Carlos Paniagua brought extensive experience in the formative categories of Colombian soccer when He was appointed coach of the women’s youth teams in December of last year. But he had also already worked with women’s teams.
All that experience helped him to put together, against the clock, a competitive team that, until now, has had a devastating step in the South American U-17 team in Uruguay.
looking for the title
On Wednesday, Colombia achieved its fifth classification for the World Cup in the category, which this time will be played in India. But Paniagua goes for more: he wants to be crowned champion, something he has already achieved with a Colombian men’s team: he was an assistant to Carlos ‘Piscis’ Restrepo in the team that was first in the South American U-20 in 2013.
“We are left with a very positive balance. Since I met for the first time with this group in December, the objective was this, to qualify for the World Cup, and we have done it in great detail. We have played six games, they have all won and now we want to be champions,” said Fututo, the nickname that made him famous on the Antioquia soccer fields.
Paniagua put together a group with a lot of professional experience, in a women’s league that, although it is quite short, has opened space for many players, starting with Linda Caicedo, one of the great figures of this squad: just 17 years old , already has 33 professional matches and two titles, one with América and another with Deportivo Cali.
In the first championship that Linda won, in 2019 with América, Paniagua himself was a victim of his talent: he was the Medellín-Formas Íntimas coach who lost the final of that tournament. Caicedo scored a goal in the second leg at the Atanasio Girardot.
Around Linda, Paniagua put together a very competitive team, secure in defense, with several very talented players who have been opening up the field and who are now going for more. The challenge, for the last game, is to keep the team physically fit, after a great wear and tear: he had to play six games in a span of just 14 days.
“We hope to recover the group well physically. We played out there at 30 degrees of temperature, even in the intermission (of the match against Chile, in which she secured the classification), Gabriela Rodríguez had a physical difficulty, it is not serious, but we decided to take care of her for what is to come, ”said the coach.
The relief is ready
Colombia’s main goal in the South American tournament in Uruguay, to qualify for the World Cup, is ready. Now comes the biggest prize, getting a title that is already in the windows of the Colombian Football Federation: he got it in 2008.
That team was the basis of the vast majority of the achievements of women’s soccer in the country in recent years, including gold at the Pan American Games in Lima in 2019 and qualifications for the Senior World Cups in 2011 and 2015: Natalia Gaitán, Paola Sánchez , Yoreli Rincón, Liana Salazar, Tatiana Ariza, Ingrid Vidal… Now, Paniagua is preparing the group that is gradually getting ready to take over.
“Very grateful to the executive committee of the Federation, which gave me this beautiful opportunity to be in charge of this Selection. I am very grateful and very proud to have fulfilled both the Federation and the country. Also enormous thanks to the players, for all the dedication they have had in these six games, for the love, the joy, the sense of belonging and sweating this shirt, ”he said.
“To the coaching staff: in December we did not have Christmas parties, we have been working from then until now, seeking this goal. To the families of the players and ours, who sacrifice themselves on special dates and allow us to enjoy this and give satisfaction to the country”, he added.
The last rival will be Brazil, tomorrow, at the Charrúa stadium (6:30 pm). It also comes with perfect campaign. The fight for the South American crown is between two overwhelming teams. And Paniagua and his group want to keep the trophy.
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