"Being at Flamengo is a constant responsibility to win titles. We entered the Copa São Paulo aiming for our second title, which would be the club's fifth. It's a more experienced group, as many of them participated in the competition in 2018. Of course, we're changing the team a bit, as the U-17 players are joining the squad at the end of the year, but it's a highly skilled, hard-working team, and I have no doubt we'll be very strong in the tournament. We've had a year with several titles, and this qualifies us to pursue the Copinha trophy," said Maurício.

During the season, the U-20 coach was directly involved with the Mais Querido's professional squad, participating in several major competitions and working alongside Maurício Barbieri and Dorival Júnior as an assistant. With this experience, Maurício Souza hopes to pass on more lessons to the youngsters.

"A coach's life is about constantly striving for improvement. Spending this time with the first team has helped me evolve, as I've worked with highly skilled professionals, and the exchanges have been constant. This fills us with information, which I can filter and pass on to the group. They've been very receptive to this. We must constantly grow in our profession. I see this squad wanting to work and evolve, and I have no doubt we can perform well in the Copinha," the coach analyzed.

The 2018 São Paulo Cup could be summed up in one word: overcoming. Releasing players to the professional squad and having to reinvent themselves with each match, the "Garotos do Ninho" overcame adversity and managed to reach the final, beating São Paulo 1-0 in a packed Pacaembu Stadium.

"It was an unusual competition, as we had to hand over several players to the professional team. This caused some disruption, but it's what I always say: we don't work with players, we work with an entire group. So those who remained were well-informed and knew what they needed to do on the field. Losing seven players can cause problems, but it was a campaign of overcoming obstacles, with true Flamengo spirit, and a lot of determination. Our fans filled the stadium in the final, supporting us the entire time in a match where we had to defend hard against an early goal. But we were very focused and concentrated, and we managed to emerge champions. It was an unforgettable title for all the kids who participated and for me," added Maurício Souza.

Flamengo's debut is scheduled for January 3, Thursday, at 16 pm, when they face River-PI in Jaguariúna (SP).