And we’ve got a few things going for us over last year’s disaster, when we fell to Sport on away goals…

 • We have Ronaldo.
 • We’ve got a mature, balanced team with a core that has been playing together for a year and a half.
 • We didn’t concede a fatal away goal in the first leg. We won 2-0, so a single goal for us tonight would obligate Inter to score four.
 • Did I mention we have RONALDO?

(Ronaldo)

Ronaldo Fenômeno won the Copa do Brasil with Cruzeiro in 1993 (1993!), but he didn’t score in the final. That’s already taken care of this time around, as he chanelled his teenage self in the first leg and scored a wonderful, speedy goal.

GloboEsporte was kind enough to do a thorough rundown of the teams. Their conclusion, more or less: Corinthians has a stronger defense, Inter’s got a better attack. Well, yes. But the real question is: can their attack score three against our defense? Nilmar made our B-team defense look like chumps in May, and Inter’s also got Taison, the tournament’s top scorer with seven goals, plus D’Alessandro.

Still… they need three. And our starting center-backs, William and Chicão, haven’t lost a game together in a year. Most pundits give us the nod as favorites.

Inter’s VP of football, Fernando Carvalho, is certainly acting scared: he held a very, very silly press conference on Monday where he showed a DVD of bad calls that have favored Corinthians, starting with the infamous not-given penalty on Tinga in 2005. Hmm. Since that bad call happened — and it was a bad call — I seem to recall Corinthians getting relegated. If the referees like us so much, they have a funny way of showing it.

Whatevs. It was a bizarre thing to do, a clear ploy to intimidate the ref tonight, but as Juca Kfouri put it, thank god the game is played by the players and not the directors. I just hope the drama doesn’t spill over into violence, since the first leg against Inter was free of the shocking (and fatal) violence that followed our semi-final win over Vasco.

If we win this, it will be Corinthians’ third Copa do Brasil title. It will be a major national trophy just six months after emerging from the second division. It will be sweet, sweet revenge for that @%$#%&ing goal Nilmar scored on us. But most importantly, it will give us a guaranteed ticket to the Copa Libertadores in our centenary year.

I’m pumped.

VAI CORINTHIANS!!!!!

If you’re in New York, come to Nevada Smith’s at 8:50 and watch it with me and the Corinthians crowd. Even if you’re not Brazilian. I mean, what other football is there to watch this summer? Europa League qualifiers? (No disrespect to fans of Dinamo Tirana and Zimbru Chişinău.)

So… we’re back!

Next opponent: Santo André, today, at 4pm Brasília time, 3pm EST. I don’t think anyone’s showing it live in the US, but GolTV is showing it on time-delay at 6pm EST.

Ronaldo will not be playing, for all you fenômeno-chasers out there. Mano Menezes decided to keep him rested for the clássico against Santos next Sunday, which is probably a wise decision. So it looks like we’ll have Jorge Henrique and Dentinho up front, which should be more than enough to finish the job.

The other major attraction of a game against Santo André, of course, is the presence of Marcelinho Carioca, one of the great idols of Corinthians history. Here is a guy so associated with Corinthians that he jumped into the arms of our fans after playing against us. That said, he’s not afraid to score on us, so he’s definitely the main threat to shut down.

I’m not too worried. My prediction? 2-1 Timão, unless Douglas suddenly wakes up and plays like he did last season, in which case 3-1. I’m heading down the pub — see you after the game.

Corinthians’ star signing for 2009 is Ronaldo. Yes, that Ronaldo. “I’ll just go with a muumuu” Ronaldo.

Right… so… my thoughts?

First, the blindingly obvious: this has marketing written all over it. There were other, more down-to-earth names being tossed around as our new number 9 — like Kléber Pereira from Santos, or Brandão from Shakhtar Donetsk. Those would be solid, prudent signings, but this is the kind of risky, gloriously mad deal that a cash-strapped club makes to sell a crapton of shirts. And — oh, look! They’re already on sale at the club store. Just R$169,90 (US$68.67).

