After hiring a permanent head coach in February, the Mexico Under-23 Women’s National Team is holding its first-ever camp, which got underway on Monday, March 31, at its federation’s High Performance Center.
In charge of the Mexico U-23s is Vanessa Martínez Lagunas (LinkedIn profile), who played collegiate soccer at the University of Texas and was capped by the senior Mexico Women’s National Team. Prior to being hired by the Mexico Football Federation, she served as the head coach of the women’s soccer program at Canada’s University of Manitoba (coach bio). Martínez has a doctorate degree in sports science from Leipzig University in Germany.
The 26-player roster for this camp, which runs through Tuesday, April 8, includes six players currently based in the United States. The remaining 20 athletes all play professionally in Mexico’s Liga MX Femenil.
The only NWSL professional is Angel City FC goalkeeper Breanna Norris, who was signed by ACFC on a roster relief contract that runs through the end of June (ACFC press release). The 5’10” Norris played four seasons of NCAA soccer at the University of Portland (player profile) where she was the West Coast Conference Goalkeeper of the Year in her final two seasons.
Five players called up are currently on collegiate teams: Maribel Flores, USC Trojans; Isabella Gutiérrez, East Carolina Pirates; Xcaret Pineda, Oklahoma State Cowgirls; Giana Riley, Florida State Seminoles; and Val Vargas, UCLA Bruins.
Continue reading “Mexico U-23 WNT: Mexico holds its first-ever Under-23 camp — One NWSL pro and five NCAA players called up”
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