Natalia Muñoz aims to use the Under-20 World Cup to establish herself at Tigres

Natalia Muñoz has two ambitions in view as she prepares for the Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland: contribute to Mexico’s youth national team and force her way into Tigres’ starting lineup.

The 19-year-old central defender is already regarded as a leading player in her age group. She has made some appearances with Tigres’ first team, known as Las Amazonas, but not as regularly as she would like. The competition for a place, however, has become part of her development.

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Being at a club like Tigres has helped me enormously because of the players there who demand a lot from me. In my position, there is Greta, there is Mariza, and Natalia Coury, who has just arrived after becoming a Central American Games champion with the Under-23 team.

“Being at a club like Tigres has helped me enormously because of the players there who demand a lot from me,” Muñoz said. She pointed to defenders Greta Espinoza, Mariza Nascimento and Natalia Coury, who recently arrived after winning the Central American Games with Mexico’s Under-23 team.

Muñoz, nicknamed Yaya, said she wants to take what she learns from those teammates and pass it on to her Under-20 colleagues. She described representing the national team as a source of pride and said the daily demands within Tigres have helped her grow, while she also pushes her teammates to improve.

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I bring their experiences to the national team and contribute them there. For me, it is a source of pride and an honor to be here. The daily work of teammates who demand a lot from you makes you grow, just as I demand from them and they demand from me.