EMERGING STAR | Strikers Forward Stefano Pinho

Emerging Star will be a regular feature on NASL.com highlighting breakout performances over the course of the 2015 season

Leaving your home country and the comforts it brings can be difficult for any player. That was the case for Fort Lauderdale Strikers forward Stefano Pinho last season when he was on loan in Finland.

“My time in Finland was very complicated for me,” Pinho told NASL.com. “It was very hard to play in a country so far away and so different from Brazil. I played in games where it was freezing.

“I lived in a very small city with a population of only 3,000 people. There were other Brazilians who played on the team that helped me familiarize myself with the culture. I was able to grow as a person and as a footballer, and was able to adapt to the European playing style.”

Adapt and succeed is exactly what the 24-year-old did. He led the Finnish club, MyPa with 11 goals over the course of 2014. That form is what the NASL side is hoping Pinho can replicate.

And the Brazilian is starting to show signs to make that a reality. His first Strikers goal was in a 1-1 draw against the San Antonio Scorpions, and it snapped a month-long goalscoring drought for the club. He scored in two more successive weeks, finishing the Spring Season on a three-match, four-goal run.  

On loan from Fluminense, it certainly has taken time for Pinho to adjust to another new environment.

“The level of play in the NASL is very different from what I was accustomed to in Brazil,” he said. “I feel that the game has a faster pace here in the U.S. In the beginning I had to change my game a bit to adapt to the style of play.”

He added, “The level of play, in my opinion, is high since we have a mix of up-and-coming players and others that are consolidated in their respective national teams. It’s not a coincidence that a lot of players want to come and play in the U.S.”

Pinho, was once again, aided by a heavy Brazilian presence in South Florida. He joined the club on loan alongside teammate Marlon Freitas, and fellow Brazilians Léo Moura and PC.

“It is of utmost importance to have a friend (Marlon) as company when you are coming to a new country,” Pinho said. “Marlon, PC, and Léo have been instrumental in the process of adapting to the U.S. We do everything together and that helps with the homesickness.”Despite being on loan, if Pinho continue to have success in the NASL, staying with the Strikers would be something he’d look forward to.

“My loan finishes in December and I need to give my best until then,” he said. “If I do a good job at the Strikers, I am sure doors will open for me. I hope that in the future I can renew for one or two more years with the Strikers.”