The Kenya national women’s Under-17 team is set to play three high-profile friendly matches in Spain as part of their preparations for next month’s FIFA World Cup in the Dominican Republic.
Coached by Mildred Cheche, the Junior Starlets will kick off their friendly matches against La Liga’s Valencia CF Women tomorrow in the coastal city of Alicante. They will face another European powerhouse, Portugal, on Friday at the same venue. Their final build-up game will be against Intercity on September 30, as they sharpen their skills for the upcoming tournament.
Making their FIFA World Cup debut, the team will be in Spain for 11 days before traveling to the Dominican Republic immediately after their match against Intercity.
Midfielder Pearl Olesi shared, “The camp is joyful, and we are all in high spirits. The training is going well. We want to perform well and gauge ourselves in the three friendly matches. We want to see where we stand in terms of our levels.”
Echoing her sentiments, left-back Diana Anyango highlighted the significance of the friendly matches. “The training is going very well, and we are enjoying every moment. We are giving our all in training, fully focused on our first friendly game against Valencia. We want to push ourselves to secure wins in these matches because they will reflect how we perform at the World Cup.”
The eighth edition of the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup is scheduled to take place in the Dominican Republic from October 16 to November 3. The Junior Starlets will begin their quest for football glory against England on November 18, followed by a match against two-time champions Korea DPR on October 20, and will conclude their Group C assignments against Mexico on October 24.
Meanwhile, next week, Choe Il-son will return to Pyongyang with an incredible story to share and perhaps even a dance to perform. While many of her friends were just returning to school after a long summer break, the 17-year-old was busy making waves at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup™ in Colombia.
The pint-sized forward made a remarkable impact in Colombia, winning both the Adidas Golden Boot and Golden Ball. It was fitting that she scored the winning goal in the final with a shot of exquisite quality.
With a gold medal, two trophies, and a wealth of memories to bring home, Choe has proven herself as a striker of the highest caliber. There’s been an unexpected romance between the locals in Colombia and this talented group of mostly teenage footballers from a largely unknown land. Choe expressed, “Colombia – and their music – will always hold a special place in my heart.”
