It’s an early training session during the New York Red Bulls’ first week in Bradenton.
Watching the team during a possession drill, head coach Jesse Marsch is crouched down taking mental notes and intermittently barking instructions to play quicker.
All of a sudden, Marsch stops the normal process, stands up and says, “God, I love Felipe’s feet.”
One of the new scribes in Marsch’s team this season, the Red Bulls manager is familiar with the Brazilian’s ability to move and think quickly dating back to the time he first scouted the attacker with FC Wohlen in Switzerland. The familiarity continued during Marsch’s season-long stint as manager of the Montreal Impact in 2012.
Beyond the skill Felipe brought to the field, the other intangible that Marsch loves about the Brazilian is his will to win, no matter the circumstance.
“Once you get to know him, you understand he’s a competitor,” he said. “Whatever team he’s on in training, every day, he’s making sure from the inside he’s pushing that group and doing everything he can to win that game. That’s contagious, it trickles down to his teammates.”
Though they played different positions, Felipe says his competitive inspiration came fellow countryman, Cafu. The Brazilian right back easily could have seen his career end before it started after being rejected by youth squads of Brazilian clubs such as Corinthians, Palmeiras, Atletico Mineiro and Santos before finally catching on with Sao Paulo.
Of course, Cafu would go on to win two World Cups with Brazil, captaining the side at Korea/Japan 2002.
“He wasn’t the best player at the time in terms of quality but his will to win, his desire to become a big player was the most important thing for him. He went to so many different teams to tryout and he never passed it. He made it and he became one of the best players in the world."
Time to Move On
Though Marsch departed Montreal after 2012, Felipe went on to play three years with the Impact. He remains the club’s leader in MLS appearances (93) and assists (24) and holds the historic milestone of scoring the club’s 100th MLS goal, including their first at Stade Saputo. He also tallied the deciding strikes in l’Impact’s back-to-back Canadian Championship wins in 2013 and 2014.
Despite writing his name throughout that club’s early MLS history, Felipe said he felt it was time to move on from French Canada this season.
“This was what I wanted. It was the right time to move,” he told NewYorkRedBulls.com. “Sometimes the people don’t see the statistics, they see the player they like more. I accept that and the important thing is what I did for the Impact. Everything I did was for the fans.
“You can see when I play I always give everything I have inside me and all the clubs I played for, I feel I’ve left good things behind. When you can leave from the front door, that’s what is important for me. I think that’s what happened in Montreal, now I’m happy to be here.”
Though ready to move, the Brazilian admitted surprise when he was told his future laid with the Red Bulls.
“This was more than my expectations. I was expecting to move for another team and I never was thinking about New York, but it was one of the teams I like most in MLS. It’s a team that’s always in the top three, a team that has a nice facility and nice stadium in the league. The fans are amazing. The organization is high level. I think it’s the perfect team to come to.”
About the Group
While the reunion with an old manager was attractive, Felipe was also encouraged to be a part of a club moving away from individual stars and taking a bigger focus on a team-first mentality.
“When I came here, I saw we have good teammates, we have a great team. It’s not about one or two players but about the group. Being part of a new project and new expectation is a good thing. What all the players need is the feeling they have something to prove and that it means something.”
And as Felipe continued, that feeling comes from the confidence Marsch gives to every player on his squad, while preparing the team from a tactical and mental standpoint on a weekly basis.
“He’s the kind of coach that is very smart, he knows what to do with the players to give the will to step on the field and do their best. It’s very important for me -- the players have to mentally be ready for the game for what they do on the field. He expects a lot of you in training because that’s what you’re building for on Saturday or Sunday.
“We have high level players in this team with a good expectation. They buy into what Jesse is teaching and are ready to be part of this organization.”
