Julian Andres Santa
The Apía National Team participated for the first time in the Ciudad Pereira Cup, which was held in the 40th edition of the traditional soccer competition, and did so with full honors, achieving third place over teams from Pereira with experienced players and great investment, for which Apiano’s team confirmed that on the field the teams of friends are a difficult family to beat.
From volleyball to soccer
The team directed by Herman de Jesús Pulgarín, a benchmark in his municipality, took to the cup a team that has been working together for several years and old acquaintances. In the goal they decided to include Juan Diego Maturana Rentería as an alternative, who with the passing of the matches gained prominence for him throughout the tournament, going from being a substitute to starting.
“I was born in Bogotá and arrived in La Virginia at the age of five and settled from there. The truth is that I started playing soccer through a group of friends because I wasn’t very passionate about it, in fact I liked volleyball and one day I went in to cover up and I liked it and they left me there”.
His place, Puerto Dulce
Although he was born in the capital of Colombia, without a doubt his place in the world was in Puerto Dulce, where the doors would open for him to meet soccer friends in Apía. “I am 25 years old and I have been playing soccer since I was 14 or so. I started in La Virginia with Juan Carlos Botero’s club, who was the first teacher who gave me the opportunity and little by little we have given it there”.
They told him to get into the arch
His 1.98 height was an argument more than enough for ‘Sturridge’, as he is known, to get close to the goal. “I also played as a center back and sometimes they put me on the wing but I wasn’t a goalkeeper and I stayed due to the lack of opportunities, they told me ‘it’s that yours is the goal, you’re tall’ and they always threw me back and there I was. They left”.
Third in the Cup
Maturana Rentería was the has up the sleeve of teacher Pulgarín for penalties, being a figure in the definitions to reach the semifinals and be one step away from the final. “It went very well for us, even though we caressed the final for a moment, he got out of hand. This is a group of friends, Professor Herman and ‘Pulga’ told me that I was going to be part of the team and I said yes and to count on me”.
Apía, a great family
“This is not a team, it became a family because day by day we improved more and who would have believed that Apía was going to be in third place in the Ciudad Pereira Cup. Infinite thanks to all who supported this project, thus inviting them to continue supporting sport in our municipality. In the heart of the wind there is talent”, pointed out goalkeeper Juan Diego.
Given:
The Apía team left the cup undefeated with two wins and four draws, in addition to having the second most productive attack. Directed by Herman de Jesús Pulgarín, it had the best player of the tournament on the squad, his son Herman Darío Pulgarín, former player of Deportivo Pereira.