By Ryan Makuch
AFC Ann Arbor are excited to announce the joining of Luana Grabias to the 2022 iteration of The Mighty Oak’s women’s team. The Brazilian completed her sophomore season at Monroe College where she starred with one of the top junior college programs in the country in both her seasons within the program.
Grabias is coming off an excellent sophomore season, as she played a crucial role in helping her side to a #8 national seed in the NJCAA Division I National Tournament. Grabias led her team in goals, assists, total points, shots, and shots on target, ultimately ending the season with 11 goals and four assists.
As a freshman, Grabias helped the Mustangs to the NJCAA National Final, and her numbers even outshone those of this season. Grabias scored a whopping 25 goals and added nine assists over the 15 games of the season. She opened her collegiate campaign with five consecutive games of at least two goals, with a pair of hat tricks among those five. She finished the season with four games of three goals, and she’s expanded on her multi-goal game tally as a sophomore with four games of the type.
“I'm looking forward to my first summer season in America,” said Grabias. “I chose Ann Arbor because I believe in the project and the structure that the club offers to athletes. I'm looking for a place where I feel good to reproduce my best performance, and I feel that Ann Arbor is that place.”
What is very apparent in speaking with Grabias is that she grasps the sport on a high level and understands her own abilities on the pitch. Describing her game, she would say, “I consider myself a smart athlete. I like to have the ball at my feet and then make my decision.” She would then talk a bit about being unpredictable on the pitch, saying, “I also believe in the quick way I make decisions, with or without the ball, my movement without the ball ends up confusing opponents as I don't usually do something predictable and make it easy for them to catch me. I think my extreme desire to win sets me apart from other athletes.”
Grabias is a high-level athlete with experience in the Brazilian game, having capped her nation at the U20 level in 2019. Grabias notices some differences in the sport from one country to another, with teaching structure being a key reason. She would elaborate, saying, “I think the biggest difference between playing here and in Brazil is that in America it is better taught, for example, the Brazilian player plays in a light and happy way, they don’t care what people say about them, in America the player will do exactly what they told and taught him to do.”
She would continue, saying, “Of course he also has the freedom to do what he wants to do, but that ends up being the second option when he will choose, since the first option is to do exactly what the coach told him to do.” Grabias also returned to her discussion on predictability, noting that here in the U.S., the game can often be more predictable, as players in Brazil have more liberty to work their improvised magic than here. However, Grabias sees that as both good and bad, as the predictable can also be more effective given the repetition of the actions, and the structure of the gameplan in the U.S. only makes her own ability to be unpredictable on the ball more dangerous.
Boyzzz Khumalo noted that, like Ellie Ferguson, Grabias was also recommended by former AFCAA men’s player Rafa Simoes. “I think this is a good opportunity for us to add to our diverse team, to have players like [Grabias] come to AFCAA and not only showcase their talent, but it’s also a way for her to promote themselves,” Khumalo would say. “The women’s game is growing and there’s a lot of players trying to go professional, so it’s good for them to get some touches in the summer and showcase their talent. Luana is a very skillful player and I think she’ll do well in our league, and I’m looking forward to working with her.”
“My expectations are always to be champions,” said Grabias, in discussing expectations. “I believe that regardless of the team you're playing for, you always have to aim for the top, so I'm going with the expectation of being champion along with Ann Arbor.” With a championship mentality and top-tier skills, AFCAA are once again thrilled to announce the signing of Luana Grabias, and the club looks forward to welcoming her and the rest of the men’s and women’s squads to Ann Arbor this summer.
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!