Aníbal Godoy has made over 100 international appearances for his home country of Panama.
Wednesday night’s appearance in a friendly against Mexico was one of his most special.
Godoy started and played the full 90 minutes in a 3-0 defeat against Mexico at Nissan Stadium, the venue he calls home with Nashville SC. It was the first time he was able to play in Nashville for his national team since joining the club.
His wife and kids saw him play for Panama for the first time since they moved to Nashville ahead of the 2020 season. Godoy said he was proud to represent his country in front of his kids.
“They love football,” Godoy said. “They love to come to Nissan Stadium; this time it was in a different red shirt. They said, ‘Why are we going to Nissan Stadium with a red shirt? We always go in yellow.’ I feel proud to take all of my family to the stadium.”
His Nashville SC teammates also came out to support him. Godoy said he loved having so many people there, even with many Mexico fans in the building.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Godoy said. “I feel like home. We have so many Mexican people here in Nashville, but also felt like it was a normal game in MLS.”
Now, Godoy turns his attention to the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup, where he’ll continue to represent Panama in the region’s most prestigious tournament. He says the extra training time for this friendly will be helpful as the team comes together ahead of its opener on July 13.
“We’ll try to have a good tournament,” Godoy said. “Whatever happens inside the tournament, we need to learn and improve. We have time to train, and I think this is very important for us to try to build all the quality for the team and try to stick together.”
Before Godoy joins Panama, he’ll take the pitch again at Nissan Stadium wearing Nashville SC gold on Saturday night. Click here to get your tickets to Saturday’s match vs. Philadelphia Union.
