God on His Mind and Chest

Fred, the D.C. United midfielder, doesn’t just wear his faith on his sleeve. He wears it around his neck, in his ear and on his chest. His necklace is a fish symbol with 'Jesus' inscribed inside the fish. His earring is a cross. And the Presbyterian soccer player wears a T-shirt underneath his game jersey that reads: Jesus Loves Me.

The 28-year-old Brazilian, who grew up in Belo Horizonte, the country’s third largest city, joined D.C. United in February 2007. Previously, he had played for Melbourne Victory FC in Australia and three teams in Brazil. In the tradition of many Brazilian players, he is known simply as Fred rather than by his full name, Helbert Frederico Carreiro da Silva.

Fred’s faith has been important to him since he was a young child. When he moved to the D.C. area, the first thing he did after finding a place to live was find a church. His uncle who is a pastor in Brazil told him about a Baptist church in Wheaton, Md., that had Portuguese-speaking clergy. Fred and his wife Debora rarely miss a Sunday.

I spoke to Fred about his faith after a D.C. United practice. Christina Cruz, a communication coordinator for the team, served as an interpreter.

Have you always been pretty spiritual?
Yes, from when I was very young my mother always taught me faith.

So your mother was the one who influenced your faith?
Always

Was your faith always constant? Or was there something that happened to make you more spiritual?
My faith has always been very strong just because my mother always instilled that in me.

How do you think your faith guides you in your daily life?
When I’m playing, when I’m out on the field, I always think about my faith guiding me and [giving] protection for me and the other players, and that’s always very strong when I’m on the field every day. It gives me confidence because my faith is so strong.

Do you pray regularly? What do you pray about or for?
Yes, every day, and I read the Bible every day. I always read the Bible and I pray because I feel like it’s important. We should do it every day. [I pray] to help my family, [to be] thankful for everything we have, for having food for my family. I pray for other people in need in other countries that maybe aren’t as lucky as we are to have food every day.

Do you ever pray for anything sports related?
Last year when we played Columbus it was my birthday and I prayed for a goal and I got it. I cried because it was such a great experience for me, a beautiful experience.

On Saturday, did you pray before the match?
Yes, I prayed for a victory. [United beat Toronto FC, 3-2, snapping a four-game losing streak.]

Why was it important for you to find a Brazilian church here?
It’s a lot easier to understand rather than in English.

Your two uncles, your mother’s brothers, are both pastors. Your mother’s family must be very religious.
Yes everyone is.

Tell me about the T-shirt you wear under your jersey.
I’ve always had it, for 15 years. Every team I’ve been on, I’ve asked for a shirt that says that.

Why is having the T-shirt special for you?
It’s an important message for me to remember that God is always there for me, for my family. It’s not really a comfort. It’s just something to remember always.

Do you talk about religion in the D. C. United locker room? Do other players talk about their faith?
Yeah, we definitely talk about it. Sometimes they ask questions of me and [fellow Brazilian] Luciano Emilio. He’s also very religious. We will answer them or help them out.

In the other leagues that you played in, did the players talk about their faith?
In Brazil, we used to get together as a group and read the Bible and pray. We all read a little bit and talked and asked questions.

Do you do Bible study here?
No, it’s too difficult.

Do you have a favorite bible verse?
Psalms 23:1. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Why do you like that one?
Just because it says God is always there with you and I’m never not going to have him there. I’m never going to lack anything.

Do you ever worry that He’s not there with you?
Never, He’s always there with me, with all of us.

You seem to want to have reminders that God is there: your necklace, your earring, your T-shirt. Do you feel you’re going to forget Him? Why so many reminders?
Just because I like to wear them, but it’s always in my heart and in my thoughts.

Do you think God has a role in sports, soccer?
A little, but not much.

What do you role does He have?
Last game since I prayed for a win especially toward the end of the game when we got that game winning goal I think it helped us out a little bit.

So there are times God does have a role in sports, but in general He has other important things to worry about?
Yeah, just the protection.

You ask Him to keep you free from injury?
Me and the other team as well.

Before you go out onto the field do you ever say a prayer?
Not as a team, but individually, yes, every time.

By Kathy Orton  |  May 30, 2008; 7:38 AM ET  | Category:  Praying Fields
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