It’s been a busy few days in Brazil with a lot of unanswered questions. Marta’s future is still uncertain, and after coaching Santos FC for 13 years, Brazilian Women’s National Team coach Kleiton Lima is no longer with the club.
Marta, who has played in Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) for the past two years, is currently out on a two-month loan at Santos. She’s without a WPS team as her former club, 2010 WPS champions FC Gold Pride, folded after the 2010 season.
Marta’s future is still up in the air, but according to reports out of Sweden, Piteå have made a significant offer to the four-time FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year. However, this week Marta told ESPN Brazil that, “The truth is I have one more year contract with the American League and I need to get a team to play.”
This week, Marta and Santos begin play in the Torneio Internacional Interclubes in Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil. Santos will be joined in the tournament by Marta’s former Damallsvenskan club Umeå IK and two Brazilian teams – Foz Cataratas, and Palmeiras, a side that features a handful of WPS players, including Fabiana (Boston Breakers), Rosana (Sky Blue FC), and Formiga (formerly of the Chicago Red Stars, which suspended operations in December 2010). All three players are currently WPS free agents. Palmeiras has a new coach, former Brazilian WNT and Saint Louis Athletica (WPS) coach Jorge Barcellos.
In other news out of Brazil, WNT coach Kleiton Lima is no longer coaching Santos after 13 years with the club. Lima told the Gazeta Press Agency that he will be at the Torneio Internacional Interclubes to watch his National Team players, and that he is seeking a new club to coach in Brazil. (Check back later for a story on Lima and his departure from Santos).