Thadeu Goncalves brought his BFUT staff to Central Park, Plantation to put the Eagles players, U13 and above, through the principles of Brazilian soccer. Goncalves is the Director of BFUT and possesses extensive coaching experience, including time with Sao Paulo and the Brazilian National U-20 team. His team of coaches served to educate players, coaches, and parents on what it is that makes Brazilian soccer so beautiful to watch and exiting to play.
The BFUT coaches introduced the Eagles’ players to a number of new and varied exercises designed to teach the Brazilian way to play; specialized technical circuits, barefoot soccer with rubber soccer balls and futsals, competitive games under the guidance of Goncalves, team compactness, pressing lines, communication, and barefoot shooting. Each player was encouraged to apply the main principles of Brazilian soccer that has the national team as the favorites to win this summer’s World Cup Finals in Germany;
· Keep the ball on the ground
· Use diagonal passes
· Look to Switch play often
· Minimize the number of touches
There was a huge emphasis on correct technique to not only keep possession of the ball but also in reducing the risk of injury. Many of the teams are currently using principles learnt from the Brazilian clinics as they compete in State Cup and barefoot soccer has become a favorite activity throughout many of the club’s Academy teams.
