Bridging worlds: LA soccer program uplifts youth in Brazil with homegrown heroes
LOS ANGELES - Soccer in South America is a staple, and a tournament by a soccer program based in Los Angeles is what's new in one community in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
This summer, LA Soccer Evolution(LASE) held its second annual tournament, hosted by celebrity trainer Tadeo Arnold and his business, called Cuerpaso.
It was a futsal tournament, which is indoor soccer played on a court. It was held in one of Rio's most impoverished communities, commonly known as a "favela."
The Morra da Cora community sits north of Copacabana and below Christ the Redeemer's (Cristo Redentor) iconic statue. It's a hillside community rich in passion for fútbol (football). On a Saturday in August, it came alive with the excitement of youth who love soccer.
LASE co-founder, Leo Matos, explained they brought together kids from rival communities. Both Matos and Arnold are from Brazil, and currently reside in LA. They said they grew up in a community similar to where the tournament was held.
Matos' LASE co-founder, Eric Holmes, is an American and a University of Southern California graduate. Holmes says he's been adopted as a carioca (Rio native). He said LASE (which also goes by LA Evolution) is hoping to expand its program to include educational opportunities, including teaching English to the Portuguese-speaking youth.
Before the games began, a few of the young players were gifted with new soccer shoes. One 16-year-old, named Wellington, who got a pair, said he likes to "dribble the ball, like Cristiano Ronaldo." The tournament was in partnership with Projeto Morro Da Coroa Solucoes which says it has been doing social work there since 2020.
Home for 14-year-old Gabriel is there in the Morro Da Coroa community. He says his dream is to "help his mother, to buy a house." As he plays soccer, he wants "to help his whole family out."
As Brazil is synonymous with soccer, you can see the passion at play and that the kids on the court were committed to the game. Others hung onto a chain link fence peering into the court and waiting for their chance to play. While all wanted to be champions, the win for everyone involved was simply in showing up.
You can find more information online about the Brazil soccer technique the program teaches kids at afterschool programs, camps and tournaments in LA.
Cuerpaso is a sports wellness and corporate training program with Tadeo Arnold also working with the youth and athletes. Arnold says he built his skill set playing Ivy League soccer in America and in the pros in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. As for Brazil, he says he’s "from the community and will never forget where I came from."