She may be about to reach a significant milestone but co-captain Lisa De Vanna is focused solely on delivering a perfect World Cup start for the Westfield Matildas.
The Aussies open their tournament against tournament favourites USA on Tuesday morning (AEST) in what will be De Vanna’s 100th ‘A’ international.
It’s a huge challenge for Alen Stajcic’s side, who have never beaten the USA in 25 previous clashes.
But the World Cup would be the perfect time to end that drought, on what will be an special occasion for the 30-year-old.
“Every game I play for the Matildas I wear my heart on my sleeve for my country and to finally make it to 100, it’s a big milestone,” De Vanna told reporters.
“It’s hard to focus on that when you’ve got such a big game. It’s a great honour and to be co-captain of this team just caps it off.
“For me, it’s about leaving a legacy and leading the team to be the best they can be. Winning that game, we’ve never beat the US before and to do it at a World Cup in front of millions of people and being captain you can’t put a fairytale ending to that.
“But the three points is what we want, the captaincy and the 100 caps, it’s not important.
“Because if we go out and get those three points it puts a statement to the rest of the world that Australia is here to take on the world.”
De Vanna, heading into her third World Cup, is a well-known threat to the USA defence due to her previous exploits on the world stage and her time playing in America.
Catley: We're not mates with USA
Asked if she would give her US ‘mates’ a bit of extra stick should the Matildas win, De Vanna said: “I try to be respectful because if it went the other way and around and they did the same thing to me they know exactly what the reaction would be.
“I’ve got to respect who they are and what they have done for their country.
“The reality is they have done well and won things and they deserve all the credibility but at the same time I’m not going to fear them.
“It’s now our time to show the world and show them what we’re capable of. It’s not about them anymore, it’s about us and that’s what we’re going to make it about.“
The Westfield Matildas will have their official familiarisation session at Winnipeg Stadium on Monday (AEST) in their last training session before their tournament opener.
All matches from the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015™ will be live on SBS ONE, SBS HD and online, with the only exceptions being the concurrent group stage matches which will be streamed live online at www.sbs.com.au/theworldgame.
