Nix; Anthony replacement for injured Samba
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- 4 minutes ago
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The Wellington Phoenix have moved quickly to secure a short-term injury replacement for popular Nepalese forward Sabitra ‘Samba’ Bhandari.
The Phoenix have signed American striker Mackenzie Anthony for the remainder of the A-League season, after Samba suffered a season-ending knee injury in the team’s first match of 2026.
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Anthony, 24, is coming off a prolific rookie professional season for Shelbourne FC in the League of Ireland women’s premier division, following a standout college career at Baylor University and Michigan State University.
She scored 23 goals in 25 appearances for Shelbourne last year and was the second highest scorer in the division.
Phoenix head coach Bev Priestman is delighted to have signed someone of Anthony’s goalscoring calibre.
“Mackenzie’s played for a very good NCAA team in Michigan State and then obviously went on to be one of the top goalscorers in Ireland,” said Priestman.
“She clearly has an eye for goal and finishing ability in and around the box.
“Mackenzie will bolster our forward line and will really help us in this critical part of the season.
“Like every signing we’ve made, she’s also an unbelievable human being and someone that’s going to be great for the dressing room, which was really important to us.”
Mackenzie Anthony arrived in Wellington on Tuesday and joined the team for training today (Thursday, January 22).
“I’m excited,” Anthony said. “I’ve heard so many good things about this club. Everybody seems to love it so I’m just excited to be a part of it and be in New Zealand.
“I got a lot of confidence playing in Ireland, which was great. I scored a lot of goals and I loved Dublin, the team and the club, so it was a great first year as a pro. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.
“So coming here I feel like I’m ready for the A-League and I’m excited to see what I can bring to this competition, given it’s a different style of play.”
She is prepared for the transitional style of the A-League and believes she has the attributes to succeed.
“I’ve watched some games and I was like ‘wow, it’s going to be a lot of running’, but it’ll be good.
“At Baylor it was way more transitional, so I am used to that.
“I’m good at putting the ball in the net and holding the ball up. I also love taking on players one- vs-one and I’m good at aerial duels too.”
Anthony has been training in her hometown of Chicago at Bridges FC with a group of men’s players, who are turning pro or are in between clubs, since her season finished in Ireland in October.
“It was good. I wasn’t just training by myself which made it much easier. I’ve been working a lot on finishing, and I’ve been doing little scrimmages like 6-vs-6 and 7-vs-7.
“But I haven’t played a game in a while so I’m ready to play again.
“I feel good, healthy and fit, so I’m ready.”
Anthony will wear the no. 30 shirt for the Wellington Phoenix and will be eligible to make her debut as soon as she obtains her work visas.
Meanwhile Samba is close to finalising a date for her knee operation.
As is common practice with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures, surgery has had to wait until the swelling in her knee subsides.
Samba’s range of movement is improving each day and it’s hoped she’ll be able to have the operation before the end of the month.
The club wishes Samba all the best with her rehab and looks forward to seeing her back in Wellington Phoenix colours next season.