New Western United stars Kahli Johnson and Silver Bell Morris have been selected in an extended Young Matildas squad this week.
The pair have formed part of a 31-player squad that touched down in Blacktown, Sydney on Sunday for a six-day training camp under head coach Leah Blayney.
Western United General Manager of Football Mal Impiombato said the selections boded well for United’s inaugural Liberty A-League Women campaign.
“We’re extremely proud to see Kahli and Silver Bell earn selection for the Young Matildas camp. Both have been rewarded for outstanding years so far and this recognition will continue to push their development forward,” he said.
“As a Club, these selections are also proof of our recruitment process for our inaugural A-League Women season. We have worked hard to identify talented players to fill our roster and we are confident that we are in a position to be competitive, with top talents such as Kahli and Silver Bell.
“We look forward to seeing Kahli and Silver Bell’s progress at this camp and hope that it will lead to further national team opportunities.”
The camp commences a new cycle for Australia youth women’s national teams after a successful period in 2022.
Johnson was part of the Young Matildas side that went to the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica in August where she featured in all three group games, including two starts.
That began just a week after Morris had helped the Junior Matildas to claim the AFF U18 Women’s Championship title, defeating Vietnam 2-0 in the final.
The centre-back started in four of the five matches at the tournament, including in the semi-final and the final as the side conceded just one goal on the way to lifting the trophy.
Both players have been rewarded for their strong showings in each tournament, with Johnson keeping her place in the Young Matildas and Morris making the step up to the Under-20 side for the first time.
This selection continues an exemplary 2022 for Morris, who was a key player in Football Victoria Emerging’s fantastic season, leading the side to its first-ever NPLW Victoria Finals berth before penning her first Liberty A-League Women contract with Western United.
Johnson has also had a breakout 2022, debuting in the A-League Women as a 17-year-old with Sydney FC and making a total of five substitute appearances.
The pair will spend the week with the squad before returning to Victoria ahead of the beginning of the first A-League Women pre-season with Western United.
