‘Sometimes football is so cruel’: Matildas star’s battle with her knee, foot and mind

The FOMO is real for Chloe Logarzo, in more ways than one. As the Matildas assemble in camp for the Cup of Nations – their last meaningful hit-out in Australia before they return for the Women’s World Cup in July – one of their mainstays is stuck in a strange kind of physical and mental limbo.

When Logarzo went down with an ACL injury against Ireland in September 2021, she knew it was bad news straight away – but she also did the maths, which told her there was more than enough time to be ready for a tournament which has become the focal point of every Matildas player’s life and career.

Matildas midfielder Chloe Logarzo has a battle on her hands to make the Women’s World Cup – but she’s up for it.Credit:Dean Sewell

What Logarzo, 28, didn’t count on were the mishaps that would come after she’d done the hard yards of her knee rehabilitation, as her other leg struggled to readjust to full athletic capacity again.

“My knee’s pretty good – like I really enjoyed the process, it went really quickly for me. But when you come back from your knee, because you’ve been out for so long, the likelihood of getting another injury that’s not related to the one that you have is quite high,” she said.

“It’s a bit shit, to be honest. Sometimes football is so cruel.”

The official diagnosis is plantar fasciitis in her left foot, and while it’s not a particularly serious injury, the worst part is she has been given no timeframe for recovery. It’s played havoc with what was supposed to be a triumphant return to the A-League for Western United – she’s played only six times for a grand total of 212 minutes, and zero starts.

Chloe Logarzo tore her ACL against Ireland way back in September 2021.Credit:Getty

At a time when she’s ready to jump out of her skin to prove her worth to Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson, Logarzo instead has to cool her jets, rest her foot and wait and see if it feels better.

Five months out from the World Cup, it’s akin to torture.

Because of her knee injury, Logarzo has only been in a handful of national team camps during Gustavsson’s reign, and while she was called up when Australia beat Sweden and Thailand last year, she did not get on the pitch.

Gustavsson is eager to give the tenacious midfielder every opportunity to be fit for the World Cup, but he can’t give her a guarantee.

Chloe Logarzo’s A-League return with Western United hasn’t gone to plan.Credit:Getty

“It just makes me a little anxious in regards to my position in the team,” said Logarzo, who was speaking as an ambassador for Under Armour to promote their partnership with Sydney WorldPride and the Mardi Gras.

“All the conversations that I’ve had, everyone’s like, ‘Oh, if you miss one camp, clearly it’s not going to be too bad. If you come back, and you get ready, you’ll be fine.’

“But I think sometimes people also forget that I did my knee, so I haven’t been in camp for the last year and a half. And I’ve only played 10 minutes for the national team in the last year and a half. So in that regard, I’m really stressed.”

Every major tournament has a heartbreak story, and despite her predicament, Logarzo is doing everything she can to ensure she’s not it.

She’s doing as much gym work as she possibly can, making all sorts of social sacrifices to ensure she is ready to hit the ground running with her American club Kansas City Current for the NWSL season, now that her loan stint in the A-League has ended. There’s still time for her to play up to 17 club games before the World Cup.

Occasionally, she has to take her frustrations out on a bucket of golf balls, even if it’s not the best idea for her foot.

“I went to the driving range yesterday,” she said.

“I’m like, ‘Oh, do I want to hit 100 balls and put myself in a position where I’m probably gonna be sore the next day?’ But I went and did it, because I’m getting to the point where I’m making myself depressed, because I’m not doing anything. And all I’m thinking about is making this national team.

“I do need to maybe distract myself from what’s going on so that I can potentially just relax a little bit. But I need to remind myself that it’s not from a lack of trying. I’ve left no stone unturned.

“If I don’t get myself in the position, or if my body doesn’t allow me to do it, it just it is what it is. I have tried everything and put 100 per cent effort into everything that I’ve done. I just need to keep on this path and doing what I’m doing, and if I meant to be there, then I’m meant to be there.”

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