Frank Yallop's No. 1 priority this offseason was central defense.
On Tuesday, the Fire boss raided Brazil for reinforcements as Chicago announced the signing of center back Adaílton. The 31-year-old will be added to the Fire roster upon receipt of his P1 Visa and International Transfer Certificate (ITC). Per MLS and club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“Adaílton is a strong, powerful defender,“ Yallop said in a statement. “This is a position we were looking to fill, so I’m pleased that we will be adding a player with his experience to our team.”
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Adaílton joins the Fire from Brazilian Série A side Bahia, where he has played since June 26, 2014. Since starting his professional career with hometown side Vitória in 2003, the Salvador native has played for French Ligue 1 side Rennes, Santos in Brazil, FC Sion of the Swiss Super League, Chinese Super League side Henan Jianye F.C., Swiss club FC Chiasso and Bahia.
"It is with great satisfaction that I will continue my career with the Chicago Fire and play in Major League Soccer," Adaílton said in a statement. "I have been watching MLS closely over the past several seasons and ever since 2004 while in France, I made it a goal of mine to play in the United States. I had other opportunities to join MLS clubs in the past but the timing was not right until this challenge with the Fire. I look forward to working with my new teammates and coach Frank Yallop and his staff to take on the challenge of returning the Fire to the playoffs and giving the Fire supporters the trophies they deserve."
Adaílton signed with Vitória in 2003 and made 34 appearances and scored four goals before departing for Rennes in 2004. Following three seasons in France during which he appeared in 42 league and six UEFA Cup matches for Les Rouges et Noirs, Adaílton returned to Brazil and joined Santos in 2007-09, appearing in 40 Brasileiro Série A and two Copa Libertadores matches for Santos.
In 2010, Adaílton completed a transfer to FC Sion of the Swiss Super League and made 54 competitive appearances, including two in UEFA Europa League play against Celtic in 2011, and scored two goals before departing for a six-month loan to Chinese Super League side Henan Jianye F.C. in 2012, where he made 5 appearances for the Red Devils.
Adaílton returned to Sion and appeared in 41 Super League and two Swiss Cup matches from 2012-13 before he was loaned to fellow Swiss side FC Chiasso, where he played 25 matches prior to joining Bahia.
A youth international, Adaílton captained Brazil in the 2003 FIFA U-20 World Cup, scoring once in the group stages and leading Brazil to a 1-0 victory against Spain in the final match.
