Canuck Oranje Posted December 6, 2008 Share Posted December 6, 2008 Having posted on this tournament for the last three years, I thought I would keep it going for another year. I'm sure there are other major junior tournaments around the world but this one is very likely the largest. It is also filled with intrigue. First of all, here is some background. The tournament is for the teams of clubs from all around Brazil with players born in 1990 or later. Virtually all the big clubs in Brazil enter this tournament. Of the top 40 (Series A & clubs, 31 clubs are represented. Add to that, big and powerful youth clubs like Desportivo Brasil, Pao de Acucar EC, Paulista (Campus Pele affiliate), Ituano (Desportivo Brazil Affiliate), Sao Jose EC (Primeria Camisa affiliate) and recovering traditional powerhouse, Guarani and you get a sense of the depth of competition. 88 teams begin this tournament in early January and the final is on January 25. While the only traditional powerhouses missing appear to be Botafogo (RJ) and Sport Recife, the real interesting part of the tournament for agents and club scouts are the small teams and those coming out of the small interior states of Brazil. Often times, many of these players haven't been seen by the big clubs. This is Brazilian soccer in its purest form. For these young players, simulation does not help you get a contract. The quality of the games are excellent. This is the tournament that typically introduces the best young players in Brazil to the world as international scouts from European clubs also pay close attention to this tournament. Also like the NCAA March Madness tournament, this tournament has its share of upsets. Many or most of the games are on TV (cable or Pay TV)in Brazil. The best part for the fan? Attending games are free. More later... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trillium Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 quote:Originally posted by Canuck Oranje Having posted on this tournament for the last three years, I thought I would keep it going for another year. I'm sure there are other major junior tournaments around the world but this one is very likely the largest. It is also filled with intrigue. First of all, here is some background. The tournament is for the teams of clubs from all around Brazil with players born in 1990 or later. Virtually all the big clubs in Brazil enter this tournament. Of the top 40 (Series A & clubs, 31 clubs are represented. Add to that, big and powerful youth clubs like Desportivo Brasil, Pao de Acucar EC, Paulista (Campus Pele affiliate), Ituano (Desportivo Brazil Affiliate), Sao Jose EC (Primeria Camisa affiliate) and recovering traditional powerhouse, Guarani and you get a sense of the depth of competition. 88 teams begin this tournament in early January and the final is on January 25. While the only traditional powerhouses missing appear to be Botafogo (RJ) and Sport Recife, the real interesting part of the tournament for agents and club scouts are the small teams and those coming out of the small interior states of Brazil. Often times, many of these players haven't been seen by the big clubs. This is Brazilian soccer in its purest form. For these young players, simulation does not help you get a contract. The quality of the games are excellent. This is the tournament that typically introduces the best young players in Brazil to the world as international scouts from European clubs also pay close attention to this tournament. Also like the NCAA March Madness tournament, this tournament has its share of upsets. Many or most of the games are on TV (cable or Pay TV)in Brazil. The best part for the fan? Attending games are free. More later... Maranhão Atlético disputa torneio no Piauí preparando-se para Copa São Paulo Escrito por oão Ricardo de O IMPARCIAL A preparação para a Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior (Sub-18) não cessa no Maranhão Atlético Clube. Após os amistosos, o MAC disputa agora um torneio no Piauí, com os anfitriões Flamengo e Parnayba e mais o Ceará-CE. A competição começa neste domingo. Domingo, às 9h, na cidade de Altos, o Maranhão joga contra o Ceará. O vencedor desta partida enfrenta quem ganhar o confronto entre Parnaíba x Flamengo. Caso o MAC chegue à final do torneio, a equipe joga amanhã, às 9h, com o outro finalista. Com o péssimo resultado no último amistoso, 2x0 para o Flamengo-PI, em pleno Nhozinho Santros, a equipe sofreu algumas alterações, como a saída do goleiro Ricardo para a entrada de Diego. Assim, a formação que foi trabalhada no treino de sexta-feira foi: Diego; Riba, Renato, Marvin e Júnior; Índio, Ivanildo, Jean e Rainon; Alex e Rafael. A equipe viajou para o Piauí na tarde de ontem. O retorno deve acontecer logo após o término da participação do MAC na competição. