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With two draws in two games and only one goal scored, Luis Zubeldía's São Paulo officially concluded its preseason on Sunday afternoon at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The team, which had already drawn with Cruzeiro in Orlando last Wednesday (15), now also drew with C.R. Flamengo, but without scoring any goals.
Despite a solid performance where many would say São Paulo was slightly superior, and with former Chelsea and Brazil national team midfielder Oscar making his debut as a starter alongside his friend and teammate Lucas Moura, the lack of offensive threat left fans disappointed, especially those who had been following the team in recent days.
This was something that Lucas himself mentioned in an interview with Nossa Rádio USA after the match, where he stated that the team needed to finish more and take advantage of the chances they had, such as a great header from Argentine Jonathan Calleri, which was saved by the also Argentine goalkeeper Rossi from Flamengo. The partnership between Lucas and Oscar did work to some extent, but the standout figure in São Paulo's attack was forward Ferreirinha, who served as both the creator and finisher for the team in both games. He also stood out in the training sessions followed by our report at the University of Central Florida.
In addition to him, other players who saw their stock rise after this preseason were right-back Igor Vinicius and the newly arrived Enzo Dias. Igor, who had been heavily criticized by São Paulo fans in the last season, seems to be turning things around and was a strong contender for the man of the match award, which ultimately went to goalkeeper Jandrei. Vinicius has the task of replacing right-back Rafinha, a Bayern Munich and Flamengo idol, who recently left São Paulo to return to Curitiba, the club where he began his professional career. Rafinha was not only an excellent player, but also the captain of the team that lifted the Copa do Brazil in 2023.
Some players, such as goalkeeper Rafael and defender Arboleda, had already returned to Brazil for the Rio de Janeiro State Championship. The rest of the delegation returned after the game against Flamengo and is expected to report back on Monday afternoon (20) to prepare for the start of the championship. In the third round, São Paulo will face their biggest rival, Corinthians.