But I don’t want to be hard on the guy. Ronaldo Fenômeno is an easy target these days, with his weight gain and (ahem) colorful personal life. But we all know what he’s capable of on the pitch — or at least what he’s been capable of — and it says a lot that he’s still trying to play. As Corinthians’ vice-president of marketing said to journalist Juca Kfouri:

He wants [to play in] the 2010 World Cup. If he just wanted money he’d go to Manchester City or to the Arab world, where the offers are stratospheric. If he just wanted to enjoy life, he’d stay at Flamengo, with the marvels of Rio. But he’s willing to let go of money and show that he wants to come back for real. [...] And if he returns to playing 30% of what he’s played in the past, he’ll be the best in the country in his position once again.

I know all the counterarguments. Willpower can only get you so far after three career-ending injuries. He’s got a lot of work to do before he’s even close to fit, never mind the state of his knees. Milan took a chance on him last year, and they got burned. This could be a big, fiery, disastrous Hindenburg of hype. A few months from now, the Corinthians management might feel like they just took home a bunch of hookers in a drunken haze only to find out they’re really du– like they just made an expensive mistake.

But screw it, if we’re the ones taking the plunge, let’s hope it works out. Ronaldo is a legend, and the Brazilian league rewards positioning and opportunism over youth and pace. There’s a reason that Romário was the league’s top scorer at age 39. If o Fenômeno is serious about coming back — if he takes it seriously that he’s playing for a team like Corinthians, and his body can keep up with his desire to play — he’ll be he best striker in the league by a country mile. I wish him all the best.

And what else would turn the world’s attention towards Corinthians v. Barueri on January 21? That’s his first official game for Corinthians, folks. If you’re in New York, I’ll see you at Nevada Smith’s. Otherwise, you can catch the game on Justin.tv in my write-up here on the Offside.

Parabéns! — Sport Club Corinthians Paulista turned 98 years old on Monday. Brazil’s first and greatest “people’s team” was founded on September 1, 1910, by a group of workers waiting to take the trolley home in the Bom Retiro neighborhood of São Paulo.

Corinthians had a very happy birthday this year — two days before, we beat Gama 4-0 at home. This also marked our 1,500th game in Pacaembu Stadium, and our 100th goal of the year.

Update: Festa do povo! Don’t miss the video of Corinthians’ historic 1977 state title, which Bruno posted as part of his brilliant Canal 100 series.

Democracia — In the early ’80s, Corinthians was the most democratic team in the world. The team’s entire staff could vote on every major decision, and the players openly opposed Brazil’s military dictatorship, even wearing slogans on their shirts during games. This legacy makes the last four years especially shameful, as Corinthians accepted a truckload of cash from the Russian mafia and suddenly became the Enron of South American football.

So I’m thrilled to hear that Corinthians members passed a statute on Saturday that fights against corruption and cronyism. Some of the new rules are:

* The team’s president will now be elected directly by the sócios (members).
* The president cannot run for reelection after serving more than a half term.
* The Deliberative Council will have 100 lifetime members instead of 200.
* Lifetime councilors will be elected by the Council, not appointed by the president.
* You cannot serve on the Council or the team management if you have professional or financial ties to the club.

…among many other measures. For those who read Portuguese, Débora Miranda kindly laid out the old and new rules in a table, and you can read the whole statute here (PDF).

Cristiane — And finally, Corinthians made a stunning move by signing Cristiane to our women’s team. Along with Marta and Formiga, Cristiane is one of the stars who have brought unheard-of fame to women’s football in Brazil. Like Marta, she is a lifelong Corinthians fan, and now she’s shown girls that they too can dream of playing for their favorite team.

Her contract only lasts through November, when the São Paulo women’s state league ends, and the club had to get a third party to pay her wages. But as a show of support for women’s football, it’s a big step forward — hopefully the first of many.

Cristiane scored in her debut, a 3-1 win over São José, and then she brought her Olympic silver medal to Pacaembu to watch the men’s team. I can’t really follow the SP women’s state league too closely here in the USA, but it looks like it’s us and Santos fighting for the title. I’ll keep you posted.

Tomorrow — We take our Champale football on the road and see if Douglas, Elias, Morais, & Co. can run circles around Fortaleza in the Castelão. I’m not too scared of Fortaleza, but they did win their last home game 5-1, so I’m sure Mano will keep the boys on their toes.

Dentinho and Fabinho are out injured and Herrera’s suspended, so the lineup will probably be: Felipe; Alessandro, Chicão, William, André Santos; Carlos Alberto, Elias, Douglas, Lulinha; Bebeto, Morais. Should be good — catch you back here tomorrow.