ESPN Deportes will be making history on Friday as it will transmit the first-ever World Cup match in Portuguese. Flávio Pereira is the lead announcer for the Portuguese broadcast team and is a man that wears many hats in the Connecticut youth soccer scene.
He has been part of the ESPN soccer team since 1992 and had the pleasure of working alongside legends like Telê Santana, as well as former World Cup winning coach Carlos Alberto Parreira. He will be teaming up with former World Cup winner Zinho in ESPN Deportes number one announcing team.
On top of his announcing gig at The Worldwide Leader he is also a coach, advisor, promoter, and father of one of the top female players in the state. He is one of the most highly respected coaches in the Connecticut area and was able to take local St. Paul Catholic into the latter rounds of the Class S tournament this past season. The most amazing part was that it was only a year removed from ended a 72-match winless streak for the Lady Falcons.
Surely a full plate this summer for a man that has had the distinct pleasure of earning a living in the sport he dearly loves.
Juan Arango: I often speak to Brazilian media and they are confident of how the Canarinha will do in South Africa. How do you see them coming into this tournament?
Flávio Pereira:Brazil is coming solid for the WC, well balanced Team with a strong defense and will be relying a lot on Kaka and Robinho on the front.
JA: What is it from this team that you see different from other Brazilian teams of the past?
FP: Comparing to last WC, this team seems to be more united and taking the responsibility to play for Brazil as a whole.
JA: What can you say is a weakness in Dunga’s side that teams could try to exploit and be successful?
FP: Brazil will depend a lot on Kaka movements in the midfield and Robinho's creativity. If they shot down those players, it will hard for Brazil, because I don’t think Dunga has a player on the bench that can change it.
JA: One aspect of Brazil I see now is their desire and hunger. Could that spell bad news for the rest?
FP: For sure, as I mentioned before, this year I see a lot of commitment from the players to win the Cup.
JA: Outside of Brazil, who do you see as the favorites to win the tournament?
FP: I like Holland, Argentina and Spain to be among the contenders.
JA: What would you like to see come out of this World Cup as far as the US is concerned?
FP: I would really like to see US advancing to the second phase of the tournament. They have all the talent to do so.
JA: How are the US national team seen outside of its own borders especially after the match against Brazil?
FP: US have been recognized for their improvements on the field, but still have a long way to go.
JA: How far can you see them going?
FP: I could see them getting into the second round for sure.
JA: Let me switch gears a bit. The coverage at ESPN is going great and in addition they will have Portuguese narration for the first time ever. How do you feel being part of this historic transmission?
FP: It’s a great honor been part of this project, I was with ESPN International when it was launched back in 1992...
JA: How do you feel about doing play-by-play for the ever-important clash between Brazil and Portugal?
FP: It will be a great to call that game, two teams with a lot of talent players and not hard to pronounce their names..:)
JA: Tell me a little bit of that rivalry from a Brazilian perspective. I know its importance; I just would like to get it from a more direct perspective.
FP: We don’t see Portugal as our big rival. More like a team from the family. They even have Brazilian players on their squad...
How do you feel working alongside two World Cup winners- Mario Kempes in Spanish and Zinho in Portuguese? Very good, a great experience, like I have had in the past working with Tele Santana, Carlos Alberto Parreira...
JA: On top of being a broadcaster, you are also a coach and a “papai do futebol” (I probably am wrong on my translation). You work very closely with the youth in Connecticut. You are also the head coach at St. Paul High School in Bristol. How are you seeing the youth evolve in football since you arrived in the United States?
FP: I see more and more kids wanted to play soccer. Staring very young. I think that is the key for the US future soccer players. They need to get good coaches at their young ages to develop their skills and better understanding of the game.
JA: How you like do to see the game is played and how can you transmit that message to your kids?
FP: I like to see the game been played with a lot of pace, technique, use the speed when you need it, possession of the ball. For all of these, the players require to have good first touch on the ball, good techniques, a like to see the magic of the game, doing the unexpected; not being so predictable all the time…players using imagination to take defenders on and finding the net.
You can watch ESPN's coverage of the World Cup in Portuguese over on ESPN Deportes or on ESPN 3 starting on Friday.
Special thanks to Flávio for the interview.
Interview with Flávio Pereira
