against time to be fit for the tournament. It's been 18 months since Kerr suffered her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and she is yet to make her return to professional football. The 31-year-old's partner Kristie Mewis welcomed their first child earlier this year, and Kerr has been spending time in Perth while continuing her recovery as the Matildas played friendlies this year. Hopefully Kerr takes to the pitch comes in the upcoming Women's Super League season for Chelsea, where she will team up with new recruit Ellie Carpenter. Meanwhile, Fowler will be racing the clock to recover from an (ACL) injury during Manchester City's FA Cup match on April 13. Fowler was having a career best season for Man City before the injury, and she is taking it one step at a time, cheering on her boyfriend Nathan Cleary at a Panthers game on the weekend. Sam Kerr is yet to return from her knee injury. (Photo by Crystal Pix/) ACL injuries typically take 12 months to recover from, but there is a significant chance Fowler will be sidelined for next year's Asian Cup, which runs from March 1-21 across Perth, Gold Coast and Sydney, with the final to be held at Sydney's Olympic Stadium. Veteran striker Michelle Heyman has been superb since returning to the national side, scoring more often than not in her appearances in the past few years. But having the firepower of Kerr and Fowler up front would be a massive coup to the Matildas. Matildas star Mary Fowler watches Nathan Cleary play for the Panthers. Photo: Tom Parrish And it appears that will be possible, with Matildas coach Joe Montemurro revealing Fowler is on track to return to play in November in what would be an incredibly quick recovery, just seven months after her injury. 'I spoke to her the other day, and she's on track,' Montemurro told the SMH. 'She's in Sydney at the moment doing some running. So she'll join City, I think, in early October ... she's looking good and she should be hopefully back playing before November. 'She's a special player - not just for Australia, but worldwide. 'She's (got) that X factor. And you need those X-factors in these tournaments. You need that player to unlock something at times. To have Mary involved will be really good.' Mary Fowler will be racing the clock to recover from her ACL injury. (Photo by) Former Matilda Sarah Walsh, who is the Chief Operating Officer of the Asian Cup, told it would be a huge boost for the tournament if both Kerr and Fowler were available to play. 'I'd be lying if I didn't say having Sam Kerr and Mary Fowler back is going to be important to creating a buzz,' Walsh said. 'You want the teams to turn up on the day with their best players on the pitch and healthy.' The Matildas captured Australia's attention like never before in the 2023 FIFA World Cup on home soil, and Walsh is hoping there will be a similar buzz for the Asian Cup. 'We saw how everybody got behind the Matildas in 2023,' Walsh said. 'Eighty per cent of Australia watched the semi-final vs England — when has 80 per cent of Australia done anything or had consensus on anything. They're a team that brings Australia together. 'You will not find an organiser that doesn't admit that the highest nation running deep is actually good for the tournament, whether it's media, momentum, local, domestic momentum.' 'But and I think one of the exciting things for this tournament is that, for the first time, the player squad sizes have gone up to 26, which allows, you know a little bit more flexibility to bring in players that might not be match fit. Sam Kerr has been gearing up to return to play. Photo: Instagram. Sam Kerr and her partner Kristie Mewis have announced the birth of their son Jagger Mewis-Kerr. Photo: Instagram. 'We're looking to deliver records for the Women's Asian Cup. We want attendance records, we want broadcast records, we have no doubt that the stadiums will be rich and vibrant with modern Australia.' Australia's women's football team won the Asian Cup in 2011 and the current team will be desperate to win the trophy after fourth place finishes at the 2023 World Cup and the Tokyo Olympics. 'It's likely they will be one of the strong nations,' Walsh said of the Matildas. 'We're not building a strategy around that, but it's very important that they run deep. They're one of the highest ranked nations in Asia, so. 'There are other stronger nations, Japan, North Korea, China, very strong teams. We saw many upsets in the qualifiers for the other teams to get here. Philippines on their day can produce a result. 'They have a new coach in Joe Montemurro who wants to invent his style into the team. 'We got to see a bit of that through the Panama matches and, they learned a lot from that window. New Matildas coach Joe Montemurro doesn't have long to prepare for the Asian Cup. (Photo by) The Matildas team before the 2023 World Cup semifinal against England. (Photo by Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images) 'They don't have very many windows left, and he's very new with the team. One of the advantages that he has is that he's worked with a lot of the players, whether it be at Melbourne City or Arsenal. 'So he has that familiarity with some of the senior players, which is really important. They'll calibrate quickly, and that could filter down to the younger players.' Football Australia is hoping for capacity crowds at not only the Matildas' games but matches featuring Asian nations including India, Japan, China, Iran and the Philippines. 