Edite consquitou americanos em pouco tempo.

Edite Fernandes já é uma referência nos EUA e a sua influência na equipa é fundamental. Fica aqui uma reportagem/entrevista (brevemente traduzida para português)

Link: http://www.the-signal.com/section/22/article/47655/

When the Santa Clarita Blue Heat professional women’s soccer team takes the field, one player stands out.

Wearing No. 18 and positioned at striker, she’s a threat to score or set up a goal from almost anywhere on the field.That’s what the team wanted when it brought her to the United Soccer League’s W-League, the second-highest level of women’s professional soccer in the country.“Remember something,” says Blue Heat president and owner Carlos Marroquin. “Women’s Professional Soccer has (Brazilian star) Marta. The USL has Edite Fernandes.”The 31-year-old Portuguese international has led the Blue Heat to the second-most points in the W-League so far this season, and her contributions have the Blue Heat eyeing a league championship in only their second year of existence.Fernandes is among the W-League’s top five in points (22), goals (nine) and assists (four) as Santa Clarita is still unbeaten at 7-0-3 with four games remaining in the regular season.Contending for a championship is just what Fernandes wanted to do when she decided to play in America.“I’m more than happy here,” she says. “I’ve been here for three months almost. Sometimes I get homesick, but I’m professional. I always try to show a good attitude.”After the Blue Heat finished 2-6-2 and missed the playoffs in their inaugural season, Marroquin wanted to significantly upgrade the talent on the team. So he contacted Monica Jorge, head coach of the Portuguese women’s national team, and spoke to her about bringing Fernandes to the United States.Fernandes is Portugal’s captain, and she scored five goals during Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) qualifying for the 2011 Women’s World Cup. Her best performance came in a 7-0 win over Armenia on March 31, 2010, when she had a hat trick.Portugal, however, didn’t qualify for the UEFA play-off rounds after finishing third in Group 7 behind Finland and group champion Italy. But Marroquin had seen enough. He first met with Fernandes nine months ago about playing for the Blue Heat, and Fernandes said she’d think about it.Six months ago, Marroquin called her again. This time, she had a different answer.“I said, I need your help,” he says. “People here want something (of) quality. I want to bring something professional. She says, ‘OK, let’s do it.’”Fernandes, who is only signed for this season, was also clear about her terms. Having played professionally since she was 17 years old – including stints for the women’s teams affiliated with

Atletico Madrid and Arsenal – she wanted to make sure the team would compete for a title.The Blue Heat signed a couple other international players for this season, and they also signed local products like Saugus High graduates Shasta Fisher and Brielle Slepicoff, Hart High graduate Kayla Kret and Canyon High graduate Katie Russ, all of whom play NCAA Division I soccer.

“I thought it would be kind of tough in America,” says Fernandes, who had never been to the United States before this spring and doesn’t speak much English. “But I’m very happy with the girls. Although I’m the oldest, I have the most experience. Everybody says I’m the best player on the team.”That opinion becomes clear once the team takes the field. Still, Fernandes says the American game is different than the European game.“In America, you play harder and with more strength, but in Europe, it’s more technical,” she says. “The girls can wait for the ball and anticipate the ball. Here, they play at 200 miles an hour.”The Blue Heat are about to play their biggest game of the regular season, a road showdown with the Western Conference-leading Vancouver Whitecaps at 7:30 p.m. today.Santa Clarita finishes its road trip with a game in Seattle on Sunday before returning home to face the Los Angeles Strikers on Wednesday and the Pali Blues on July 17. Both games are at 7 p.m. at Canyon High School.Fernandes hopes the Blue Heat uses the remaining games as the start of a championship run.“Hopefully, the last two games in town, people will come to the stadium to see Edite Fernandes, because who knows? It could be the last two games in town for her,” Marroquin says.