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trillium Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 Maranhão Sub-18 joga em Rosário, após empatar com Paysandu Escrito por João Ricardo, de O Imparcial Online Jogar fora de casa, com a torcida toda contra, e para completar o desafio, um adversário de faixa etária superior. Este foi o amistoso do Maranhão Atlético Clube, categoria Sub-18 contra o Paysandu Sub-20, partida que terminou empatada, por 1x1, no último domingo (16), no estádio Mangueirão, Belém-PA. O gol do MAC foi marcado por Alex, de pênalti. O Maranhão prepara-se para disputar a Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior, janeiro, em São Paulo. O time maranhense saiu na frente, dominou a partida, mas sofreu o empate no final do jogo, em uma falha de marcação. Para Álvaro, técnico do Maranhão, o time mostrou maturidade e superioridade na partida, mesmo não conquistando a vitória. "Disseram que o time deles era Sub-20, mas fomos superiores o jogo todo. O problema foi que no final da partida sofremos o empate em uma cobrança de bola parada", disse o treinador. Mesmo com mais volume de jogo, Álvaro apontou a desatenção da equipe na bola parada que originou o gol do Paysandu, como o ponto fraco que precisa ser trabalhado. "Não foi cansaço não, foi desatenção mesmo, mas isso a gente acerta com os treinos", finalizou o comandante. ROSÁRIO Após o bom resultado no primeiro amistoso da preparação para a Copa São Paulo, o time prepara-se para jogar em Rosário, contra o Filipinho, da mesma categoria, atual campeão do município. A partida acontece no estádio Serejão, às 9h, e mais uma vez jogar na casa do adversário contra um time forte da cidade faz parte do teste psicológico para a equipe que enfrentará muitas arquibancadas cheias, na competição de janeiro. A equipe titular para o confronto contra o Filipinho deve ser Diego; Riba, Rogério, Marvin e Júnior; Índio, Ivanildo, Jean e Deílson; Rafael e Rainon. REFORÇOS O MAC fechou seu elenco com 25 jogadores, sendo três goleiros e 22 de linha. Destes 25, oito são reforços vindos de outras equipes. Diego (goleiro), veio do Rio de Janeiro; Marvin (zagueiro), Júnior (lateral-esquerdo) e Renato (zagueiro), oriundos do Americano, de São Luís; Jean (volante), do Paraná Club; Cláudio (atacante) e Demerson (meia), do Marília, de Imperatriz e Rainon (atacante), da Desportiva, de São Luís. As can be seen they draw in players from other clubs to make one strong U18 team to go ahead in the competition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Oranje Posted December 8, 2008 Author Share Posted December 8, 2008 Yeah, there is a lot of sharing of players. In Sao Paulo, you will see loans between some of the bigger youth systems to bolster their lineups. Last year, even Gremio and Sao Paulo took in players on loan. One thing I can't overemphasize is how serious this tournament is. While it is technically considered an amateur tournament, most of the best players are already signed to multi-year professional contracts (at least in name anyway). Virtually all teams are already training daily (weekdays) for this tournament already. The best teams will go into a residential camp after Christmas with the games beginning in the first weekend in January. If there was ever a time to send a U-19/20 team to Brazil for exhibition games, the first two weeks of December would be a good time. There would be countless opportunities to get games with quality opponents. While I don't follow the teams much outside of the state of Sao Paulo, I would suggest that all of the big clubs should be considered as potential winners. However, I would suggest recent results would put Cruzeiro, Corinthians, Santos, Flamengo, Palmeiras, and Sao Paulo FC as the favourites. However, I think these teams could also go deep in the tournament: - Pao de Acucar EC - current finalist in the Sao Paulo U-17 league. On top of that, their U-20 placed 3rd in the Otten Cup (PSV Eindhoven tournament) behind a combined FC Twente/Heracles team and Cruzeiro but ahead of Ajax, Feyenoord, PSV, and Dynamo