Despite being just 15 to 17 years old, the world’s top young footballers have gathered in the Dominican Republic to compete in the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup™. Throughout the tournament, FIFA will take you behind the scenes for an up-close look at the players. After USA goalkeeper Molly Vapensky, here is our next profile: Dominican Republic defender Renata Mercedes.
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Leaving home for the first time causes trepidation for any person. So imagine doing that at age 13, saying goodbye to your parents and siblings and traveling more than 2,500 kilometres to study at a boarding school in a completely different country with a vastly different culture.
Such was the case for Dominican Republic defender Renata Mercedes when she left the comforts of home in Santo Domingo and headed directly north, landing at The Taft School, a prestigious boarding school located in Watertown, Connecticut in the USA.
It is an experience that has shaped the 16-year-old, who turns 17 on Tuesday and will celebrate with her latest candle on the cake with her Dominican team-mates at FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Dominican Republic 2024™.
“My parents and I knew that for me like to keep playing soccer at a high level I needed to go to the US,” said Mercedes in an exclusive interview with FIFA. “It was hard of course. I was 13 and leaving my house, my family, my friends, but in the end, what has held me through has been soccer.
“This World Cup is like a reward I get to participate in because of all that hard work and all that sacrifice I did. I love Taft. I learned new things, I had to have more responsibility living alone and I think it helped me grow more as a person, as a soccer player and a leader. Being at boarding school is a unique experience. It changes you as a whole person.”
While Mercedes is missing being with her Taft team-mates at the moment, she is relishing her World Cup experience in her homeland. The Dominican Republic narrowly fell to Ecuador 2-0 in their opening match of Group A, but it was still a celebratory night for the Caribbean side, who played in front of a festive, chanting, boisterous crowd in front of family and friends.
As the team’s captain, the support they have received has meant the world.
“It was amazing how the whole crowd was here for us, even when coming out to warm up,” said Mercedes. “I got goosebumps! Soccer has never been the main sport in the DR and to see that amount of support for a U-17 women’s soccer game, it was incredible. I couldn’t believe it. It was just amazing, like one in a lifetime experience. It’s something you dream of, something you work for, but you don’t believe it until you see it and live it.”
Just the fact that she is even playing in a World Cup leaves Mercedes in awe, and it probably won’t fully settle in until much later.
“It has always felt like a long distance to a World Cup,” said Mercedes. “You never think it’s going to happen and then when it happens, I have no words. I think in three months I’m going to realize what I’m playing, but I don’t think it has hit me yet.”
Mercedes came within a whisker on Wednesday night of becoming the answer to a trivia question as the first ever goalscorer for a Dominican player in a Women’s World Cup when her second half header nearly found the back of the net.
“In that moment I didn’t think it through like that until you just mentioned it,” said Mercedes. “With that stadium and all the people who went there I wanted to give them the happiness to be able to celebrate a goal. It was a great save. I’m still thinking about it.”
Growing up in Santo Domingo, Mercedes mainly played tennis but soon gravitated to soccer. The women’s game at the time had not advanced to the level it is today, so Mercedes found herself playing against boys. Her skills developed quickly and she soon found herself on the national team radar, ultimately earning a call-up to the women’s senior team and playing earlier this year at the Concacaf W Gold Cup.
“Playing for the senior team is a whole challenge because in every single practice I have to be on my toes 150 percent,” recalled Mercedes. “The whole experience of learning from people like Lucia Leon, Gabby Cuevas, Alyssa Oviedo, players who have been playing soccer for a really long time. They teach me like a lot of things that I’m so grateful for in the game.
“I think playing in the Gold Cup taught me a lot about how to be a leader and the empathy you need to have for your teammates. You need to know how to help yourself be better, but also how to bring your team with you and create a better team.”
When she is away from the field, she still pines to be active and about, whether it is playing padel, or going for a hike or a run. There is also plenty of time to interact with friends and team-mates on social media, while also getting important coaching tips from her father, who watches all of her matches.
“There’s this joke on the team at Taft that after the game I’m always on my phone and it’s because I’m having a one-hour chat with my dad about the game,” chuckled Mercedes. “He doesn’t miss a thing! It’s a real tactical breakdown.”
The future is most certainly bright for Mercedes. After she wraps up her time at the World Cup, she will return to Taft to resume her senior year and then play college soccer next year at Fordham University in New York. Long-term, this Barcelona-crazed fan harbours the hope of playing professionally in Spain and appearing in another World Cup for her country.
“I would love to be able to play in Spain just because I have family there and I know the football there is amazing,” she concluded. “It would be a dream to play professional soccer in Spain and then of course, a World Cup with the senior team. That would be the ultimate.”
