EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – Rising star Eastlake High School girls soccer forward Chloe Del Real was called up to Mexico's U-16 girls youth national soccer team in March of this year.
Del Real, 15, made the final squad for the Mexican national team during a training camp in Toluca, Mexico, earning him the opportunity to represent El Tri (Mexico) in an international tournament in Montagu, France.
After a convincing performance, she was called up to Mexico's U-17 squad again.
Del Real will head to El Tri's training camp next week, where she will compete for a final squad spot and the chance to compete at the sport's pinnacle in her category, the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.
Later this year, the World Cup will be held in the Dominican Republic in October.
“I didn't expect to be called up right away, but when I actually got called up, I felt like my goal had been achieved. I'm very grateful for that,” Del Real said.
Del Real is a dual citizen and could still be called up to the U.S. Women's Youth National Team, but she's not ignoring that.
“I love Mexico, but if I was given the opportunity to play for the United States, I would take it because it would be a great opportunity,” Del Real said.
Unless he is called up to a major national team, Del Real can play for either team in the youth division and will have to choose which country he will represent for the rest of his career.
However, it took hard work and discipline for Del Real to finally pave these paths to achieve his dream of becoming a professional soccer player.
He started playing soccer at the age of 2, but he hated it. It wasn't until she was six years old that she started playing again and she fell in love with the sport.
Del Real is now an almost full-time soccer player. Although she plays on the Eastlake girls soccer team, she had to move outside of El Paso to improve her chances of being scouted.
Del Real plays for FC Tucson in the Girls Academy National Soccer League, the nation's premier women's soccer youth development platform, according to its website.
She travels across the United States every weekend during the league season, playing either home games in Tucson, Arizona, or away games in other U.S. cities. During the week, she does personal training and practices with the Eastlake team, so she's ready when she takes the field with FC Tucson.
In response to the demanding demands, Del Real talked about what drives her.
“I'm very competitive, so I love knowing that I can beat someone. If I can't, I just keep trying harder until I can beat them or until I get better.” “If I'm better than I was yesterday, that's great. That's good progress,” Del Real said.
Del Real, who is trying to make a name for herself, spoke about the progress women's sports have made.
“When I see the progress in women's sports, in women's soccer, I feel more confident,” Del Real said. She said: “The recognition is increasing and it's amazing. I love it because I get to see more of the effort that women have put in over the past few years.”
Del Real, who was born and raised in El Paso, hopes to join the growing number of Borderland sports stars in recent years, including Ricardo Pepi, Alejandro Zendejas and Santiago Muñoz, who play men's professional soccer.
“To El Paso, keep up the good work because we have some great talent here. In terms of competition, things are getting better and more competitive and I think that makes everyone better. ” Del Real said.
