'Record speed' boosts Canberra United's A-League Women title hopes

Ahead of their season-opener against Adelaide United this weekend, coach Njegosh Popovich has warned rival A-League Women teams that his side are coming into the 2023-24 season armed with pace never seen before.

"They're very quick. We have record speed in comparison to the last few years within the whole group as an average, and we're looking for some exciting football this season," he said.

"Apart from two players during our fitness testing, everyone else is [running] over 30km/h which is pretty impressive."

For comparison, when sprint king Usain Bolt set the 100m world record in 2009 with a time of 9.58 seconds he had an average ground speed of 37.58km/h, with a top speed of 44.72km/h.

And the fastest player in the NRL, Bulldogs star Josh Addo-Carr, has been clocked at a top speed of 38.1km/h.

Popovich said Young Matildas defender Sasha Grove and United striker Michelle Heyman are the biggest speed demons but the team as a whole bring plenty of pace.

"I definitely believe we have a massive advantage across the board compared to other sides," he said.

"Sasha is probably one of the fastest players in the competition for her age, without a doubt, and you've got Michelle Heyman, who's forever young, and is keeping the younger ones accountable.

"Other younger players like Sofia Christopherson and Hayley Taylor-Young have extreme speed, but across the board, there's not much between them."

Christopherson re-signed this week, with another Canberra United Academy product, Maia Cameron also a new addition at centreback, along with goalkeeping duo Coco Majstorovic and Georgia Ritchie.

With the squad locked in, United are ready to get down to business and get their campaign underway.

Canberra are under no illusions they have one of the youngest teams in the competition, but Popovich said they must not be underestimated.

"We're looking at the seven in the group that have not debuted in the A-League yet, so there's a good opportunity for everyone during the course of the season to get some game time and make that debut," he said.

"Anyone that's Canberran will tell you that we're always looked at as the minnow. But across all codes we've had success with that, so I think that it's good to be the underdog."

United are going in confident they can go that little bit further than last season and reach the finals, despite the loss of some key playmakers and the reliance on youth.

The focus is reaching the top four but with two away games in Adelaide and Melbourne to start the season, it will be a tough test to get off to a strong start.

American recruit Cannon Clough said the away games will only help galvanise the team though, especially new players like herself.

"We're really excited to get on the road together," she said.

"I think there's something special about being on the road together - it's extra bonding.

"We get to know each other better which is good for chemistry on and off the field."

Canberra kick off their season against Adelaide United on Sunday afternoon.

Sunday: Adelaide United v Canberra United, Hindmarsh Stadium, 3pm.

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