12-Year-Old Twins Sue to Play Soccer: The Zolesio Sisters' Fight

At age 12, Delfina and Emilia Zolesio were told they couldn't step foot on a soccer field in Argentina simply because they were girls. Their response? "Mom, get me a lawyer." The twin sisters who won a six-month legal battle to play with boys share their journey from fighting discrimination in Argentina to dominating at UMKC.
In this powerful conversation with Gabriella Haugland, the Zolesio twins reveal how they created opportunities for generations of Argentine girls, starting as the only female players at River Plate alongside one girl from Mexico and one from Costa Rica. They discuss playing with boys until age 12 because "there were no teams for little girls," losing 6-0 every game with teammates who defended them anyway, and why American teams hate playing against them - "and we just love that."
From kissing people on the cheek in greetings that shocked Americans to leaving Argentina during COVID with two weeks' notice, the twins embody the passionate Argentine spirit. They share celebrating Messi's World Cup win in the streets, their mother's decade-long prophecy about coming to America, and why being technical players who treat every game like "the best thing that can happen" makes them unstoppable together.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Cold Open - The Lawsuit
00:22 From Argentina to Kansas City
00:59 Starting at Age Three
01:41 No Girls Allowed
03:38 "Get Me a Lawyer" at 12
05:05 Creating River Plate's Girls Program
06:14 COVID Decision to America
07:45 Two Weeks to Life Change
08:17 Argentine Passion Explained
09:20 Cultural Shock - Cheek Kisses
10:30 Twin Dynamic
11:47 Personality Differences
13:33 Learning English Since Five
14:36 "They All Hate Us"
16:14 Losing 6-0 But United

KEY MOMENTS
⚽ 00:59 - "No one knows how - it wasn't a sport for girls"
⚖️ 03:38 - "Mom, get me a lawyer - I don't know where I got that"
🚫 03:00 - "If you step foot on field, we'll take points from your team"
✊ 05:00 - "We won the trial after six months"
🇦🇷 08:45 - "Soccer unites the country - I can't even explain it"
😘 10:11 - "We'd kiss people on the cheek - everyone was like woah"
😈 15:00 - "All the teams hate us - and we just love that"
💪 16:40 - "We lost 6-0 every game but we wanted to be there"

CONNECT WITH THE ZOLESIO TWINS
Instagram: @delfinazolesio @emiliazolesio Twitter: @zolesiotwins

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