Off to Brazil
Caio Correa follows his dream
BY STEVE SHEPPARD
He's packed his bags and the one item he doesn't want to forget is his team jersey, signed by all his Nantucket teammates.

After living on Nantucket for six years, soccer star Caio Correa is heading home to Rio de Janeiro, where he will test his prowess amid some of the world's best players.

Just a few weeks removed from representing Nantucket High School in the state tournament, Caio Correa plans to leave Friday morning for his home country of Brazil, where he will follow his dream of playing soccer at a level that is unheard of in the United States. In Brazil, soccer is not merely a sport, but a national obsession. At 16, Correa is ready to make the giant leap to see how he fits in.

Is he excited about the move?

"Definitely," he said. "I'm excited; I'm sad about leaving my friends here, but I'm also excited to see my friends there."

Correa hasn't been back to Brazil since he moved to Nantucket six years ago and was immediately recognized as a player with unusual skills. In two years playing at the high school varsity level, he has made the all-star team twice, led the state in scoring and helped take his team into the state playoffs in successive years. He has garnered the notice not only of high school coaches throughout Massachusetts but of college coaches as well.

Professional teams abound in Brazil, and some cities boast several of them.

Now he's ready to test his talents at a higher level.

The decision to leave Nantucket behind was not an easy one for the thoughtful and pleasant teenager. His focus and dedication are unquestionable, but it is a long journey back to a place he hasn't seen for quite some time. His parents will remain on the island while he moves in with relatives. He's understandably apprehensive, but looking forward to a reunion with his brother, Fabricio, who graduated from Nantucket High School in 2002. He's also kept up with his old friends through the Internet and Instant Messenger.

"My friends say, 'I hear you're famous there,' " he said, alluding to recent articles about his prowess in Sports Illustrated and the Boston Globe. "They say, 'Come back, man, you've got to come back.' "

He will return to an atmosphere of intense competition. Practice begins next Monday for the 18-to-20-yearold "feeder" program he hopes to join that is one step removed from the professional leagues. The team is attached to Voltaco, one of several pro teams in his hometown of Rio de Janeiro. Caio said he is trying out for the older grouping "so I can get adapted to how they practice. I'm going to try to fit in. The coach is really good friends with my Dad - I guess I'll have a special look."

He's used to playing with older people. Last summer, for example, he excelled in the competitive men's summer league on Nantucket. His plans are to do his best at the 18-to-20 year level, but if that doesn't pan out, he will be that much better prepared when practices begin for players of his age group on another feeder team.

For this young man on a mission, the move will fulfill his aspirations to play soccer year-round, and to have a chance to perform with some of the best players in the world. He has the skills, the desire and the heart to accomplish his quest.

"I started playing soccer when I was four. This is exciting. I think it's an easy decision."

His high school coach is sorry to see him go, but Rich Brannigan stands behind Caio's decision.

"I think it's a great opportunity for him," he said. "If I was born in a foreign land and had the skills he has, I'd be curious myself."

Brannigan also noted that Correa's immersion into Brazilian soccer could lead him back to the U. S. "A lot of American colleges are starting to recruit Brazilian kids."

Correa knows, too, that he can always return to Nantucket. "If it doesn't work out, I can come back," he said.

For now, however, his new life awaits, where everything centers around the neighborhood soccer pitch. "I'll probably get there sometime in the morning, and I'll play soccer all day with my friends."

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