21-year-old striker Kahli Johnson said that she is excited to be a part of her first senior national team camp, and is looking forward to learning as much as she can from the experience.
The newly called-up CommBank Matilda was speaking to the media in Melbourne on Tuesday morning ahead of the team’s two-game series against Argentina.
“There's so much experience in this team, a lot of great players, and I'm really excited to train with them and get as much as I can out of it,” she said.
“There are some great players like Caitlin Foord and Steph Catley - they obviously have so much experience. Emily Van Egmond is the same. So I’ll be soaking up as much as I can from them, seeing how they carry themselves, and just trying to see what it's like to be a top footballer like they are.
“It's [getting called up] a bit of a pinch-me moment. I've seen some of my friends do it over the past few months, and so getting an opportunity to do it myself is pretty cool.”
Johnson made the move from Western United in the A-League Women to Calgary Wild FC in the new Northern Premier League competition in Canada at the beginning of 2025.
She said that embracing a new country and new culture has enriched her football.
“A big part of me moving from Sydney to Melbourne [in 2022] was to gain that life experience, and I think I was able to do that,” she said.
“Equally, when moving to Calgary, I was very lucky that I fell into a great group of people. I’ve met some amazing people so far, and created a really nice environment around me. That's enabled me to do what I need to do on the field.
“I was really excited to learn from new players and new coaches, and hopefully I'm taking that next step as a player.”
She recounted the moment that she found out she had been called up to the national team.
“I woke up to it on the day of a game. I wasn't expecting it that morning, but kind of opened my phone and it was right there,” she recalled.
“It was in the middle of the night here [in Australia], so I couldn't really call home. I was kind of trying to stay reserved about it, because I had a game later that afternoon.
“After that game, I got to call home and tell my parents. That was pretty special. It was a great moment.”
In terms of the games ahead, Johnson is expecting a physical battle against an established football nation.
“Everyone knows that they're very well known in the football world, so I think it's going to be a pretty cool experience to play a team like that,” she said.
“They're going to be very technical, very good on the ball - but equally, I think we have a great style of play, and we'll be able to match it.
“We're taught from a very young age here in Australia to be physical and to establish ourselves on the pitch. So I think we'll be fine with that [physicality].”
COMMBANK MATILDAS | MATCH SCHEDULE | MAY / JUNE 2025
Match One
CommBank Matildas v Argentina
Date: Friday, 30 May 2025
Kick-off: 8.00pm AEST
Venue: Marvel Stadium, Melbourne
TV Broadcast: Network 10, 10 Play and Paramount+
Radio Broadcast: ABC Listen App
Tickets: matildas.com.au/tickets
Match Two
CommBank Matildas v Argentina
Date: Monday, 2 June 2025
Kick-off: 7.30pm AEST
Venue: GIO Stadium, Canberra
TV Broadcast: Paramount+ exclusive
Radio Broadcast: ABC Listen App
Tickets: matildas.com.au/tickets
