Outside Brazil, Teams Try for a Piece of the Rio Thing

There are hidden Brazilians here in France. Not among the players or fans, but on the other teams.

Take coaches, for example. Jamaica has a Brazilian, Rene Simoes, in charge. So does Saudi Arabia, with 1994 World Cup winner Carlos Alberto Parreira. Paraguay, too, has a Brazilian mentor in Paulo Cesar Carpeggiani.

But other Brazilians are hidden even deeper.

If you had looked closely at Japan’s team on Sunday, you would have noticed Wagner Lopes come on as a substitute against Argentina. Lopes took out Japanese nationality last September.

And on Monday, Tunisia unveiled a Brazilian of its own, defender Jose Clayton, from the port of Recife in northeastern Brazil.

Clayton, whose childhood hero was Zico, now Brazil’s assistant coach, moved to Tunisia in 1995. His citizenship was rushed through in April so that he could make the World Cup team.

Why Tunisia?

“My agent told me, ‘It’s like Brazil: the beach and the sun,’ ” Clayton said.

California and Florida have beaches and sun, don’t they? Is Coach Steve Sampson missing the boat here? Why aren’t there hidden Brazilians on the U.S. team? When can the Galaxy’s Welton get his U.S. citizenship?