Sandy • The offseason wish list at Real Salt Lake stretched beyond the goal-scoring forward the fan base has yearned for. RSL had to strengthen its starting lineup in order for the style and approach head coach Mike Petke wants to be more effective, more doable, so the club had to go out and find a no-nonsense player to man the midfield next to a club legend.
The 30-year-old Brazilian defensive midfielder was acquired on loan from Italian Serie A club SPAL to serve as a disrupting force for any opposing team, while allowing RSL’s dynamic, interchanging front four to go forward and just do its thing.