Brazil Web Log
June 21-July 3
Day 10
It was much brighter and warmer this morning when we woke up and the weather was very pleasant
for our third and final friendly. The boys were split into two even teams, each with 8 Americans and 7 Brazilians.
Most of the Brazilian kids were from the infantil group that had beaten us in the first game.
Their first team squad had beaten Curitiba FC in league play yesterday 1-0 and was there just to jog
around the field and watch us play. Everyone got a lot of playing time and the final score was 6-4 so
there was a lot of offense and not much defense played, very typical for Brazil.
We got to watch the beginning of the England-Portugal game before the last short session at 2 PM.
I was able to stay in the dorm and watch the extra time and the penalties, but the boys had their last session,
a short fun and games practice with Marcos, the regular coach for the infantils.
They opened the room with the big screen for us to watch the Brazil game together and served soda and popcorn.
Many of the Brazilians have gone to parties out of the center to enjoy the game with friends and
families as this is not only a quarterfinal but also a Saturday. All three teams-pro, juniors and
juvenile-were off this afternoon.
The coverage for the Brazil game began early this morning and basically showed the bus leaving the hotel,
showed the players on the bus, in the locker room and warming up before the game. Everyone here was
very pleased that Perreira rolled out a more attacking lineup-Ronaldinho up top in a freer role with
Ronaldo and also Juninho in place of Emerson. However, the French team, led by Zidane and Henry,
were clearly the best team on the day. We kept waiting for Brazil to come alive but something was
obviously missing and the best team prevailed. It is an all European affair now, and France has now
eliminated Brazil three times, including 1998 when they won in the final 3-0. The press here were very
subdued but complementary of the French.
We’ll take it easy tonight and pack. Tomorrow the boys can sleep in a bit, watch the juvenil game and
we will take off for the airport after lunch. I’ll wrap this log up when I get back to the US.
Days 11 and 12
It was a long trip home. After waking up late and watching the Atletico juvenils get beaten by one of their
farm teams from Londrina, a nearby city, we grabbed our last meal at the dining tent and packed the bus.
The juvenils have some great players, several in the Brazilian national pool, but it was a case of inflated
egos and a team with something to prove. In this environment, it could be some players being released
at the end of the year-coming up in a few weeks, and some of these players being offered contracts.
One player in particular from the opponent, a stocky, slightly overweight forward, accounted for three of
the goals directly, scoring two crackers and then setting up a third beautifully. He wasn't the most athletic
guy out there, but a true forward. In the end, he was the difference in a 4-1 game.
We had no problems with fog for our afternoon flight, which is a big problem on winter mornings at their airport.
Our flight in Sao Paulo was delayed 1 hour and was had to dash through customs in Miami,
do a luggage cart motorcross across the Miami airport and barely made our connection to Richmond.
At this point, it looks like the only casualty on the return was Doug Olson, who missed his connection
and had to spend the day in Miami. I guess there are worse places to be for a day.
We arrived in Richmond around 145 PM, some 24 hours after leaving the CT, to end our Brazilian adventure.
I will post about 100 pictures on shutterfly when I get caught up.
Next year's trip will probably be later in the summer, from about August 7 to 20.
Hope everyone had a great time and will tell others if not come back themselves.
The End!
