2024-03-07 22:05:56
The Women’s First Division returns to the ring with everything. And it is not a way of saying: the Apertura 2024 tournament will offer neither more nor less than the Superclásico on its first date, to deliver a start of pure intensity. The competition will be played under the round-robin system in a single round of matches, but as luck would have it, in this initial round of games, which raises the curtain on the semi-professional women’s tournament in Argentina, it will be Boca and River who will meet to encourage the start of discipline.
But let’s let the players themselves say it. “There is no better motivation than starting the tournament with a Superclásico”he assures Page 12 Miriam Mayorga, captain of four-time champion Boca and new owner of the Federal Cup. And River also contributes its perspective, from the voice of Milagros Díaz, millionaire captain: “I think this first game is going to mark our progress in the tournament. The Superclásico always has a more special flavor than the rest of the games and, for me, whoever plays the most intelligent game will win this one. Hopefully we can win it.”
Superclassic Start
How do you arrive at this first date? River arrives at this debut in the middle of a process of adaptation to a new coaching staff who arrived at the beginning of this year (Ignacio Lacal is the main technical director and Cristian Kolisek, the alternate) and with many additions (7) for this season, among which the arrival of Japanese midfielder Ichika Egashira stands out, who last year Last year he debuted and showed off in Argentine soccer with the Excursionistas shirt. Núñez’s players make up a squad of 27 players, among which there are 20 with a professional contract and seven youth players who were promoted to the First Division.
Bocafor its part, begins its path in this Apertura with the most golden present: four-time champions of the women’s tournament and conquerors of the last edition of the Federal Cup, that was played at the beginning of this year, the Gladiators also dream of the Libertadores, their obsession and the trophy that is missing from their showcases. The present xeneize is also explained for a reason: of its squad of 27 footballers, 26 are professionals (only Yazmín Benítez, recently promoted from the Reserve, does not have a contract).
Díaz makes an analysis of himself and his rival, when thinking about the upcoming Superclásico, which will be played this Sunday from 9 at the River Camp. “Boca has proven to be a team with a lot of hierarchy. We know the quality of players they have and that it is a club that does things well, but it also has mistakes and we are going to take advantage of them”. The captain of the millionaire team also rehearses a football identity that defines her team for this tournament: “The idea we want to capture is to be very vertical: attack with our sides, be sharp, score the goal first, handle the ball “And we know we have all those tools.”
Six years of semi-professional football
Apertura 2024 also marks the continuity of a path that began in 2019 (pandemic through): the beginning of semi-professional football in Argentina. For this tournament, according to regulations, It is a mandatory condition that participating clubs have at least 15 professional players with a contract registered with the AFA.
“I can speak to you as a Boca player, but I know that the realities of the clubs are very different and the needs of the players are not covered in all aspects… In Boca yes and today I am very comfortable with my teammates, but I know that I am not All clubs play under the same conditions, in relation to quality and training places or even in terms of salary payment. “There are things missing for football to be professional and I’m not talking about Boca because it is clearly an example to follow and manages itself very well, but one learns about different realities when talking to colleagues from other clubs.”explains Mayorga, who this Thursday returned to his work with Boca after participating in the Gold Cup with the Argentine National Team.
In terms of football, both Díaz and Mayorga agree that, since this new era, there is greater parity on the playing field. “The teams no longer go out to see what happens, you don’t win just with the shirt. The tournament is becoming more and more even.”, explains the River host. Boca’s commanding voice, for its part, affirms that there has been a great change in physical preparation: “In recent years, if there was a team that trained once or twice a week, now it trains every day, and the The difference is noticeable. On a physical level the player has improved. Four or five years ago Boca won 7-0 or 8-0 and now those results no longer exist.”
A new classic that arrives
The other novelty that this tournament will have is the presence of Newell’s and San Luis FCtwo who were promoted from Primera B and who will now play in the highest division of Argentine soccer. María Victoria Vives, the Tata for those who know her, is the captain of this Newell’s team that is facing its debut in the First Division and was the girl who ran away from home, secretly from her mother, to go out and play ball in her home. little town, Peyrano, to the south in the Santa Fe boot. “Mom didn’t really like me playing soccer. She was raised in a different way and it was a different time. Then she started accompanying me and now she and my family follow me everywhere, they are my fans, but in those times I remember that My brother’s friends came to look for me to play and when I saw my old lady appear on her bike, they didn’t give me the courage to run home,” Vives tells this newspaper with a pure nostalgic smile.
The promotion of the red and black club will have another consequence that anxiety does not allow to wait: On date 12, neither more nor less than Rosario Central and Newell’s will cross paths, to play the Rosario classic that national football loves so much. “It is a very important match because of the history it has and because of what it means for the city,” analyzes Vives. “We are all waiting for that day to arrive, because they are matches that are played with a different energy and with total dedication; nothing matters there “More than leaving your heart and soul, giving everything for the club.”
This Saturday the Apertura ’24 tournament begins to be written. The curtain will rise with Huracán-San Luis FC, from 5 p.m., while on Sunday there will be a double shift of matches: at 9, River-Boca (TNT Sports broadcasts) and Independiente- Estudiantes will play; and at 5 p.m. it will be the turn of Platense-Newell’s, Gimnasia-Ferro, Excursionistas-SAT and Rosario Central-Banfield. On Monday, at 5 p.m., UAI Urquiza-Racing will take place (TNT Sports broadcasts), while at 8 p.m. the Belgrano-San Lorenzo date will close. It’s time to get the ball rolling again…