10-year-old player from Naples Futsal invited to train with the Barcelona youth academy in Spain

Augustine Anello

Augustine Anello, a member of the U10 Eagles Futsal Academy team in Naples, Fla., has been invited to train with the Barcelona club in Spain. The opportunity came after Augustine caught the eyes of scouts at a Barcelona camp in Miami last spring.

Augustine went to Miami with his parents, where he started playing in his age group and was promoted to play with U12 players.  

“At the end of the camp, Barcelona coaches approached the parents to inform them that they were interested in Augustine integrating training of their lower-division club (and) for that he would have to move to Barcelona,” said Luis Fernando Orellana, owner of the USYF-affiliated Naples Futsal league. “After the summer, the family will be traveling to Barcelona for a year to test whether Augustine Anello is eligible to join the club as a resident. Dan his father saw the excellent opportunity for the future of his child and is supporting him because he knows we have a future star of Argentina blood in the future Barca.”

Agustin played two seasons with Naples Futsal, Orellana said, one with his dad’s team  and later with the Eagles.

“I saw how futsal is helping a lot of kids improve the level of play because of playing futsal in the league and also practicing futsal and pickup futsal games,” the owner said. “His dad Dan is crazy about his improvement and all the time is looking for something to do so Agustine can play a better level.”

Luis Fernando Orellana

Orellana, a native of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, has a strong background in the game himself, and has injected a passionate South American flavor into his league and attracted the attention of local Hispanic television stations. They have featured Naples Futsal at least three times with programs consisting of interviews, highlights and music.

Orellana began playing futsal at 9 at the school Rio Nuevo and progressed to the Soccer Association Cruceña ACFS when he was 16. He formed his own club, Club Cristo Viene, in 1996, starting with juniors down to the sub-14 for younger players.

After 10 years of playing futsal himself at various levels through the first division, Orellana emigrated to the U.S. in 2003 with the idea of ​​forming a school for soccer or futsal. Two years later, he began coaching with the Doral Soccer Academy in Miami, then moved to Naples in hopes of starting his own academy and a futsal league in an area still unfamiliar with the sport.

In  2007, Orellana founded Eagle Soccer Club Academy in the Golden Gate Community park, following that in October 2009 with Naples Futsal, which he founded with the support of County Parks and Recreation and Vicky Collier.

Naples Futsal was featured on Telemundo Fort Myers and, more recently, on Azteca America's Dimenzion Sport . You can watch the highlights and interviews at http://youtu.be/wcw2Om9ZGE0 http://youtu.be/wcw2Om9ZGE0

You can learn more about Naples Futsal on its Web site, http://naplesfutsal.com/Click on “Gallery” and then “Video” to watch the many films Orellana has posted. His leagues have been very successful at the adult level, as well as with youth, with teams having the distinct flavor of the South American countries they represent.

-- David Knopf