Alanna Kennedy and Emily van Egmond aren’t strangers to the World Cup.
They’re both seasoned veterans. Both played in all five of Australia’s World Cup matches in 2015, when the Australian women’s national team reached the quarterfinals and eventually fell to Japan.
After that World Cup – Kennedy’s first and van Egmond’s second – the Matildas worked to shed the underdog role. They agree this time, with this Australian women’s national team, things feel different. Both said this could be the year Australia breaks through. The Matildas open their World Cup run with a match against Italy on June 9.