Accustomed to winning titles, Flamengo's youth academy players are facing a situation they haven't faced in a long time. Since winning the OPG Cup in 2007, the club hasn't won a trophy in the junior category. This year, the team competed in the Campeonato Carioca, the Belo Horizonte and Octávio Pinto Guimarães Cups, and the Brazilian Under-20 Championship, but ended up stumbling and failing to bring any trophies back to Gávea.

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But who said the kids are discouraged by these results? Quite the opposite. In defeats, they find motivation to make 2010 a year of renewed glory for Flamengo's youth team. Vitor Saba, a versatile player who plays both as a midfielder and left-back, didn't hide his disappointment with recent results, but he assured: next year, that will change.

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"It's high time we won titles. Personally, I'm very sad about the lack of these achievements. Not only because I'm not winning, but also because I'm a Flamengo fan, and as a fan, I always want Flamengo to win. Next year has to be better," Saba emphasized.

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Flamengo's elimination from the Brazilian Under-20 Championship to Atlético Mineiro in the quarterfinals left the Flamengo youth wanting more. After playing some eye-catching football, the team conceded goals in the final minutes and exited the competition prematurely. Saba believes the Gávea team lacked guile.

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"I think our team lacked cunning. Atlético stopped about eight of our counterattacks with fouls, and we didn't do the same. Their two goals prove that. We were left wanting more, because on the field everyone saw that our team had a lot of quality, but some details ended up preventing us from getting results," Vitor added.

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There's only one recipe for forgetting 2009: the arrival of 2010. In the first few days of next year, the team will already face the most famous competition in Brazilian youth soccer. On January 3rd, Flamengo debuts in the São Paulo Junior Cup against Sport Recife in Taubaté. On the 6th and 9th, they complete their participation in the first phase of the competition, against Paulista and Taubaté itself.