Sam Kerr gets first start of 2023 World Cup in Australia’s semifinal vs. England

FIFA Women’s World Cup

Updated Aug. 16, 2023 5:37 a.m. ET

SYDNEY, Australia — Sam Kerr will start for Australia against England in the World Cup semifinal on Wednesday.

This will be the first time all tournament that Kerr, the 29-year-old superstar captain, will be part of the starting lineup for the Matildas as she has been recovering from a calf injury sustained on the eve of her squad’s first game July 20.

Starting defender Alanna Kennedy, meanwhile, was ruled out due to illness and won’t be in attendance, the team announced.

This is a massive move for Australia as the host country attempts to make even more history by clinching a spot in the World Cup final with a victory over England.

Coach Tony Gustavsson said Tuesday that a decision on Kerr would be made the night before after consulting with the medical staff, as he always does on game day eve. He also didn’t give too much away about what he was thinking, telling reporters only that Kerr is “definitely available for selection” against England.

Kerr, who missed the entire group stage and has only played a grand total of 77 minutes this World Cup, came on early in the second half and played 65 minutes in the dramatic quarterfinal win over France. She made an instant impact when she was subbed onto the pitch and blasted home her penalty kick when it was her turn during the shootout.

After that match, Kerr said the plan all along was for her to be ready for this exact moment of the tournament.

“When I hurt my calf, the plan was to always be ready for the semifinal and final,” Kerr said. “So, I could have [played the whole game], but who knows what could have happened. The girls have been smashing it and absolutely dominating. So, I think the plan went pretty well.”

Gustavsson also said Tuesday that Kerr “pushed through more minutes than we hoped for,” adding, “to be honest, one of the reasons why we kept her on the bench was that we were uncertain how many minutes she had coming back from that calf injury, but also the limited training minutes she had and the way she pushed through was fantastic and impressive in both the mental and physical aspect.”

Kerr “recovered well” after that match, Gustavsson said, and has been training with the team as usual. Depending on how the semifinal goes, she might need to play 120 minutes plus another round of PKs.

Australia vs. England semifinal preview

Asked if her game plan changes at all if Kerr were to start, England coach Sarina Wiegman said Tuesday that “Australia is not just Sam Kerr. Yes, we have a plan, and she can play, and she can start on the bench. So that’s the situation.”

Well, it turns out that Kerr is starting, which means the 80,000 fans in Stadium Australia are going to be extra rocking Wednesday night.

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of “Strong Like a Woman,” published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.

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