Flamengo prepares for Under-17 Carioca Cup with development and monitoring squad

With one eye on the future of women's football and building match fitness for recently crowned Under-20 Brazilian champions, Flamengo face a fresh challenge starting this Saturday (15). Drawing on younger academy talents alongside participants in the club's monitoring programme – a partnership with Vale through the Sports Incentive Law – Flamengo will compete in the Under-17 Carioca Cup. The young squad features Isa Kotait, Letícia Pinho and Nicolly Manuel – champions of the Under-17 South American Championship for the Brazilian national team – alongside Laura Mariah, Bia Sales, Duda Detori, Kauane Lima, Keké Santiago and Sarah Alvim, all established names in the academy. Notably, this group competed in the Under-16 Development League in May, finishing fourth. The technical staff mirrors the squad's approach: professional team members will join the coaching setup. Matheus Mousadis, Paulo Neves, Santiago Arias, Pedro Martins, Felippe Alexandre and Diellie Sena form the backroom team, operating under the supervision of youth coordinator Antony Menezes and manager André Rocha. "Following our club's player development blueprint, we're using the Under-16 and Under-17 competitions as a pathway for future Under-20 players, strengthening our academy standards," André explained. "Blending players with less match time alongside monitoring programme members lets us assess training outcomes in competitive fixtures." Flamengo's opening tie comes against Pérolas Negras at 15:00 at Gávea. Complete fixture list Round 1 – Flamengo v Pérolas Negras (15/08) Round 2 – Vasco v Flamengo (22/08) Round 3 – Flamengo v Cabofriense (29/08) Round 4 – Barcelona v Flamengo (05/09) Round 5 – Flamengo v Búzios (12/09)