A new hope begins for women’s football in Colombia.The U-20 team is making its debut in a World Cup in which it will be at home, in which it will have the public in its favour and in which, in addition, it will be fighting for an unprecedented title. To do so, it has the core of the team that, a couple of years ago, was on the verge of becoming champion in the under-17 category.
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Led by Linda Caicedo, coached by Carlos Paniagua, the same one who directed that World Cup final in India, in 2022, against the superpower Spain, and with 11 players from that squad, reinforced with the best of the youth category, Colombia will play this Saturday at El Campín against Australia (6 p.m., with Caracol, RCN and DSports signals).
Paniagua is confident that this reinforced base of the U-17s, which also arrives with 23 preparation matches under its belt, counting the South American Championship in the category and the Sud Ladies Cup, has the football to write a story with a happy ending.
“If we analyze what happened in 2022, we have to remember that we had a team with character, with mental strength, and from there we began to work step by step to live a dream, which was to play in the final of a World Cup, which is something important for both a footballer and a coach anywhere in the world,” Paniagua recalled.
Carlos Paniagua, coach of the Colombian Women’s Under-20 Team.
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Colombia’s three absentees for the U-20 Women’s World Cup
“Now, returning to the present, the team has changed because we now have much more mature players, and everything comes from the experience they acquired in the South American youth soccer tournaments, Pan American Games, and Bolivarian Games that they played in along the way. Players such as Linda Caicedo and Ana María Guzmán have also established themselves at an international level, and it is a shame that we do not have her with us due to her injury, but I believe that this team is the result of a process,” added the coach.
Linda Caicedo.
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Guzmán, Stefanía Perlaza and Daniela Garavito, who was left out at the last minute, are Colombia’s absences for the tournament. But there is already a base that is increasingly consolidated and mature for its age, who hope to get a victory to rekindle hope. And that has to do not only with football, but also with mentality.
“Working with psychologist Rafael Zabaraín is essential in this process. I also try to take the pressure off the players. I tell them: ‘This wonderful opportunity we have here in Colombia, with our people, with our families, with the journalists and with all the people who love us, has to be a point in our favour’. Without a doubt, there is a feeling of commitment and responsibility on our part to come and play a World Cup at home, so we have to work on the mental side to control emotions, which are so variable at this age, but the team is doing very well both physically and psychologically and we hope to have a positive debut,” insisted the coach.
Team captain Mary José Álvarez is aware of the responsibility they have.In addition to the message to them, the message also goes to me: enjoy this experience and let’s play like the girls who want to play our World Cup in Colombia, like those girls who dreamed for a long time of debuting in a World Cup; in addition, it is a great opportunity for all of us because more than one of us has the possibility of being at this event and living this beautiful experience and assuming it with full responsibility.”said.
At a time when the senior team is undergoing a change, this generation is beginning to ask for a chance. Linda Caicedo has already arrived, and there are others who are ready. It is time to show why.
Jose Orlando Ascencio
Sports Deputy Editor
@josasc
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