Kickin' it with Brasileiros

Ever since Max arrived and bought a soccer ball in Muriae, we’ve been playing around with it on the lumpy grass patch next to Centro (at Iracambi). When we kick it too hard (no pun intended, trust me, I already used that one up in the title), it goes off the edge and into the forest below, which always makes for exciting bushwhacking ball-retrieval adventures. While this added exploration component adds an enthralling twist to soccer, we longed for the real thing. When Claudio (the owner of the bar in town and the son of Carminha, our beloved cook/savior) told us that we could play indoor soccer with him and his friends in town, Max, Georgia and I were determined to go. It finally worked out for us to go into town last night (they play on Monday), so we gave ourselves the Neymar do (to fit in) and walked for 2+ hours, arriving in Limeira around 7. We devoured many delicious meat skewers (complete with farofa and garlic sauce) and ate various other snacks in lieu of dinner. We watched from across the street as our fellow players arrived and chilled at the bar. They all looked to be in their twenties to early-thirties, and they were all men. Our thoughts were along the lines of, “well shit, prepare to get clobbered and lose a little dignity.” We combatted our intimidation and wandered over to introduce ourselves and practice our Portuguese. When we asked Claudio, “do girls play?” he answered, “Yeah. Tonight.” Well, at least their expectations of our skills would probably be pretty low, so maybe it wouldn’t be a big deal if we got creamed.

We headed over to the field, which was an indoor concrete surface surrounded by a chain-link fence. They play 5 on 5 for an hour straight. Aside from the players, there was a substantial crowd there to watch and socialize. We got there a little early, so we stretched a bit while scoping out the players in the previous game. They looked good. They had moves. They were fast. Their game ended at 9 pm and we split into teams. Max and I were on one team, Georgia on the other.

I was a little timid at first but then I got into the groove. Scored a nice goal and all the Brazilians went wild. Playing with them was the most fun I’ve had playing soccer since I went to Chile in 2008. Everyone was playing for sheer enjoyment. After every eventful play, outrageous noises were squawked by the crowd. Everyone was a great sport, but not for lack of friendly teasing (also hilarious). Our teammates had no problems passing to girls. Botched moves drew guffaws from the crowd, but no one actually cared. There was no pressure, but everyone played hard. I found myself grinning while playing.  I can’t really pinpoint why it was so much more fun than playing pick-up in the states, or why I played so much better.

Scored a couple more goals and megged a dude (they went WILD for that one!), and when I scored a fourth goal from my half (I honestly got pretty lucky), they stormed the field. I clearly reached the zenith of my Olympic-bound career last night, so I end on the best note possible and kiss soccer goodbye. Just kidding, we’re playing again next Monday (maybe I can get 5??).

After we finished playing, we all headed back over to the bar and had some nice Brazilian cool down (literally) beers. Can’t say I’ve ever had a beer right after playing soccer, and damn was it refreshing! When we got back to Centro everyone was asleep. I felt cool. Today I feel sore. But still cool. The end. 

Here I am, taking the field. They let me keep my number!