Charlotte FC signed 19-year-old Brazilian forward Vinicius Mello through the 2025 season.
The deal announced Monday includes a club option for 2026 and is pending receipt of international paperwork.
Mello will occupy on an international roster slot on Charlotte’s inaugural 2022 roster.
“We’re excited to bring in a player of Vinicius’ potential to Charlotte FC. He’s been a proven goal scorer in the youth ranks at Internacional, but is still very new to senior football despite already playing in the Brazilian topflight and Copa Libertadores,” Charlotte sporting director Zoran Krneta said in a news release.
“We’re eager to get him to Charlotte to continue his development as a footballer because he possesses all the qualities we are looking for in a center forward. He is very good with his back to goal, he likes to get teammates involved with combination play in the buildup, and he is an intelligent mover off the ball. This is a strategic and calculated signing because we have a head coach who knows him well, trained him and believes in him as a footballer.”
Mello made 13 appearances in 2021 with Brazil’s Sport Club Internacional. He joined the club’s U20 team at age 16 in 2019.
–Field Level Media