Moscow. - Gremio Recreativo Barueri - current finalist in the Sao Paulo U-17 league. While their U-20 team did not stand out in the Sao Paulo U-20 league, it was largely a U-18 team preparing for the Copa Sao Paulo. - Desportivo Brasil - first year competing under its own name. This is a club stalked with youth talent. Their success will be dependent on how it chooses to divide players with Ituano (an affiliated club. - Ituano - affiliated with Desportivo Brasil and may surprise. - Paulista - affiliated with Campus Pele (a player development initiative from Pele with a group of investors). - Sao Jose EC - affiliated with Primeira Camisa (Roque Junior's player development initiative). The team did not participate last year but two years ago it knocked out Vasco da Gama. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Oranje Posted December 9, 2008 Author Share Posted December 9, 2008 In looking at the youth results from Rio Grande do Sul, it would appear that Internacional has the better youth teams this year over Gremio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Oranje Posted December 31, 2008 Author Share Posted December 31, 2008 The web link below is the official site for this tournament. It has team rosters, schedules, etc. The tournament begins on Saturday January 3/4 with the first round of games. http://www.futebolpaulista.com.br/copasp.php Here are my picks for the emerging stars from the tournament: 1. Wellington - MF - Sao Paulo FC (17 and already on main roster) 2. Oscar – FW - Sao Paulo FC 3. Roni or Ronieli – FW – Sao Paulo FC 4. Henrique – FW – Sao Paulo FC (17 - leading scorer in the U17 SP league) 5. Lucas – CB - Coritiba (Central Defender already on senior roster) 6. Juan – MF /FW - GR Barueri (17 - 7 goals in 10-12 games in U20 SP League and last year's leading scorer in the U17 SP league at 16, all while splitting time as a MF and FW) 7. Rhayner – MF - GR Barueri 8. Fernando Henrique – Corinthians 9. Paraiba – MF/FW - Mirassol (leading scorer in SP U20 league) 10. Eduardo Salles – FW – CA Paranaense 11. Lusmar – MF – Goias EC 12. Eder – FW – Vasco da Gama Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Oranje Posted December 31, 2008 Author Share Posted December 31, 2008 The web link below is the official site for this tournament. It has team rosters, schedules, etc. The tournament begins on Saturday January 3/4 with the first round of games. http://www.futebolpaulista.com.br/copasp.php Here are my picks for the emerging stars from the tournament: 1. Wellington - MF - Sao Paulo FC (17 and already on main roster) 2. Oscar – FW - Sao Paulo FC 3. Roni or Ronieli – FW – Sao Paulo FC 4. Henrique – FW – Sao Paulo FC (17 - leading scorer in the U17 SP league) 5. Lucas – CB - Coritiba (Central Defender already on senior roster) 6. Juan – MF /FW - GR Barueri (17 - 7 goals in 10-12 games in U20 SP League and last year's leading scorer in the U17 SP league at 16, all while splitting time as a MF and FW) 7. Rhayner – MF - GR Barueri 8. Fernando Henrique – Corinthians 9. Paraiba – MF/FW - Mirassol (leading scorer in SP U20 league) 10. Eduardo Salles – FW – CA Paranaense 11. Lusmar – MF – Goias EC 12. Eder – FW – Vasco da Gama Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Oranje Posted January 3, 2009 Author Share Posted January 3, 2009 Maranhao gets one of the favourites tomorrow. Pao de Acucar EC is the SP U17 champ. quote:Originally posted by Trillium Maranhão Sub-18 joga em Rosário, após empatar com Paysandu Escrito por João Ricardo, de O Imparcial Online Jogar fora de casa, com a torcida toda contra, e para completar o desafio, um adversário de faixa etária superior. Este foi o amistoso do Maranhão Atlético Clube, categoria Sub-18 contra o Paysandu Sub-20, partida que terminou empatada, por 1x1, no último domingo (16), no estádio Mangueirão, Belém-PA. O gol do MAC foi marcado por Alex, de pênalti. O Maranhão prepara-se para disputar a Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior, janeiro, em São Paulo. O time maranhense saiu na frente, dominou a partida, mas sofreu o empate no final do jogo, em uma falha de marcação. Para Álvaro, técnico do Maranhão, o time mostrou maturidade e superioridade na partida, mesmo não conquistando a vitória. "Disseram que o time deles era Sub-20, mas fomos superiores o jogo todo. O problema foi que no final da partida sofremos o empate em uma cobrança de bola parada", disse o treinador. Mesmo com mais volume de jogo, Álvaro