There won't even be time to mourn the elimination from the São Paulo Junior Cup. This Thursday afternoon, Flamengo's youth team will be back at it hard, with its sights set on a new competition: the Campeonato Carioca. Three-time champions in 2005, 2006, and 2007, the Rubro-Negro team hopes to once again claim the title of Rio's best team this season. Coach Armênio Moura spoke with the team from Flamengo's official website and discussed his expectations for 2010.

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Despite losing in the first round of the Copinha, on penalties against CFZ, Armênio took stock of the competition. The praise from the press and the determination of his team, which was very young even by the standards of the competition, pleased the coach.

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"I believe that, because of the young team we had, we ended up having a great São Paulo Cup. The critics themselves were very positive. We were never dominated in any match; on the contrary, we always dominated the games. We went undefeated. Unfortunately, we weren't lucky in the penalty shootout, but the team's performance in the competition was very good. We played well, we developed good players, and that's very important," he noted.

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Flamengo's debut in the Campeonato Carioca de Juniores will be next Sunday at 14:45 p.m. against Duque de Caxias, in the preliminary round of the two teams' senior duel, which begins at 17 p.m. The coach is confident about the tournament and believes the title drought, which has lasted since 2007, could end.

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"We're working hard and seeing this possibility mature. We reached the semifinals of the Carioca last year, the quarterfinals of the OPG and the Brazilian Championship, and now we've been eliminated on penalties... We're going to work hard to win this title. The Carioca is a long championship, which allows for better use of the squad, and I believe we have a good chance," he concluded.