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The Matildas will face a huge test of their credentials later this month with confirmation they will play world champions the United States in two friendlies on home soil.
- USA defeated Australia 4-3 in the bronze medal match at Tokyo Olympics
- Matildas have only beaten USA once in their past 11 meetings, a 1-0 win at the 2017 Tournament of Nations
- Australia boss Tony Gustavsson was assistant with the USA up until 2019, helping them win Olympic gold and two Women's World Cups
The fixtures — to be played at Sydney's Olympic stadium on November 27 and Newcastle's McDonald Jones Stadium on November 30 — will be the USA's first visit to Australia in 21 years.
With venue capacities for both matches lifted by the New South Wales government, Football Australia will be hoping to collectively break the previous home attendance record for a Matildas game, which currently stands at 33,000 when Australia played Sweden at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
The USA games come hot on the heels of the recent clashes with traditional rivals Brazil, which saw the Matildas win the first match and draw the second.
The USA series also folds into Football Australia and Tony Gustavsson's longer-term preparations for next year's Asian Cup and the 2023 Women's World Cup, testing the Matildas' mettle against higher-quality opponents more regularly.
"This is a vital and final opportunity to see the players against an extremely high-quality nation before we select the final squad for the AFC Women's Asian Cup," Gustavsson said.
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"Meeting the US women's national team on home soil will mark the sixth unique opponent in the top 10 that this team would have faced in 2021.
"With each match, we are continuing to get one day better as a team, and at the same time providing invaluable experience to the younger players in the roster."
Australia and the US have a long-standing rivalry in the women's game and met in the Olympic bronze-medal clash in Tokyo, with the Americans claiming the honours.
The Australians will be seeking revenge for that defeat, but the historic odds are stacked against them, having only ever defeated the top-ranked USA once in the past two decades.
Gustavsson also has strong personal links to the USA team, having been an assistant coach from 2012 until the team's 2019 World Cup triumph in France. He helped them win both a gold medal at the London Olympics and back-to-back Women's World Cups.
AAP/ABC