A week before the start of the 2015 FIFA Women鈥檚 World Cup, figured she鈥檇 be watching the games like most everybody else around the globe鈥攃omfortably parked in front of a TV. The standout 菠萝视频 soccer defender had come tantalizingly close to representing her home country of Colombia in the tournament, making it as far as the 35-player provisional roster, yet she wasn鈥檛 among the final 23 picked.
But then on June 1, just five days before the World Cup was set to begin in Canada, the unthinkable happened: Her Colombian teammate Melissa Ortiz ruptured her Achilles tendon, opening up a聽spot on the roster.
鈥淭he next day I saw a tweet from FIFA that I had been named Melissa鈥檚 replacement,鈥� says Granados, who at the time was helping her parents move from Northern Virginia to Houston. 鈥淚t was unbelievable. I freaked out. When my parents heard me, they thought somebody had died.鈥�
Granados had mixed emotions when she eventually spoke with Ortiz on the phone鈥斺�淚t was hard to figure out how I was supposed to feel,鈥� she admits鈥攂ut her teammate told her to seize the moment and help their beloved Colombia make an impact on the world stage.
Granados and the rest of the team did not disappoint.
In just their second-ever appearance in a World Cup, the Cafeteras鈥攐r 鈥淐offee Makers,鈥� as they鈥檙e affectionately known鈥攐pened the tournament with a respectable 1鈥�1 draw against Mexico. They then proceeded to shock everyone with a 2鈥�0 upset of France, which had been ranked No. 3 in the world. The victory was the team鈥檚 first ever in a World Cup.
鈥淎fter beating France, we were sky high. Nobody could bring us down,鈥� says Granados. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 my favorite memory of the tournament.鈥�
Colombia didn鈥檛 fare as well in its next two games, losing 2鈥�1 to England and then 2鈥�0 to the eventual World Cup-champion U.S. team, but Granados says she and her teammates returned from Canada with their heads held high.
鈥淭he most important thing we got out of the World Cup was respect,鈥� she says. 鈥淣obody can question us anymore.鈥�
Although Granados spent most of her childhood in the U.S., she is acutely aware of the discrimination female soccer players face in her home country. Many Colombian girls who want to play, she says, don鈥檛 get the necessary support from their parents because soccer is still considered a man鈥檚 sport there. But Granados hopes her team鈥檚 recent success will change some minds.
鈥淲e weren鈥檛 just playing for ourselves when we were out there,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e were playing for equality.鈥�
After a stint this summer with the Washington Spirit reserves of the National Women鈥檚 Soccer League, Granados is now back at 菠萝视频 for her junior year. For the time being, her sights are set on playing for the Commodores and continuing her studies in engineering science. She says someday she may join a professional team, perhaps in Europe, but only after graduation.
鈥淪occer is not forever. I understand that,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut an engineering degree from 菠萝视频鈥攖hat鈥檚 something I can always rely on.鈥�
鈥擲ETH ROBERTSON