ARLINGTON, Texas – Team Brazil head coach Guilherme Marchi gazed out into the spacious arena inside AT&T Stadium and let out a deep breath, shaking his head on the back of the bucking chutes.
The 2008 World Champion tried his best to stay positive, but even Marchi struggled to comprehend just what went wrong for Team Brazil during the first day of competition.
The two-time and reigning Global Cup champions looked far from the team that was victorious at the last two international team bull riding competitions.
Team Brazil ended night one of the 2020 WinStar World Casino and Resort Global Cup USA, presented by Monster Energy, a dismal 1-for-6 and in fourth place.
“Bad day for Team Brazil,” Marchi said. “Tomorrow is another day. Hopefully we do better tomorrow. It is up to those guys. We drew some rank bulls today in the first round, and in the bonus round we thought we would do better. This is part of the sport. You just keep your head up, and tomorrow is another day.”
Jose Vitor Leme was the only Brazilian to reach the 8-second mark Saturday night at AT&T Stadium.
Leme took care of business aboard Rising Sun for 90.25 points before things began to go south throughout the rest of the night.
Brazil went into the bonus round sitting in fourth place, but the South American power still had two rematches that could have possibly gone its way. Both 2018 World Champion Kaique Pacheco and Ramon de Lima were up against bulls they had previously ridden, but even that did not work in their favor.
Mr. Majestic bucked Pacheco off in 4.2 seconds, while Lima was kicked to the curb by Lil 2 Train in 3.35 seconds.
“Maybe it was bad luck, because those guys gave everything they had,” Marchi said. “They were focused. They were ready. I thought we were going to be better. They are ranker bulls, but it did not turn out good for us today. Tomorrow will be better.
“It depends on what we draw tomorrow, but tomorrow we will come back stronger than what we did today.”
Brazil has never finished worse than second in the previous three Global Cups.
Leme was unavailable for Brazil in the bonus round Saturday night because of Marchi’s decision to deploy him twice in the long round. However, Sugar Boom Boom bucked him off in 6.04 seconds.
The No. 2-ranked bull rider in the world – said that Brazil must remain focused and confident despite the poor showing.
Brazil is still only three rides (256.5) behind the Eagles heading into Championship Sunday. Fans can watch the conclusion of the 2020 Global Cup USA on CBS Sports Network at 8 p.m. ET and on RidePass at 2:45 p.m. ET.
However, Brazil can only get to nine qualified rides if they go a perfect 8-for-8 Sunday. They will not be able to catch the Eagles (4-for-8), Team Canada (3-for-8) or Team Australia (2-for-8) if those three countries get to the 10-ride mark.
Team Brazil is facing quite the mountain to climb if they hope to win a record-setting third Global Cup.
“Tomorrow is a new day,” Leme said. “Today we did not ride really good or 100 percent, but tomorrow is a new day. We will come back more strong, confident we can ride our bulls. We want this title too. We will come back more strong tomorrow.
“We are still strong and focused. The event is not over yet. It is a long time. A lot of rides left. It is not finished until the last round.”
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko