In his second game in a Baltimore Blast uniform, Ricardinho Sobreira faced his former Major Arena Soccer League team with a chip on his shoulder.
Sobreira, a diminutive midfielder from Sao Paulo, Brazil, had spent the previous three seasons playing for the Florida Tropics, the Blast’s rivals in the MASL Eastern Division. He left last offseason seeking a team that could fulfill his dreams of winning an indoor soccer championship.
“I wanted to go to a team that was more professional, that could compete for the title,” Sobreira said in late January, as he neared the halfway point of his first Blast season. “When I spoke with [head coach David] Bascome, I liked the plans he had for me and for the team.”
In 10 prior professional indoor seasons, Sobreira, who turned 34 on Jan. 6, had never reached a championship series. The closest he had come was in the 2016-17 season when his Milwaukee Wave squad was defeated by the Blast in the Eastern Conference Final.
In the Dec. 10 game against the Tropics, Sobreira was buzzing around the field, feeding his new teammates for three assists. He later tied the game with a nifty header in the fourth quarter of a tight back-and-forth contest that the Tropics eked out, 7-6. Sobreira’s performance was indicative of what the 5-foot-7, 122-pound player could bring to a team that had sought out veteran players this past summer to boost its chances at another title.
Sobreira has notched six goals and nine assists in 14 games entering play on Feb. 19. He is tied with forward Max Ferdinand for second on the team in assists behind midfielder Jonatas Melo (11), and just one off his career high of 10 set in 2017-18 with Milwaukee.
Sobreira credits some of his early success with the Blast to the preexisting chemistry he has with fellow Brazilians Melo and Pereira. After moving from Sao Paulo to the United States with his family in 2008, Sobreira met both players while playing futsal with the Utah Elite Futsal Team.
“We are really good friends and being here with them is amazing,” Sobreira said.
Despite Sobreira’s quick transition into the team, wins have been hard to come by as injuries to Baltimore’s defense have caused the team to slip in the standings.
Among the defensive players who have missed time are veterans Adriano Dos Santos, Jereme Raley and Mike Deasel and newcomers Onua Obasi and Joshio Sandoval. The 35-year-old Dos Santos, now in his 12th year with the Blast, is likely to miss the remainder of the season due to injury, Bascome said.
“You have to stay focused,” Bascome said. “There are no excuses.”
Sobreira echoed his coach’s attitude, saying, “We all have to defend together.”
As the team battles injuries, Baltimore has remained competitive, though late errors have led to several close defeats, including three of its first five games, all of which were one-score affairs. The Blast then lost two more one-goal games (Jan. 27 against Harrisburg and Jan. 29 against Utica City). Baltimore sits at 7-5-2 and in fourth place in the MASL Eastern Division entering play on Feb. 19.
“This is where we are supposed to be,” Bascome said. “When you have injuries, you must have depth and now it’s their time to perform.”
Bascome praised Sobreira’s technical skills and ability to control the tempo of the game. He described Sobreira and Melo’s pairing as “partners in crime” because of their complementary abilities to give the team possession and an offensive spark when needed.
“He always wants the ball and looks for the ball,” said Bascome, now in his second full season as head coach. “When he comes into the game, he always has that offensive threat with his positioning. It’s something we needed.”
Sobreira’s upbeat personality has also been a welcome addition to both the locker room and the field, Bascome said.
“He’s got this fun, bubbly vibe,” Bascome said. “He doesn’t say much but he gives you this smile. And as a coach, I just have to shake my head out of being glad I got a chance to bring him into the family.”
That charm was on full display when Sobreira scored his first goal with the Blast. With about two minutes remaining in the game on Dec. 10, Lucas Roque snapped a pass across the face of goal to a waiting Pereira who redirected the ball over the diving keeper’s hands. The shot went too high, deflecting off the top of the goal. Sobreira, showing that keen positional awareness, darted in front of a defender and headed the ball into the net.
He sprinted to the cheering fans on the sidelines at SECU Arena and hopped on top of the wall, gesturing wildly to the crowd.
With more than a dozen games remaining this season, Sobreira remains confident in his decision to join the Blast. As players return from injury and the team continues to gel, the results will come, he said.
“We need to work individually and as a team to help each other to get better, and for sure finish our opportunities in front of goal,” he said. “I’m sure we will work this out and everyone will be afraid of us in the end.”
Photo Credit: Mikayla Mellis
Issue 279: February/March 2023
Originally published Feb. 15, 2023