Varsity girls soccer athlete junior Diana Pon will join the Panamanian Women National Soccer team in their upcoming FIFA friendly game versus Japan in the Japan National Stadium.
“I was, of course, very happy and ecstatic after learning that I would be joining the Panama National team in Japan,” Pon said. “It is a great honor with a great sense of responsibility, as I would not only represent myself, my family, school, club team and coaches, but I would also be representing the Panama people, the American people, my Asian heritage, minorities and women all around the world.”
After a thorough review of potential international athletes, Technical Director Ignacio Quintana settled on 20 total athletes to participate in the event, with Pon being the youngest player on the roster. Pon had reached out to the Panama Federation of Soccer at the beginning of 2020, hoping to show her interest in the opportunity to play for Panama. After sharing her game highlights and showcase schedules and remaining in contact with the Federation, Pon received an offer for a spot on the team from Quintana.
“There is an added pressure for me as this is the biggest platform that I have played on so far, with the added responsibility of representing a country of 4 million Panamanians in this engagement,” Pon said regarding playing in a high-profile game. “Not many players get such an opportunity and for that, I feel blessed and lucky. I will try to stay calm; of course, easier said than done, and I think the mental game is the most important to remain calm as the game date approaches. As we have not played together, it will be very important to get to know each other during the two or three days of preparation that we will have in Japan prior to the game.”
The team will convene April 4 before heading to Tokyo, where the exhibition match will take place April 11.
“In terms of [what I am] hoping to gain, one word will describe it all: experience,” Pon said. “I will try to embrace every minute, every second of this ‘business trip,’ as I call it. Second, and looking forward already, I am hoping to continue to get called out for other engagements that the Panama team will have in the future, and [I’m] also hoping this experience will also open other opportunities for me as I aspire to continue playing soccer at the collegiate level.”
As the event nears, Pon plans to make the most of her opportunity, from the game itself to learning from those who surround her.
“[I want] to learn as much as possible from the coaching staff, my teammates for this event and, above all, have fun regardless of the outcome of the game or how many minutes I end up playing,” Pon said. “Japan’s team is one of the best in the world, so learning from them will also be very important as they are experienced players that have many years of soccer experience and have played in different World Cups. I have nothing to lose and everything to win. I am very proud for being the youngest player on the roster of probably both teams at 16 years of age, so I hope this serves as an inspiration to others that with hard work, dedication, commitment and a bit of luck, everything is possible and the sky’s the limit.”
