How playing for the Guyanese soccer team changed the trajectory of Fung’s soccer career

By Hannah Duffey

The DM on Instagram seemed too good to be true and like spam, not an international recruiter.

“It was just a DM that came in on Instagram from someone who was a recruiter for international teams, and they had reached out to me and they were like, ‘if you have any interest, you know, reach back, and so I did,” she said.

Her Dad is Guayense and her Mom is Filipino, so this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Knowing no one or what playing for the national team really entailed, Fung took a leap of trust and decided to go to Canada to practice with the team.

“I was able to go to Canada to practice with the team,” she said. “That was an amazing experience and that was kind of like my tryout for the Guyanese national team.”

Guayana is still a developing country, the third independent state on the mainland of South America and the fourth smallest political entity. It is popularly known for its dense rainforest and visual arts.

“Guyana is a very underdeveloped country. It’s a third-world country, so it is developing,” she said. “The soccer is developing.”

So, when they asked Fung to play for the national team that would be playing in Guayana, she could not pass up the opportunity.

“They had asked me to come back and play and go to and practice in the Concacaf games that they were hosting in Guyana,” Fung said.

The Confederation of North, Central America, and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) games are played every two years for national teams.

Playing for the national team was bigger than soccer for not only Fung but also her family.

“You know, he hasn’t been back to Guyana since he was four, and I’m the only person in the family that has really gone back or gone to Guyana after never going, and also being on the Guyanese national team,” Fung said. “It was an experience and I’m happy that I can make my family proud and make my ancestors proud.”

Her grandfather passed away months before her debut so this brought a sense of peace for her family, especially her grandmother.

“I mean, as soon as I made the team it was right before my grandpa passed away that year,” she said. So just going back to Guyana and knowing that my grandpa would have been extremely proud of me, it was emotional, but knowing that he was proud of me, my grandma is proud of me and my dad.”

From the moment Fung got in contact with her Grandmother, they instantly shared the excitement with one another and she was able to get in contact with her other family members so that they could watch her play.

Although she never met this side of her family, their bond and connection were inseparable from the moment they came face to face with one another.

“So, my grandma had got me in contact with some family members that were in Guyana and I have never met before,” she said. “So I kept in contact with them and sent them the game information and I saw them and it was immediate connection like that was family.”

“It was just amazing to get that experience because if it weren’t for the national team, I would have never got to meet those family members and feel that love from, you know, afar,” Fung said.

Playing in the States is a higher level but playing for the national team was an eye-opening experience for Fung and showed her that it is bigger than just the sport.

“Being around people who play soccer at different levels from different countries, it was an amazing experience, just because I played with someone who plays for the NWSL,” she said. “I played with people who played overseas for professional soccer, so there was a lot of high-level soccer, and I think that’s what made me realize that no matter where you go, you’re going to find great soccer players. And to all be connected by culture is something that not a lot of people can experience.”

Everything she learned from playing with the National team carried over to her team at Flagler College.

She has helped lead her team to the 2019 Final Four game in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Just getting there, the journey, and being with that team, the 2019 team was phenomenal, she said. “The atmosphere and the coaching staff as well was phenomenal.”

Her story will continue to impact other young ladies worldwide who are hoping to make their mark on the world as she has done.

“It was just amazing to get that experience because if it weren’t for the national team, I would have never got to meet those family members and feel that love from, you know, afar,” Fung said.