National Post

BRAZIL’S SOCCER MASTERY INCLUDES PARAPANS,

Parapan Ams a warm-up for Rio Paralympic­s

- By Nick Fari s National Post nfaris@nationalpo­st.com

TORONTO • There were times in Thursday morning’s Parapan American Games soccer match where it seemed the United States might do something with the ball — times where they strung together positive passes, mounted a hopeful challenge or two, even harboured legitimate thoughts of a goal. But those were only moments, fleeting plays inside a 60-minute game.

You would be hard-pressed to find a sequence that was not totally controlled by Brazil — in this match, or any of the four they have played in Toronto.

Brazil has dominated, and they have not discrimina­ted. They opened the Games on Saturday with a 7-0 win over Venezuela. They beat Argentina 7-0. They beat Canada 8-0. The U.S. result was a letup: 6-0, with two late goals in added time.

That is 28 goals for, none allowed, and a berth in Saturday morning’s gold-medal match against Argentina.

“Brazil’s Brazil,” said Canadian midfielder Sam Charron, one day removed from the eight-goal onslaught. “It’s in their blood to play soccer.”

Unsurprisi­ngly, they are one of just two countries at these Games (alongside Argentina) with teams in both soccer events. There is the five-a-side game, for athletes with visual impairment­s, in which Brazil has three wins and a draw, has not been scored on and will likely win gold.

Then there is seven-a-side, for athletes with physical impairment­s, in which Brazil has four wins, has not been scored on and will — it is almost entirely safe to say — win gold.

Canada is only fielding a sevens team, and that team — ranked 10th in the world — will play for the bronze medal. They drew with Venezuela 1-1 on Thursday, and edged the eighth-ranked U.S. 2-1 earlier this week. But Brazil is a different beast.

“Their movement’s exceptiona­l,” Charron said. “It’s hard to cover them and see them passing the ball, and you look at the guy one second and the guy’s behind you, and the ball’s in the back of the net.”

That was the dilemma the U.S. faced Thursday. Brazil is third in the world, behind only Russia and Ukraine, and their interplay is — to borrow the tireless classifica­tion of Selecao soccer — beautiful. They scored three minutes after kickoff, on a pass into the box and a one-timed strike to the far corner.

That was their lone goal through 22 minutes, somehow, as the U.S. firmly and necessaril­y crowded the goalmouth. (They parked the bus in front of the net, as soccer aficionado­s like to say.)

It was effective for a stretch. Brazil scored twice more before halftime, on a seeing-eye shot from 25 yards and a short flick from beside the goal.

“We train so hard when we’re in Brazil, so when we go to competitio­ns, the results of our training, you can see on the pitch and in the tournament,” Brazilian striker Evandro De Oliveira Gomes said through a translator.

“We have a lot of teamwork, and that’s what we consider the greatest point of this team,” midfielder Wanderson Silva De Oliveira added through the translator. “That’s why we’re doing a great job.”

Mostly, they have depth throughout the lineup: 10 of 14 Brazilian players scored in the group stage, and six of them had three goals or more. Two of the four Brazilians held off the score sheet are goalkeeper­s.

That is why any formula to challenge Brazil begins on the defensive end. “Start with marking a man and try to keep up as long we can and get them on the counteratt­ack when they least expect it,” Charron said. Obviously, it is easier said than done.

Even if Brazil leaves Toronto as champions, they will return home with a point to prove still. In eight appearance­s at the Paralympic Games, they have never won gold, and have only medalled twice: bronze in 2000 and silver in 2004.

Their next chance will come next summer, at home in Rio. The U.S. will be there, too, after qualifying through the Cerebral Palsy Football World Championsh­ips in June. They have a year to catch up to Brazil, as much as they can.

“We gave it all we had. We came out and worked as a unit, and supported each other,” U.S. keeper Keith Johnson said after Thursday’s match. “They just know the game of soccer inside and out.”

Brazil’s Brazil. It’s in their blood to play soccer

 ?? Peter J. Thompso n / Natio nal Post ?? Brazil’s Jan Brito Da Costa, right, makes a play against the U.S.’s David Garza during Parapan
Am soccer action Thursday. Brazil won 6-0 to clinch a spot in the gold medal game
Peter J. Thompso n / Natio nal Post Brazil’s Jan Brito Da Costa, right, makes a play against the U.S.’s David Garza during Parapan Am soccer action Thursday. Brazil won 6-0 to clinch a spot in the gold medal game

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