Youngsters impress, Roger Machado reveals São Paulo youth plan | OneFootball

São Paulo beat Boston River 1-0 on Tuesday night in their opening match of the South American Cup group stage. Roger Machado fielded what was considered a mixed lineup and also used the 90 minutes to assess younger players who could feature more regularly for the team during the season.

The coach revealed the strategy to help players developed at Cotia mature into more frequent options. Among the players used in Uruguay were forward Tetê and attacking midfielder Pedro Ferreira. In addition, center back Osorio was called up for the first time at 19 years old.

“They were choices for this moment. Regarding Tetê and Pedro Ferreira, it’s important for us to give them opportunities, even if only for a few minutes, so they can feel the pitch, the atmosphere, and understand how these international competitions affect us. Today Tetê came on a little longer. In the last game, it was just about getting that first appearance out of the way,” he said.

Tetê made his first-team debut this season in the 1-1 draw against Internacional. On that occasion, he came on in stoppage time in place of Artur. He then stayed on the bench in the rout over Cruzeiro and was used again in the South American Cup. Against Boston River, he came on in the 29th minute of the second half to replace Ferreirinha.

Pedro Ferreira earns praise from Roger

Pedro Ferreira, also 18, received praise from Roger Machado. The player, also developed at Cotia, has a bit more experience with the senior team, having made his debut in 2025 and played nine matches. Under Roger Machado, however, he was first called up against Cruzeiro and only got minutes in Uruguay.

“Pedro (Ferreira) already has a little more experience. He came on well; we’re helping the players mature, and he is extremely talented with the ball at his feet. Few players I’ve seen have his midfield vision and such a gifted left foot. He needs to improve in some more defensive tactical aspects, intensity with and without the ball, and knowing how to manage the moments of when to speed things up, just like Tetê,” he analyzed.

See also: All Gazeta Esportiva news Gazeta Esportiva’s YouTube channel Follow Gazeta Esportiva on Instagram Join Gazeta Esportiva’s WhatsApp channel 

Others are still on Roger’s radar to gain maturity

In addition to mentioning the players who were used, Roger also brought up forward Lucca, who has been out due to pain in his right thigh, and right back Igor Felisberto. The former played in the Paulista, while the defender has yet to make his season debut but has been evaluated by the coaching staff.

“From here on, it’s all about minutes and more and more experience in these tougher competitions that shape young players. There are others too… Lucca couldn’t be here because he’s feeling something, Felisberto, many players we can give experience and minutes to so they mature faster and we can use them more often,” he concluded.

São Paulo’s next matches

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.