Matildas coach Joe Montemurro has defended his selection policy for Australia's two-match series against Mexico, stating bluntly that he is "not here to give everyone a go." Montemurro emphasized that continuity was the key factor behind his decisions, as the team looks ahead to the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.
The Matildas bounced back from a 1-0 loss in the first game to secure a 3-1 victory over the Latin American side in Sydney on Tuesday night. Montemurro's starting lineup for the second match featured established stars such as Sam Kerr, Caitlin Foord, Steph Catley, Alanna Kennedy, Ellie Carpenter, Hayley Raso, Mary Fowler, and Mackenzie Arnold, which he described as "close to where" the team wants to be for the World Cup.
With the next international window not until October, Montemurro stressed the need for continuity across the two games. "Having that continuity, it's because we're not going to reconvene for the next four months," he said. "I could have done a lot of rotations in this camp and played a lot of players and tried things, but I don't think it was necessary because we needed that continuity."
When questioned about why A-League star Isabel Gomez, the reigning Julie Dolan medallist, did not receive any playing time, Montemurro was unapologetic. "International football isn't about giving people an opportunity because they won the Julie Dolan medal. International football is about the role that they play to help the team to do what they need to do," he explained.
Montemurro noted that Gomez, a midfielder for the Mariners, is a "very good footballer" but had not played for three months prior to the camp. He told Gomez that the camp was about gaining experience and understanding the team's direction, and that she needs regular playing time to be conditioned for international football. "There's no favouritism or there's no 'you did this and you did that, and you should be given the right to play international football.' It doesn't work like that – I'm really sorry," Montemurro concluded.
