By Ryan Makuch
AFC Ann Arbor is pleased to confirm the signing of Marcella Helena ahead of the 2022 USL W League season. Helena has starred on the collegiate level in the U.S. and on the youth international level in her home country Brazil at the U20 level. Helena becomes the third-Brazilian born player to represent AFCAA this season, joining Luana Grabias and Stefane Rosa.
Helena has most recently finished her freshman season at Central Methodist University in Fayette, Missouri. Central Methodist would finish the season as the third-ranked team in the nation, and make it to the NAIA National Semi-Finals, en route to a 22-2 final record on the season.
Helena played a vital role in her side’s successes putting up video game-esque numbers for the Eagles, scoring 16 goals, and logging 11 assists over the season. Helena logged her first career hat trick in the NAIA National Tournament’s First Round, where she put three goals in and bagged an assist in the 8-0 victory over Bellevue. On four other occasions, Helena scored two goals, and in all but one of those games, she would also notch at least one assist.
With 22 starts in 24 appearances and her excellent statistical numbers, Helena also secured herself Third-Team NAIA All-American honors. She was able to pair her national accolades with a Freshman of the Year and First Team All-Conference selection from the Heart of America Conference.
To put a capper on an excellent freshman season, Helena was also called up to the U20 Brazilian youth national team in November 2021. Her Brazilian exploits have also led her to glory, and her appearance on the radar of the Brazilian national team almost surely came from her strong performances in the summer of 2021 with the U18s of Atletico Minero.
Helena appeared in seven matches for the club this past summer, scoring three goals in her final four games. Her success at the Brazilian level and her excellent freshman season with Central Methodist hope to show signs of future success in Ann Arbor for the 20-year-old midfielder.
For Helena, this is also a moment of excitement, as this is the Brazilian’s first summer season here in the United States. Helena would say about her desires for the season, “It's my first summer team, and I'm looking forward to gaining more information and experiences, as well as meeting new people from all cultures who will help me improve on and off the field, in addition to playing and preparing for the next season.”
The Brazilian midfielder described herself as a box-to-box midfielder who excels in her dribbling and her long-range shooting efforts.
The club as a whole interested Helena, as well, who did her own research on the club. “They have an active social network, always showing the club's news and events, I found the club very interesting.” Helena would continue, saying, “In addition to seeming to be putting together a strong squad for the league, I heard friends praise the coach's work.”
That coach, Boyzzz Khumalo, spoke very highly of Helena, who he looks forward to welcoming to Ann Arbor. We spoke with Khumalo about the NAIA level, which several players from the 2022 women’s roster are joining from, and a level in which Khumalo has experience both playing and coaching. “The NAIA is a good level. I remember when I went to Lindsey Wilson, we were able to match up with the D1 schools. There’s a lot of top, top, quality players who have in the NAIA.”
Khumalo finished up his chat with an important point, “The AFCAA women’s team is the people’s team. It’s good players, good people, and that’s what we’re trying to push.” The expectation is that Marcella Helena will be a boost to the club both on and off the field, and we look forward to welcoming Marcella to Ann Arbor for the summer season of 2022.
About AFC Ann Arbor
Association Football Club Ann Arbor (AFC Ann Arbor) was founded in 2014 and competes in USL2 (men’s) and USLW (women’s) national amateur leagues. We are a community-based club, focused on equity, justice, and anti-racism. We consider all of our stakeholders, including supporters, players, staff, and ownership to be part of the #AFCAAFamily. Come On You Mighty Oak!