apontou a desatenção da equipe na bola parada que originou o gol do Paysandu, como o ponto fraco que precisa ser trabalhado. "Não foi cansaço não, foi desatenção mesmo, mas isso a gente acerta com os treinos", finalizou o comandante. ROSÁRIO Após o bom resultado no primeiro amistoso da preparação para a Copa São Paulo, o time prepara-se para jogar em Rosário, contra o Filipinho, da mesma categoria, atual campeão do município. A partida acontece no estádio Serejão, às 9h, e mais uma vez jogar na casa do adversário contra um time forte da cidade faz parte do teste psicológico para a equipe que enfrentará muitas arquibancadas cheias, na competição de janeiro. A equipe titular para o confronto contra o Filipinho deve ser Diego; Riba, Rogério, Marvin e Júnior; Índio, Ivanildo, Jean e Deílson; Rafael e Rainon. REFORÇOS O MAC fechou seu elenco com 25 jogadores, sendo três goleiros e 22 de linha. Destes 25, oito são reforços vindos de outras equipes. Diego (goleiro), veio do Rio de Janeiro; Marvin (zagueiro), Júnior (lateral-esquerdo) e Renato (zagueiro), oriundos do Americano, de São Luís; Jean (volante), do Paraná Club; Cláudio (atacante) e Demerson (meia), do Marília, de Imperatriz e Rainon (atacante), da Desportiva, de São Luís. As can be seen they draw in players from other clubs to make one strong U18 team to go ahead in the competition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Oranje Posted January 12, 2009 Author Share Posted January 12, 2009 After the first phase, 22 of the 31 of the Series A & B clubs (in 2008) have qualified for the second phase. Some of the biggest surprise long shots making it through include Rio Branco, Atletico Sorrocaba, Rio Claro, Sao Jose RS, America SP, and Sertaozinho. Some of the biggest upsets include Coritiba, Atletico MG, Vitoria BA, and Pao de Acucar (2008 - U17 Sao Paulo Champion). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Oranje Posted January 16, 2009 Author Share Posted January 16, 2009 After second phase, there are some more surprises. Four more of Brazil's ten biggest clubs were eliminated. Gremio, Vasco da Gama, Palmeiras, and Flamengo (along with Atletico Mineiro from the first phase) did not make the final 16. There were aome barnburners in this phase with Flamengo losing to Fortaleza 5-4 and Palmeiras losing to Parana Clube 3-2 after falling behind 3-0. The highlight matches in the third phase are likely to be Cruzeiro - Santos and a Sao Paulo derby, Sao Paulo - Barueri. None of these teams have been seriously test yet and two will be gone after this. The biggest surprise underdog so far is likely Atletico Sorocaba because is doesn't have much history neither in the youth game nor at the senior professional level. They also have yet to lose or tie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Oranje Posted January 17, 2009 Author Share Posted January 17, 2009 For anyone interested in checking out a game online, Try: http://www.eugeniosvirtual.com/tevirtual/jogos_vivo.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Oranje Posted January 24, 2009 Author Share Posted January 24, 2009 It's now down to two teams from the 88 that started the tournament. Yesterday Clube Atletico Paranaense defeated Sao Paulo FC and Corinthians defeated Avai on penalties to reach the final that will be played on Sunday. One thing that is clear in following this tournament is that roster depth is almost as important has having the most talented players. Once teams have played 4-5 games, you begin to see the ideal starting elevens of teams begin to breakdown. For example I watched a game online between Barueri and Sao Paulo. In it Barueri was missing one of its two potential superstar midfielders due to injury. With that loss, the team played its weakest game of the tournament as was eliminated easily. By no means the only ones, here are some names to remember so far from this tournament: Bernardo, (Cruzeiro) - leading scorer so far with eight goals. Henrique,(Sao Paulo) - Saw him play in the online game I watched. I saw him score some mature goals and he is only 17. A very talented player. Juan (Barueri)- In an newspaper interview, an Italian league scout highlighted that a Barueri player was one that interested him. After having seen Juan play, I suspect it would be him (or possibly Rhayner who was injured in the game I watched). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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