Guatemala women’s national team forward Marisol Stosich Mena has confirmed that she is putting her football career on hold for a year and a half to dedicate herself fully to a religious mission. The announcement landed at a key moment in the development of one of Central America’s most promising young attackers, and it quickly spread through outlets including Prensa Libre, Antorcha Deportiva and the portal Tercer Tiempo GT, drawing astonishment and intrigue among fans in the region.
Stosich’s path to the international stage has been unusual. Born in Utah and raised in Idaho, she carries strong Guatemalan roots through her mother’s side of the family. She was recruited by the agency Cañas Recruiting and committed to play NCAA Division I soccer with Utah Valley University, establishing herself as a college prospect in the United States before her senior international career had even begun. Her talent earned her a call-up to Guatemala’s senior national team at just 16 years old, and she made her international debut in April 2024 against opponents including the Colombia national team.
The pause, confirmed through the player’s own official Instagram and TikTok accounts as well as in a report by the specialist outlet Church News, is due to her decision to serve an 18-month mission with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The commitment is a familiar stage for young people of her faith and requires stepping away completely from professional training and university commitments in order to focus exclusively on community and evangelising work for the duration of the service period.
Faith has been a constant thread running through her sporting life. Outlets such as Más Fe note that Stosich has spoken openly about how prayer and her beliefs helped her overcome complex physical injuries in the past, allowing her to keep an impeccable balance between high-level performance on the field and her academic studies. Her willingness to walk away from the game at a peak moment in her career, in order to serve others, reflects the scale of values she has carried throughout her time as an athlete.
Her decision has been met with respect rather than resistance. The environment surrounding the Guatemala national team and the coaching staff at Utah Valley University have both expressed their support for her personal choice, and her university programme has guaranteed its backing for her return to the field once her service is complete. Local outlets such as Buenas Noticias Guatemala have highlighted her professionalism and tactical maturity, assessing her as one of the fastest forwards and one of the best readers of the game of her generation.
The year-and-a-half interruption will inevitably represent a physical challenge when she eventually returns to competitive football. Stosich is not the first high-performance athlete in the United States to temporarily suspend top-level competition in order to carry out missionary activities, a process that demands comprehensive preparation, daily discipline and a sustained distance from the routines of professional sport.
Stosich has previously spoken about the pride she felt in representing the land of her ancestors in her first appearances after putting on the national jersey, and about the importance of her family’s unconditional support. It is expected that, once she completes the 18 months of religious service, she will return to competitive soccer to continue her development in NCAA soccer and once again wear the Guatemala shirt.