Stockton Cargo's Gianna Hall called up to Panama National soccer team
Every semi-professional soccer player dreams of being called up to the big stage. One USLW affiliate Stockton Cargo player is getting that opportunity midway through the 2022-23 season.
Gianna Hall, a striker for the Cargo, received a call-up from the Panamanian National team to compete in two upcoming friendlies against Columbia.
“The moment I found out that I got called up I was shocked with a huge everlasting smile — I was smiling so hard to the point my cheeks were sore,” Hall said. “The coach said these words, ‘Bienvenidos a la familia de la Seleccion Nacional de Panama,’ and I was overcome with joy and gratitude.”
The North Dakota commit traveled thousands of miles away just a couple of days after getting the call-up so she can be in Panama on June 17 for the first of two matches. Her parents were born in Panama, giving her dual citizenship and allowing Hall the chance to represent Panama as a citizen of the country.
Her father, James Hall, helped her make a highlight video to send to the Panama National team which ended up catching the team's attention. She went through her first trial in December 2022 and just six months later Hall is returning to her parents' home country.
Ahead of her call-up, Hall has gotten into mid-season form thanks to the Cargo’s stiff competition every week. This would prove to be the perfect training ground for her ahead of playing with a team that’s qualified for the Women’s World Cup in the past.
“I think overall, our environment, the teams that we play against, they all have high-level quality players,” Stockton Cargo’s co-head coach Anahie Duran said. “There are a couple of national team players on other teams, for instance, Portugal and Australia. So that in itself shows the league's quality and how competitive it is.”
For Stockton, Hall has been a solid contributor whenever she’s on the field. She’s competed in four matches for Cargo this season and made the starting lineup in half of them. Her month of training with her team and working with the Stockton Cargo staff has helped her grow on and off the field.
“Gianna is a very hard-working kid and very humble,” Duran said. “So I’m super proud to see this happen. As soccer players, we all have the dream to make it and to play for a national team and I think her having that opportunity it’s insane.”
The Cargo will tune in to watch Hall and the Panamanian National Team’s match on Saturday kicking off at 5:30 p.m. PST. Hall will play again with the national team on June 21 in another matchup against Columbia.
“In a span of what feels like a day I have been put on a stage where I have the opportunity to really leave a mark on women’s soccer and the beautiful country of Panama,” Hall said. “Playing for the Panamanian National team means to me that I now have something very valuable in today’s world.”
Record reporter Shannon Belt covers sports. She can be reached at sbelt@recordnet.com or on Twitter @ShannonBelt3. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: Stockton Cargo's Gianna Hall called up to Panama National soccer team
