Under-20 team seeks fourth BH Cup title
One of the most traditional in the junior category, the competition begins on August 15th. Flamengo is the current runner-up.
By Communication - Official Club Website - in
Next week, Flamengo's youth team will head to Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, aiming to win the club's fourth Taça BH trophy. In 28 editions of the competition, Flamengo has reached six finals and won three. This year, the competition will take place from August 15th to 31st, with 36 teams vying for the title.
"It's a huge responsibility, because we reached the final last year. Working at Flamengo involves the pressure to win a title. The group is used to that. Some players are left over from the São Paulo Cup, and many of them were part of the OPG Tournament title in 2012 and participated in the last edition of the BH Cup. This only increases the responsibility," said Cleber dos Santos, coach of the Mais Querido youth team.
The U-20 team began preseason training on July 20th. Since then, the boys have played a few training matches and friendlies. The last one was against Bangu last Wednesday (August 07.08th) in Gávea, which Flamengo won 1-0. In this friendly, the starting lineup was as follows: Luan, Robert, Fernando, Rafael Dumas, and Pablo; Recife, Vitor Hugo, and Mattheus (goal); Romário, Eduardo, and Igor Sartori.
"We've made good progress, culminating in the match against Bangu. We've played some friendlies and training matches, including with Flamengo's first team, and we've had some players (Luan, Rodolfo, and Mattheus) join from the senior squad. They add value to our team and increase our chances of achieving a good result," explained the Flamengo coach.
The 36 teams in the competition are divided into six groups. Flamengo, which still has no official debut date, is in Group B along with five other teams: Atlético-MG, Osasco-SP, Araxá-MG, and two clubs yet to be invited. In 2012, under Cleber dos Santos's leadership, the youth team finished second in the Taça BH.
"It's a huge responsibility, because we reached the final last year. Working at Flamengo involves the pressure to win a title. The group is used to that. Some players are left over from the São Paulo Cup, and many of them were part of the OPG Tournament title in 2012 and participated in the last edition of the BH Cup. This only increases the responsibility," said Cleber dos Santos, coach of the Mais Querido youth team.
The U-20 team began preseason training on July 20th. Since then, the boys have played a few training matches and friendlies. The last one was against Bangu last Wednesday (August 07.08th) in Gávea, which Flamengo won 1-0. In this friendly, the starting lineup was as follows: Luan, Robert, Fernando, Rafael Dumas, and Pablo; Recife, Vitor Hugo, and Mattheus (goal); Romário, Eduardo, and Igor Sartori.
"We've made good progress, culminating in the match against Bangu. We've played some friendlies and training matches, including with Flamengo's first team, and we've had some players (Luan, Rodolfo, and Mattheus) join from the senior squad. They add value to our team and increase our chances of achieving a good result," explained the Flamengo coach.
The 36 teams in the competition are divided into six groups. Flamengo, which still has no official debut date, is in Group B along with five other teams: Atlético-MG, Osasco-SP, Araxá-MG, and two clubs yet to be invited. In 2012, under Cleber dos Santos's leadership, the youth team finished second in the Taça BH.