Cowart vying for glory

Philippine national women's football team player Jessika Cowart simply can't wait to lend a helping hand to Perth Glory in the Australian A-League Women.

Cowart, a versatile player for the Filipinas who played in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup last July in Australia and New Zealand, wants to win the title with Perth after missing out on the semifinals last season.

Perth only finished sixth with 28 points behind a 8-4-6 win-draw-loss record.

"After multiple conversations with the coaching staff, I was impressed with their commitment not only to us as players on the field, but also as people off the field and that is a big reason why I signed for Glory," said Cowart, who moved from Swedish club IFK Kalmar.

"I am highly impressed by the environment that has been built and it's clear to me that this is a top organization and I'm honored to be a part of it. I hope to not only represent Perth well throughout the season, but also to help bring home a championship."

Cowart is the latest member of the Filipinas to play in the top Australian women's league, joining the likes of Sarina Bolden, who plays for the West Sydney Wanderers and Jaclyn Sawiki of Western United FC, whose head coach Mark Torcaso is also the main tactician for the national team.

The Filipino-American footballer is also set for a reunion of sorts with former Filipinas head coach Alen Stajcic, who now calls the shots for Perth's men's team.

Glory head coach Alex Epakis has faith in Cowart.

"Jess was a player who stood out to me during my time with the Philippines national team at the Women's World Cup. She comes to us after a great personal experience from that World Cup campaign and past exposure to some strong competition from her recent time playing in the Swedish top division," Epakis said.

"Jess has a really strong technical skill-set which will allow us to build up and start our attacks from deep areas and help us be the type of attacking team we want to be. She is a versatile player who can play across midfield and defense and has a great tactical understanding of the game."