A quartet of Western United’s Liberty A-League Women stars will be in action with their countries during the current FIFA international window.
In addition to the four players taking to the pitch, Mark Torcaso and Andrew Durante will be making their competitive debuts with the Philippines women’s national team as head coach and assistant coach respectively.
They will of course be joined in camp by United midfielder Jaclyn Sawicki, with the Filipinas set to compete in the Asian Games in China.
The Philippines will open Group E against Hong Kong on Friday before a tough test against South Korea, who are ranked 20th in the world and are the third-highest ranked team in the competition.
The final group stage game will be against Myanmar, with the Philippines out to top of the group or finish as one of the three best-ranked runners-up to advance to the quarter-finals.
After competing in the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time, the Philippines will continue to make history with this set to be their debut in the Asian Games.
Tyla Jay Vlajnic will also be part of history for her country and for European football when her Serbia side competes in the inaugural UEFA Women’s Nations League.
The brand-new competition will look to emulate the men’s version, with every match carrying meaning towards tournament qualification and overall supremacy in Europe.
Ranked 35th in the world and 23rd in Europe, Serbia were placed in Group 3 of League B alongside Ukraine, Greece and Poland.
The tournament format will see each team play one another twice – once each at home and away – with the eventual group winners earning promotion to League A.
Every result will count towards a more favorable path in qualification for UEFA Women’s Euro 2025, so Serbia will be eager to get off to a good start against Ukraine and Greece in the first two matches during this international window.
Finally, Alana Cerne and Kahli Johnson will also be in action for the Australian Under-23 Women’s National Team during a training camp in Italy.
The camp includes two matches, the first of which comes against Italian powerhouse and Serie A Femminile side AC Milan on Friday evening local time.
Cerne, Johnson and co. will then get the opportunity to test themselves against the Scotland Under 23’s to round out the camp, giving the Western United pair invaluable experience against quality European opposition.
Torcaso and his travelling players will then return to pre-season training upon the completion of their international commitments, by which time there will be just over two weeks until the Liberty A-League season opener against Perth Glory.
