I’ve played football all my life; professionally in Brazil at Clube Atletico Mineiro, then collegiate and semi-professionally in the United States until I retired my boots in 2017 to prioritise sports performance and coaching. Players, coaches, nutritionists, physiotherapists, administrators, department heads, club owners, consultants…I’ve worked with them all. From small teams with zero resources, to league underdogs, to big clubs with all the bells and whistles. 

21 years
playing & coaching football

Wherever I go, no one is the same, everyone has their own story that's shaped how they show up. I’ve become a patient listener who can tune into what does and doesn’t get people going. I’m great at thinking on my feet and adapting to unexpected circumstances. Resilience is my middle name because, well, it's the way I’ve grown!

I’ll be honest, it took me some time to find my voice but I never doubted my ability to make a positive impact and create the change I needed. It may sound weird but I am becoming the career role model I needed when I was young, that's what I want to be for the next generation, both inspiration and action. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been blessed with loving family and friends, but we all know the path is never straight, right?


2023-Now
 Performance Consultant, Football Association of Ireland (FAI)
 Powerhouse Pioneer, The Powerhouse Project, UK
2020-Now
Technical Expert for FIFA, International
Technical Expert for UEFA, Spain, San Marino, Andorra, Malta, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Switzerland, Sweden
2022
Performance Consultant, Football Federation, Tanzania
2021-2022
Human Performance Council Expert, Under Armour International
2022-2024
Sport Scientist Lead, Lewes FC Women, UK
2022-2023
 Head of Performance, Brazilian Women’s National team, Brazil
2020-2022
Sport Scientist, Brighton & Hove Albion Women Football Club, Women's Super League, UK
2019-2020
 Performance Coach, Orlando Pride, National Women's Soccer League, USA
2018-2020
Network Sports Scientist, Youth Soccer National Teams, USA
Director of Sports Performance, Redline Athletics, Michigan, USA 
2015-2017
 Master's Degree - Exercise Physiology, Ohio, USA
Performance Coach, Bowling Green State University, Ohio, USA
2010-2014
 Bachelor’s Degree - Pre Med Applied Health Science, Ohio, USA
Footballer, National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division One, Ohio, USA
2006-2008
Professional Footballer, Atletico Mineiro, Brazil
Preselected Under-17 Women’s National team, Brazil
2003-2006
 Futsal Player, High School, Brazil

my journey
from grassroots to global impact

  • coaching the team i'd played for, bowling green state university

  • coaching a girls youth team in ohio

  • director of sports performance at redline athletics, michigan

  • sports scientist network professional for the Usa women's youth national teams

  • coaching orlando pride women's team, nwsl

  • sports scientist, brighton & hove albion women's team, wsl

  • coaching the brazilian women's national team

  • proudly coaching brazil women's national team at the 2023 world cup in australia

  • consulting with tanzania football federation

  • consulting on the pitch with lewes women's team

  • republic of ireland women's national team training, with head coach eileen gleeson

  • becoming a pioneer in the powerhouse project, supported by nike

  • consulting with fai to create a grassroots program for young female football players, republic of ireland

I was born in Brazil, in a tiny country town. I was
lucky to have had two amazing dads growing up. My birth dad was Joni Casagrande, famed for his football, most notable at playing for Botafogo SP. My parents got divorced when I was about two and then stepdad Jose came into my life, he was a goalkeeper in futsal. You see, sport is my first language!  

Bringing a gratitude attitude

I secured a student visa and full football scholarships for both my BA and MA in the United States. I am so grateful for what I got to experience and the people who helped me get here. For who I am now, the places I get to travel and my home in Brighton, England. And this is why I am so passionate about supporting those who don’t have access to the education they need in order to reach their potential and build a better world.

Aged four we moved to a big city Belo Horizonte, where I was overwhelmed and afraid of all the unknowns, but for the first time in my life, I was exposed to the possibilities of another life. It was here I realised that to live my dream of football I’d have to leave my country. In Brazil I couldn’t both study and play sport, there just wasn’t the infrastructure at that time.

  • Football is in my blood. My dad played professional football in brazil for botafogo-sp

  • playing on the boys team, age 6

  • first professional team, atlético mineiro

  • Playing in kit donated by the men's team

  • winning a full scholarship to bowling green state university, usa

  • learning the physicality of the american game

  • playing semi professionally while finishing my masters

  • hands on coaching with the brazilian national team

  • playing with my childhood hero roberto carlos in a charity match

  • on the pitch with gilberto silva, former player for atlético mineiro and brazilian national team