FC Dallas announced today the club has signed center-back Bressan from Brazilian side Grêmio using Targeted Allocation Money (TAM). Bressan will occupy an international spot on the FC Dallas roster.
"We are thrilled to be able to bolster our back line with a versatile player like Bressan," said FC Dallas President Dan Hunt. "He has experience on the biggest stages of soccer in South America and we think his presence and technical ability as a defender will translate well to the style of play in MLS."
Bressan, 25, started his pro career with Brazilian Série C team Juventude in 2010 and joined Grêmio in December 2012. While at Grêmio, Bressan played in the Campeonato Gaúcho Série A1, Copa do Brasil, the Primeira Liga, Recopa Sudamericana, and Copa Libertadores. In 2018, Bressan and Grêmio won the 2018 Campeonato Gaúcho.
Bressan also played on loan with Flamengo in 2015 and Uruguayan Primera Division team Peñarol in 2016. He was part of the Brazilian U-22s team that went to the 2015 Pan American Games in Canada, where he had four appearances.
Here are some highlights of the player.
The scouting reports say Bressan can play anywhere in the back line but is mostly a left center back despite being right footed.
Our Take
This looks like a pretty good pick up by FC Dallas. Depending on how well he shows once he joins FC Dallas in camp we expect him to contribute at multiple defensive positions this season and perhaps replace Reto Ziegler, who is 32, as the goto starter after (or during) this season.
If you are wondering how FCD landed a player with over 100 Brazilian domestic league games by the age of 25 it's because of the incident in the video below. Bressan gave up a penalty kick (via VAR) in the Cope Libertadores semi-final against River Plate and earned an ejection. Being blamed for Gremio's exit from the tournament, he has never played for Gremio again and has been ostracized by their fans.
Given how good he looks both on paper and in the clips, this painful situation for Bressan could end up being a really beneficial one for FC Dallas.
Full Name: Matheus Simonete Bressanelli
Nickname: Bressan Position: Defender DOB: January 15, 1993 (25) Hometown: Caxias do Sul, Brazil Birthplace: Caxias do Sul, Brazil Height: 6-0 Weight: 174