Someone Who Likes What They Do

Flavio Espinheira came to the United States, from Petrópolis Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on the second of October in 1996. He has been playing soccer since he was “one or maybe two...” 

While playing with his first team, the Petropolitano Futebol Club, he says there is one memory that he remembers. “I remember when I was young, I was playing a final and we lost the game. I was crying and all of the moms and dads were watching. I was five.”  

His inspiration, He says, is “Zico. I watched him play many times. He’s like my idol.” His favorite player was Zico, a Brazilian soccer player, but currently his favorite player is Messi, the Argenitian phenominon. His favorite team is Flamengo. 

 When Flavio is not playing soccer, he is watching it. He says, “Soccer is a passion… a day by day thing. For me, I wake up and the first thing I look at is the soccer news. I go to the websites… I’m reading all the news about my team. I’m always in touch with the soccer world.”

Flavio is a coach for the Florida Crushers and he loves it. “The Crushers are unique because it’s my first team really in America and these kids are amazing. You[sic] kids are awesome.”

As a coach and soccer player, Flavio wants to be remembered as “someone who likes what they do. Because the real good thing about soccer is that when you have the passion and you like to do it… it’s going to stay with you forever.”

~Thanks Coach Flavio for sharing your passion and heart with us.~

Coach Flavio teaching and training the boys at a Beach Practice.

Luka Urso

Luka Urso was 7 years old when he first started to play soccer. Although He was born in Miami, He grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. His first soccer team was called Select. As a young boy he really enjoyed soccer. During that time with Select, he developed Sever’s disease, which stopped him by playing for four months. After his recovery, Luka was able to continue to participate in the sport He loves.

Luka has been playing soccer for 4 years now. He says that soccer is, “Amazing!” 

His favorite player is Messi and his favorite team is Barcelona, but despite the players and teams, he says his inspiration is “my Dad.”  

Now playing on the Florida Crushers, He is sharpening his skills everyday. To Luka, the Florida Crushers are unique.“They have more technical training then just, ‘Hey why you don’t you just do this and this… then why don’t you just make a goal’.” 

His goal is to be a professional soccer player. Luka wants people to remember him as “the golden footed soccer player.” One day, He hopes he will be.