European teams "have been making inroads into the U.S." with transfer deals, franchise partnerships and preseason tours and now Brazilian clubs are "seeking a slice of the action on and off the field," according to Andrew Downie of REUTERS. Brazilians are investing in U.S. clubs and two Brasileiro sides, Corinthians and Fluminense, are in Florida this week for preseason training and "challenge matches against German sides." Corinthians Dir of Football Edu Gaspar, a former Arsenal player, said, "For a long time now the club has been looking for an opportunity to promote itself in the U.S." Corinthians will this week play in
the Florida Cup, a four-team tournament that also includes Bundesliga clubs Bayer Leverkusen and Cologne. The Brazilian clubs will use the games as "warm-ups for the state championships which begin at the end of the month but more important than facing top European sides are the commercial possibilities." U.S. clubs are "waking up to the interest," with Orlando creating a Portuguese-language website and tourism packages for Brazilians. Major League Soccer club Orlando City's Brazilian President Flavio Augusta da Silva said, "After Canadians, Brazil represents the biggest group of foreign visitors to Orlando. Brazilians spend billions of dollars each year in Florida. And Orlando City will be an integral part of Brazil's most beloved tourism route." Fluminense and Corinthians "underlined the importance of marketing and TV coverage, with the Florida Cup games being broadcast live to 125 countries." The Brazilian clubs also believe they can "make money from their own fans by selling package deals to see the games as well as to watch training sessions and even fly with the team" (REUTERS, 1/14).
