Flamengo's under-20 team ended its participation in the Otávio Pinto Guimarães Tournament last Wednesday (18.11), with a 2-1 defeat to Botafogo, at the Gávea headquarters. With a team full of new faces, the championship served as an opportunity to experiment with youngsters in the category or younger.

After winning the Rio de Janeiro state championship, winning both rounds of the state championship, and taking bronze at the Brazilian Junior Championship, the under-20 squad was left without several key players for this competition, as many of the youngsters either moved up or played for the senior team. Furthermore, in the first phase of the OPG, assistant coach Waltinho led the boys in place of coach Zé Ricardo. The youth team's technical coordinator, Léo Inácio, explained how the coaching staff approached the OPG.

"We took advantage of the tournament to observe players who played little in the first half of the year and others who arrived mid-season. Not to mention that several starters were with the professional team. In total, we used 43 players in this competition, including younger athletes from the youth category. We were able to evaluate the group for the rest of the season and for next year," he explained.

With new talent and options for the team, Flamengo faces the Brazilian Championship of the Gaucho Football Federation (FGF), in December.