Correa taking skills to Brazil

Performing in front of thousands of adoring fans and earning a living playing "the beautiful game" is a dream pursued by many, but realized by few. Caio Correa knows the odds may be against him becoming a professional soccer player in his native Brazil, but that isn't stopping the Nantucket High striker from returning to his homeland to pursue a dream he has had as long as he can remember.

"Since I was little, I used to go to the games and I remember the fans, 95,000 people, screaming the best players' names," said Correa. "I always knew I wanted to be one of those players."

This is not a pipedream for Correa; you see, professional soccer is in his blood. Just look at his birth certificate, which lists his father's occupation as "professional soccer player."

"My father was a professional player for 12 years," Correa said. "He played in the top Brazilian leagues and he used to tell me stories about scoring in championship games."

Correa's father, Luiz, owns a painting business in Nantucket, but in his younger days played on several Brazilian clubs, including Bahia. He played against Flamengo, one of Brazil's most storied clubs, and squared off on the same field as Zico, one of Brazil's all-time greats. Correa fashions his dreams after such stories, and hopes to follow in his father's footsteps.

"He [Luiz] thinks I'm way better than he was," Caio said. "But I'm like, 'How can I be better than you?' You taught me everything I know."

Luiz's lessons began on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro when Caio was as young as 6, and continue to this day. In the summer, Correa and his father play in an adult summer league, which allowed the 16-year-old to test his skill against older players not hesitant about roughing him up. Dealing with the physical play, Correa scored 29 goals and was named the league's best striker.

His scoring exploits increased this season as the sophomore netted 32 goals and added 23 assists while leading the Whalers to a 12-2-1 record and a seventh seed in the Division 3 South tournament. In the Whalers' playoff opener Sunday against Cardinal Spellman, he had two assists as Nantucket advanced to today's quarterfinal game against Norwell.

After the season, it will be on to a new challenge for Correa. He will return to Rio de Janeiro for a tryout with youth developmental squad Volta Redonda, a feeder club for high profile professional teams. Correa's uncle, Marcelo, has been showing him tapes of the team's practices and games, giving him a feel for the quality of competition he will face. Obstacles will not be confined to the field, however. He faces the task of going back to a life he has not known since he moved to America when he was 10. He arrived here not even knowing how to say "hello" in English.

Through the help of his teachers and tutors, however, English came to Correa as easily as the precision shooting and delicate passes he displays on the soccer field. In fact, he did not stop at a second language. Because of the multi-cultural makeup of the Nantucket team that includes players from Brazil, El Salvador, Jamaica, and Romania, Correa has added Spanish to his linguistic arsenal.

"He acts as kind of a translator for me," Nantucket coach Rich Brannigan said. "It helps me out a lot and it's helped him become more of a leader for us."

Correa knows the tournament is in all likelihood his last go around at the high school level, and he intends to make the most of it.

"How far we go in states, whether as champions or if we lose, I'll be leaving once the season is over," he said. "I told them [teammates], 'You know I love all you guys, so let's make this count and do it for each other.' I'm really excited, I think we have a shot to go all the way."

Correa knows that a return to a normal life in Brazil will take some getting used to.

"It's going to be big," he said. "I haven't seen my brother in four years, my grandmother in six years. I don't know if I'm going to even recognize my friends."

Correa will live with his grandmother and his older brother, Fabricio, 20, who also was a standout player at Nantucket before returning after graduation. His friends and family in Brazil have been keeping track of his progress through the Internet, and they keep in touch regularly using a Web-cam. They will live in a house purchased with money sent home from Luiz's painting business, as well as from his mother, Nelma, who cleans houses on the island. The family plans to reunite in Brazil in a few years.

"My mom and dad are planning on staying [in Nantucket] for another year or two," Correa said. "They're really hard workers, always planning for the future."

And as for Correa's future, he will rely on a soccer intuition that is born out of years of practice and dedication. He tries to model his game after the best players in the world, including Ronaldinho (Correa's favorite player). However, he cannot mask his frustration when the subject turns to Brazil's performance in this year's World Cup.

"Oh man, it was disappointing," he said. "Ronaldinho is supposed to be the best player in the world, but he didn't try anything, didn't take anyone on. It seemed like they were dead, like they didn't want to play."

Correa's game is not lacking in excitement, but it is his maturity and poise that has caught the attention of his coach.

"The most impressive thing about Caio is how he positions himself and knows what he's going to do before he even gets the ball," Brannigan said. "Most American kids, they don't really have a grasp of that concept. You can't really teach it."

That ability has garnered the attention from Division 1 programs, including St. John's and Notre Dame, a fact that has left his mother hesitant about Correa pursuing a professional career.

"My mom's making it a little hard now that these colleges are calling," Correa said. "But she's always said, 'If this is what you want to do, you're big enough to make up your own mind.' I have to do it because it's a once - in - a - lifetime opportunity. They want me to try out with the big guys. I can hit the jackpot in Brazil with a big club."

And besides, if his dreams are realized, and the big clubs come calling for his services, Correa knows where his fortunes will go first.

"I'll definitely give everything to my mom and dad," he said.