CHICAGO (Sept. 8, 2023) – In his first camp leading the U.S. Men’s Futsal National Team, head coach Hewerton Moreira has called in 18 players for a training camp from Sept. 13-17 at United Sports in Downingtown, Pa. The camp will serve as important preparation as the team continues its quest to qualify for a second consecutive FIFA Futsal World Cup.
“I’m excited to begin working with a strong group of players,” said Moreira. “Building off the work done the last few years, this roster brings together a number of veterans who have represented us well in competition along with a few new faces as we continue to build a core group that will lead us at next year’s Concacaf World Cup qualifying tournament.”
Goalkeeper Diego Moretti, fixo Luciano Gonzalez and pivo Raphael Araujo are among seven players that were part of the U.S. squad at the 2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup in Lithuania – the team’s first world championship appearance since 2008. Eleven of the 18 players also contributed to the team’s most recent success, winning the 2022 UMAG Nations Cup title last October in Croatia.
Meanwhile, four players have earned their first call-ups to the U.S. Men’s Futsal National Team: fixo Marcio Leite and alas Nate Bourdeau, Jared Rand and Nicolas Lopez.
This month’s camp kicks off almost a year to the day from the start of the 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup in Uzbekistan and will be another important step toward next spring’s Concacaf Futsal Championship, the region’s World Cup qualification tournament. Four teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean will qualify to the World Cup.
DETAILED ROSTER BY POSITION (Hometown):
Key: Fixo = Defender; Ala = Winger / Midfielder; Pivo = Target / Forward
GOALKEEPERS (4): Robert Damron*^ (Northville, Mich.), Eduardo Macias (Dallas, Texas), Diego Moretti*^ (Ancona, Italy), Boris Pardo (Queens, N.Y.)
FIXOS (2): Luciano Gonzalez*^ (Mendoza, Argentina), Marcio Leite (Milwaukee, Wis.),
ALAS (8): Nate Bourdeau (Baldwinsville, N.Y.), Diego Burato^ (Dallas, Texas), Nilton de Andrade (Boston, Mass.), Nicolas Lopez (Miami, Fla.), Sebastian Mendez^ (Dallas, Texas), David Ortíz*^ (McKinney, Texas), Jared Rand (London, England), Alencar Ventura-Junior*^ (Tewksbury, Mass.)
PIVOS (4): Manuel Andrade^ (Boston, Mass.), Raphael Araujo*^ (Bound Brook, N.J.),
Luiz Morales^ (Mesquite, Texas), Zach Reget*^ (Kenosha, Wis.)
*Part of 2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup roster; ^Part of 2022 UMAG Nations Cup roster
ROSTER NOTES:
- Eleven players were part of the squad that won the 2022 UMAG Nations Cup last October: Manuel Andrade, Raphael Araujo, Diego Burato, Robert Damron, Luciano Gonzalez, Sebastian Mendez, Luiz Morales, Diego Moretti, David Ortíz, Zach Reget. Alencar Ventura-Junior.
- Seven players were part of the 2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup squad: Araujo, Damron, Gonzalez, Moretti, Ortíz, Reget, Ventura-Junior.
- The roster features the past two U.S. Soccer Men’s Futsal Players of the Year: Diego Moretti (2021) and Diego Burato (2022).
- Goalkeeper Boris Pardo returns to the U.S. Men’s Futsal National Team after being part of the roster at the 2012 Concacaf Futsal Championship.
- Luciano Gonzalez was born in nearby Stratford, N.J., before moving with his parents to Mendoza, Argentina when he was three years old.
