Canberra United star Karly Roestbakken is set to become the latest Matildas player to ply their trade overseas, with a move to Europe set to be announced in the coming weeks.
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The 19-year-old fullback is finalising a transfer to Europe but won't reveal the club or its location just yet.
The process has been relatively seamless thanks to her Norwegian passport. Roestbakken's father Jack is Norwegian and played in that country's second league before emigrating to Australia, where the United defender was born.
Roestbakken has spent the last four W-League seasons with United, but after speaking with her Matildas coach and teammates she decided it was the right time to make the move.
"It's just time I head over there. I need to get more experience as a footballer and I need to experience it on the other side of the world," Roestbakken said.
"It was the right decision for me to go now, I know that. I'm looking forward to it."
There's now almost a dozen Australian internationals who have recently made the leap from the W-League to Europe, including skipper Sam Kerr (Chelsea), Caitlin Foord (Arsenal), Hayley Raso (Everton) Chloe Logarzo (Bristol City) and Lisa De Vanna (Fiorentina).
Roestbakken's Canberra teammate Nikola Orgill has also signed a deal to join Norwegian club Kolbotn for the upcoming Toppserien season.
The move to Europe will provide Roestbakken with valuable game time as the thrice-capped Matilda pursues her dream of playing at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Roestbakken made a shock World Cup debut last year after being a late addition to Ante Milicic's squad for the tournament in France.
Her rise to the international stage has paid dividends in the lead-up to Tokyo, having been named in the Matildas' 20-strong squad for the AFC Olympic qualifiers in Sydney.
The teenage fullback could play for Australia on home soil for the first time if chosen for one of the match-day line-ups against China, Chinese Taipei or Thailand.
"It comes down to how hard you train and the performance you put into training. I'm just trying to work hard in each session and hopefully it pays off," Roestbakken said.
"It's exciting because we haven't held a major tournament like this in a very long time. It's amazing for the team and for myself - it'll be a very special moment for me playing on home soil in front of my family and friends for the first time.
"It'll mean absolutely everything to me and I can't wait for our first game. It'll be a real honour to play in Sydney."
The Matildas' journey to Tokyo hit another roadblock after complications arising from the coronavirus forced another change to the schedule for the Olympic qualifying tournament.
They'll now play Thailand on February 10 before meeting China at Parramatta Stadium two days later, giving them just one day to prepare for their hardest group stage match.
The latest changes were made out of fairness to China's team, who have been kept in quarantine at their Brisbane hotel since arriving last week.
"There's a lot of outside noise going on but everyone knows we are here to do a job," Roestbakken said.
"We have to go out there, regardless of whether the games are played now or pushed back, and do our job. It just comes down to football really.
"We've got a couple more [training] sessions to go and I think we'll be ready come game day against Chinese Taipei."
MATILDAS' OLYMPIC GAMES QUALIFIERS
Latest schedule:
Australia v Taiwan: Friday, February 7 at Campbelltown Stadium, 7.30pm.
Australia v Thailand: Monday, February 10 at Campbelltown Stadium, 7.30pm.
Australia v China: Wednesday, February 12 at Parramatta Stadium, 7.30pm.
Lucie Bertoldo
Lucie Bertoldo is a sports reporter for the Canberra Times.
Lucie Bertoldo is a sports reporter for the Canberra Times.
