The story of how the Women’s Sub 20 was formed in the pandemic with the key work of Daniel Morales, Peruvian champion coach in Brazil

That today, Mía León, Birka Ruiz, Sashenka Porras or Lucia Arcos are references so that thousands of girls lose their fear of kicking a ball, is no coincidence. It is the consequence of a commitment and serious work. This is how the best stories begin, those that will last in eternity for their achievements.

Daniel Morales was, at that time, in charge of training players for the minor divisions of Universitario. He prepared to be a technical director, but he was not up to the challenges that these areas of scouting demand. It was there, in mid-2020, that he received a call from the federation. On the other side of the line was Pablo Bossi, head of Recruitment at the FPF, who told him the idea of ​​setting up a scouting area for national teams. “At first my role was oriented more toward recruiting soccer players abroad, both men and women,” Morales tells us.

“We designed a process, for both the men’s and women’s teams, to increase a database and, from that, create filters to increase the spectrum of eligible footballers,” he adds. That is to say, they searched, even under the rocks, for everyone who could be part of the men’s or women’s teams. Even the federation, through its social networks, published a massive call for footballers. They received hundreds of emails, not only from girls, from within the country and abroad, who could have an opportunity, but from coaches, journalists, even fans saying they knew players. “Sometimes they recommended us, but they were not Peruvians but Colombians or Ecuadorians. But we knew we were on the right path.”

With Daniel Morales at the helm, the FPF scouting area created a sub-area basically in charge of women’s football. It was the first time in the history of our team that something like this was done. Before, as Daniel himself says, the technician on duty was in charge of searching – if he did it – and having direct contact, or they arrived only by recommendation. There was no support area. They were difficult times that began to change.

The first thing that was done was to divide that sub-area: a group was in charge of discovering footballers in the interior of the country and acting as a club; that is, polishing talent with microcycles; while Morales’ group sought to expand the universe abroad. The first two countries selected: the United States and Spain, where women’s soccer is developed and there is a significant colony of Peruvians. Then, contacts, many contacts. To find and have material from the players.

“During the time I was there there was a strong intention to support women’s football on the part of the FPF. That moment was where the federation changed and showed much more interest in the sport. When I became part of the technical command of the women’s team as a video analyst, I experienced from the inside a change in working conditions that supported the previous work, which is the recruitment of players, not only abroad but from the local environment,” says Morales.

The change occurred after the struggle of the Peruvian soccer players demanding to be seen. That 2019, in which they raised their voice of protest, will be marked in the history of national football. Not only because the federation put more impetus into the sport, but because of the fruits they have been bearing. Because in the middle of that recruitment process they found Lucía Arcos, Mía León, Tylor Vagt, Emily Arévalo and Samantha Villavicencio, the Peruvians who live abroad and are shining alongside the Sub 20 in the women’s South American tournament that is being held in Ecuador . Convincing them was not difficult, the red and white heart was always their priority.

Mía León, the future of our football

Mía León is 19 years old (March 21, 2005). She was born in California, United States, but her Peruvian parents taught her the national anthem of our country since she began to speak. And her story, told by journalist Alonso Contreras, who lives in the North American country, shows us what she is made of. And what it is made for.

“He stopped attending school in person and enrolled in online classes, this way he was able to train at 5 am every day, return home to have breakfast, attend classes, go to the gym and train in the afternoons with his club. . “She then left the university women’s team to focus one hundred percent on the Peruvian Under 20 and older team.”

The sacrifice he made has paid off. Today, Mía plays for Madrid CFF in the Spanish first division – the sixth most valuable team in the F League – and is the patron saint of the Peruvian midfield. For Daniel Morales, who has practically seen her grow in recent years, “the future of the Peruvian team lies in her.”

“She is a player with great conditions and has the personality of a winning athlete. She trains all the time, she is always thinking about improving. She has the support of her parents, that is very important. We had the first contact with her father, an exemplary and influential man in her growth. “She is a very competitive girl, with very good tactical understanding,” she tells us.

Daniel was part of that kick-off of the change in women’s football in Peru at the national team level. Today, after a stint with Melgar, he is Mariano Soso’s second assistant at Sport Recife in Brazil. And a few weeks ago he was crowned state champion. He is, like the Sub 20, another Peruvian leaving the name of our country in style.