Paraguay superfan Marisol Olmedo has made an early case for being one of the most glamorous fans at the World Cup – even if her team made a terrible start to the competition on Friday night.
The United States thrashed Paraguay 4-1 in Los Angeles, producing a stunning display to tear apart their South American rivals in Group D.
Folarin Balogun scored twice after an own goal from Paraguay defender Damian Bobadilla, while Gio Reyna completed the scoring with a fine strike in the last minute of the game.
Watching the disaster unfold from the stands, dressed in the colors of her country’s flag, was Olmedo – a model who has forged a reputation as one of the biggest fans of her country’s team.
She shared a video of herself at SoFi Stadium dancing in the stands, captioning the footage: ‘Supporting you through everything, my beloved Paraguay.’
The only brief moment Olmedo would have had to celebrate was a well-taken goal from Mauricio in the 73rd minute but it only reduced the scoreline to 3-1. Paraguay already looked well beaten by then.
Paraguay superfan Marisol Olmedo watched her team lose 4-1 to the United States on Friday
Olmedo has made an early case for being one of the most glamorous fans at the World Cup
This is Paraguay’s first World Cup since 2010 and thousands of fans have flown to the US to follow their team.
Olmedo has been sharing her World Cup journey with her 225,000 followers on Instagram, flying to LA and setting up base in Hollywood before the start of the tournament.
Remarkably, before gaining internet fame, Olmedo reportedly had a very different job working on a quarry as a teenager.
Last year, she said in an interview with La Cuarta about her life now: ‘I feel very flattered to be known internationally.’
When she’s not following the Paraguay team, she’s supporting Club Guarani, a two-time club champion in Paraguay.
She will, no doubt, be on the move from Hollywood soon though.
She’ll likely be heading to northern California as Paraguay face a difficult game against Turkey in the San Francisco Bay for their second game on June 19.
It’s a game where Olmedo’s beloved team must avoid defeat at all costs in order to maintain the biggest hope possible of progressing into the knockout rounds of the tournament.
Olmedo will next be traveling up to San Francisco for the next two Paraguay games
She reportedly worked on a quarry as a teenager, long before finding fame on the internet
She desperately needs her Paraguay team to improve if they are to reach the knockout stage
Paraguay’s final game is also in San Francisco’s Bay area – a little over 50 miles from the city of San Francisco itself – against Australia on June 25.
Fortunately for Olmedo, the Paraguay coach insists the team will learn some tough lessons after getting badly beaten by the US.
‘At a World Cup you have to leave emotions to one side,’ Gustavo Alfaro told reporters after their Group D loss. ‘What matters are decision-making, concentration and the details.
‘United States won with absolute justice and clarity. They surpassed us tactically, they surpassed us technically and they surpassed us physically.
‘We have to focus on getting the points we need to qualify. Today the World Cup started. It didn’t end today.’
