Youngest women’s first-team players, success together since youth

Youngest women’s first-team players, success together since youthOf the 26 players called up by coach Arthur Elias for the friendlies against the United States on June 6 and 9, 24 have worn Brazil’s green and yellow jersey for the Under-20 national team, and 15 have also come through the Under-17s. Of those, three also played in the Under-14 and Under-16 Development Leagues, completing the entire youth pathway: Kaylane, Dudinha, and Aline Gomes.

>At just 17 years old, Kaylane is the youngest player in the squad that will face one of the Brazilian Women’s National Team’s biggest rivals. Although she has not yet made her senior debut, the Flamengo forward, who recently won the Brazilian Under-20 Championship title, arrives with the confidence of someone already on her fourth call-up under Arthur Elias and hopes to maintain the consistency shown by her teammates.

>Also among the youngest players in the squad, Dudinha is already on her eighth call-up under Arthur and has 17 appearances, while Aline is on her sixth call-up, having played 11 matches. For the forward, who in less than a year has established herself as one of San Diego Wave’s standout players, youth-level experience teaches a lot about the training camp environment, with meetings, practices, and schedule discipline, since preparation and integration time is short.

>“At youth level, there is responsibility, but it comes with more lightness, with the joy of playing football and representing Brazil. In the senior team, there is greater maturity on the field and a kind of game savvy that the more experienced players teach you to have. We represent so much when we play for the senior national team,” says Dudinha.

From rivals to teammatesGrowing within the national team setup and gaining international recognition was a natural and shared path for her and Aline, even when they were rivals at São Paulo and Ferroviária. “Since the Under-17s, when we got our first call-up together, it was an enormous joy, because we’ve always nicknamed ourselves a duo. It’s a dream for us to be here,” Dudinha celebrated.

>“Even playing for different teams, we were still close. That connection has always been very good between us,” Aline says. Scorer of the Seleção’s most recent goal, which secured the FIFA Series title against Canada, the full-back acknowledges the challenge of facing the United States, but is confident because the team has experienced players.

>“The cycles keep changing, but we learn every day from the staff and the girls. Expectations are always the best, especially after the last three great performances here in Brazil. So the fans are expecting a lot too,” she said.

>Check out Aline Gomes’ interview about the use of players who have already worn Brazil’s green and yellow jersey, her partnership with Dudinha, and expectations for the friendlies.

>This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.