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The Young Matildas' final tune-up to their first Under-20 Women's World Cup campaign since 2006 will play out on Friday (AEST) when they take on Colombia behind closed doors.
The final opportunity for the players to prove their worth ahead of the tournament comes after their respectable 3-3 friendly draw with Mexico, played shortly before coach Leah Blayney's final squad announcement at the start of the week.
The squad of 21 selected for Costa Rica, which features a total of 17 players coming off match minutes in the A-League Women (ALW) last season, is packed with plenty of star power along with a surprising amount of senior experience among the ranks.
Based on recent form, players who are likely to impress at the tournament include Sydney FC quartet Charlize Rule, Sarah Hunter, Jessika Nash and Kahli Johnson - all of whom managed to get regular game time during the Sky Blues' premiership-winning season.
19-year-old Rule's performances were a club highlight in her breakout ALW season, becoming a regular starter for the Sydneysiders at right-back from round six of the campaign. Her tendency to drift forward and join the Sky Blues attack, along with defensive partner Ally Green, resulted in some of the club's best goals for the year as she contributed three as well as two assists - including a smart poacher's goal when she headed home from close range in a 2-0 victory over Brisbane Roar.
Nash proved a solid performer from her four games in the starting 11 at the beginning of the season and still got some valuable minutes off the bench in subsequent matches. The defender was deemed one to watch ahead of the 2021-22 campaign off the back of her outstanding debut ALW season for Canberra United, which resulted in a senior call-up to the Matildas in November last year.
Hunter and Johnson were both on the scoresheet for the Young Matildas in their friendly against Mexico on Sunday (AEST), with the former netting a brace in that match. It was not the first time the hard-working midfielder in Hunter was in amongst the goals this year, as she crucially headed home off the bench to take the lead in extra-time during Sydney's miraculous semi-final comeback over Melbourne City.
Young Matildas' captain Sheridan Gallagher will lead the side out onto the pitch for the opening match of the U-20's tournament next Thursday (AEST). The 20-year-old forward showed plenty of attacking prowess and maturity in a difficult 2021-22 season for Western Sydney Wanderers, managing to claim a crucial assist when she set up Ashlie Croft's 90th-minute equaliser in round three against Newcastle Jets.
Fellow Wanderers Bryleeh Henry and Alexia Apostolakis were also strong performers in the red and black this past season, despite the club only seeing one win from 14 games. The pacey attackers netted one goal each in the campaign, with the former calmly slotting home the spot kick which guided the side to their only win of the season. Henry also made a senior appearance for the Matildas at the end of last year, debuting against Brazil in October.
Perth Glory midfielder Hana Lowry impressed in her third season with the Western Australian side, as the 19-year-old proved her killer tackling instincts upon shifting into an attacking midfield role later in the season.
The invaluable experience of defenders Jamilla Rankin (Brisbane Roar) and Kirsty Fenton (Newcastle Jets) will also be sure to shine once the Young Matildas get to strut their stuff in Central America next week.
