The defender was featured in the match against the Americans. The Brazilian team’s next duel will be against Canada, airing on SporTV on Wednesday (24th), 18h (Brasilia time).
a Women’s National Team After its preparation for the Tokyo Olympic Games. On American soil, Brazil lost 2–0 to the hosts in the second round of the Shea Bellis tournament. Canarinho is second in the competition with three points. Despite the defeat, positive points can be noted.
Pia Sundage A recurring figure in the call for technique, defender Rafa attended the press conference on Monday (23) after training. Shirt 4 received praise from coaches for their performance in the tournament, most notably in the match against the United States.
“I appreciate the compliment. Anyone who plays is not always recognized, but in a game against the United States, we have to work hard and that’s probably why we have so much visibility in these games. Pia is always playing with me. And Erica, but she got injured. We are just a few months away from the Olympics and Pia fits the team as best she can “, commented Rafael.
Confident player in the defense of the women’s national team, Rafael has physical strength and speed as a strong point, two attributes highly valued by Pia. With experience on the face of rivals, the defender believes that studying and playing in the United States helped his performance in the duel, especially in marking American striker Alex Morgan.
“I’ve played against them a few times and I know their football is of physical strength and pressure. Pia has an aggressive style of play, she likes that we have possession of the ball and it’s possible to steal the ball in the final . ” Third, well because we are close to the goal. As we have the quality of the ball in his feet, he tells us to start the game under high pressure to put the ball in front. Not only for this but a lot is needed from everyone. The attackers, who are at the top, but also the defenders, who need to be connected so that there is no throw in the back ”, declared the defender.
In Orlando, the women’s team faces the United States for the second round of the She Bills 2020 tournament
Credit: Sam Robles / CBF
Experience in the United States taught Rafael to speak English, which facilitates communication with Pia. As an important part of the defense, the player has the task of listening to the commander’s information and passing it on to his defensive teammates. For Rafa, it is important that each line of the field has at least one player with this function, either in defense, in the middle or in attack, so that all Swedish speeches are heard by the team.
“I try to help a lot. Pia it asks a lot for us to be responsible for the height of the line, to give confidence to other athletes, as we have the facility to watch the game from behind. I always use my English to pass on the information provided in the bank, and I think it is very important, ”said Shirt 4.
The next duel of the selection is Wednesday (24), at 18pm, against Canada, with a broadcast on SporTV. The United States is the leader of the competition with the win, Brazil is in second place with three points, followed by Canada and Argentina in third and fourth place respectively.