The Union just got better.
On Wednesday, the club signed potent 30-year-old midfielder Ilsinho to a two-year deal using targeted allocation money. He will take up an international roster spot vacated by Vincent Nogueira, who received his green card earlier in the day.
"We're extremely excited to land a player of Ilsinho's caliber and that he chose Philadelphia over other options," Union sporting director Earnie Stewart said. "For a player with experience at the highest level in this sport, he came into our preseason camp with a tremendous work rate and that speaks to the type of person he is and who we want at our club."
It's unknown what the Union expected when they brought the Brazilian national on trial this offseason. But what they received was an impact player they couldn't pass up.
Despite a busy midfield that features Chris Pontius, Sebastien Le Toux, Roland Alberg and Tranquillo Barnetta, Ilsinho, an attacking right winger by trade, made an instant impact on the Union's preseason and fit in immediately with his teammates both on and off the field.
"His elite-level attacking ability speaks for itself," Stewart said. "We're confident he'll have an immediate impact."
Ilsinho joins the Union after three seasons with Shakhtar Donetsk of the Ukrainian Premier League. Over six total seasons with that club, he scored 22 goals to go with 19 assists in 176 games and won the league title five times. He also made 19 appearances in UEFA Champions League and won the UEFA Cup in 2009.
