Boca Raton Football Club has announced multiple changes to its coaching staff ahead of their first game of the 2017 National Premier Soccer League Sunshine Conference season on April 30 at Miami United FC.
Head coach Juninho has been reassigned to Head of South American Scouting as he will return to his native Brazil to search for talents around the country and the continent to bring to the United States.
Pedro Yunes, who coached the club to the 2016 APSL Spring and Fall season titles also returns to Boca Raton FC as the Head Athletic Trainer.
Boca Raton FC is proud to announce that the head coaching vacancy has been filled by Athirson.
A product of Flamengo’s youth academy, Athirson began his career as a professional for Flamengo in 1996 where he played until 2001 when he was signed by Juventus, and ultimately returned to Flamengo in 2004.
Athirson also had stints in clubs such as Bayer Leverkusen, Cruzeiro, Portuguesa, and Duque de Caxias, where he retired in 2012. In mid-2007, Athirson returned to Brazil to play for Botafogo. In 2008, he started playing for the Brazilian Serie B Championship by Brasiliense (Brazil), but in the middle of the tournament, he moved to Portuguesa (Brazil), where he became captain and was one of the highlights of the cast. In 2009, the left-back played for Cruzeiro, for the second time in his career, but the following year was re-signed by Portuguesa. In 2012, Athirson ended his career as a player in Duque de Caxias (Brazil).
As an international, Athirson was a member of the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil-side that finished runners-up to Mexico. In that competition Brazil defeated the United States and Germany at the Group Stage with Athirson featuring for The Seleção as a left-sided player throughout the tournament. He also featured with the Under-23 side that competed the next summer in the Sydney Olympic Games.
“We are very excited that Athirson has joined our coaching staff as the head coach,” said Boca Raton FC president Douglas Heizer. “Athirson will bring a new level of professionalism to the players and will be able to assist players in their ultimate goals in the soccer world, as someone who has already been there.”
Athirson has also been a head coach in Brazil, managing clubs like São Cristóvão, Flamengo-PI, and Tocantins over the course of the past three seasons.
Boca Raton FC begins its NPSL home campaign against Kraze United on May 12 at the Shipyard. Tickets are available here.
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