Flamengo's youth team's elimination from the Taça Octávio Pinto Guimarães was not well received. Not only because the team was out of the competition, but also because of the circumstances surrounding it. After the match, the players and coaching staff felt they could have beaten Botafogo by four or more goals and secured a spot in the semifinals. However, the time for regret is over. Starting today, interim coach Armênio Moura and the board are already planning for the next challenge, the Brazilian U-20 Championship.

The fourth edition of the tournament, which brings together the twenty teams competing in the professional Brazilian Championship, begins on December 7th, one day after the final round of the 2009 Brasileirão in Rio Grande do Sul. This season, Flamengo has yet to win a title in its youth teams, and the competition, organized by the CBF, is seen as an opportunity to end this drought.

"The team played very good football. The first game against Botafogo was atypical, but in the match at Gávea they honored their jersey, showed a lot of desire and I'm proud. Now we're going to plan for the Brazilian Championship, which is a big, important competition and we have to dedicate ourselves to fighting for the title. After all, Flamengo always goes out on the field to win, not just to compete," explained Armênio Moura, who is expected to return to coaching the youth team on the 24th, leaving Rogério Lourenço, who is recovering from eye surgery, back to coach the red-and-black team.

Professional
While the committee is already focusing on the Brazilian Under-20 Championship, some players are turning their attention to the professional Brazilian Championship. This is the case with Jorbison, Erick Flores, Rafael Galhardo, and Guilherme Camacho. All four participated in the red-and-black team's OPG Cup campaign, but they return to training with the senior team, which faces Náutico on Sunday in Pernambuco, aiming to maintain its place in the top four and the title race.

"Now it's time to focus on the professional side, train hard, take advantage of any opportunity we get, and try to keep the team in the top four and in contention for the title," said Erick Flores. "We were upset because we realized it was possible. Unfortunately, I missed that penalty, and I was very upset. I've never experienced that before, but we have to learn to forget about it. Now it's time to get back to the professional side, train hard, and fight as hard as we can to stay in the Libertadores qualifying zone and fight for the title," Camacho added.