The CONCACAF U-15 Girls’ Championship gives players such as Cayman Islands midfielder Monique Hernandez (pictured) a great view of the positive things football can offer.

ORLANDO, Florida – Prior to the start of the 2016 CONCACAF U-15 Girls’ Championship, CONCACAF.com asked some of the participating national associations for storylines heading into the competition. Out of the responses, players from two teams wrote articles to share thoughts on football and the role it takes in their lives.

One of those competitors, Cayman Islands midfielder Monique Hernandez, 15, provided an absorbing inside look of what a player must do in order to make a national team.

After Cayman opened the CU15G with a 3-0 loss to Bermuda, Hernandez kept things in perspective, saying: “It was definitely a tough match. We played our hearts out. We tried our hardest. Unfortunately, we didn’t win, but that’s life. You lose some, you win some. We just have to make sure that we come back strong, recover and be prepared for the next game.”

As commitment and effort would have it, the Cayman Islands won its next two games and returned home with a 2W-0D-1L record, reinforcing Hernandez’s perspective on football…and life.

Written by Monique Hernandez, Cayman Islands girls’ under-15 national team

Being able to participate in the CONCACAF U-15 Girls’ Championship is an honor and a pleasure

for us all. It creates an opportunity for girls to get to know each other better and to experience the world of soccer in a professional environment.

In preparation for this tournament, we learned many skills that will not only benefit us on the field, but in our daily lives as well.

The general public only see what takes place on the field during a game, but what happens behind the scenes is very important.

Throughout the year, players come and go training with the national team. Some come to experience what it’s like for a short while, while others participate continually because their love for the game is so great. They commit to training and to play like their lives depended on it.

Although we all know that only a few can be selected to represent the Cayman Islands, we still try our hardest to support, guide, teach and prepare each other.

There will always be bumps on the way and a bit of a rough time, but as a team, we work through them as one, which helps even more to bond us together.

Before the selection is usually made, the intensity of training increases little by little. Blood, sweat and tears are shed on the field in the morning sun and/or during the late evening. Then, comes the difficult moment of selection.

For some, more tears roll down faces, whether it’s due to joy or disappointment.

There are also smiles of pleasure from the success of hard work and some are congratulatory.

For those who didn’t make it, they still train whenever they can and support however they can, taking in this experience for a future opportunity.