Tormenta FC’s Anna Melissa Torres has been invited to try out for Panama’s U-17 women’s national soccer team for the upcoming 2025 U17 Women’s World Cup being played in Morocco October 17 to November 8, 2025.
Her tryout is taking place October 13-15 in Panama with the Panamanian Soccer Federation. Although a roster has not been established yet, the Federation is in the process of choosing players who will train and compete together in preparation to compete as one of 24 nations invited to the 2025 U17 Women’s World Cup.
Anna Melissa, a freshman at St. Vincent’s Academy and a first-generation Panamanian, received the try-out invitation for the U17 team despite being just 14 years old. Torres is a versatile player as an attacking midfielder, center-back and left wing for her Tormenta club team.
The application and fact finding process for the Torres family stretched over a couple of years and involved texting, emailing and talking to Panamanian soccer representatives until the right channels were discovered. Torres’ father, Abdiel Torres, reached out to coaches and sent highlights showcasing his daughter’s abilities to coaches and academies in Panama, and the opportunity for her to try out for the Panamanian national team finally came during the past few weeks.
“She’s played with older competition at the academy [Tormenta], it's definitely an opportunity that she welcomes,” Abdiel “Junior” Torres said. “She’s definitely very excited, but I don’t think she’s wrapped her head around it. I think I’m more excited than she is, and her grandparents (in Panama) are going crazy.”
Although the family didn’t publicize the invitation to try out, Tormenta posted an announcement on social media, and Anna Melissa said her teammates, friends and even her teachers at St. Vincent’s were congratulating her after seeing the announcement. The invitation provides Anna Melissa with an opportunity at 14 years old to potentially play for something more meaningful than most athletes ever get to experience.
“I was getting messages from people I don’t even know congratulating me,” Anna Melissa Torres said.
Anna Melissa and her family decided a few years ago to pursue playing for the Panamanian national soccer team after Abdiel Torres learned about a friend’s daughter in the United States who had earned a tryout. Although the process of finding the right contacts with the Panamanian Football Federation has been long and sometimes twisting, the Torres family is grateful to have been able to create this once in a lifetime experience for Anna Melissa.
“Deep down inside, I think any athlete would be very excited at the opportunity to not just represent her school but to represent a country,” Abdiel Torres said. “(Anna Melissa) wasn't born in Panama, but I was and my wife was so we are very excited for her. And we’re very excited for any opportunities that may come after it. I
“I'm trying to wrap my head around it because it is an awesome opportunity for her to be able to represent a country.”
PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy Torres Family
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