Saw just a few minutes of the France game, and most of the NZ game, and it really looks like Columbia has regressed since the World Cup. Of course, drawing the same group as #1 ranked US and #3 ranked France doesn't help.
They dominated possession in the 2nd half against NZ, but didn't really come close to putting the ball in the net, save for 1 set piece off the crossbar. Natalia is playing mid-field this time, where I seem to recall her traditional spot is center back. I think she is better as a defender, personally.
I do see that she is playing club ball for Valencia in the Spanish 1st division this year.
http://www.valenciacf.com/ver/44139/.html
Also came across this article on her:
Gaitan, Colombia’s very own superwoman:
http://www.fifa.com/womensolympic/news/y...91645.html
I did not know that she overcame leukemia as a child. There's also this tidbit:
Quote:Gaitan plays the game with gritted teeth, literally so, as she proved in a Spanish league match against Real Sociedad last October, when she lost several teeth after colliding with an opponent, forcing her to go on a liquid diet for 40 days.
Despite the poor showing so far, big congrats to Natalia & Isabella for continuing to make it to the biggest stages of the sport.