'We're building a multicultural festival of football that lives beyond Australia,' Walsh said. 'There are 3.4 million Australians that identify with the ancestry of those 11 nations that qualified, 3.1 million alone from India. 'So there's massive communities here who rarely get to celebrate their culture. Food, music, and it'll all be centred around football, but we want to create an experience for these communities.' The Asian Cup will feature work from First Nations artists Shauna Hill and Grace Amidy. Continuing the multicultural theme, the Asian Cup will feature work from First Nations artists Shauna Hill and Grace Amidy across the tournament. 'We've worked with two First Nations artists to really embed that throughout the brand and integrate it into the matches, how city names have been translated. 'We want to make sure that the volunteers' uniforms, every moment that symbolises the brand of the tournament will have First Nations embedded in that. 'We really do want to have the culture, lags in the stadium.' Tickets are now on sale for the 2026 Asian Cup. GROUPS FOR THE 2026 WOMEN'S ASIAN CUP Group A: Australia, South Korea, Iran, Philippines Group B: DPR Korea, China, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan Group C: Japan, Vietnam, India, Chinese Taipei EVERY MATILDAS GAME Game 1: v Philippines on March 1 at Optus Stadium, Perth. Game 2: v Iran on March 5 at Cbus Stadium, Gold Coast. Game 3: v South Korea on March 8 at Accor Stadium, Sydney. Originally published as Sam Kerr, Mary Fowler on track to return in time for 2026 Asian Cup
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Revealing detail in photo speaks volumes about Mary Fowler and Nathan Cleary's relationship - as Matildas star unveils brilliant news
Mary Fowler has been spotted enjoying a dinner in a top Sydney restaurant with her boyfriend Nathan Cleary and his family in another sign rumours about their relationship were wrong. The new sighting comes after Matildas coach Joe Montemurro revealed the 22-year-old is on track to make her return from a serious knee injury in time to play in next year's Asian Cup. Fowler was sighted with Nathan at famous Italian eatery Totti's in Sydney's inner west this week, and they were joined by the NRL star's father and coach, Ivan, and his sister Indi. It's the latest in a list of signs that speculation their romance was in trouble were off the mark. Out-of-character moves by both stars on social media, coupled with the fact Nathan wasn't there to greet Fowler when she flew into Sydney, seemed to point to a change in their dynamic. However, Mary was then spotted cheering Nathan on as his Panthers beat the Wests Tigers last Saturday, followed by the couple smiling and laughing as they were photographed leaving Penrith headquarters together on Sunday. In addition to the great news about Kerr's knee, Montemurro revealed he also expects Sam Kerr to be fit and firing as they prepare to play Asian heavyweights South Korea, the Philippines and Iran in the group stage of the Asian Cup. Fowler is on target to return to action by November, less than seven months after rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament in the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United in April. The 22-year-old was facing close to a year on the sidelines, in what shaped as a hammer blow to Australia's hopes of winning the Asian Cup. But coach Montemurro says Fowler is progressing better than expected ahead of the March tournament. 'I spoke to her the other day and she's on track,' Montemurro said. 'She's in Sydney at the moment doing some running. 'She's looking good, and she should be hopefully back playing before November.' Fowler had been in dynamic form for City, scoring 10 goals across all competitions, and underlined her ability with a starring role in Australia's recent international friendlies against South Korea. The 22-year-old ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in her knee in April - but is now on track to return to the field just seven months later Fowler (pictured rehabbing the injury) should be fit and firing when the Matildas host the Asian Cup next year - and so should Sam Kerr 'She's a special player and a special player not just for Australia but worldwide,' Montemurro said. 'She's that X-factor, and you need those X-factors in these tournaments. 'You need that player to unlock something at times and to have Mary involved will be really good.' Montemurro is just as optimistic about striker Kerr's return for the continental tournament. Unlike Fowler, Kerr's recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament tear has been prolonged. The 31-year-old hasn't played since suffering the injury while training with English powerhouse Chelsea in January 2024. Kerr had suffered another injury - not related to the ACL - that also required surgery, but has returned to pre-season training at Chelsea. 'It was important that she didn't jump straight into pre-season. It was important that there was a build,' Montemurro said. 'Hopefully, by the end of pre-season, she'll be at the level with everyone else and then she's up for game time, so everything's tracking positively.' Australia will kick off their bid for a second Asian Cup trophy when they host the Philippines in the opening match at Perth's Optus Stadium on March 1. The Matildas will then play on Iran at Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast on March 5, before facing South Korea at Sydney's Accor Stadium on March 8.
