The 22-player Ford Football Ferns squad for the September window games against Mexico and the Philippines is confirmed.

Indiah-Paige Riley is named in the Ford Football Ferns squad for the first time since changing her international allegiance to Aotearoa New Zealand earlier this year, after making one appearance for the Matildas in a friendly against Germany in 2021. The 20-year-old forward, who began her professional career at Brisbane Roar, currently plies her trade in Denmark at Fortuna Hjørring, and finished second in the 2021/2022 Elitedivisionen.

Klimková is delighted to welcome Riley to the Ferns whānau.

“Indiah is a quality player who has already experienced professional football in Denmark,” she says.

“She’s versatile – she can play defence, she can play higher up the field, and I can’t wait to see where she will fit in our squad. We need this kind of competition between the players.”

The Ferns squad also features a number of players achieving significant professional milestones in recent months. Midfielder Daisy Cleverley has kicked off her first professional season at HB Køge in Denmark, forward Jacqui Hand is coming to the end of her first professional season at Finnish club Åland United, while defender Meikayla Moore and goalkeeper Victoria Esson recently made their Champions League debuts.

Captain Ali Riley’s Angel City FC is chasing a NWSL play-off place in the club’s inaugural season, while defender Kate Taylor has just completed a successful U-20 Women’s World Cup where she was named player of the match against Germany.

Klimková, who attended the FIFA U-20 Women's World cup in Costa Rica, is delighted to bring the young defender back into the squad.

“Kate was one of the most experienced and more successful players at the Under-20 World Cup – her performances are worthy of the call up,” she says.

In squad changes since the July window in Europe, the Ferns welcome back CJ Bott and Anna Leat. Ashleigh Ward, Emma Rolston and Rebekah Stott are recovering from injury, and Katie Bowen made herself unavailable for selection in this window.

The team’s focus for the games against Mexico and the Philippines is success in the attacking third, says Klimková. While she’s pleased with the greater attacking intent shown by the Ferns in Europe, “we need to start scoring goals,” she says.

“In Europe we absolutely increased numbers of our crosses and we increased number of shots, but we are not scoring. So it's not just about the numbers, now it’s also about how we can be more efficient, how we connect our crosses more with our runs in the box, and how can we finish our chances.”

Ford Football Ferns squad for September window (name; club; caps/goals)

Elizabeth Anton; Perth Glory, Australia; 10/0
Mackenzie Barry; Wellington Phoenix FC, NZ; 0/0
CJ Bott; Leicester City, England; 34/1
Claudia Bunge; Melbourne Victory FC, Australia; 11/0
Olivia Chance; Celtic FC, Scotland; 32/1
Daisy Cleverley; HB Køge, Denmark; 22/2
Victoria Esson; Rangers FC, Scotland; 8/0
Ally Green; Vålerenga, Norway; 1/0
Jacqui Hand; Åland United, Finland; 8/1
Betsy Hassett; Stjarnan, Iceland; 132/14
Grace Jale; Canberra United, Australia; 7/2
Anna Leat; Aston Villa FC, England; 7/0
Annalie Longo; Christchurch United, NZ; 126/15
Meikayla Moore; Glasgow City FC, Scotland; 55/3
Erin Nayler; Umeå IK, Sweden; 77/0
Gabi Rennie; Arizona State University, USA; 14/2
Ali Riley; Angel City FC, USA; 145/1
Indiah-Paige Riley; Fortuna Hjørring, Denmark 0/0*
Paige Satchell; Wellington Phoenix FC, NZ; 30/2
Malia Steinmetz; Western Sydney Wanderers, Australia; 9/0
Kate Taylor; Wellington Phoenix FC, NZ; 2/0
Hannah Wilkinson; Melbourne City FC, Australia; 107/27

* First Ford Football Ferns call-up

Match schedule for September FIFA window

V Mexico

2 September, 4pm KO local time/3 September, 11am KO NZT, Dignity Health Sports Park

V Philippines

6 September, 5pm KO local time/7 September, 12pm KO NZT, Titan Stadium, Cal State Fullerton

Article added: Tuesday 23 August 2022