Mexico women’s soccer coach Leonardo Cuellar looks to recruit Valley

Mexico women’s soccer coach Leonardo Cuellar was in the San Joaquin Valley on Sunday, signing autographs and taking photos with fans at soccer fields in Riverdale and Tulare to promote the Pink Cup.

The tournament is a new venture for Cuellar, who wants to provide an opportunity for the sport in rural parts of the Valley while also having a chance to scout players.

“The Pink is a great opportunity to come and watch the talent that has developed,” Cuellar said. “I know that this is an area very rich in (Mexican) talent. Oftentimes, these opportunities are centered around larger cities like Chicago, Los Angeles and Dallas, but we also think that it’s important to come to places like Riverdale, where there’s a large Mexican community, and push the development of these athletes.”

It’s also an alternative to the traditional academy and club systems offered for female athletes, who often pay a hefty price to play regularly.

“The club system is very expensive and not all of the girls in these parts have the opportunity to play with a good club,” Cuellar said. “This is their opportunity.”

The Pink Cup will begin Nov. 8 with games played every Sunday over the next four weeks, ending with the final Nov. 29. Registration costs $150 per team. Each team must have a minimum of 15 players to a maximum of 23 players. In addition, teams must also pay $40 per match for officials. All games will be played at the Tulare Soccer Complex.

The tournament is open to all teams and players, not only those of Mexican descent. Athletes who are eligible for the Mexican National team, Cuellar said, may be called for a tryout to one of the country’s four squads: U-15, U-17, U-20 and the senior team.

Recruiting in the United States is nothing new for Cuellar, who has coached Las Tri since 1998.

In his first World Cup as manager (1999), he called up ex-Memorial High standout Yvette Valdez as one of the team’s three goalkeepers.

Most recently, he tapped former Buchanan grad and Pepperdine star Anisa Guajardo in June as a last-minute reserve for the World Cup this summer. She was one of 14 players born or raised in the United States on Mexico’s 23-woman roster.

Porterville’s Amber Hernandez (Monache High) played for the under-17 and under-20 squads and represented Mexico at the U-20 World Cup.

Cuellar used Hernandez and Maria Sanchez, of Idaho, as examples of finding talent in unlikely places.

“Who would’ve ever imagined where we would find such talented Mexican players?” Cuellar asked in Spanish.

Cuellar and his staff also will host a coaches clinic on Saturday, Nov. 7. The cost is $100 per person and includes free admission for one child. Time and location of the clinic will be announced later.

Cuellar played in the 1978 World Cup for Mexico, starred with Mexican club Pumas and played in the North American Soccer League between 1979 and 1984 for the San Diego Sockers, San Jose Earthquakes and Golden Bay Earthquakes.

To sign up for the Pink Cup or the coaches’ clinic, contact Arnulfo Lara at 559-250-0775 or arnulfojr@sbcglobal.net.

This story was originally published September 28, 2015 at 6:59 PM with the headline "Mexico women’s soccer coach Leonardo Cuellar looks to recruit Valley."