SÃO PAULO CUP
The red-black coach will lead the team from 3pm, when Leão faces São José-RS
Published on January 3, 2025 at 1:12 pm
Laelson Lopes is the coach of Vitória’s U20 team Credit: Victor Ferreira / EC Vitória
Vitória begins its journey in the São Paulo Junior Football Cup this Friday (3), when it faces São José-RS at the José Vessi Municipal Stadium, in Cravinhos. The clash, valid for the first round of the group, starts at 3pm and will be broadcast on SporTV. Leão na Copinha’s coach, Laelson Lopes, defined the debut as the first of the finals that the team will play in the tournament.
“We have to see each game as if it were a final, that’s the atmosphere. We have already done all the work here in São Paulo regarding acclimatization, tactical aspects, leading up to this São José game. The debut is very important. When you start well, the competition usually goes more smoothly. This is what we put to the athletes, we hope that they can have a great performance and that we can come out of this first game with a great victory”, he began in an interview with CORREIO.
The team’s preparation for the competition included three friendlies in the last month. Leão drew 1-1 with Barcelona de Ilhéus, lost to Atlético de Alagoinhas 2-1 and drew 1-1 against Jacuipense. Despite leaving the game without a positive result, the red-and-black commander evaluates the period as positive.
““The training routine was good, we had practically a month of preparation aiming for this Copa São Paulo. It was a very good, well-structured preparation. There were three friendlies that demanded a lot from this team and we have very good expectations that it will can have a great performance”
In group eight, Vitória will still face Comercial-SP and Retrô during the first phase. The top two from each of the 32 groups in the competition advance to the knockout stages. For the competition, 22 players were listed. The best-known names of the generation, however, will be absent from the squad led by coach Laelson Lopes. Names like Luís Miguel, Lawan, Edenilson, Andrei, Riquelme and Emerson appear at Toca do Leão to compete in the first rounds of the Bahian Championship.
Although the squad has players who have already competed in the youth competition, the majority of those registered are competing in the Copa São Paulo for the first time. Nervousness is one of the factors that can show during the debut. Laelson’s advice is to focus on the games and, above all, have fun. For the coach, the experience gained in the competition will be important in the players’ maturity.
“Most of these athletes will be participating in the Copinha for the first time. Some are still 16 years old. These are players that we have great expectations of growing within the club. What we say at this time is: train, be focused, try to do your best and have fun. There is no point in putting too much pressure on us, because these are still very young athletes, few with experience in the competition. It’s a difficult competition because it has a very wide age range, ranging from 21 to 16. The younger ones end up feeling more about their level of strength, experience, maturity, but in any case they are quite motivated and with the aim of doing a great campaign in this Copa São Paulo 2025”, he explained.
To keep an eye
Three players were mentioned by coach Laelson Lopes as athletes that the committee believes can stand out in the competition, goalkeeper Davi Barbosa, left-back Pedro Henrique and midfielder Wanderson Papaterra. The three athletes mentioned had experience in the Brazilian Championship of Aspirants in 2024.
“Davi has already been training with the professional team and had good performances last year in the Under-20s. He is an athlete with a good perspective, a goalkeeper with a very good height, fast, very technical and bold. Last year he participated [da Copinha] at just 17 years old. We have very high expectations for this athlete,” he said.
“Another athlete I would highlight is Pedro Henrique, the left back who was also in the last campaign. In the Baiano Under-20 he scored three goals, he also participated in the Under-23 and he is an athlete who has expectations, because last year he was already a starter, he had good performances, a very high expectation that he can, once again, repeat with good performances.”
“We also have Papaterra, who is currently the captain of the team, he is a midfielder with good characteristics, whether he is first or second midfielder. Fast, good construction and finishing ability and he is a player that we have great expectations that he can, once again, perform well and be one of the team’s highlights”, he concluded.
