The Sada Cruzeiro will take on the underdog Coritiba Crocodiles in the Brazilian Football League semifinals Saturday at Couto Pereira stadium in Curitiba, Brazil.
A crowd of upwards of 10,000 is expected as American football continues to explode in popularity in Brazil.
The two-time champion Crocodiles (5-3) will strangely be the underdogs in a game against a team that is in its first season in Brazilian American football. The Cruzeiro under head coach Dan Levy have marched through the league and playoffs without a loss and have allowed no more than 20 points in seven games.
Although the Crocodiles struggled to make the playoffs, they proceeded to upset both teams that had beaten them in the regular season en route to advancing to the semifinals. They beat the number one seeded Timbo Rex 10-7 and then demolished the Santa Maria Solders 35-6.
Sada Cruzeiro first disposed of Botafogo Reptiles 36-6 and then downed the Vila Velha Tritoes 21-7.
There is a history between the clubs though through Cruzeiro head coach Levy who coached a dozen of the Crocodiles players in 2013 including his own defensive coordinator Lex Braga. And Levy’s starting defensive tackle Kawan Pivatto is a former Crocodile.
Dan Levy spoke about the the danger of playing the Crocodiles when they are on a roll like this:
“The Crocodiles are definitely a dangerous team. They have upset two favorites already in the playoffs and believe they are a team of destiny. They’ve won the national championship twice before. I coached a number of these guys in 2013. My defensive coordinator, Lex Braga, played against them his entire career as a member of the Curitiba Brown Spiders. We know what kind of players they have and what they are capable of as a team. Now it’s up to us to make sure none of that happens and that when the game ends, we’re the team that will be playing for the national title.”
Watch the game live here. Sada Cruzeiro v Coritiba Crocodiles Sat. Nov. 18 4p (7p CET, 1p EST) The feed will go live at kickoff.
In the other semifinal, the Joao Pessoa Espectros will face the Cuiaba Arsenal.