D.C. United Women News Release – www.dcunitedwomen.com
GERMANTOWN, Md. – Mónica Mendes of D.C. United Women Reserves has advanced to the semifinals of the UEFA U19 European Championship as a member of the Portuguese national team.
Mendes, pictured right with teammate Melissa Gomes, and her teammates will face heated rival Spain on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET (broadcast via Eurosport 2) for a chance to go to the finals against either Denmark or Sweden in a match on July 14. The UEFA U19 Championships are being played in Turkey, where Mendes and the rest of the Portuguese U19 National Team have been competing in the tournament since July 2.
So far, Mendes has played every minute of every match since the team arrived in Turkey, where it has gone 1-1-1 and managed to advance from the group stage.
“I am having a big moment in my career,” Mendes told dcunitedwomen.com via email. “I am playing for D.C. United Women, one of the greatest teams in the U.S., and I am following a dream – to play in a big championship with my National Team.”
The UEFA U19 Championship will come to an end just in time for Mendes to get back to the U.S. to play for D.C. United Women Reserves in the Super-20 League North American Finals at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. from July 19-22. The Black-and-Red qualified for the Finals with a win against TSF Academy last weekend, finishing the regular season 5-2-0.
However, Mendes remains focused on the task at hand for her and her country, which means trying to win a European Championship.
“Of course I am glad to be a part of D.C. United Women’s team, and I really like to play for them,” wrote Mendes. “However, right now the only thing that matters is my presence at the Euro Championship. I’ve been working hard in order to help my team and to make my country proud of us – after all, we are the very first ones to get here and obviously we want to show them we can make it.
“When I get back from Turkey I will think about all of the rest.”