UTICA, NY (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY) — Utica City FC announced on Tuesday, August 29 that head coach Hewerton Moreira has been appointed the head coach of the United States Men’s National Futsal Team. He will join the team as they prepare for next year’s CONCACAF Futsal Championship, which will serve as a qualifier for the FIFA Futsal World Cup, scheduled to take place in Uzbekistan next year.

Futsal is a sport much like indoor soccer; however, there are only four players and a goalkeeper as opposed to the six players in indoor soccer.

“I’m incredibly honored to lead the U.S. Futsal Men’s National Team,” Moreira said in a statement. “Futsal was the first version of the sport that I played, so this opportunity takes me back to my roots. I’m thrilled to work with a strong pool of players that has developed together through this cycle as we work towards qualification for the 2024 Futsal World Cup. I am thrilled to represent Utica City FC on the world stage and look forward to our fans supporting us along the way.”

Moreira spent 23 years as a player in futsal and indoor soccer. He won nine consecutive league championships in his native Brazil and was part of the player pool for Brazil’s world championship teams in 1995 and 1998.

Moreiria takes over a side coming off a runner-up finish at the 2021 CONCACAF Futsal Championship. That finish earned the team qualification to the 2022 FIFA Futsal World Cup in Lithuania. It was the team’s first World Cup appearance since 2008.

The Utica City FC head coach has announced he will continue his duties at the Adirondack Bank Center as well, when they begin their campaign later this year. He will take charge of the team at a camp in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from September 13th through the 17th.

“Hewerton’s long-time futsal and indoor experience in both the United States and Brazil make him an excellent choice to lead the U.S. Futsal Men’s National Team,” U.S. Soccer Senior Technical Director of Extended National Teams Stuart Sharp said in a statement. “He is a great locker room leader whose knowledge of futsal and familiarity with our player pool will help us greatly as we look to qualify for our second consecutive FIFA Futsal World Cup next year.”