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![\"MIKE](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/4299331_web1_260610-World-Cup-0001.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMIKE DEAL \/ FREE PRESS
\nAiden Karacsony (left) will carry out the match ball for a round of 32 game in Vancouver on July 2, while Cristiano Morais will kickstart the Ghana-Panama group stage match in Toronto on June 17.<\/p>\n
The 13-year-olds were among 13 young Canadians chosen for the opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cExciting. Nerve-wracking. But I think it\u2019ll be good, even though I spend almost every day thinking about the opportunity. Hopefully, I don\u2019t trip during that time,\u201d said Karacscony, who has drawn an assignment in the round-of-32 on July 2 in Vancouver.<\/p>\n
Morais will get the first crack at it, carrying out the ball ahead of Ghana and Panama\u2019s group stage match on June 17 in Toronto.<\/p>\n
The World Cup kicks off today in Canada, the United States and Mexico. The Canadians will play their first group stage match on Friday against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to go to a World Cup, and it\u2019s always been a dream of mine,\u201d Morais said. \u201cI didn\u2019t even think about carrying the ball out, but now I get to, so it\u2019ll be a great experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reaching this point certainly wasn\u2019t easy. While six carriers were selected through the Inspiring Stories program \u2014 a short video, sharing a child\u2019s personal story and love for soccer \u2014 Karacsony and Morais outlasted 750 applicants through a series of futsal tryouts held across the country.<\/p>\n
Futsal is played on a smaller, indoor surface than soccer and features five players per side. It\u2019s a faster-paced game that demands precision and quick decision-making.<\/p>\n
First was a trip to Edmonton in October for a two-day affair that saw 150 players, including five from Winnipeg, attempt to impress in scrimmages. They advanced to the top 25 camp held in Toronto in January, which was more detailed with drills that tested their technical and tactical skills.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, I just play. I know there was a lot at stake and all that, but I just felt like I needed to play to the best of my abilities and not worry,\u201d said Morais. \u201cI was pretty nervous, but I just felt like when you\u2019re nervous, you\u2019re scared to make mistakes, and you can\u2019t be scared to make mistakes at the highest level.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not only was there an opportunity to play an integral role in the World Cup, but the seven players chosen would also represent Canada at the Match Ball Carrier Cup, a high-performance tournament in Los Angeles that featured the top 10\u201313-year-old futsal players from nine countries.<\/p>\n
Canada did not make it out of the group stage but defeated the United States and drew against Spain. The Canadians were also grouped with Brazil and South Korea.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was really good competition there,\u201d Karacscony said. \u201cIt was nice playing against other kids from different countries. It was a unique experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
The irony was that Morais and Karacsony had almost exclusively known each other as rivals before they arrived in Edmonton. For the last two years, they have been on opposing sides of perhaps the most heated duel in Winnipeg youth soccer between AK Soccer Academy and 1V1 Futbol Dreams Academy.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like Real Madrid and Barcelona. It\u2019s like those two teams every time we match up against each other \u2014 way more physical and a harder game in general,\u201d said Morais, who plays for AK Soccer Academy.<\/p>\n
While the rivalry runs hot on the pitch, both say they put it on hold for a few days to support one another during the tryouts, and that strengthened their relationship in the process.<\/p>\n
\n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s actually good to have someone with you, because you\u2019re not alone in this, you have another teammate, friend that\u2019s helping you through,\u201d said Karacsony. \u201cAll these interviews, got him and you, and it\u2019s kind of a cool experience, because two from Winnipeg made it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re like brothers now,\u201d added Morais. \u201cBecause of interviews, we see each other almost every day. We talk about soccer, we talk about teams, and we just have this unbreakable relationship between us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both are viewed as strong up-and-comers in Winnipeg\u2019s footy pipeline and clearly have a knack for futsal, as well.<\/p>\n
Morais has completed internship camps in England (Everton F.C.) and the Netherlands (FC Twente), while Karacsony has continued to play as high as the 15-and-under level locally.<\/p>\n
winnipegfreepress.com\/joshuafreysam<\/p>\n
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Joshua Frey-Sam Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Josh produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.<\/p>\n \t\t
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