News.com.au
6 hours ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Sam Kerr, Mary Fowler on track to return in time for 2026 Asian Cup
The Matildas are banking on Mary Fowler and Sam Kerr. The 2026 AFC Asian Cup kicks off in Australia on March 1 next year and the two biggest names for the Matildas, and their biggest scoring threats, are in a race against time to be fit for the tournament. It's been 18 months since Kerr suffered her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and she is yet to make her return to professional football. The 31-year-old's partner Kristie Mewis welcomed their first child earlier this year, and Kerr has been spending time in Perth while continuing her recovery as the Matildas played friendlies this year. Hopefully Kerr takes to the pitch comes in the upcoming Women's Super League season for Chelsea, where she will team up with new recruit Ellie Carpenter. Meanwhile, Fowler will be racing the clock to recover from an (ACL) injury during Manchester City's FA Cup match on April 13. Fowler was having a career best season for Man City before the injury, and she is taking it one step at a time, cheering on her boyfriend Nathan Cleary at a Panthers game on the weekend. ACL injuries typically take 12 months to recover from, but there is a significant chance Fowler will be sidelined for next year's Asian Cup, which runs from March 1-21 across Perth, Gold Coast and Sydney, with the final to be held at Sydney's Olympic Stadium. Veteran striker Michelle Heyman has been superb since returning to the national side, scoring more often than not in her appearances in the past few years. But having the firepower of Kerr and Fowler up front would be a massive coup to the Matildas. And it appears that will be possible, with Matildas coach Joe Montemurro revealing Fowler is on track to return to play in November in what would be an incredibly quick recovery, just seven months after her injury. 'I spoke to her the other day, and she's on track,' Montemurro told the SMH. 'She's in Sydney at the moment doing some running. So she'll join City, I think, in early October ... she's looking good and she should be hopefully back playing before November. 'She's a special player - not just for Australia, but worldwide. 'She's (got) that X factor. And you need those X-factors in these tournaments. You need that player to unlock something at times. To have Mary involved will be really good.' Former Matilda Sarah Walsh, who is the Chief Operating Officer of the Asian Cup, told it would be a huge boost for the tournament if both Kerr and Fowler were available to play. 'I'd be lying if I didn't say having Sam Kerr and Mary Fowler back is going to be important to creating a buzz,' Walsh said. 'You want the teams to turn up on the day with their best players on the pitch and healthy.' The Matildas captured Australia's attention like never before in the 2023 FIFA World Cup on home soil, and Walsh is hoping there will be a similar buzz for the Asian Cup. 'We saw how everybody got behind the Matildas in 2023,' Walsh said. 'Eighty per cent of Australia watched the semi-final vs England — when has 80 per cent of Australia done anything or had consensus on anything. They're a team that brings Australia together. 'You will not find an organiser that doesn't admit that the highest nation running deep is actually good for the tournament, whether it's media, momentum, local, domestic momentum.' 'But and I think one of the exciting things for this tournament is that, for the first time, the player squad sizes have gone up to 26, which allows, you know a little bit more flexibility to bring in players that might not be match fit. 'We're looking to deliver records for the Women's Asian Cup. We want attendance records, we want broadcast records, we have no doubt that the stadiums will be rich and vibrant with modern Australia.' Australia's women's football team won the Asian Cup in 2011 and the current team will be desperate to win the trophy after fourth place finishes at the 2023 World Cup and the Tokyo Olympics. 'It's likely they will be one of the strong nations,' Walsh said of the Matildas. 'We're not building a strategy around that, but it's very important that they run deep. They're one of the highest ranked nations in Asia, so. 'There are other stronger nations, Japan, North Korea, China, very strong teams. We saw many upsets in the qualifiers for the other teams to get here. Philippines on their day can produce a result. 'They have a new coach in Joe Montemurro who wants to invent his style into the team. 'We got to see a bit of that through the Panama matches and, they learned a lot from that window. 'They don't have very many windows left, and he's very new with the team. One of the advantages that he has is that he's worked with a lot of the players, whether it be at Melbourne City or Arsenal. 'So he has that familiarity with some of the senior players, which is really important. They'll calibrate quickly, and that could filter down to the younger players.' Football Australia is hoping for capacity crowds at not only the Matildas' games but matches featuring Asian nations including India, Japan, China, Iran and the Philippines. 'We're building a multicultural festival of football that lives beyond Australia,' Walsh said. 