From dream to reality, ex-Fresno star reaches World Cup

Anisa Guajardo had come to terms with the fact that her quest to play at the World Cup this summer would go unfulfilled.

The 24-year-old from Fresno trained with the Mexican team during the spring but didn’t make the cut for the tournament.

A short trial with the Houston Dash of the National Women’s Soccer League followed before joining Australia’s Heidelberg United FC at the end of May.

But what unfolded over the next week was a whirlwind of events that got the former Buchanan High and Pepperdine University star where she really wanted to be all along.

It was 6:30 a.m. two weeks ago in Australia when Guajardo’s phone rang. On the other end was Mexico coach Leo Cuéllar, who told her that she was needed in Canada as a last-minute replacement for injured Ariana Calderón.

“At first I thought I was dreaming,” Guajardo said. “I can’t tell you how many dreams I’ve had depicting this exact scenario.

“Seriously, who has this kind of luck. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I felt honored and so grateful, but it was so unreal and I just couldn’t believe it.”

Out of breath and in shock, Guajardo gathered herself and called Bill Mihaloudis, her coach at Heidelberg United FC.

She asked if it was OK to go and he didn’t hesitate, wishing her well on her way back across the Pacific. After a 16-hour flight, Guajardo joined Team Mexico in Moncton, New Brunswick.

Guajardo left Pepperdine with 27 career goals, fourth in program history, then played professionally for the Pali Blues (USL-W League) and Boston Breakers (NWSL). During that time, she also was a consistent fixture on Las Tri. She played at various youth levels, was on the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying team and the senior team at the 2013 Algarve Cup.

Playing in a World Cup, however, was the one feat she had yet to accomplish. And it seemed dashed until that early-morning call from Cuéllar.

Guajardo is quick to acknowledge that she couldn’t have done it on her own. When down or otherwise in need of encouragement, she had a flock of “guardian angels” on which she could depend.

“I’m convinced I could have never made it through these past two years and to this point in my life without each and every one of them,” she said. “I not only play for a nation, but also for these individuals who have made this chance possible.”

It starts with her family, mom Ellen, dad Santiago and older sister Milena. Then it’s best friends Amy Schlueter and Sammi Rodriguez before expanding around the globe to teammates, coaches, and other friends she has made along the way. Sometimes it was a bed or room to call her own or a family dinner that made her feel welcome in a strange place. They are the ones who never lost faith.

“Anisa has really only ever wanted to do one thing and that is play soccer,” Milena said. “I have never heard her say, ‘I can’t.’ It’s just not in her vocabulary. … When you work as hard as she does. When you dedicate your life to what you love and do anything you can to improve yourself, you’re bound to reach your goals one way or the other.”

Schlueter, who was a teammate at Buchanan and on the Fresno Fusion club team, has always pushed her best friend as close to the edge as possible, at times to the point where Schlueter questioned if it were too much.

“Sometimes I felt like I was forcing her to keep playing,” Schlueter said. “But it was all worth it. I just wanted to push her hard enough to be where she wanted to be. She’s the hardest worker I’ve ever seen.”

Guajardo, who calls Schlueter her life coach, heeded the advice.

The two caught up before Guajardo went to Australia and again before she joined Team Mexico. Schlueter drove to Los Angeles to visit with Guajardo during her three-hour layover Saturday.

With all the support and 20 years of dedication to the game, Guajardo finally is on women’s soccer’s biggest stage.

“It’s crazy how life works,” Guajardo said. “I just believe that if you work hard, put out good, positive energy into the world, you will be rewarded with positive results.”

Guajardo was a reserve and did not play in Mexico’s 1-1 tie against Colombia or the team’s 2-1 loss to England. Group play concludes at 1 p.m. Wednesday against France.

She is the second from Fresno to represent Mexico in the Women’s World Cup. In 1999, Memorial High grad Yvette Valdez was one of the team’s three goalkeepers.

This story was originally published June 10, 2015 at 4:42 PM with the headline "From dream to reality, ex-Fresno star reaches World Cup."