MiniFootball Brasil announced its roster for next month’s 2019 World Minifootball World Cup. WMF’s third World Cup will take place from October 1-11 in Perth, Australia.

Eight players on the 20-man roster (which includes five alternates) coached by Tiago Coutinho currently play in the Major Arena Soccer League.

Two goalkeepers who recently became teammates on the Florida Tropics, Rainer Hauss and Hugo Silva, were named to the team along with Luan Teles, one of the top Fut7 goalkeepers in Brazil. Hauss signed with the Tropics this offseason after spending last year with the Orlando SeaWolves.



“It’s an honor to have the chance to represent Brazil in another World Cup,” said Hauss, who was with the 2017 World Cup team in Tunisia and was named top goalkeeper in the 2018 Pan American Cup in Guatemala. “After leaving the Pan American Cup undefeated (Brazil tied in the semifinal game and third place game, but lost both times in penalty kicks) we’re sure we have a great team that can perform really well in Australia. We’re in a tough group, but we know our quality and we hope to come back champions.”

That “tough group” is Group H, which includes Argentina, South Africa, and the USA.

Long-time indoor veteran Pablo da Silva will lead the defense. Da Silva played last season for the Tacoma Stars. He will, perhaps, pair up with Thiago Goncalves of the Ontario Fury. Orlando’s Thiago Freitas and Florida’s Ricardo Sobreira will command the midfield and Tropics forward Ricardo Carvalho and San Diego Sockers playmaking target Leonardo De Oliveira will drive the offense.



“Playing for the Brazilian team alongside so many good players is a honor,” said Carvalho. “Our team has a mix of talents coming from Brazil, USA and Canada. Everyone will bring a different perspective to our group. I think we have what it takes to win the minifootball World Cup.”

Of the seven indoor players, Silva and Sobreira were named as alternates so their place in Australia is not guaranteed.

Da Silva played in the 2015 WMF World Cup, but was a late scratch in 2017. “I am very excited to represent my country again,” Pablo said. “I’ve been playing with the national team since 2008, and it’s always a pleasure. Representing Brazil is always a huge responsibility since soccer is like a religion for the Brazilians. Every competition they all expect Brazil to win, so I hope we can make that happen this time.”

Renan Dias will be the only player from Brazil to appear in all three WMF World Cups. Another notable roster inclusion is Gabriel Gubela, who is a former member of the Brazil Men’s National Team and spent much of his career with such teams as Sao Paulo and Fluminense before signing a million dollar deal with Panathinaikos in Greece.

GK Luan Teles GK Rainer Hauss (Florida Tropics) D Renan Dias D Pablo da Silva (Tacoma Stars) D Thiago Goncalves (Ontario Fury) D Arthur Rigoni M Luan Silva M Thiago Freitas (Orlando SeaWolves) M Henrique Wruck M Yuri Soares M Gustavo Elia F Rafael Sixel F Ricardo Carvalho (Florida Tropics) F Gabriel Gubela F Leonardo De Oliveira (San Diego Sockers) Alternate Gustavo Bergmann Alternate Ricardo Sobreira (Florida Tropics) Alternate Matheus Amorim Alternate Hugo Silva (Florida Tropics) Alternate Ananias Mendonça

FILL THE ARENA:

Tweet





WhatsApp

Email

Print



Like this: Like Loading...