The Brazilian who came to break it (and not only in networks)
Imagine joining a new team, in a different country, and in your first tournament sending half of Mexico to the meme archive with 8 goals. This is what happened to Jheniffer Cordinali, the Brazilian forward who, between coffees and tacos, has already won the hearts of feline fans. But no, she didn’t come just for the Instagram highlights: she wants the Club World Cup on her resume, and if it’s with the women’s Tigres, the better.
After the league dream faded away (because football is sometimes more dramatic than soap operas), the cats now have their sights set on the Final Four of the Concacaf W. And there, as in an episode of “Who deserves the trophy more?”, they have to face the Portland Thorns, a team that, according to Cordinali, plays “as if they were in CrossFit.” Spoiler: the Mexicans are already preparing to keep up.
“It’s not a dream, it’s a goal” (and he means it)
Between interviews and training sessions, the Brazilian made it clear that she is not interested in cliché LinkedIn motivational phrases: “Every player dreams of a Club World Cup or playing in Europe, but here we have a real opportunity to achieve it.” In other words, it’s not just about posting “#Grateful” on Twitter, it’s about trying hard on the court.
And against Portland, the challenge is twofold: adapting to a more physical game (translation: less pretty dribbling and more collisions that look like scenes from Gladiator). But Tigres is not shrinking: they have been training for weeks as if they were going to a Spartan Race, because, in the end, what matters is reaching that final and putting Mexico on the map of women’s soccer.
The game will be this Wednesday, May 21 at the Universitario Stadium (8:30 PM, in case you want to organize the watch party). Meanwhile, in the other semifinal, América will face Gotham FC. Who knew that Mexican women’s soccer would give so much to talk about?
Are you going to miss it? Share this note and follow the coverage so you don’t miss a single detail of this continental battle. #TigresALaFinal
