Women’s national soccer teams of Colombia, Argentina playing friendly Saturday in Davie
The national women’s soccer teams of Colombia and Argentina will play a friendly match Saturday night in South Florida, four months after their men’s teams met in a memorable Copa America final in front of a sellout crowd of nearly 70,000 fans at Hard Rock Stadium.
Lionel Messi left the field in tears that night after injuring his ankle, and Argentina won 1-0 in a game marred by unruly fans who stormed stadium entrances.
The women’s match Saturday, at 7 p.m. at NSU Stadium in Davie, is being billed as La Revancha (“The Rematch”), and is expected to draw a spirited, but tamer crowd.
Colombia and Argentina are among the best women’s teams in South America.
The Colombian national team is ranked among the top eight in the world, having reached the quarterfinals of the 2023 Women’s World Cup and the 2024 Olympics. The team includes internationally recognized players such as Mayra Ramirez (Chelsea), Leicy Santos (Washington Spirit), and captain Catalina Usme (Galatasaray).
Argentina’s Albiceleste team is ranked top three in South America and has qualified for the last three Women’s World Cups. The Argentine team features Yamila Rodriguez (Santos), Sophia Braun (Spokane Zephyr FC), Aldana Cometti (Madrid CFF), and Romina Nuñez (Betis).
“Women’s soccer has grown a lot in South America, and Colombia is a good testament to that,” said Braun, a 24-year-old dual citizen of the United States and Argentina who grew up in Portland, Oregon, and plays professionally in the USL women’s league.
“We’ve seen how quickly Colombia has grown into a world powerhouse. They can compete against anyone and showed it at the World Cup. So, we’re real excited. Being able to have opportunities like this, to play against a Colombian team that has grown so much is a real good chance for us to show the growth we’ve made, as well.”
Argentina coach German Portanova added: “Playing against Colombia is incredible for us. We believe they are a step ahead because they have a great generation of talented players, many of whom are stars on their teams abroad. Facing this type of rival is essential for us, especially looking ahead to the Copa América 2025.”
Although Braun grew up in the United States, she is proud to represent Argentina and it means a lot to her Argentinean grandparents, Perla and Bernardo Wais, and mother, Katrina Braun, who emigrated to Oregon at age 24.
“Soccer has been my way of connecting with my Argentinean side,” said Braun, who scored a goal in the 2023 World Cup. “My grandparents are huge River Plate fans, so seeing the soccer scene in Argentina definitely strengthened my love for the game.”
Cata Roggerone, a sophomore midfielder at Cal State-Bakersfield, is from Mendoza, Argentina, and moved to the United States to play college soccer. She was part of a historic season this year as the Roadrunners made the Big Sky championship game for the first time.
Braun and Roggerone have followed Messi since they were little and say he is a big inspiration.
“I follow Inter Miami and Messi a lot,” said Braun, who attended the Inter Miami game at Kansas City this season. “All of us girls on the team do. We love Messi. He’s our idol and our everything. Being able to watch him play and see his journey has been so special, and it’s something we pay attention to. Seeing all the Argentine people that have rallied around him and Inter Miami has been super cool, which is why we’re so excited to be down in the Miami area, around that hype.”
Roggerone is also a big fan of newly hired Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano, a former Argentine star player.
“I watched a lot of videos of Mascherano because I play the same position, holding midfielder, and I wanted to see how he does it,” said Roggerone, who is also a fan of Marta (Brazil), Lindsey Horan (USA) and Florencia Bonsegundo (Argentina).
Roggerone and Braun are pleased to see women’s soccer growing in South America.
“We’re still far behind the United States and Europe, but we’re on the right path and getting more support,” Roggerone said.
Angelo Marsiglia, Colombia’s coach said of the game: “Argentina is a strong and competitive rival. We chose to play against them because they are part of the national teams that we will face in our next international tournament. For the players, it is important to compete against strong teams that are in the FIFA rankings, such as the ‘Albicelestes’, who together with Brazil and Colombia are among the protagonists of the continent.”
NSU Stadium (7530 SW 30th St, Davie) is home to Fort Lauderdale United FC of the USL Super League. Tickets are available at tickets.com