Richmond Kickers Director of Soccer, Leigh Cowlishaw, accompanied by former Kickers player Gerson Dos Santos, recently returned from a scouting trip in São Paulo, Brazil, where he was hosted by storied club S.C. Corinthians. www.richmondkickers.com sat down with Cowlishaw to reflect on his experience with the reigning Brazilian Champions.
www.richmondkickers.com: What was the purpose of the trip to Brazil?
Cowlishaw: USL is the fastest growing league in the world right now and it’s important we can continue to spread the word about our league and club. We want to expand our connections and network. The opportunity arose to visit the Brazilian Champions in São Paulo, and with our former player Gerson Dos Santos being a native of the city it was a good fit.
RK: You had a chance to visit historic club, S.C. Corinthians Paulista. What was that experience like?
Cowlishaw: The educational experience was phenomenal. We only had 48 hours on the ground in São Paulo yet we had total access to S.C. Corinthians. The welcome from all of the staff and players was so positive. We were able to tour all of their facilities and discuss training methods with several of their staff. In addition, we observed the training of Corinthians first team, U20’s, U15’s and U13’s.
RK: Were you able to bring back any ideas or concepts from S.C. Corinthians?
Cowlishaw: The culture and style is very different to the USA and Europe so it was insightful to observe first hand and try to understand why the Brazilian national team, clubs and players have been so successful. We discussed several topics including team analysis, injury prevention, systems of play and gained ideas for training sessions. There are always opportunities to learn when visiting clubs, but most of all it was great to see the players, both young and veteran, in their natural environment.
RK: Did you go into this trip with a specific need, or were you just seeing what you could find?
Cowlishaw: The main objective was to take advantage of the opportunity to visit one of the best clubs in the world and create a relationship with S.C. Corinthians. The trip was extremely positive and we believe there are plenty of opportunities in the future for the clubs to explore.
