Delight, disappointment, dangling hats and dancing: all part of a whirlwind six weeks for Kaitlyn Torpey and her Matildas team-mates.
The 26-year-old could be forgiven for being unsure exactly which city she is in, given that she’s made stops in Perth, Sydney (both twice), the Gold Coast, England and now the Kenyan capital Nairobi over a roller-coaster month and a half.
Bookending a brief stop back at her Women’s Super League 2 side Newcastle, was a successful qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ on home soil and now the second instalment of the FIFA Series™ in East Africa.
The passport-stamp collecting isn’t set to end anytime soon as the Matildas are now gearing up for a ninth consecutive tilt at the global finals, having secured qualification at the recently concluded Women’s Asian Cup.
Speaking to FIFA from Nairobi, Torpey was still on a high at having secured a ticket to a tournament that she watched as a fan three years ago at Australia/New Zealand 2023.
“I watched that Women’s World Cup from the stands and I remember that match [between Australia and Canada] in Melbourne quite clearly.
“I just remember thinking that I want to be down there and I think that’s why I had such a good feeling with the Asian Cup. It was on home soil and it was quite similar to the World Cup in that way.
“We were lucky enough to get two tournaments back-to-back at home and it is a time that I’ll never forget.”
It was also something of a breakout event for the versatile Torpey – who can operate as a defender, midfielder or forward – who played the full 90 minutes in all three knockout stage matches. A 2-1 win against Korea DPR in the quarter-finals was the result that qualified Australia for the Women’s World Cup while victory against China PR by the same scoreline – on Torpey’s birthday – set up the continental decider against Japan.
In front of 75,000 at Stadium Australia, the Matildas pushed the Nadeshiko all the way with an early Maika Hamano goal ultimately enough for a narrow Japan victory. Having gone toe-to-toe though with some of the game’s giants, Torpey feels Australia are now primed to make a real impact in just over a year’s time at the Women’s World Cup.
“It was an amazing tournament and I had such a good feeling before it. Of course we wish that we could have won it and were disappointed in the end result, but we were also proud of each other,” she said.
“Personally, I was really happy with the opportunity that I got given in the elimination games; it was a lot of pressure but I was really happy with my performances, along with everyone in the team.
“Having played against the likes of Korea DPR and Japan, who are a really high quality side, has given us lots of confidence, so now we go forward and push in Brazil to get a medal.”
A key first step in the team’s preparation comes at the ongoing FIFA Series in Kenya. The Matildas built on the positive momentum gained at the continental championship with a dazzling 5-0 opening win against Malawi. That has set up a Series decider against the hosts, who welcomed the squad with traditional Kenyan song and dance on their arrival, on 15 April.
The second edition of the global initiative affords the team an opportunity to test themselves in unfamiliar surroundings and against opponents that they don’t often face outside of major tournaments, as Torpey details.
“We need to be facing as many different opponents as possible and given that we tend to face African nations in major tournaments, it’s going to be really important for us just in case we come up against an African team at the World Cup.
“These games are massive for us and we don’t take them lightly at all”
Having ridden a wave of momentum on home soil three years ago to a first ever semi-final appearance and backed up that up with a strong continental outing, Torpey feels that there is a real energy in a tight-knit national group.
As the Queenslander explains to FIFA, it’s a similar feeling at club level, where she is in her first year at Newcastle United, with her detailed team-mates even managing to mark her Asian Cup return with some tangled Australian headdress.
“The club and my team-mates were super supportive during the Asian Cup and I really felt that. As soon as I got back I just wanted to thank them all because I really felt that support and it made me so excited to go back as well and be with them.
“It’s not easy coming home from a tournament and having the welcome that I did and, minus the cork hats getting tangled, it was awesome.
“With the Matildas as well, it’s been great having Sam [Kerr] back and with Joe [Montemurro] now as our coach and I think there’s a lot of belief in this group.
“We beat some really quality opponents in the Asian Cup and I think we feel that we can go far in Brazil.”
