01 - Camille Rodriguez - Journey from Youth to the Senior PWNT

In this episode, I had the great fortune and honour to talk to Camille Rodriguez. CamRod as she is fondly called in the football community is a midfielder for the Philippine Women's National Team and for Kaya Iloilo FC. She's a RIFA MVP in various tournaments, 2-time Palarong Pambansa MVP, former Captain of the Ateneo Women's Football Team and UAAP Season 77's best striker. She currently has 33 caps with 8 goals for the Philippines Women's National Team. She's been to 2 Asian Cups, in 2018 and this year as part of the team that qualified for the World Cup.  We talked about her journey from the youth team to the senior PWNT. We also talked about her experience with Coach Let Dimzon, what it's like to play under Coach Alen Stajcic and how working with a sports psychologist has improved her mental game skills and helped her perform. We also touched on what she's working on and how she's preparing for the World Cup.  PODCAST HIGHLIGHTS: 04:40 Going through the Philippine Football System from Youth to Senior PWNT 06:00 Why she took a break from National Team Duties 07:40 Getting a spot in the WNT with more Filipino heritage players 09:07 What she says to local players who are trying out for the PWNT  11:30 Personal World Cup preparations - Speed, Visualization and working with a sports psychologist 15:15 Playing under Coach Let Dimzon 18:00 Takeaways from Asian Cup 2018 20:55 Coach Alen on building good habits 23:53 Crucial changes that were made in preparation for the Asian Cup 27:24 Inspired by Mom, influenced by Dad, Football is Life 29:58 Singing the National Anthem and what it means to play for the Philippines 32:40 Future of Philippine Women's Football 35:15 What she's doing to mentally prepare herself for the World Cup 39:00 One common myth about being a female football player that she wants to debunk? 39:49 Sports idols she wants to have coffee with. 41:33 On the possibility of playing against Spain and Alexia Putellas in the World Cup 45:12 On mental toughness 46:12 Message to supporters - Team Pilipinas LINKS  Futbol Brew Socials -  http://www.instagram.com/FutbolBrew  https://www.facebook.com/FutbolBrew  https://twitter.com/FutbolBrew  Folllow Cam on her Socials -  http://www.instagram.com/camrodr https://www.facebook.com/camrodr7 https://twitter.com/camrodr7 Kat Khosrowyar -  https://twitter.com/katkhosrowyar Empowering Women Through Sports | Katayoun Khosrowyar | TEDxKish https://youtu.be/ucB64VC46uI Album Cover Photo from Mia Montayre