Courtesy: Severna Park Patch


Denison Cabral: 'The beauty of soccer comes from the skills developed at futsal'

His players learn soccer skills the Brazilian way.

by Ann Brennan

December 14, 2010

In an area known for producing great high school athletes, it is considered impolite to suggest that our children might possibly, given the right set of circumstances and if the stars align, be able to play their sport in college or beyond. I seldom meet a parent of a star athlete who doesn't preface the conversation with a disclaimer about their expectations. Considering the statistics on a national basis, it is a smart attitude to take.

But there are exceptions and Coach Denison Cabral, having been one of the exceptions, believes his Denison Cabral Futsal Academy gives kids a chance to move one step closer to playing in college and beyond.

As a child growing up in Brazil, Denison constantly had a soccer ball at his feet. He played on the streets with his friends, started playing organized futsal when he was seven and by the time he was 14 years-old had begun a semi-professional career. At age 15 he went pro, moving several towns away to live and play with a professional Brazilian futsal team.

Four years later, through a fortuitous series of events, Denison found himself traveling to Florida to play with a program designed to develop players for a Major League Soccer league in the United States and quickly moved up to Washington, DC to play professional indoor soccer with the now disbanded Washington Warthogs program.

It was through the Warthogs that Denison discovered a love for coaching. During the week he would help with training teams in Northern Virginia and on the weekend, these same young players would be at the Warthogs games, getting autographs and pictures with the team.

"I couldn't believe the opportunity we were able to provide to these kids," Denison said. "Not only were they being trained by professional players, but then they could spend weekends actually watching these same players on the field."

Over the years as Denison moved from the Warthogs to the Baltimore Blast, where he spent 13 years as one of their leading scorers, he continued to coach. Eventually he developed the Denison Cabral Soccer Academy, where he does team coaching once a week for six teams including the Green Hornets, organizes camps and trains individual.

While Denison loves soccer, both indoor and outdoor, his first love remains futsal. When he speaks about futsal, he sits forward in his chair and he speaks a little louder and with much more excitement.

"Futsal is the Brazilian way to learn the skills you need for soccer. When they talk about the beautiful game or joga bonito, futsal is what they are talking about. The beauty of soccer comes from the skills developed at futsal," Denison began what would be a 30 minute discussion of why futsal is the way to learn soccer.

Five years ago, partnering with Ralph LaBarge and Keith Matney, Denison opened the areas first futsal facility to our area, turning the old Benfield Ice Rink into a the Maryland Sportsplex, a multiuse sports facility and home of the Denison Cabral Futsal Academy.

When I asked Denison my standard question – since there is no college futsal and most of the kids you train will not play soccer past high school, what do you want them to take from their time with your academy - I received an answer I didn't expect.

"Since I was a little boy I have chased a soccer ball through 19 countries. I have played professionally. I have had experiences I would have never had without that ball. I want the kids that come through my academy to be one step closer to being able to do that - to being able to chase their soccer dreams."

There are currently 17 teams in DCFA. The club's prowess on the futsal court is evident in the State, Regional and National Cup trophies found in the lobby of the Maryland Sportsplex. Denison's desire to let futsal give his players experiences they would not have elsewhere is evident in the trips his teams have taken to earn these championships.

His teams have traveled to Massachusetts, California, Pennsylvania and one team played in an international tournament in Brazil this past summer.

Athletes in Severna Park are still faced with the statistics that show how few of them will play in college and beyond, but Denison hopes his program gives each of them a chance to keep dreaming.


Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com