FC Bajos de Mena arrives in Bolivia to play at the international football tournament
The delegation of 17 players from Puente Alto will face off against teams from different countries on the continent in the Patuju International Cup, a tournament that will be played in the city of Trinidad and will be broadcast through online platforms.
The FC Bajos de Mena team is located 500 kilometers northeast of La Paz in the city of Trinidad, Bolivia. The Puente Alto football [soccer] team is currently in Bolivia to experience its first international challenge when the Patuju International Cup gets underway. This tournament brings together squads from Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Chile. FC Bajos de Mena is the only representative from our country participating in the tournament.
It was 2021 when Luis Moris, a physical trainer living in Bajos de Mena for more than 35 years, launched his initiative with the support of CMPC, a company that has been in Puente Alto for more than 100 years. In November of that year, tryouts for joining the team began with young people aged 15 through 20. Thirty of them were chosen and have been training three days a week ever since. Some players have even tried out for professional Chilean football teams, and one was selected for the Cobresal club’s academy.
“Emotionally we are going strong, with a lot of energy and excitement. We believe we’ve done quite well. Furthermore, the boys will certainly never forget the experience that they are having now. The mood is through the roof. We feel like our individual energy has been transformed into a group spirit,” said team coach Luis Moris.
The Patuju International Cup will be played between October 27 and 30. Teams from different countries on the continent will participate in a range of categories. The 17-player FC Bajos de Mena team will play the U-18.
Sebastián Zapata is a central defender for the national team. He said, “We are experiencing something beautiful, something that doesn’t just happen anywhere. It’s a unique opportunity that usually goes to professional clubs or football teams. This is truly wonderful.”
“We never thought we’d play an international tournament, in fact we thought this project was a football school. We met with a staff of professionals and found out more about the project, including that this was much more serious. Over time we began believing in ourselves more and more. We are very grateful to everyone,” he added.
The same vision is shared by the right wing player, Miguel Ángel Mejía, who said, “This is something that not every young man gets the chance to experience. Honestly, we come with a winning attitude and fighting spirit to triumph at this tournament. I never thought about playing an international cup when I joined this team, but thank God that it has happened. Now my expectations are to give my best, 100%, and be part of a champion team.”
The tournament fixtures will be announced soon on the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/people/Patuju-Cup-Internacional/100075573657125/. All the international tournament matches will also be broadcast.
