Beaten by Palmeiras, Assu brings together dreams, dramas, hopes and marathon to play Copinha

When the number 14 plate went up, in the 34th minute of the 1st half, forward Alex, 18, only had time to think: “this is my World Cup”.

It would make no difference to the outcome. Palmeiras already beat their team, Assu, from Rio Grande do Norte, by 4 to 0. The final score would be 6 to 1. The numbers didn’t matter. What really counts is to stand out.

“I’ll do everything, man. I don’t want to go home empty-handed. I’ll make it. People need to see my football”, he said.

While on the field, Alex ran non-stop. It appeared more in the second half, when Assu took advantage of some relaxation from Palmeiras to have the ball. He only had one chance to finish. He rushed to send the ball out. He punched the lawn angrily.

Created in 2002 in the city of the same name, 220 km from Natal, Assu (Associação Sportiva Sociedade Unida) is a microcosm of the teams that take care of the first phase of the São Paulo Junior Football Cup. There are 128 in total, spread across 32 groups. Only the top two from each bracket qualify.

“For boys who come from far away and dream of playing football, the Copa São Paulo can never end. It is the only showcase they have. For clubs it is also very important”, analyzes Ariel Souza Santos, coordinator and responsible for team in the tournament.

Every year, entire squads of young players spend the holidays on the road to compete in the Cup, which always starts in the first days of January. Assu’s journey lasted three days and, according to players and members of the coaching staff, there were some scares, especially on the roads of Minas Gerais. They also say it was fun.

They arrived in Itu (São Paulo countryside) on December 24th. They spent Christmas and New Years away from their families.

“It’s all for a dream. Our team is made up of boys from the region and, when we reached the under-20 state final, the biggest prize was qualifying for the São Paulo Cup. It’s also a chance for us, who are just starting out. Everyone wants to show what they can do. We have potential”, warns coach Raul Menezes.

The 31-year-old coach spends part of his 90 minutes crouching on the sidelines, in a position consecrated by Argentine Marcelo Bielsa in Leeds United’s Premier League games. The physical trainer, João Pedro, is 24. The Cup is not just for athletes.

No wonder, the words most used by Assu are “appear”, “chance”, “showcase” and “show”.

The number of entries varies between teams. The limit allowed by the São Paulo Federation is 30. This means that, at most, there are 3,840 young athletes up to 21 years old who have the same expressions in their heads and repeat them over and over.

The path seems to be easier for some of them. Endrick, 15, considered one of the biggest promises of the Palmeiras base, was enrolled in Copinha, started as a starter and scored two goals against Assu. Could have scored more, but ended up substituted at halftime.

The club alviverde is the current five-time champion of São Paulo under-20 (from 2017 to 2021). In the period, he also won the 2018 Brazilian and the 2019 Copa do Brasil in the category. The under-17 won the 2018 state, the 2017 and 2019 Copa do Brasil and the 2018 and 2019 world cups.

In the team’s squad there are players like Giovani, 17. The striker has already made his professional debut, has a release clause of 80 million euros (R$ 517 million at the current price) and has aroused interest from Manchester City (ING).

He and Endrick, who is expected to sign a professional deal once he turns 16, are exceptions to the tournament. The overwhelming majority play against statistics. Copinha represents the opportunity to appear to thousands. But it is not easy.

“We spent Christmas and New Year away from home, but it’s all worth it because it’s the pursuit of what we’ve always wanted. I’m tall, I have speed and a good pass. I believe it’s possible [se destacar]. For us, it means a lot to be here. The boys dream of playing in the Copa São Paulo and showing that they are good at what they like to do, which is playing football,” says defender Elisson Victor, 18.

Even before the competition began, he was already Assu’s best-known player. In the annual search that the press makes for curious names among those registered, he stood out for the nickname he uses in football: Pendências.

“This is the name of my city, so they started calling me that,” he explains.

In the big clubs, nicknames are banned in recent years. Advisers and businessmen believe they undermine the boys’ chances of being traded abroad. The reality of Pending is another. He wants to show up. If it’s because of the name, so be it. But it has to be with the ball too.

Who managed this was the steering wheel DW (another to show that Assu is good at nicknames). He hit the angle and scored the goal of the potiguar team. Palmeiras was winning 4-0, but he didn’t want to be in a hurry to restart the match. Celebrated as if it were the World Cup.

“At Christmas, I called my mother and told her not to be sad because I wasn’t there. I told her that I had traveled in search not of mine, but of our dream”, remembers Alex, who will have two more games in the groups to show what they can do: in front of Água Santa and Real Ariquemes.

The fast and fighter striker tries to make up for lost time. He stayed away from football for a year and a half because, he says, he had the wrong friendships. He was the highlight of an under-20 team from the city of Santa Maria, despite being only 16 years old. He became disillusioned and stopped everything. Started drinking. He sold drugs to make money. It was in Assu, in 2021, that he was reunited with football.

Alex tried to absorb the words that Raul said in the locker room, before entering the field: Palmeiras were favorites. The biggest chance was that Assu would lose. But they could do well on the field, be well positioned and annoy the opponent. Why not? That could show that the team had good players, boys who deserve to be seen.

He confesses that, when he hears things like that, he has hope, but he also thinks about his family. In the mother, Sonia Maria, who depends on assistance programs from the federal government. Of the nine brothers, none other with a talent for football. He remembers his father and his alcohol problems.

“My father is an alcoholic. There was a day when I came home from training. It was Christmas and I was very tired. I saw a person lying on the street, lying down. I didn’t pay attention. But when I got close, I realized it was my father. without ground. I started to cry”, he recalls.

That’s why Copinha gets the diminutive only for those who are outside of it. For thousands of kids, it’s much more than that. And any play can make a difference.

“Água Santa, hire this 10! He’s good with the ball!”, shouted a fan at Arena Inamar, home of the São Paulo club that will play in the state elite in 2022, when he saw the Assu point guard line up three Palmeiras and make a throw.

Bobby, the number 10, seemed to have heard the praise. He started to smile.