U-20 womens's players work out at the el Centro de Alto Rendimiento de Bogotá.
By Dan Sousa
VivaLoudoun.com Editor
(Apr. 22, 2010) - Quick, what do the Dresden Castle in Germany, el Centro de Alto Rendimiento de Bogotá and Briar Woods High School girls soccer team all have in common? How about super sophomore Lina Granados and the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.
Granados has missed a key Falcon Dulles District game this week but she can be forgiven as the forward is spending two weeks training with the Colombian U-20 women's national team which could lead to a spot on the roster of the upcoming U-20 Women's World Cup this July in Germany.
"It is going very well," Granados reported on Thursday, the same day that FIFA made the draw for the 16-team tournament at the historic castle in Dresden. "It's an experience that I know I will never forget."
Born in Colombia, Granados holds dual citizenship, and is ranked by some soccer sites as one of the top 100 girls players in the United States for the Class of 2012. Her coach, Ann Vierkorn, while missing her services in a 2-0 loss at Dulles District leader Broad Run on Tuesday is rooting for the personable player who she calls "extremely coachable".
Granados left for Bogota and the high-altitude training on April 15 and won't return to the United States and Briar Woods until May 3. Even though at 16 she is younger than the rest of the players at training, who are 18 or 19, she is holding her own according to reports and has a legitimate shot at making the team.
Vierkorn says that Granados may bring the best of both worlds to the Colombian squad as she has some real South American creativity in her game but also brings the American game to the field as well.
"She has a flair about her and she is always looking for little flicks. She brings creativity to our offensive third," said Vierkorn. "The advantage she has is she also brings the American game such as diagonal runs."
Granados even reports that at 5-foot-5 she is one of the taller players in camp. And despite the big opportunity on her plate, Granados really wanted to talk to her coach about how the team did against Broad Run and she was sad that she missed the game.
"She still cares about her high school team. She is a very dedicated player. That is what I love about her," said Vierkorn. "She is so coachable and leads by example. What we were missing Tuesday against Broad Run was that person that could finish."
Despite missing time with the Briar Woods team, Granados is getting plenty of soccer as she reports that the U-20 in Bogota is going through two three to three-and-half hour training sessions per day plus extensive weight training.
"She is quite an amazing kid. She is very talented but also very grounded," said Vierkorn.
Earlier today, Dresden Castle was the spectacular venue for the official group stage draw for the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Germany 2010. The representatives from each of the 16 qualified nations followed proceedings attentively as their opponents for the group stages of the tournament which takes place between 13 July and 1 August in the four host cities of Augsburg, Bielefeld, Bochum and Dresden were revealed.
There promises to be plenty of excitement in Group C, in which England, Nigeria, Mexico and Japan will be competing for a place in the quarter-finals. Hosts Germany are up against Costa Rica, Colombia and France in Group A, while reigning champions USA were drawn with Ghana, Switzerland and Korea Republic. However, the toughest group on paper is probably Group B, which pits Brazil with former champions Korea DPR, European giants Sweden and New Zealand.
In a curious twist of fate, the opening game of the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup mirrors the first fixture of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™ as the hosts take on Costa Rica.
Following the Draw, Steffi Jones said: "You can hear and feel the enthusiasm and euphoria. The guests can look forward to four great host cities and you should be aware that the U-20 girls play world class football." Whereas Der Kaiser, Franz Beckenbauer, Chairman of the Organising Committee for the FIFA U-20 and U-17 Women's World Cups, added: "The U-20 Women's World Cup in Chile was a very successfull World Cup. I am pretty sure that Germany 2010 will be as successfull as the one in Chile two years ago."
The draw itself was presided over by Tatjana Haenni, FIFA's Head of Women's competitions, and carried out by six high-profile players from the world of women's football, Yuki Nagasato (Japan), Carol Carioca (Brazil), Adjoa Bayor (Ghana), Alexandra Krieger, Marie-Louise Bagehorn and Dzsenifer Marozsan (all Germany).
The 16 teams were split into four groups of four, with the top two teams from each group going through to the quarter-finals.
The teams were drawn into the following groups:
Group A: Germany (hosts), Costa Rica, Colombia and France
Group B: Brazil, Korea DPR, Sweden, New Zealand
Group C: England, Nigeria, Mexico, Japan
Group D: USA, Ghana, Switzerland, Korea Republic
To get the U-20 Women's World Cup, Columbia, in pool play in South America, defeated Ecuador, 3-1, Chile, 2-1, Argentina, 2-0, and Bolivia, 2-0, to advance to the semifinals. In the "Final Four," Colombia edged out Paraguay, 2-1, in a thrilling match to secure a spot in the finals against Brazil. In the championship match before a crowd in excess of 28,000, Colombia came up a little short, falling to the mighty Brazilians, 2-0.
“Losing in the final was a disappointment but I’m still proud of my girls,” commented Colombia coach Ricardo Rozo after the loss to Brazil.
Lina Granados, on the far right, with her Briar Woods High School girls soccer teammates
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