The superpowers of Colombian soccer are close to glory in the Copa América

The loud music stops in a bar in the north of Bogotá and in its place the sound of the television signal is activated.

It is the match of the Colombian women's soccer team against Chile with more than 18,000 spectators at the Centenario stadium in Armenia (Quindío).

It is 7 pm on a holiday Wednesday, the same day that the new Congress of the Republic has been installed.

It is the first time that the left will not be in the opposition but as support for the elected president, Gustavo Petro.

The possession of parliamentarians matters little or nothing to those who are there, drinking beer, talking about anecdotes among friends.

They are not distracted.

Their voices intermingle with that of the match narrator.

The women's team seeks to qualify for the semifinal of the Copa América 2022.

They have won three matches against Paraguay (4-2), Bolivia (3-0) and Ecuador (2-1).

Their triumph could leave them just two steps away from winning the cup for which a total of ten South American countries compete.

Few tables are occupied in the bar, surrounded by yellow, blue and red screens and balloons.

It is the date of celebration of 212 years of the Independence of Colombia and the tones of the flag are also displayed in businesses and homes as a symbol of patriotism.

The rest of the tables remain solitary, waiting for the public.

- What if the men's team were playing?

- “Uff, this would be

.

I wouldn't be alone.

We would be at least four waiters”, says Alexander Sánchez, a worker at the place.

The narrator announces the beginning of the game.

Only three minutes go by when striker Catalina Usme scores the team's first goal.

“Great goal from my Colombia… Linda Caicedo filtered the ball and Catalina did not hesitate.

She hit him with her left leg.”

The excited voices on the television break up the conversations of the late-night visitors, distracted in the labyrinth of their own stories.

“Goool!” They join in, shout and applaud with emotion.

In the stadium, a push of hugs from her teammates surrounds the author of the goal while the grandstand rises and shouts: "Colombia, Colombia!"

They hit the palms of their hands to the rhythm of the heartbeat of a still young hobby.

Catalina Usme, a 32-year-old woman from Antioquia, was the top scorer in the 2020 Women's Copa Libertadores in Argentina.

Her performance in the tournament and in the Colombian league in 2021, motivated that year her nomination for best player in the world by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics.

Just eight minutes later, Daniela Arias scores the second goal, taking advantage of a rebound in the area after a shot by midfielder Diana Ospina.

“How did you hit that ball… Colombia's goal!” sings the narrator.

Arias, who plays as a defender at age 29, is a gold medalist at the 2019 Pan American Games in Peru.

She had also scored in the match against Bolivia.

"What happens is that these girls lack support," says the bar waiter while he watches the repetition of the play that, once again, makes the Armenian stadium vibrate.

Catalina Usme of Colombia, right, celebrates with her teammates after scoring against Chile. Dolores Ochoa (AP)

Another man, at one of the tables, puts his hands to his head with each risk move.

He works hard for the women of the national team.

At minute 37 the anxiety calms down.

The third goal arrives.

“How did Manuela Vanegas catch that ball, my God!” shouts the narrator.

Vargas inherited his taste for soccer from his father.

As a player from Antioquia, she was a youth champion and a National Games champion, and she has represented the country in several championships.

The 21-year-old also scored a goal in the team's debut against Paraguay on July 8.

That day, the players raised their fists while the national anthem was played in a protest that contained a cry of years, demanding equality in Colombian soccer.

A couple arrives at the bar in the middle of the game.

He sits at one of the empty tables, delicately calculating the location of the chairs to be right in front of one of the screens.

Gustavo Campo, an older man, wears a hat and glasses, and he doesn't want to miss the broadcast.

He has convinced his sister to leave the house to see the "superpowerful", as the Colombian players are known.

They do not take their eyes off the television and sing goals ahead of time.

"They are playing well, we have to support them," says Gustavo's sister as she raises her glass of beer and covers herself with a blanket to avoid the Bogota cold.

“We need a country where women are empowered more.

That they invest in women soccer players, ”adds Campo.

The narrator's voice is heard in the 41st minute of the first half: "Leicy Santos's center is coming... the header, Salazar's goal!".

Santos, one of the most recognized players, was born in Santa Cruz de Lorica, a town in Córdoba, on the north coast of Colombia.

She stood out in Santa Fe, the champion team of the first edition of the Women's League in 2017. “The last month of Leicy's pregnancy I did not sleep.

Pata a la lata”, confesses with a laugh the mother of the midfielder who, at 26, is part of Atlético de Madrid.

Liliana Salazar, for her part, participated with the national team in the women's soccer championship at the 2012 London Olympics. The 29-year-old midfielder is a player for Corinthians in Brazil.

In the second half of the match there were no goals.

The women's soccer team sealed its way to the semifinal of the Copa América in the first 45 minutes.

“It all worked out for the Colombia team, four arrivals, four goals and great defensive work because from the 11th minute Chile took possession of the ball and tried to attack.

In other games there were plenty of options, today there were plenty of goals”, said sports journalist César Augusto Londoño.

“Ladies and gentlemen, Colombia has won”, sentenced the announcer's voice at the end of the game.

They turn down the volume on the television and music starts playing again in the bar.

In the installation of the Congress of the Republic, hours before, there were boos from the opposition to the outgoing president, Iván Duque, when he dressed his security policy with achievements.

"Liar," they yelled at him on Capitol Hill.

Some voices described the episode as "circus".

The truth is that the real show took place on the field of the Centennial Stadium in Armenia, where a group of women defended the yellow jersey.

It was the game of the women's soccer team.

All a patriotic pride for an Independence day.

Closer to the women's world cup

After beating Chile 4-0 and qualifying undefeated for the Copa América 2022 semifinal, the Colombian players will travel to Bucaramanga (Santander), in the north-central zone of the country, for the final phase of the championship.

His next rival will be defined between Argentina and Venezuela.

The teams that will face each other for the other place in the final are Brazil and Paraguay.

"With the group we have always had the conviction to generate good football and in this way the results are given," said coach Nelson Abadía at a press conference.

The women's team has had a "divided role," says Catalina Usme, who scored the first goal in the game against Chile.

And it is that each one shines in its own way.

"We want to play good football and I have 23 extraordinary players," says coach Abadía.

The other soccer players who have scored goals in the South American tournament are Daniela Montoya, Mayra Ramírez, Manuela Vanegas, Leicy Santos, Daniela Arias and Linda Caicedo.

The social networks of the players have been flooded with messages of support, a support that needs to be seen more powerfully in the streets as traditionally happens with soccer between men.

After beating Chile 4-0 and qualifying undefeated for the Copa América 2022 semifinal, the Colombian players will travel to Bucaramanga for the final phase of the championship. AMANDA PEROBELLI (REUTERS)

“Every day we see ourselves more professional and that is very important.

Given that you also see the results.

I am very happy to close the group stage like this”, said Usme.

"I think we managed to consolidate the team for this semifinal, put together a structure to face the games that are coming," he added.

The 2022 Copa América will award three direct berths for the Australia-New Zealand 2023 Women's Soccer World Cup and two berths for next year's Pan American Games.

The team that wins the title will also play the UEFA-Conmebol Women's Final against the winners of the Women's Euro Cup in England, which will be defined on Sunday, July 31.

Brazil has been the top winner of the South American tournament with seven titles out of the eight editions played.

The exception was Argentina in 2006.

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