The U.S. men’s futsal team brings the world’s version of indoor soccer to Downingtown

When people talk about U.S. national soccer teams, they usually mean the star-studded senior men’s and women’s teams: Christian Pulisic, Alex Morgan, and so on.

But the U.S. national team program as a whole is much more than just those two squads. In fact, the U.S. Soccer Federation runs 27 national teams: the big two, 16 men’s and women’s youth teams, and nine so-called “extended” national teams: men’s and women’s beach soccer, indoor futsal, deaf and cerebral palsy teams, and a co-ed power wheelchair team. The U.S. has the most extended teams of any national federation in the world.

If you didn’t know that, you’re far from alone. U.S. Soccer hasn’t always done a great job of getting the word out about everything it does. That has changed for the better in recent times, and this week brought a local spotlight on one of the programs.

The men’s futsal team has been holding a training camp at United Sports in Downingtown, preparing for Concacaf’s qualifying for next year’s World Cup. There are some local ties: Luciano “Lucho” Gonzalez was born in Stratford, N.J., before moving to Argentina at age 3, and manager Hewerton Moreira’s 16-year pro indoor career included the Kixx in 2008-09.

It takes long enough to get from Downingtown to where the Spectrum stood, never mind to South Jersey. But both men said it felt familiar to be back in a region that used to be home.

“Being here after almost 26 years, it’s exciting,” said Gonzalez, who’s now age 28.

» READ MORE: Before the Union, the Kixx were Philly’s soccer team, and former USWNT manager Vlatko Andonovski played for them

Moreira, 43, planned to reunite with some of his former Kixx teammates over the weekend, including Don D’Ambra, Anthony Maher, and Pat Morris.

“It’s great to be back — I missed Philadelphia,” he said. “It’s a great city, historical. I still haven’t been in my favorite spots yet, but I want to go.”

The word futsal is a contraction of the Portuguese phrase futebol de salão, and the Spanish phrase fútbol de sala or salón translates the same way: literally, soccer in an indoor room. It’s different from the indoor game that Moreira, D’Ambra, and former U.S. senior women’s team manager Vlatko Andonovski played with the Kixx: a hard court surface instead of artificial turf, and no side boards.

Futsal is played with five players per side, a goalkeeper and four outfield players. Their positional names also come from Portuguese: the defender (Gonzalez’s position) is a fixo, the middle players are alas, and the most forward player is a pivo. (Think of why a center in basketball is called a “pivot man.”)

The ball is one size smaller than an outdoor soccer ball, and it’s made of different materials. Though the outer layer is similar, the inside materials are designed to stop the ball from bouncing high on the court.

“We are trying to introduce this sport in this big country,” Gonzalez said. “I know that we have very big opportunities to introduce it and to grow, because the other countries are at another level. We are trying to get to that level, and I know that we have the opportunity to do that.”

» READ MORE: The USWNT’s salvation lies in youth development. Will the status quo stop it?

Many of Gonzalez’s teammates are on the U.S. indoor circuit now, while others play pro futsal abroad. Seven of the 18 on this squad played in the 2021 World Cup including the team captain, goalkeeper Diego Moretti.

Futsal is most popular in South America and southern Europe. Brazil, where Moreira was born, has won five of the nine FIFA Futsal World Cups since the event launched in 1989; Spain has won two; and Argentina and Portugal have won one each.

The U.S. finished third in ‘89 and second at the next tournament in 1992. Players back then included some well-known names: Tab Ramos, Jeff Agoos, Fernando Clavijo, Bruce Murray, and Delran’s Peter Vermes.

That history hints at a point made by a growing chorus in American soccer: more kids should play futsal to learn how to thrive in tight spaces. When they reach bigger stages outdoors, the ball skills learned indoors still pay off.

“I’m biased on that, but I think it should be a rule that youth players should start on futsal,” Moreira said. “It’s a small size of game, develops a lot of your skills — your technical, your tactical, cognitive work — all that, it’s great for kids. When you put a 10-year-old or 11-year-old to play outdoors with too much space, those problem-solving skills don’t come to the players that quick. Futsal helps that.”

» READ MORE: Meet Kathryn Nesbitt, the Philly referee who recently officiated the World Cup final

As Andonovski recalled of his playing days during the recent World Cup: “There were certain ways of breaking down opponents in small areas, being comfortable with the ball, and certain combinations that we use even now in the outdoor game.”

The U.S. team trained in a small part of United Sports’ sprawling campus, with 12 outdoor fields and a 127,000-foot indoor fieldhouse. At another end of the complex, one of the outdoor fields is named in honor of Downingtown’s most famous soccer player, Zack Steffen.

Gonzalez has never met Steffen or any of the famous outdoor soccer stars. “I would like to do it,” he said, “but I’ve never had the possibility.”

But both men are U.S. national team players, even if they aren’t teammates. Gonzalez and the rest of the futsal squad wore the same apparel as their big-name colleagues, from the crest to the colors and commercial sponsors.

“I was born here, and I like to play for the national team,” Gonzalez said. “For me, it’s a pleasure. I’m very honored to play for the United States, and represent this big country in the world. For players like me, this is our work and our life — to play for our national team is the most beautiful thing.”

» READ MORE: When Zack Steffen comes home to Downingtown, it still means something for him