Girls soccer: Petaluma 8th grader Izzy Rendino set to play for Panama’s U17 women’s soccer team

Petaluma eighth grader Isabella “Izzy” Rendino is getting ready for the experience of a lifetime.

On Tuesday, Rendino, a 14-year-old student at Kenilworth Junior High School, traveled down to Panama — where she’ll spend the next three weeks traveling around Central America with that country’s under-17 women’s youth national soccer team for training and exhibition games ahead of the U17 CONCACAF Championship in early February in Mexico.

Rendino, who has dual citizenship, qualified for the team late last year and has spent most of the last month in Panama training with the team before a quick trip home that ended this week.

“I feel like my dream is kind of becoming a reality,” Rendino told The Press Democrat before she left Tuesday. “Ever since I was little, I’ve always wanted to play for Panama and it’s just nice to see my hard work paying off ... my training has put me where I am right now.”

It’s been a whirlwind last few months for Rendino, who was offered an opportunity for a tryout a day after her 14th birthday in early October. Her parents, Erika and David, still aren’t sure how Izzy got on the team’s radar but she jumped at the opportunity. After two rounds of tryouts, she was awarded a roster spot.

“I couldn’t even believe it,” Izzy said of earning a spot on the team. “I just had to sit down and thank God for everything.”

The tryout process came with its share of challenges. Izzy, who is also the youngest on the 20-player roster, is not fluent in Spanish and has had to adjust to a quicker, more technical style of the language that her teammates use to communicate on the field. She said, though, that everyone has been welcoming and understanding toward her and the language barrier. While she admitted her Spanish might not be the best, she can still effectively get her point across.

It’s also helped that she’s feeling the full support of extended family in Panama. Cousins and aunts and uncles on her mom’s side of the family come out in droves to watch and cheer her on at practices and games.

Locally, Izzy — who plans on attending Cardinal Newman for high school — played for North Coast FC in Petaluma for several years before joining Santa Rosa United. To get her more prepared for the heightened level of competition she’ll face in her upcoming matches, her club coaches have had her practicing up with older boys teams over the last few months.

“She’s a super hard worker, really motivated player,” said Ralph Montes, her SRU coach. “… She’s a very quality player. Very athletic, very technical with the ball, she reads the game and then she plays with a passion and love for the game. She’s one of those kids where when you watch her play you can just see the love coming out of them. They love what they’re doing. That’s Izzy.”

“She’s right up there with the best of the best,” he added.

Izzy has a busy next few weeks ahead of her. Next week, she’ll head to Costa Rica to play a couple friendly matches against its U17 team. After that, they’ll return to Panama, where they’ll travel around the country playing exhibition matches.

Then it’s off to Mexico for the premier games. Starting Feb. 1, the CONCACAF Championship — featuring teams from across North and Central America and the Carribean — will take place in Toluca, Mexico. The eight teams in attendance will be battling it out for two qualifying spots for the U17 World Cup later this year in the Dominican Republic.

Izzy and her Panama teammates have a difficult draw in pool play. They share a division with the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. The U.S. and Canada were two of three teams to come out of CONCACAF qualifying for the 2022 U17 World Cup and the U.S. has won this tournament four consecutive times. The top two teams in pool play will advance to the knockout stage.

Panama will face the U.S. in the first match of pool play on Friday, Feb. 2. Games will be streamed live on YouTube and CONCACAF GO, and more information about how to watch can be found online at concacaf.com.

Regardless of how Panama fares in Mexico, Izzy is soaking up every moment of this unique experience, one that she won’t soon forget.

“I love the team, I love practicing with everyone, I love the coaches, I love training with a team where the country is very proud,” she said. “I’m very thankful for this opportunity. I love both my countries equally and it’s great to have this experience of a lifetime.”

You can reach Staff Writer Gus Morris at 707-304-9372 or gus.morris@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @JustGusPD.