The Octávio Pinto Guimarães Tournament, also known as OPG, is Rio de Janeiro's second-highest state soccer competition. It's contested by junior (under-20) teams, following the Rio de Janeiro Junior Soccer Championship, held in the second half of the year to keep teams active. It's a kind of State Championship, featuring teams from the three top divisions of Rio de Janeiro soccer.

Flamengo is the tournament's most successful champion, with six titles, most recently in 2006 and 2007. Fans have also played in the tournament with well-known players such as Erick Flores, Thiago Sales, and Paulo Sérgio. However, the current champion is Fluminense, who won the title in 2008 after eliminating Flamengo in the semifinals. 

The OPG competition format is quite simple. In the first phase, 24 teams from the state's second and third divisions were divided into four groups. Ten teams advanced: the top two from each group and the two with the best technical index. The teams that qualified faced the Professional First Division teams, Sendas Pão de Açúcar EC (State Champion of the 2nd Division) and CF Rio de Janeiro (State Champion of the 3rd Division), again in four groups, home and away, with the two highest-ranking teams from each group qualifying for the next phase. From then on, there were quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final.

This year, the Gávea team finished first in Group B of the tournament's second phase and is now in the quarterfinals. Their opponent will be Botafogo, and the first leg will be played next Sunday at 10 am in Caio Martins Stadium. The return leg is Wednesday at 16 pm in Gávea Stadium. In this special report prepared by the Flamengo official website, check out the team's record in the competition, the team's main weapons, and who the Rubro-Negro's biggest rivals are in the fight for their seventh title in the tournament, which the club won in 1983, 1984, 1985, 1993, 2006, and 2007.

The Flamengo team competing for the Octávio Pinto Guimarães Cup features several young talents born in 89, 90, and 91. The goalkeepers are Marcelo Carné, Marcelo Valverde, and Diego Lima. The full-backs are Rafael Galhardo, Leonardo, Saba, and Jorbison. The defense consists of Henrique, Raphael, Lucas Galdino, and Cristiano. 

In midfield, Wellington Pecka, Antônio, João Vitor, and Luiz Antônio serve as holding midfielders, while Renan Silva, Guilherme Camacho, Erick Flores, Eliabe, and Dieguinho are the creative midfielders. The attack is formed by Vinícius Paquetá, Isaac, and Diego Maurício.

"It's a group that plays very collectively, without one or two individual standouts. It's a strong, homogeneous team, and its greatest strength is its collective play," explained the team's acting coach, Armênio Moura.

Flamengo's youth team has two coaches. Flamengo's youth coach is Rogério Lourenço, coach of the Brazilian U-20 team and a former defender who won the Brazilian Championship in 1992 with Flamengo. However, due to the team's World Cup competition with the national team, he was absent from his team's preparations for the OPG Cup. In his place, the youth coach, Armênio Moura, has been coaching the squad. Rogério will undergo eye surgery later this November and is expected to return to the club on the 24th.

"I coached the team in 12 games in the Carioca, the São Paulo Cup, the BH Cup... But I know I'm the youth coach and I'm just replacing Rogério. My job is to do my job well, and I believe I'm doing it. I know the players, I know how to get the most out of the team, and the important thing is that we get results for Flamengo," said Moura.

Despite its youth, the red-and-black team boasts experienced players. Goalkeeper Marcelo and defender Lucas, for example, competed in the 2007 Pan American Games for the Brazilian national team. The squad also includes players who were part of the professional squad, such as Rafael Galhardo, Jorbison, Guilherme Camacho, and Erick Flores. 

"These players who come from the top, with more experience, accustomed to pressure and demands, end up helping the other players who haven't yet been in the professional team a lot, both on and off the field. They are aware that when Flamengo takes the field, it enters to compete for a title, they know the responsibility they have and are prepared for it," analyzed Armênio.

Other players are also well-known among the red-and-black fans who follow the youth teams. Diego Maurício, for example, has been a top scorer since his youth years.

Flamengo's run in the OPG Cup didn't start off well. In their debut, the red-and-black team was defeated by Leme at Ninho do Urubu, 3-2. The setback, however, served as a wake-up call for the youngsters, who then began playing the kind of football everyone expected and began fighting for first place in the group. In the second round, they came back, defeating Bangu 5-0. From then on, the team gained momentum and only lost again in the third round of the second half.

They defeated Volta Redonda 4-2 at home, drew 1-1 with Independente in Macaé, beat Sendas 2-1 in São João de Meriti, thrashed Leme 3-0 away, and drew 1-1 with Bangu in Gávea. They then lost 2-0 to Volta Redonda but remained top, and won their last two matches in the first phase of the competition, which earned them a spot in the OPG quarterfinals: 2-1 against Independente and 4-0 against Sendas.

"Sometimes, we learn more from victory than from defeat. In that game against Leme, we tried to analyze all the flaws, correct what was done wrong, and the group responded very well and managed to finish this stage in first place, playing very well," concluded Armênio Moura.