{"id":39858,"date":"2015-12-21T09:15:54","date_gmt":"2015-12-21T14:15:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/?p=39858"},"modified":"2016-03-06T21:14:32","modified_gmt":"2016-03-07T02:14:32","slug":"boston-city-has-bold-ambitions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/?p=39858","title":{"rendered":"Boston City Has Bold Ambitions"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo

Photo credit: Boston City FC<\/p><\/div>\n

It’s fair to say that the minds behind expansion NPSL side Boston City FC aren’t lacking ambition.<\/p>\n

A month after the NPSL announced the addition of the Beantown-based squad for the 2016 season, it’s clear that Boston City’s leadership group won’t be content with being just another expansion side content to join the league.<\/p>\n

“We hope to win our first national championship within five years,” Boston City Chief Executive Officer and Manager Renato Valentim told NESoccerToday.com<\/em>. “We also hope that some of our players will be able to move up into the next division of soccer and perhaps Boston City FC, itself, will be able to expand and have a second team within a higher division.”<\/p>\n

Of course, a second team within a higher division would likely entail an entry to the NASL, which does not have a team located in New England. And while Boston would be a natural fit for a possible NASL expansion side, there’s still plenty of work for Boston City to undertake before any second-division plans can be solidified.<\/p>\n

So far, though, the newly-minted side appears to be ahead of the game in terms of its expansion status. The club officially established itself in April, and quickly hit the pavement to recruit players, many of whom were personally selected by someone who knows a thing or two about footballing talent.<\/p>\n

Before he became President of Boston City, Jorge Silva – better known in his native Brazil as Palhinha – was a star midfielder for S\u00e3o Paulo in the Campeonato Brasileiro during the 1990s. Like many high-profile footballers, Palhinha made a number of connections with clubs and players during his career, something that helped the club assemble a group of players for its initial roster.<\/p>\n

“We relied on Palhinha\u2019s vast soccer network when selecting its coaching staff and exhibition players,” Valentim said. “The current coaches are all long-term friends, peers, and associates of Palhinha. The club\u2019s exhibition players consist of Palhinha\u2019s former students and other well-regarded young players.”<\/p>\n

Those exhibition players didn’t have to wait long to have their collective mettle tested. During the summer, the team flew down to Brazil for the Belo Horizante Cup tournament, which featured a collection of local sides.<\/p>\n