The Portland Timbers have signed Brazilian winger Antony Alves Santos, the team announced Wednesday.
Known simply as “Antony,” he joins the Timbers on a full transfer from Portuguese club FC Arouca. Antony had six goals and one assists in 33 appearances (26 starts) for Arouca last season. He had eight goals and three assists in 66 appearances for the club across all competitions between 2021 and 2023.
Antony, 21, fills an international roster slot and joins the Timbers within the MLS Under-22 Initiative, which allows clubs to sign three players under the age of 22 to lucrative contracts at a reduced budget charge. The signing is possible because of a U-22 spot freed up by midfielder David Ayala’s season-ending knee injury.
“We are delighted to announce the addition of a talented, young attacking player in Antony,” Timbers general manager Ned Grabavoy said in a release. “We feel his attributes will give our team a different component going forward. Antony is a player with potential and room for growth, and we are optimistic that he can make a positive impact with our club.”
Antony is under contract through the 2026 season with a club option for 2027. He is a piece the club said it believes can be part of the future for a Timbers team in transition.
“As a team, we always want to grow,” Timbers coach Giovanni Savarese said in the release. “The addition of Antony will give us the possibility to have a player with different attributes. We believe that young players can grow within our team as well as make us stronger. He will make our attacking squad even more competitive with his speed, strength and verticality on the field.”
Portland has also signed Peruvian center back Miguel Araujo and traded for Honduran midfielder Bryan Acosta in this window. The MLS summer transfer window closes at 10 p.m. PT on Wednesday.
-- Ryan Clarke, rclarke@oregonian.com, Twitter: @RyanTClarke