SANDY, Utah (Monday, January 7, 2019) – Real Salt Lake announced today that the club has signed Brazilian MF Everton Luiz on loan from Società Polisportiva Ars et Labor (S.P.A.L.) in Italy’s Serie A for the 2019 season. He will join RSL in preseason, pending receipt of his ITC and visa.
“Over the past several years we have restructured our roster with a young core. Now is the right time to complement our young core with more experienced players in order to challenge for greater results. Everton is the type of player that we feel can assist in helping us mature beyond being a competitive team and into one that challenges for bigger and better things,” RSL General Manager Craig Waibel said. “He fits into the culture we are creating and is the type of player that our fans will enjoy watching as his on-field commitment is a standard they will surely appreciate. His playing resume speaks for itself and his addition will allow the coaching staff to explore more options in squad selection each week.”
Luiz, 30, is a hard-nosed defensive midfielder who worked his way through the ranks in Brazil with Ponte Preta, Palmeiras and CRB with several loans along the way, including with Mexico’s San Luis, before landing with FC Lugano in Switzerland in 2013. He played one season with Lugano before moving to St. Gallen, playing two more seasons in the Swiss Super League. His next stop came in Serbia, where he won the Serbian Cup twice and earned Serbian SuperLiga Team of the Season honors for his efforts in winning the Serbian SuperLiga in 2016-17. That led to a move to S.P.A.L. in Italy, where he helped the club avoid relegation in the 2017-18 season. All told, he has scored seven goals in 155 league matches and ten goals in 246 matches across all competitions.
“MLS is a league that is growing a lot and becoming more and more competitive. I am coming to a structured club that is full of potential to go further,” Luiz said. “I’ve reached my dream of playing in one of the biggest leagues on the planet and share the pitch with many of the best players. I wasn’t playing as much as I wanted and I’m looking forward to new challenges and saw in Real Salt Lake a huge opportunity to keep growing in my career.”
RSL finished sixth in the Western Conference in 2018 and ousted LAFC in the Knockout Round of the MLS Cup Playoffs before falling in the Western Conference Semifinals to Sporting Kansas City. It was the second playoff appearance in the last three years and tenth in the last 12 seasons for RSL after missing the postseason by one point in 2017.
Real Salt Lake opens the 2019 MLS regular season on March 2 on the road against the Houston Dynamo before returning for the home opener on March 9 against Vancouver Whitecaps FC. 2019 Real Salt Lake season tickets are available now at RSL.com/Tickets or by calling 844-REAL-TIX (844-732-5849).
TRANSACTION: Signed midfielder Everton Luiz on loan from S.P.A.L. for the 2019 season.
