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Official: Union Sign Braziian Midfielder Gilberto

The 24-year-old last played for Campeonato Paulista level club Clube Atlético Sorocaba.

Paul Frederiksen-USA TODAY Sports

Another import from the land of samba has the Philadelphia Union nearly a quarter Brazilian.

Gilberto dos Santos Souza Junior, known simply as Gilberto, has officially signed with the Union, per the team's official website, adding to the team's Brazilian squad community of Kleberson, Leo Fernandes and Fabinho. The 24-year-old will be available once his P-1 International Transfer Certificate is received by Philadelphia.

As usual, the terms of the deal were not released, based on team and league policies.

"When the opportunity was presented to bring in Gilberto, we felt that it was a move with a lot of upside," Union head coach John Hackworth said in the team's press release. "He's a young guy with a lot of potential and we are excited to add him to our roster."

Gilberto last played for Campeonato Paulista (the highest league in Sao Paulo) level club Clube Atlético Sorocaba, which is located in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo. He started 16 times, 1292 minutes, for Sorocaba in 2013, scoring once and receiving five yellow cards, according to soccer stats site Soccerway.

The midfielder's only time in the top league of Brazil was a year long stint with Atletico Miniero, which currently sports former World Player of the Year Ronaldinho, which only saw him appear six times for the Minas Gerais club. Gilberto started his career with Mogi Mirim, in 2007, and has also played for Oeste, Marcílio Dias and Clube de Regatas Brasil.

Injuries to Kleberson, Michael Lahoud and the inexperience of rookie midfielder Fernandes may have led the Union to push themselves to find a new face in the midfield, along with the up-and-down season captain Brian Carroll has had.