Australia slumped to a third and final defeat at the SheBelieves Cup on Wednesday, losing 2-1 to Colombia in San Diego in a result that sees the Matildas finish last in the tournament table.
The Matildas' poor start to games continued -- indeed they could have been behind within the first minute again -- after Wendy Bonilla found the back of the net in the 15th minute. Colombia pounced on a turnover and were fast and efficient in their counter; Mayra Ramírez playing a beautiful ball out to Bonilla before the Pumas striker produced a world-class finish to take the lead.
Matildas keeper Teagan Micah was forced into some stunning saves, while Colombia were breathing sighs of relief after gifting the Australians two chances they couldn't convert.
The Australians began to get more looks in in the second half but rarely tested Las Cafeteras custodian Natalia Giraldo. The equalising goal came via a healthy deflection after Hayley Raso twisted and turned to evade Colombia's defence.
But just as heavy deflections give, they take away, with the game-winning goal coming off the boot of Catalina Usme via a heavy deviation, leaving Micah stranded.
It's a disappointing end to the tournament for Australia who leave the United States with three losses, two shots on target, two goals, and eight conceded.
How much longer can the Matildas tread water?
The Matildas' Tom Sermanni Interlude™ is ballooning into a full-blown concerto with no end in sight. The team's issues are well established, the stakes are well known, and the caveats are no less valid.
There is a fair expectation that the Matildas win the Asian Cup on home soil with the tournament beginning in just 367 days. And there is a general understanding changes must be made to this team as it enters a new phase of its life.
At the moment, goals are hard to come by, the midfield's best look doesn't feel obvious, and things are leaky defensively. A total refresh feels necessary.
There is a large ticking clock, counting up, now sitting at 210 days since the Matildas bowed out of the Paris Olympics and the Tony Gustavsson era came to an end.
Sermanni has done the job that was asked of him, and yet here he is, still doing it. The man himself said he still expects to be on the touchline when the Matildas welcome South Korea to New South Wales for two friendlies in the April window.
However you want to describe it -- a holding pattern, treading water, standing still -- the point is Sermanni's interim stint has gone on far, far too long.
The time for the new coach was ideally the four-game window to end 2024. It absolutely needed to be this friendly tournament.
International football moves fast. And by staying still, the Matildas are essentially going backwards. Other nations are streaking ahead, leaving Australia behind tactically and personnel wise.
By not having the permanent coach at the helm, the regeneration of the squad continues to be delayed because it's not Sermanni's job to find another coach's next squad of players. It's also not Sermanni's job to decide how much of this core group of players is required in service of not just the Asian Cup but the World Cup (2027), the Olympics (2028) and then another Asian Cup (2029).
Football Australia's golden opportunity to give a new coach the chance to make changes and figure things out in low-pressure circumstances is being dawdled on. Could this inability to work out the kinks now impact not only a push for continental silverware but hamper preparations for the two international tournaments that follow? Will the Matildas always be a few windows behind where they need to be because of how this period was handled?
The distance between where the team is now and where it needs to be to achieve that goal of winning the Asian Cup next year on home soil is growing. With every passing window the degree of difficulty to bridge that gap is ramping up. With every passing window, the opportunities to blood new players, find the gems, and settle them into the squad grow fewer and further between. With every passing window, the new coach has less time to embed a distinct playing style, their own philosophies, and figure out how best to get Australia on the dais on the final day of a tournament.
If Football Australia get their preferred target, and everything works out for the best, then it'll have been a worthwhile gamble. But every day that passes -- every opportunity missed -- the risk feels more and more treacherous.
Micah is good, but we knew that in 2021
Micah retained the No. 1 spot to round out the Matildas' SheBelieves Cup campaign and almost immediately showed why.
Linda Caicedo and Ramirez combined in the seventh minute to progress Colombia up the pitch. Caicedo was able to ghost behind the Australian defence and had plenty of time to cut it back to Leicy Santos. The 28-year-old had enough time and space to side-foot the ball but Micah, at full stretch, was up to the task, diving along the pitch to keep it out of the net.
In her two games, Micah has been a vision. Calm, assured, and a great shot-stopper. The thing is, none of this information is particularly new. Micah has been this good since she made her debut back in 2021. It's the reason she was in goal for four of the Matildas' five matches at the Tokyo Olympics.
The biggest issue for the Liverpool goalkeeper has been ill-timed and lengthy injury issues. But with a clean bill of health and regular game-time at club level, Micah is more than just back in the conversation.
And after a strong showing in the SheBelieves Cup, that discussion will ramp up again ahead of the April window: who should be the Matildas starting goalkeeper?
Right now the answer is clearly Micah. It should become more competitive once Mackenzie Arnold is back in her proper season for the Portland Thorns. But Micah has earned an extended run as the No. 1.
Tillies caught flat-footed again
Of all the things the new Matildas coach will need to address once they arrive at the helm, and there are plenty, tightening things up at the back will be top of the list.
And not just in a general defensive sense but during a specific time period of matches. Against Japan, it was Mina Tanaka finding the back of the net in the sixth minute. It took Lynn Biyendolo 42 seconds for the United States. And Bonilla put Colombia ahead at the 15-minute mark.
The opening stanza of the game has not been good for the Matildas. Even beyond the goals scored, all of their opponents have looked strong to start the match, while the Aussies have looked startled by the jump; out of position, outpaced, and outsmarted.