'There are 3.4 million Australians that identify with the ancestry of those 11 nations that qualified, 3.1 million alone from India. 'So there's massive communities here who rarely get to celebrate their culture. Food, music, and it'll all be centred around football, but we want to create an experience for these communities.' Continuing the multicultural theme, the Asian Cup will feature work from First Nations artists Shauna Hill and Grace Amidy across the tournament. 'We've worked with two First Nations artists to really embed that throughout the brand and integrate it into the matches, how city names have been translated. 'We want to make sure that the volunteers' uniforms, every moment that symbolises the brand of the tournament will have First Nations embedded in that. 'We really do want to have the culture, lags in the stadium.' Group A: Australia, South Korea, Iran, Philippines Group B: DPR Korea, China, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan Game 1: v Philippines on March 1 at Optus Stadium, Perth. Game 2: v Iran on March 5 at Cbus Stadium, Gold Coast.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Matildas coach drops huge Mary Fowler news as Aussies cop brutal Asian Cup draw
Matildas coach Joe Montemurro has revealed that Mary Fowler is tracking well ahead of schedule in her recovery from a long-term injury and is primed to feature for Australia at their home Asian Cup. The Matildas were dealt a brutal hand at the official draw in Sydney on Tuesday night after being pitted against top-ranked teams in pots three and four, as well as the second-highest ranked team in pot two. But the Aussies were given a major boost by the news that Fowler is on track to make her return, despite suffering a ruptured ACL in her right knee only three months ago. The injury - which typically requires a 12-month recovery time - looked set to rule the superstar out of the Asian Cup after she went down while playing for Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals in April. However, the Matildas coach revealed the 22-year-old was already back up and running and looks set to feature in the early part of the new WSL season in England. It could give Fowler up to four months of football to regain her form and fitness ahead of the Asian Cup, which kicks off for the Matildas at Perth's Optus Stadium on March 1. 'I spoke to her the other day, and she's on track,' Montemurro said after Tuesday night's draw. 'She's in Sydney at the moment doing some running. So she'll join City, I think, in early October ... she's looking good and she should be hopefully back playing before November. "She's been really, really, really, really positive and done well. She's a special player - not just for Australia, but worldwide. She's [got] that X factor. And you need those X-factors in these tournaments. You need that player to unlock something at times. To have Mary involved will be really good.' The Matildas look set to be given a double boost, with star skipper Sam Kerr also working her way back to full fitness in pre-season training with Chelsea after a much more complicated ACL injury of her own. Kerr hasn't played a competitive game since late 2023, but was hoping to feature for Chelsea towards the back end of last season. 'It was important that she didn't jump straight into pre-season,' Montemurro said about Kerr. 'Hopefully by the end of pre-season, she'll be at the level with everyone else - and then she's up for game time.' Matildas cop brutal draw for home Asian Cup Montemurro said he was pleased with Australia's draw, despite it being close to the most difficult group they could have landed at Tuesday night's ceremony at Sydney Town Hall. The Matildas face the Philippines in Perth, before taking on Iran on the Gold Coast on March 5. They then face a tricky final group game against powerhouse South Korea in on March 8, in a rematch against the side that knocked them out of the last Asian Cup campaign. The Matildas at least avoided a group stage meeting with defending champions China, who were drawn in Group B. While the highest-ranked team in the tournament - World No.7 Japan - were drawn in Group C with Vietnam, India and Taiwan. "In any tournament, the expectations were what they were," Montemurro said. "I couldn't predict that I wanted this team or that team. Now it's a little bit clearer, the style of teams we're playing, and it's a little bit clearer on how we approach the build-up into it." The World No.15 Matildas have just two international windows to find their feet under the new coach before the tournament starts. Australia netted two wins, a draw and a loss against Slovenia and Panama in their first batch of friendlies under former Lyon coach, Montemurro. Australia are one of 12 teams split across three groups to have qualified for next year's tournament, which will run until the final at Sydney's Accor Stadium on March 21. The top two teams in each of the groups will be joined by the two best third-placed sides in the knockout phase of the tournament. Draw for the 2026 Women's Asian Cup Group A - Australia, South Korea, Iran, Philippines Group B - North Korea, China, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan Group C - Japan, Vietnam, India, Taiwan with AAP
