Joy and despair as Vera Pauw names Ireland World Cup squad
The Ireland World Cup squad has been named by Vera Pauw.
Ireland Women’s manager Vera Pauw has named a 23-strong squad to compete at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
There are disappointments for Megan Campbell and Aoife Mannion who have failed to recover from respective injuries in time for the tournament.
Also missing out are Birmingham FC’s Jamie Finn and Liverpool forward Leanne Kiernan who, despite being important in the qualifiers, did not do enough to convince Pauw of places in the final selection.
Finn will at least be brought as one of three training players; the other two being Sophie Whitehouse and Harriet Scott.
Ireland World Cup squad named.
The final squad, consisting of 23 players, will travel to Australia on Friday, July 7 – the day after their final preparation against France in Tallaght Stadium.
The squad selection is however subject to change should any injuries occur in advance of the FIFA deadline on July 10.
That gives the likes of Finn a late chance of getting a late opportunity of breaking into the 23 at the expense of a teammate.
Speaking about her tough decisions, Pauw explained: “I’ve never experienced this before. It’s the bond that I have with these players, it’s the hard work.
“Also how they stood behind me in difficult times and how the FAI stood behind me. How Ireland has embraced me. Everything together.
“Telling players that really stood up for you that they are not going to the World Cup and breaking their dreams.
“They will make Ireland proud and you see the training sessions. But I spoke to Louise Quinn and she said she got hit by the pain of players missing out more than the celebration of making it.
“That shows how strong we have built together and how close we are. I had the hard task to be responsible for the final decision.”
Ireland WNT World Cup selection:
Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (Reading), Megan Walsh (Brighton & Hove Albion)
Defenders: Heather Payne (Florida State University), Áine O’Gorman (Shamrock Rovers), Niamh Fahey (Liverpool), Louise Quinn (Birmingham City), Diane Caldwell (Reading), Claire O’Riordan (Celtic), Megan Connolly (Brighton & Hove Albion), Chloe Mustaki (Bristol City), Izzy Atkinson (West Ham United)
Midfielders: Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Denise O’Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Lily Agg (London City Lionesses), Ruesha Littlejohn (Aston Villa), Ciara Grant (Hearts), Sinead Farrelly (NJ/NY Gotham), Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City)
Forwards: Kyra Carusa (London City Lionesses), Amber Barrett (Standard Liege), Marissa Sheva (Washington Spirit), Abbie Larkin (Shamrock Rovers)
Training Players: Sophie Whitehouse, Harriet Scott, Jamie Finn
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 – Group B
July 20 | Australia v Ireland, Stadium Australia, Sydney, KO 11:00 (Irish Time)
July 26 | Canada v Ireland, Rectangular Stadium, Perth, KO 13:00 (Irish Time)
July 31 | Ireland v Nigeria, Lang Park, Brisbane, KO 11:00 (Irish Time)
