Mateo Brazinha is a forward on the men’s soccer team at UFV, and the reigning Men’s Soccer Player of the Year in Canada West. In his third year with the Cascades, Brazinha set program records in points (17) and assists (9) in a season, leading the squad to their highest point total in program history and an 8-5-3 season record, good for third in the Pacific division. Brazinha’s strike in the semi-finals on Oct. 27 forced UBC into extra time, before the Cascades’ season ultimately came to an end.
~~What’s your opinion on wearing socks and slides to class?~~
I’m chill with it; I’ll do it — I’ve done it — and I’ll do it again … I’m kind of here for it. [My] fashion’s not the greatest though.
~~Who’s the hardest player to defend in practice?~~
I rarely defend (laughs)… I’d say Kevin Mailand. [He’s] very tricky. Fast feet. He’s very quick, very hard to defend. He’s so rapid, and when he starts moving the ball… you don’t get it from him.
~~What was your rookie idol song?~~
~~What did your team learn from winning the Keg Cup?~~
Everyone in the province knows we had a tough [season] last year. We went into [the] Keg Cup [and] it was like we’re gonna do this or we’re gonna have another bad year. This has to set the tone for the coming months. We [had] nothing to lose and everything to gain.
That’s what Tom [Lowndes] said to us, go out there and be what this program’s about, and we’ll succeed. I think everyone [on the team] has this mentality of, ‘we’re gonna be what this program stands for.’
~~Who’s at the top of the team’s FIFA rankings?~~
Jackson [Cowx] is unreal. We’ll even play outside of team trips, and he’ll still kill me. He will kill everyone. He takes no prisoners when we play.
~~What does being a Cascade mean to you?~~
Hard work, resilience, and just a hell of a lot of grit. We will always have adversity … whether it’s other teams looking down on us — and once we get to [another] level — the other teams looking at us and saying they got there because of this… they’re looking for ways to tear us down. So it’s adversity, perseverance, and just so much grit; we just gotta fight.
~~Who’s your favourite athlete outside of soccer?~~
I don’t watch many other sports besides soccer, but if I had to pick one… Kobe Bryant. The way he conducts himself [is] the way I want to think of myself, that kind of mentality.
~~What’s the most Mamba Mentality thing about Mateo Brazinha?~~
Nothing’s over ‘til it’s over … whether we’re up one nothing, or we’re down one nothing — the whistle goes and anything can happen between one and 99.
~~What does ugly winning soccer look like?~~
Ugly winning soccer is: we don’t need the ball very much, [we] don’t need possession. It’s doing things that other teams don’t like [or] want us to do. People don’t want us to be physical. People don’t want us to run in behind all the time, or run in line with the defence. It’s doing what we need to do to win. Sometimes you play really nice soccer, but sometimes it doesn’t matter. In my opinion, it doesn’t matter [how pretty it is], as long as you get the result.
~~Who is most likely to lose it on a ref?~~
Adam Szymanski, but I can’t say that anymore; it’s getting better. I can’t because then he’s gonna come for me. Ebi Igali for yells.
~~What’s your reaction to UFV’s ranking on the 2024 coaches poll?~~
It went up a lot from last year! (laughs) It’s kind of a fire underneath us. People don’t rate us… and I’m fine with that, Tom’s good with it [too]. It’s just more adversity. It’s like [go ahead and] look down on us, because when we do this… you’re not going to see us coming.
~~Who works the hardest in practice?~~
Nate Cervo; he’s just a dog. That kid will run, and run, and run, until his legs fall off… and I love it.
~~What do you do after a big game?~~
Nine times out of 10 — no, 10 times out of 10 — I think if you asked our [entire] team that, 31 players would say the same thing — watch the game back. Just watch the full 90 minutes right away. You can see what you did wrong. That’s something everyone on the team [has] added this year that’s made us a little bit better.
Q&A has been edited for length and readability.
