Corinthians Women’s coach on midfielder’s debut, early squad rotation

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Central do Timão

·15 Februari 2026

Corinthians Women’s coach on midfielder’s debut, early squad rotation

By Fabio Luigi / Central do Timão Editorial Team

Corinthians faced Atlético-MG on the night of last Friday (13th), at Arena MRV, for the first round of the 2026 Brazilian Women's Championship, and won 1-0. The Brabas' goal was scored by midfielder Letícia Monteiro. The positive result put the Brabas in contention for the top spots in the tournament.

In an interview with the portal TikiTaka Sports, coach Lucas Piccinato was asked about the debut of Colombian midfielder Paolo García, 32 years old. The athlete was signed by the club from Parque São Jorge at the beginning of 2026 after standing out for Deportivo Cali, Colombia, throughout last season, especially in the Conmebol Libertadores of the category.

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Photo: Mauro Horita/Staff Images CBF

The defensive midfielder was brought on at the 40th minute of the second half and made important defensive contributions to the victory. She began her career playing for Real Santander, Colombia (2017 and 2018). She later played for Real San Andres-COL (2019), Junior Barranquilla-COL (2020), Libertad-PAR (2021), Yarucuyanos-VEN (2021), Santa Fé-COL (2022), Allianza Lima-PER (2022 and 2023), and Deportivo Cali-COL (2024 and 2025).

“Paola is a player who had a great season last year with Deportivo Cali, really caught our attention in the Libertadores and is coming to add to the team. She had little time, it was five minutes, but she was actively involved, managed to display her good football. An athlete who is coming from abroad, just like others who come from another country straight here and have to adapt to the pace of the game here in Brazil, to the intensity of the duels, but she is a player who, for sure, once well adapted, will help us a lot,” he began.

Next, he explained the squad rotation at the start of the season. The athletes returned in the first week of January and, on the 20th, traveled to London, England, to compete in the Champions Cup, the Women's Club World Cup. On the 28th, they beat Gotham FC, from the United States, by a score of 1-0 in the semifinals. Then, on the 1st, against Arsenal, they were defeated 3-2 in extra time and finished as runners-up in the tournament.

Shortly after, they returned to Brazil for the final of the Women's Supercup, held last Saturday (7th), against Palmeiras, in Barueri. The Brabas, however, finished in second place after losing on penalties 5-4 – a draw in regular time by a score of 1-1: “We made a decision at the start of the season, mainly because of the importance of the first three games, to try to keep a consistent team, also due to the limited training time. We had very little preseason before playing the World Cup, so we had to try to give a bit more chemistry to the eleven who started the first three matches. But it's a trend I've always followed here, to keep all the athletes ready to play.”

He also added: “And now, starting the Brazilian Championship, a longer competition, I think the rotation of players will be a bit greater, because they have a bit more time. A squad filled with many capable players. There are players who played today who could easily have been starters in the first three matches as well. It's about understanding who is in better physical condition, what each athlete can deliver in the context of the opponent, so that we can choose the best pieces to play and put on the field those who deserve it,” he said.

Now, the club from Parque São Jorge will return to the pitch next Friday (20th), at 9:30 pm (Brasília time), when they will face Fluminense at Neo Química Arena, for the second round of the Brazilian Women's Championship.

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