Even with its elimination against the defending European champions in the quarterfinals of the World Cup, Colombia's run should only be the start of something extraordinary in going forward.
Following a disappointing 2018 Copa América Femenina, Colombia's WNT was determined to demonstrate to the rest of the world what its program was all about. When the United States bowed out, there was a team the entire country could root for.
Equipped with scarce resources, and a federation that has thrown constant abuse at the women's national team, the Colombians pushed forward against the best of the best around the world. Similar to numerous federations in the Americas, the men at the top of the food chain have discarded the women footballers which has made development as taxing as possible.
The path to the 2023 Women's World Cup kicked off in front of 15,000 fans at the Estadio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero against Paraguay. From that match on, there seemed to be a different energy surrounding Colombia's WNT, most of it due to the excitement of 18-year-old Linda Caicedo debuting in her first tournament on the senior level.
The team was not just content with a second-place finish in the Copa América Femenina. These players, and their coach wanted more. Months after that match, the side bowed out in a quarterfinal after winning over the hearts of more than just its nation.
The run can to an end at the hands of the defending European champions in the narrowest of fashions in a stadium of nearly 78,000 people. Nelson Abadía's side feared nobody, using a combination of flare and physicality to frustrate its opposition. The South American side finished sixth in successful take-ons while sitting at the top for yellow cards along with Jamacia through five contests. The team may be out, but the impact of this squad hopes to spark a new beginning.
Some consider it a defeat, but in reality, the match has been lit. Well, it should have been ignited a long time ago, but that is the depressing speed at which powerful men run when it comes to the progression of women's football. Millions of Colombians were taken in by this team, setting up for a future that should be filled with nothing but constant progressions upward.
Former Colombia women's national team player, Melissa Ortiz kept it real after her nation's tournament came to a valiant conclusion, per FOX Sports:
"Keep fighting for the future generations so that there is more support, so that the league has more support, so that there is more funding and backing. If we see how much successful we've been without that much funding and not as much support as, say England, imagine what we could do with much more backing."
Everything Ortiz said is the absolute truth. Every federation has to take this mentality into the investment of women's football in the future. Colombia's performance in the springboard. It won't be an easy fight. Nothing is when it comes to taking the women's game to new heights. With the kind of determination and pride they played with on the pitch, there is little doubt that the players and staff from this World Cup team will demand more respect on the international and club levels.
Four nations have already clinched a spot at the Olympic Games in Paris, France next year in women's football. Colombia is one of them. CONMEBOL and CONCACAF are the only two federations that have already decided at least one nation that will be a part of the games. That does not include the host country, France. With what has to be considered stiffer competition, Las Cafeteras have the chance to produce even more magic.
Colombia's historic run should send a message to federations all over the world, including its own
This was a journey defined by inspirational grit and passion from a group that mostly compete in a club league few even knew existed. Catalina Usme began her international career during a time in which her country had never made a World Cup. Now, the nation's all-time leading goal scorer has the task of taking what her team did on the international level and translating it into something substantial. Seeing more and more Colombian players competing on teams like Real Madrid in Liga F or sides in the National Women's Soccer League is only going to move the national team up another notch.
In men's football, it is incredibly straightforward to build off momentum like this. Obstacles constantly present themselves to women. Colombia made history on the pitch, now it is time this team is given much more respect than it has been given since its inception. Investing in women's football is not a risky business decision. It is one that is bound to pay off, especially when your country possesses as much talent as Colombia.
