spent a brief period with Santos, joining alongside Valeria and playing under future national team coach Kleiton Lima. She was restricted to local friendly appearances as the São Paulo state and national competitions had collapsed. Also in 2002, Formiga was part of Santa Cruz's Minas Gerais state championship-winning team. Sweden Immediately after playing at the 2004 Athens Olympics, Formiga joined the Swedish Damallsvenskan as a member of Malmö FF Dam. She had been playing indoor football for the previous two years. Formiga made a favourable impression in her first two months with the club, who were pleased when she agreed to extend her contract in December 2004. Private sponsors agreed to cover her substantial 75,000kr salary for the first half of the 2005 season. She helped Malmö finish second in 2005, but the club could not afford to extend her contract again, describing her as "an expensive solution". Brazil At the inaugural 2007 edition of the Copa do Brasil de Futebol Feminino, Formiga helped Saad (playing under the banner of Mato Grosso do Sul) beat Botucatu on penalties after a 1–1 draw in the final at Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha in Brasília. She left the field in an ambulance before the shootout having fallen ill, but later returned to join in the celebrations. In 2008, she played for Botucatu and scored in the second leg of their Campeonato Paulista final victory over Saad. Formiga enjoyed playing for Botucatu and rejoined the team for their 2009 Copa do Brasil de Futebol Feminino campaign. She missed a late penalty kick in the 3–0 final defeat by Santos. United States With the New Jersey Wildcats in the 2006 USL W-League season, Formiga was deployed as a forward, scoring 13 goals in 12 games. She returned to the USL W-League in 2007 with Jersey Sky Blue, where she was less prolific in front of goal: scoring once in six appearances but serving five assists. Formiga was the first overall pick for the newly inaugurated Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league in the United States in the 2008 WPS International Draft, selected by FC Gold Pride of Santa Clara, California. She joined a Brazilian enclave at the club, alongside teammates Érika and Adriane, as well as assistant coach Sissi (who made a playing comeback in the second half of the season). Formiga started 15 of her 16 games for Gold Pride, who finished seventh of seven