AND THEY’RE OFF
The Games officially start Friday, but the first matches kicked of Tuesday
Although they got together for an expanded Under-20 camp a couple of months ago, the Canadian women’s Pan Am soccer team spent their first full practice day together on Tuesday.
The Mexican women’s team, which practised earlier in the day, has about three-quarters of their starters who have been together for eight months.
Only three members of Canada’s team were on the roster for the Women’s World Cup which just concluded, but at least eight of the Mexicans played in the Canada 2015 tournament.
“We were together, at least 15 of us, in Mexico City for eight months,” says midfielder Christina Murillo Ruiz.
“We are taking the Pan Am Games very seriously.”
Murillo is American-born and raised and postponed her senior year of eligibility at University of Michigan to play for the land of her heritage. She is a former college teammate of Canadian team members Nkem Ezurike and Shelina Zadorsky, and is one and one of a small handful of American-born players on the Mexican team.
“My college coach, Greg Ryan, is an excoach (2005-07) of the U.S. team and he talked to me about playing for Mexico because my style is more similar to Mexico’s,” she said after Tuesday’s practice.
“He thought I’d have a better opportunity in Mexico, and I have had better opportunities.”
And what is that Mexican style of play that she personifies?
“I feel like we get a little more freedom, that you can be a little more creative as opposed to American style, which is a lot about athleticism,” Murillo says.
“And clearly that style works for them, where ours is more about individual play with technical work ... it’s not so mechanical. It looks more like a South American football team.”
She says she and the other U.S.born players “have adapted to the culture of Mexico. It’s a very rich culture and I’m more of a part of it now, and I’m glad.”
Mexico, known as Tricolor, is not in Canada’s pool for the round-robin and faces Trinidad-Tobago, whom they had to beat in overtime to qualify for the World Cup, Argentina and strong Colombia.
According to Leonardo Cuellar, who has coached Mexico for 17 years, any three teams in the tournament could be the medallists.
“We earned a bronze medal in the previous Games (Guadalajara, 2011), so the intention is to step again onto the podium,” he says. “We’re hungry to have a good performance.
“Colombia is good, Argentina is preparing well, Costa Rica just had a great World Cup and had that whole team here. And Brazil won the silver medal four years go.
“It’s going to be a very even, attractive tournament for f ans in Canada.”