The North Carolina men’s soccer team enjoyed a global excursion in late May, as the Tar Heels prepare for the 2013 season.

Via eSoccer travels, the Tar Heels lined up four games in Brazil over the course of eight days. UNC finished with a 1-2-1 record from the event, but the collegiate group held its own against its Brazilian counterparts.

“The games were played at a very high level,” UNC defender Boyd Okwuonu told TopDrawerSoccer.com. “It was a different style [than you see in Europe]. It is more short, quick passes. It was a good experience for us.”

Okwuonu said that the game against Fluminense U20 was the most difficult.

“We were playing against our own age group. It was really challenging.”

North Carolina took the lead early thanks to a goal from freshman Alex Olofson, but Fluminense’s Robert scored twice to nab the victory in a lively affair.

“It was a really close game,” Okwuonu added. “We need to learn to close out the game.”

The Fluminense game was the second of the trip and the second loss for the Tar Heels after dropping the opener 3-0 to Nova Iguacu. UNC bounced back with a 0-0 draw against Audax and a 2-1 win over 2SV Sports All-Star team.

Outside of the results, the U20 Men’s National Team defender talked about the experience of seeing a professional game in person in Brazil.

“It would be a dream come true to play in front of those fans,” he said. “The environment was exceptional. The crowd was just crazy.”

The fans also took a liking to the Tar Heels squad, as forward Andy Craven picked up the nickname ‘Lalas’ from the locals for his goateed appearance. Okwuonu said the name hasn’t caught on with the team though.

“We still call him Andy,” he said with a laugh.

The FC Dallas Homegrown prospect is spending the summer in Chapel Hill as he prepares for his junior season, which he says will be Carolina’s year.

“It brought us close together like a family,” Okwuonu said about what the Tar Heels took away from the trip. “It also showed us some things that we need to work on before the season starts.”

FC Barcelona renews American’s contract

U.S. U14 Boys National Team midfielder Ben Lederman was informed recently that his contract with FC Barcelona would be renewed for the 2013 season. Lederman joined the world’s most famous academy in June 2011.

After two years with the Spanish giants, Lederman received the good news that he will kept on the books with FC Barcelona for at least another year.

Lederman recently featured with the U14 BNT on the trip to Croatia. Born in 2000, the 13-year-old from Calabasas, California is playing up a year at the youth international level.

Real Salt Lake prospect to play with Liverpool

AZcentral.com reported on Monday that Real Salt Lake-Arizona winger Brooks Lennon will be playing with Liverpool at Milk Cup in July. Lennon trained with Liverpool and Aston Villa earlier this year. The Reds invited the U.S. U17 Men’s National Team player back for the prestigious Northern Ireland tournament.

Lennon starred for the U17 MNT last month during the Caspian Cup where he won the Golden Boot after scoring seven goals in four games. He was also invited on the upcoming trip to Japan, which starts on July 10.

USG hosts scouts from Manchester United, Sevilla, SC Braga

United Sport Group is hosting a North America Showcase on June 15-16 in New York where scouts from Manchester United, Sevilla, Malaga, Estudiantes Tecos, and SC Braga will be on hand to evaluate players from the United States.

USG has helped a pair of youth national team players gain opportunities in Spain already, and continue to play a role offering opportunities to other talented players as well.

For more information about the combine, visit USG’s site.