Marcelo Mendes (beach soccer)

Marcelo Mendes
Personal information
Full name Marcelo Silveira Mendes
Date of birth (1970-01-23) 23 January 1970
Place of birth Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Managerial career
Years Team
1998 Universidade Gama Filho (women's football)
1998–1999 Flamengo (women's)
1999–2000 Portugal
2000 Fluminense (beach soccer)
2000 São Paulo (beach soccer)
2001 Rio de Janeiro (beach soccer)
2001 Vasco da Gama (beach soccer)
2001 United States
2002 Trinidad and Tobago
2002–2005 São Paulo (beach soccer)
2003 Portugal
2003–2004 Bonsucesso (U-20/U-15)
2005 Madureira
2005 Thailand
2005–2006 Uruguay
2006 South Africa
2007–2013 United Arab Emirates
2011–2012 Seattle Sounders (beach soccer)
2013 Al Ahli (beach soccer)
2014–2017 Japan
2018 Kuwait
2018 FC City (technical consultant)
2018–2019 Thailand
2020–2021 Sampaio Corrêa (beach soccer)
2020–2022 Uruguay
2021 FC Ryukyu BS
2022–2025 China
2023 Portugal (assistant)
2024 Corinthians (beach soccer)
2025– United States
Medal record
Men's Beach Soccer
Representing  United Arab Emirates
AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup
Gold medal – first place2007 DubaiManager
Gold medal – first place2008 DubaiManager
Representing  Japan
Asian Beach Games
Silver medal – second place2014 PhuketManager

Marcelo Silveira Mendes (born 23 January 1970) is a Brazilian beach soccer coach. He is the head coach of the United States Men's National Beach Soccer Team.[1]

Mendes is one of the most travelled coaches in beach soccer history, having managed senior national teams in Europe (Portugal), Asia (UAE, Japan, Kuwait, Thailand, and China), South America (Uruguay), North America (United States), the Caribbean (Trinidad and Tobago), and Africa (South Africa).[2][3][4]

Beyond his extensive national team resume, he has commanded top-tier beach soccer clubs globally, including Fluminense, São Paulo, Vasco da Gama, Sampaio Corrêa, and Corinthians in Brazil; Catania in Italy; FC City in Russia; Al Ahli in the United Arab Emirates; and the Seattle Sounders and FC Ryukyu BS in the United States and Japan respectively.[5][6][7]

Early life and education

Marcelo Silveira Mendes was born on 23 January 1970 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.[8]

Growing up in Rio de Janeiro, he did not follow the traditional path of playing for youth grassroots clubs or professional football academies.[8] Instead, he pursued the sport from an academic and scientific perspective, enrolling at the Universidade Gama Filho in Rio de Janeiro to study physical education, sports science, and tactical coaching theory.[8] He graduated with his degree in sports training and he transitioned directly into professional sports management as a tactician.[8]

Coaching career

Unlike many of his peers in the sport, Mendes never played beach soccer competitively, having studied physical education and tactical management instead.[9]

He began his coaching career at his alma mater in standard grass-field women's football with Universidade Gama Filho (1998) and Flamengo (1998–1999) before transitioning permanently to the sand circuit as a tactician and physical instructor. He took charge of the Portugal national team in 1999–2000 and returned briefly in 2003.[10]

In 2000, Mendes led Fluminense to the Rio de Janeiro State Championship title. He also coached São Paulo (2000, 2002–2005), the Rio de Janeiro state select team (Seleção Carioca) (2001), and Vasco da Gama (2001), while serving as head coach for the United States (2001) and Trinidad and Tobago (2002).[10]

Mendes worked in youth development with Bonsucesso U-20 and U-15 teams (2003–2004) and coached Madureira (2005) serving as a tactical/fitness coach for their professional 11v11 grass-field football team.[10] He guided Thailand (2005) guiding them through the inaugural 2005 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup before moving on to manage Uruguay (2005–2006) and South Africa (2006).[11][10]

Mendes was appointed head coach of the United Arab Emirates in 2007. Under his leadership, the UAE won the AFC Beach Soccer Championship in 2007 and 2008, and qualified for four consecutive FIFA Beach Soccer World Cups (2007, 2008, 2009, 2013).[12] He coached the Seattle Sounders beach soccer team (2011–2012) through the Mundialito de Clubes (the Club World Cup of Beach Soccer) which included USA national team players.[13][10] He also coached the Emirati club side Al Ahli in the same tournament in 2013.[14]

He led Japan from 2014 to 2017, reaching the quarter-finals of the 2015 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup and finishing second at the 2014 Asian Beach Games.[15][16] Following his departure from Japan, Mendes oversaw a developmental training camp program with the Kuwait national team in early 2018 and joined FC City in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to act as a technical consultant during the Russian beach soccer championship.[14]

Mendes subsequently coached Thailand (2018–2019) at the 2019 AFC Beach Soccer Championship. He returned to South America to work with Brazilian club Sampaio Corrêa from 2020 to 2021 and managed Uruguay (2020–2022).[10] In 2021, he also took charge of Japanese club FC Ryukyu BS.

He went to Europe to coach Catania Beach Soccer in Italy for the 2022 season, leading them to a Supercoppa Italiana victory.[17] He served as an assistant for Portugal (2023) and coached China (2022–2025) leading them through the 2023 AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup, where the team exited during the group stage.[18][19] Mendes also managed Corinthians beach soccer team (2024), winning the Campeonato Paulista de Beach Soccer.[20]

In December 2025, U.S. Soccer appointed Mendes as the head coach of the United States, succeeding Ian Carry. Mendes Is the first full-time head coach in the 20-year history of the team.[21]

Mendes managed his first official matches Copa das Nações de Beach Soccer tournament at the 2026 Paraiba World Beach Games in João Pessoa, Brazil, in March 2026 the team lost 8–6 to Brazil and 3–1 to Japan losing in the group stage.[22] The following month, he secured his first victory as U.S. manager during the 2026 Acapulco Beach Soccer Cup, leading the United States to a 6–5 comeback win against regional rivals Mexico en route to a third-place tournament finish.[23]

Mendes managed the U.S. in the teams first home game in a decade against Trinidad and Tobago on June 21, 2026, in Venice Beach, California, which resulted in a 5–3 defeat.[24]

Coaching Philosophy

During his seven-year tenure in the UAE, he heavily altered his physical training methodologies to accommodate local customs, restructuring his training sessions around daily prayer times and modifying regimens during Ramadan to account for player fasting.[25] He has described his pre-match dressing room philosophy as one focused on calm and confidence rather than high intensity, frequently encouraging players to pray according to their respective faiths before taking the field.[25]

Personal life

Mendes is fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, and English.[26]

Mendes has two daughters.[26]

Honors

Fluminens
  • Rio de Janeiro State Championship (beach soccer): 2000[5]

United Arab Emirates

Catania
  • Supercoppa Italiana: 2022

Corinthians

  • Campeonato Paulista de Beach Soccer: 2024

Japan

  • Asian Beach Games: 2014 (silver)[27]

References

  1. ↑ "Marcelo Mendes Named Head Coach Of U.S. Men's Beach Soccer National Team". ussoccer.com. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
  2. ↑ "Japan Beach Football Team names Marcelo Mendes as new coach". 公益法人日本サッカー協会 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-12-10.
  3. ↑ Gomes, Alaric (2018-09-15). "Meet Marcelo Mendes, UAE Beach Soccer Coach". Gulf News. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
  4. ↑ "UAE coach Marcelo Mendes talks all things Beach Soccer". amp.sport360.com. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
  5. 1 2 Menolascina, Omar. "Il brasiliano Marcelo Mendes nuovo allenatore del Catania Beach Soccer". CataniaToday (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-12-10.
  6. ↑ "SA beach soccer team disappoints". IOL. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
  7. ↑ FC, Seattle Sounders. "Sounders FC to Participate in Inaugural Beach Soccer Club World Cup | Seattle Sounders". Seattle Sounders FC. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Marcelo Mendes to end coaching Japan Beach Soccer National Team". Japan Football Association. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
  9. ↑ Reporter, By Alaric Gomes, Senior (2018-09-15). "Meet Marcelo Mendes, UAE Beach Soccer Coach". Gulf News: Latest UAE news, Dubai news, Business, travel news, Dubai Gold rate, prayer time, cinema. Retrieved 2026-06-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Japan Beach Football Team names Marcelo Mendes as new coach". 公益法人日本サッカー協会 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  11. ↑ "FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2006". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
  12. ↑ Samiuddin, Osman. "UAE's journey from grass-root level to Beach Soccer World Cup". The National. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
  13. ↑ "Marcelo Mendes to end coaching Japan Beach Soccer National Team". JFA｜公益財団法人日本サッカー協会 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2026-02-04.
  14. 1 2 "Marcelo Mendes joins FC City". beachsoccer.com. May 15, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Marcelo Mendes, new Japan national coach!". BeachSoccerWorldWide. 2014.
  16. ↑ "Japan in Beach Soccer World Cup quarters with 4-3 win over Senegal". the-AFC. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
  17. ↑ "Catania win 6th Supercoppa in Italy". beachsoccer.com. June 3, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
  18. ↑ "China makes comeback win over Lebanon at AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup - People's Daily Online". en.people.cn. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
  19. ↑ "China ready to kick off AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup campaign in Thailand". english.news.cn. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
  20. ↑ "Corinthians é pentacampeão paulista de Beach Soccer". Sport Club Corinthians Paulista (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-12-10.
  21. ↑ "Marcelo Mendes Named Head Coach Of U.S. Men's Beach Soccer National Team". ussoccer.com. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  22. ↑ U.S. Soccer Communications (March 11, 2026). "Marcelo Mendes Calls 12-Player U.S. Men's Beach Soccer National Team Roster for 2026 Paraiba World Beach Games in João Pessoa, Brazil". ussoccer.com. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
  23. ↑ U.S. Soccer Communications (April 17, 2026). "Beach MNT Earns First Win Under Marcelo Mendes In Third Place Effort At Acapulco Beach Soccer Cup". ussoccer.com. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
  24. ↑ "U.S. Men's Beach Soccer National Team Falls to Trinidad And Tobago 5-3 in Venice Beach". ussoccer.com. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  25. 1 2 Marcelo Mendes (9 December 2013). An insight into the UAE, by Marcelo Mendes (Video). Beach Soccer TV. Retrieved 26 June 2026.
  26. 1 2 "Marcelo Mendes looking for new challenges". Beach Soccer Worldwide. 2017-06-22. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  27. ↑ "Corinthians é pentacampeão paulista de Beach Soccer". Sport Club Corinthians Paulista (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-12-10.
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