Thiago Barros - Sports Journal

Rio de Janeiro - Evolving at the right time is the goal of Flamengo's futsal team this season. After a difficult start, the team has been overcoming its difficulties and rebuilding. This Saturday afternoon, at 16 p.m., the Rubro-Negro has a great opportunity to prove its worth: it hosts the strong Vassouras team at the Hélio Maurício Gymnasium in Gávea, for the second round of the Metropolitan Futsal Championship. One of coach Cid Escarlate's weapons to confirm this good form is pivot Diego. The player scored three goals in the 6-0 victory over Grajaú in the last round and is confident of having another great performance. "It's no use just playing one good game and then stopping. You have to maintain a sequence, a consistency, to always be improving and helping the team," says Diego. In the first round of the Carioca Championship, Vassouras swept Flamengo 6-1. However, several off-court factors hampered the Gávea team. Absences of players, little training time, and no prospect of paying off player debts. This time, Diego believes things can be different. "That was an atypical game. They deserved to win, that's undeniable, but we hadn't even had a week of training, the group was still being formed... This game will certainly be different, because we've had a longer period of training, of getting along, and we're improving well." Flamengo will take to the court with Rafael, Gustavo, Xandó, Saulo, and Diego. Magrão, injured, and Gabriel, suspended, will be out. Leco and Jaxwel will be on the bench. Winger Saulo, recovered from a thigh injury, is also confident of a strong performance. "It's what we say about progress: we're growing at the right time, and we have a good chance to prove it against Vassouras," he observes. Unlike other Flamengo sports, such as basketball and soccer, the futsal team will take to the court with shirts still bearing the logo of the club's former sponsor, Petrobras. This is because the regulations do not allow any type of ribbon or adornment on the uniform. Therefore, the strategy of placing a black ribbon over the sponsor was vetoed by the Rio State Futsal Federation, and the team will have to continue displaying the logo.