Western United trio Chloe Lincoln, Sasha Grove and Kahli Johnson have been selected in the Young Matildas squad for the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia.
The three young stars will represent the Green and Black in Bogota in early September as Leah Blayney’s side takes on the tournament hosts, Mexico and Cameroon in Group A.
Johnson and Lincoln will be making a return to the world stage having been part of the 2022 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica.
Grove will be heading to a World Cup for the first time in her young career as the Young Matildas hope to advance to the knockout stages in a revamped 24-team tournament.
Qualification was secured after the Young Matildas claimed a bronze medal at the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup in March with Lincoln, Grove, and Johnson all starting in a 1-0 win over Korea Republic.
Western United General Manager of Football Mal Impiombato is eager to see the three players shine on the world stage.
“Representing your country at a World Cup is one of the greatest honours in our game and we are immensely proud of Chloe, Sasha and Kahli for this achievement,” he said.
“We are all greatly looking forward to seeing them represent the nation and our Club on the world stage, and to the significant benefits this experience will bring to their game.
“On behalf of everyone at Western United, I wish Leah and the entire squad the very best of luck and can’t wait to watch Chloe, Sasha and Kahli make us proud.”
The Young Matildas squad will gather for a pre-tournament camp next week before the World Cup opener against Colombia at 9am on Sunday 1 September AEST.
Liberty A-League pre-season will then be right around the corner as Kat Smith looks to prepare her side to mount another challenge at the top of the league in 2024/25.
