Cooney-Crossing the Threshold
The rise of Kyra Cooney-Cross through the Australia Matildas football ranks, and an analysis of where she can improve even further
For Kyra Cooney-Cross, it has been a sharp, inexorable rise through the ranks of Australian football.
After starring for Melbourne Victory in the 20/21 season, she not only earned her first call up to the Australian Women’s National team, but has gone on to play in every single one of the Matildas’ matches since, including at the Olympics.
Cooney-Cross’ role has only grown further since Japan, and she has cemented herself as one of the “core” members of the squad, as head coach Tony Gustavsson calls it. In the pair of Brazil friendlies last month, she was entrusted with the starting lone centre midfielder role as Gustavsson experimented with a 4–1–4–1 formation.
After the Republic of Ireland friendly in September, the 19-year-old was singled out by the Swede for praise. “I think she played very mature tonight, she didn’t look like a young, inexperienced player,” he gushed.
“Especially when she played in that six role and kind of glued our team together with changing the point and winning balls. I think she gave away the ball once in the whole first half.”
That holding “No. 6” role is multi-faceted, with responsibility to shield the backline, and support the more attacking players at the same time. But it is not hard to see how Cooney-Cross curries favour so quickly, even for such an important role in the middle of the pitch.
An uptick in minutes has seen her increasingly display her level-headed smoothness on the ball, coupled with great vision and a range of passing to capably be the team’s central link.
Her football sense is impressive; constantly playing with her eyes up, scanning for space and options ahead of time.
Here, in the first half of the opening game against Brazil, the Victorian has her head on a swivel, looking for pressure from Seleção defenders, before the pass from Kyah Simon is even played.
Facing back round to the front, she knows her left-sided options are being closed down, and instead finds Tameka Yallop with a searching long ball down the right wing.
Another example from the 55th minute; as the ball is spread across the backline, Cooney-Cross again displays the foreknowledge of her positioning’s importance as an open outlet.
She finds a soft spot in midfield between Brazilian lines, giving herself the opportunity to rake a ball across to Caitlin Foord, putting the winger through one-on-one versus her defender.
Certainly though, there are still areas of Cooney-Cross’ game with room for improvement— that is understandable for someone still a teenager, playing the most difficult level of competition of her life.
As the skill of the opposition rises, the pace of the match does as well.
Back in the 23rd minute of the same friendly against Brazil, she looks to receive a ball out from the back, under relatively little opposition.
However, instead of taking a touch, she lets it run past her, misjudging the amount of room she has. Two Brazilian forwards immediately close her down, and the loss of possession forces her defenders back into action.
In the second USA friendly, another early example in transition, further up the field, after receiving a sharp pass from Emily Van Egmond after a turnover.
There is a gaping area for Cooney-Cross to play through Simon on the left with a first time ball.
The 19-year-old dallies though, taking a touch to steady herself, which affords USA right-back Sofia Huerta enough time to get back and disrupt the move.
Georgia Yeoman-Dale, on colour commentary for the Brazil match, summarised, “International football is just that one or two metres faster than the domestic league. You learn very quickly what you can’t do at international level, you have to be very sure of your touches and your ability to roll out.”
“In that defensive midfield role, you can’t get that wrong because your backline is straight under pressure.”
By far, the defensive side of her game requires the most work, something that was exposed on a number of occasions across the Brazil and USA series.
Notice US striker Ashley Hatch, in just the 4th minute of the second exhibition match, who forces the original turnover of possession near the centre circle.
From her knees, she is able to get up, stream past midfielders Van Egmond and Cooney-Cross, and deposit the cut back, completely unmarked in the box.
Developing that level of defensive awareness and tactical nous will take time for Cooney-Cross.
Back in the opening stages of the first Brazil friendly, she looks to constrict space after a throw-in, anticipating an opportunity to cut out a pass.
But Giovana is able to deftly reangle her pass into the space the Australian leaves behind, sending Ary Borges away at a now exposed defence.
That eager naivete was on display again in the 71st minute.
As Debinha receives a ball from the wing, the teenager gets too tight in her attempt to close down. The Brazilian forward simply allows the ball to roll across her body and plays it past Cooney-Cross, opening up clear channels to those ahead.
Similarly in the second Brazil game, a loose ball finds it way to Duda, though in a seemingly controlled situation.
However again, the Australian midfielder pushes forward too brazenly. Duda is able to drop her shoulder, change directions, and then has the expanse of the midfield space to sprint into, as Cooney-Cross is again left to play catch up.
She will need to learn to balance those aggressive pressures and interception attempts with more conservatively protecting her backline and blocking off dangerous passing lanes.
Again in the first Brazil match, Cooney-Cross is slow to cover either of two forward options behind her, as the Selecao bring the ball through the middle third of the pitch.
She is not punished, as Ary Borges opts for the ball out to the wing.
But as the play progresses, the Australian midfielder continues to lag behind her defensive assignment, and Kerolin, wide open on the 18-yard line, just fails to bring the cross under control.
A lot of eyeballs will be on the Victorian’s progression in what seems to be her last season at home, before heading overseas. Cooney-Cross will be expected to dominate the competition, having won Young Player of the Year, and finished runner-up for the Julie Dolan Award.
Questions about how much more room there is to grow at the A-League level have been asked, and whether the external challenge to raise her game will be there domestically. She may also in fact play more of a box-to-box No. 8 role for Victory instead of the deeper-lying midfield position.
That is why the international matches are an important marker for her to gauge where she is at against top level competition, and where she can continue to improve even further.
Based on her steep trajectory within Gustavsson’s Matildas set-up already, you would back her to continue to scale new heights — her internal motivation and self-drive pushing her, especially with the major Asian Cup and World Cup tournaments around the corner.
Speaking just after Melbourne Victory’s grand final win earlier this year, Cooney-Cross resolved, “I want to continue getting better, improving my game.”
“The World Cup in Australia is definitely my aim.”
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