Western United stars Jaclyn Sawicki and Kahli Johnson have joined camp with their respective national teams ahead of the Liberty A-League Women Finals Series in two weeks’ time.
Sawicki has jetted off to Tajikistan for three big matches over the next week as the Philippines begin the qualification campaign for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
READ MORE: Western United set for inaugural Liberty A-League Women Final
Western United’s captain and her teammates will take on Pakistan to commence the qualification stage, with kick-off at 9pm AEST on Wednesday 5 April.
The Filipinas will then meet group hosts Tajikistan and Hong Kong, hoping to top the group and advance to the second round of Olympics qualifiers.
If Sawicki’s side is successful in advancing to the next stage, a date with Australia could possibly be set with the Matildas set to join in Round 2 as one of the five highest-seeded teams in the AFC.
The process then narrows down to four teams in the final stage, with the top two teams in Round 3 then securing qualification to the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament next year.
Sawicki’s two appearances for the Philippines against Scotland and Iceland in February were her first since the AFF Women’s Championship Final in July, and the midfielder will be eager to represent her country again.
The Philippines are on a high after jumping to 49th on the latest FIFA Women’s World Rankings, the team’s highest ever ranking on the back of a successful period under Australian coach Alen Stajcic.
Johnson, meanwhile, has crossed the border into Canberra for a week-long training camp with the Young Matildas at the Australian Institute of Sport.
United’s No.10 continues to be a regular fixture in Leah Blayney’s Young Matildas squads and will link up with the group again as it continues preparations for 2024 AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup Round 2 Qualifiers.
Australia has been drawn against Vietnam, Iran and Lebanon in Group A for the second round of qualification, with those matches set to take place in June.
The Young Matildas won through to Round 2 after a flawless first round of matches. Johnson scored in a 13-0 win over Guam before the team backed that up with a 7-0 hiding of Kyrgyz Republic last month.
This camp and the upcoming Round 2 Qualifiers will help to continue Johnson’s development in the national system, as she is also set to join the Future Matildas program over the domestic off-season.
