America, great champion of the Women's League

[Akrapovic]

He defeated Medellin on the global scoreboard and lifted his first title.

  The players of America fought for two years to get a star in the Women's League, but had not been able to get there: Santa Fe, champion of the first edition, eliminated them in 2017 and last year they got them by Atlético Huila, who also turned around Olympic, last year. The third time was the charm: they achieved the title, but not before giving a show of struggle and character against a team that was about to take the series to the tiebreaker from the penalty spot.

  América lost 2-1 with Independiente Medellín-Intimate Forms, but had begun to define the title last Tuesday in Cali, with a blunt 2-0. And to that advantage he added one more goal.

The play that defined the third edition of the Women's League, at 21 minutes, was born from both ends of the squad. First, the pass of the most experienced team, the one that has played world and Olympic, which has fought for this tournament to grow, Catalina Usme. And then, the auction of a girl who is opening field. And the girl thing is not pejorative: Linda Caicedo, the author of the goal of America, is just 14 years old.

So small is Linda Caicedo, who will not be able to enjoy the sports prize that America will receive, play the Women's Libertadores Cup, because the regulations of that tournament only allow players older than 16.

“I am very happy, I did not think that this tournament was going to be like that but God gave me the opportunity to play with the biggest team in this country. The team always supported me and there are no words to describe this, ”said the small figure of America, who also established herself as the scorer of the third edition of the tournament, an honor shared with Venezuelan Joemar Guarecuco of Cortuluá. He made seven goals in the tournament.

With three goals down, Medellin played it all. Since the beginning of the game he had tried to drown his rival, he pressed well up, but was exposed to a counterattack, as happened with the goal of Linda Caicedo. But he quickly achieved a goal that lit the illusion of 28,263 spectators, the best assistance of the 2019 edition of the tournament: it was scored by Laura Aguirre, on penalty, after a push from Kelly Caicedo to Oriánica Velásquez.

The atmosphere gave for a dramatic end, because in the second half there was a tremendous downpour that ended up filling the Atanasio Girardot stadium with puddles. Medellin, it must be recognized, perhaps he deserved at least to go to the penalties, but he lacked effectiveness and also, the goalkeeper of America, Natalia Giraldo, took several goal balls. He could not avoid 2-1, with a shot from far away from Paula Botero, at 24 of the second stage.

America endured with the 11 that started, because the DT of the new champion, Andres Usme, did not know how to move the team. He made a change in the end, out of pure fatigue of those who left ...

“Forgive me the word, but what a child ... so hard game. It was in my land, in my house, against my former companions that I love them, but this was the work that we came to do, ”said Catalina Usme, forged in Intimate Forms, but now, historical figure and player with more games in history of the América in the Women's League: 36 appearances and 24 goals.