Puerto Rico’s national under-17 women’s soccer team will make history by participating in the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup for the first time, starting on Saturday in Marruecos. The team, led by coach Andrés Mirabelli, will face off against Corea del Norte, the current world champion, in their first match. Mirabelli stated that the team is planning their strategy carefully to achieve the best possible result, acknowledging that Corea del Norte is the toughest opponent in the tournament.
The team has been preparing for the tournament with training camps in California, New Jersey, and Spain, where they played two friendly matches against Sweden. Defender Camila Adame Lugo, who was born in Florida to a Puerto Rican mother and Dominican father, is one of the team’s key players and has a special connection to the island, having spent time with her maternal grandfather in Puerto Rico.
The team is determined to make the most of this opportunity to compete against top teams and demonstrate their skills. They will also face Nigeria and Poland in the group stage, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the knockout stage.