Pereira named MCAC men's futsal coach of the year

If there's one thing Anderson Pereira loves as much as soccer, it just might be futsal.

The Canadian Mennonite University coach showed it every game, leading the Blazers back to the MCAC final four.

Pereira is the MCAC men's futsal coach of the year.

"The men's futsal side this year was incredibly competitive and Anderson's team won when they needed to, pulling off a big upset on the final weekend of play," said CMU athletic director Cara Isaak. "I credit Anderson's excellent session planning and his dedication to helping his guys control their emotions on the court which allowed them to clinch the playoff spot. In my opinion, he has the deepest futsal knowledge in our league and his expertise is not taken for granted here."

Pereira still plays at a high level for Pioneers FC, which won the provincial title and will head to nationals in April. His knowledge leads to some dangerous set pieces that CMU has scored on in big moments this season.

"He makes everyone around him better and constantly pushes everyone from the stars on the team to the ones sitting on the bench to constantly be better and have higher standards," said CMU goalkeeper Zach Bartel. "He is open to everyone and always keeps the mood light at the right times."

The Blazers went 3-3-2 to tie for third place, losing the tiebreaker to the Université de Saint-Boniface Les Rouges.

CMU meets the top-seed Brandon University Bobcats in the semifinals at BU on Saturday.