With the build up to the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, and the first qualification for the Republic of Ireland Women's team, already in full swing, we have started compiling appearance statistics for the women's team, similar to the data we have published for the men's team, and this has led to something unexpected.
With almost 50 years of games to compile, fact checking can be a little time consuming, so it was decided to focus on a single player from the current squad, before expanding to the rest of the team, and then finally previous squads and games, and current captain Katie McCabe was the obvious choice.
After adding the lineups from McCabe's first cap against Hungary in 2015 until the her most recent cap in the play off against Scotland to the database, it was time to compare that data to an existing, trusted, source.
According to the database, McCabe has made 68 appearances for Ireland. That tallies with her total on wikipedia, and the amount listed on her profile on the FAI's website, so all is correct, right?
Well, maybe. According to this article on fai.ie, the midfielder earned her 50th cap against Belgium in April 2021 - McCabe proud to join WNT 50-cap club - and also includes the list of her appearances up to, and including, that game. There's just one problem - there's 51 games in the list! The list includes a 3-0 friendly loss against the USA Under 23s in January 2016, two days after facing the full USA Women's National team. Games against underage sides were not uncommon for the Women's team in the early 2000s, there were two friendlies against Iceland's U21s and four against Sweden's U21s, and a game against an Arsenal XI in 2008, but the game against the USA was the first against an underage side since facing Sweden's U21s in April 2005.
Training with a twist today as #IRLWNT play #USWNTU23 in a practice match. Good experience for young players! ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/outmejIhg9
— FAIreland ⚽️🇮🇪 (@FAIreland) January 25, 2016
What is even stranger is that, according to this report on soccerwire.com - U.S. U-23 WNT downs Ireland 3-0 at National Training Center - McCabe didn't play in that game, she was an unused substitute!
If we take that this game was included in the list by mistake, then it's still valid that McCabe made her 50th appearance against Belgium in April 2014, and currently has 68 caps, right?
Well, maybe. Ireland played two friendlies against Wales in August 2016. Katie McCabe started the first, a 0-0 draw, and came off the bench at half time in the second, going on to score twice in a 2-1 win.
These games, and the two goals, are not included in the list of 50 appearances on fai.ie. The squad announcement itself - Sue Ronan names Wales training camp squad - describes the two games as "challenge matches", i.e. not full internationals, so it's correct that they are not included in the list of 50 caps.
But it looks like they have been included in the list of 68 caps. Since the game against Belgium in April 2021, McCabe has played in a further 16 games. Added to the 50 caps, gives us 66 caps. Do the two appearances against Wales in the challenge games make up the missing two?
If they are counted, then, since they took place before the Belgium game, she actually made her 50th appearance against Germany in December 2020.
Should the two games, including the goals, against Wales be counted in Katie McCabe's international record? If they are now, why were they omitted at the time of the Belgium game?
How many caps does Katie McCabe actually have?
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