Letter to the Editor: ... "with the right focus early on, American youth players can be every bit as good as anyone else in the world with futsal being the common denominator."

To the Editor:

I enjoyed reading your article on Lucas Stauffer. It sounds like his training environment was very similar to our current focus as a futsal club.

I decided to take you up on your request for a story idea because I think we have a recent one that would be of interest to your audience. Two brothers from our Charlotte, N.C.-based Barefoot Futsal Academy program recently had the opportunity to train at one of the top futsal academies in Brazil. It was a fantastic experience for the boys and their dad and he documented much of the trip on a special blog at http://gingafactory.com/. 

We were delighted to learn that both boys could hold their own technically with the top players in the Brazilian academy and that they were even invited to play in several elite team matches against rival academies. (They primarily had to adjust to the faster speed of play of the Brazilians.)

It shows that with the right focus early on, American youth players can be every bit as good as anyone else in the world with futsal being the common denominator.

 -- Paul Roderique
Barefoot Futsal, LLC

Editor's Note: You can read about the two brothers' trip to Brazil elsewhere in this issue. We welcome your letters, opinions and story ideas. You can send them to the editor at davidknopf48@gmail.com.