Revs Acquire Sambinha from Sporting CP via Loan
- Updated: January 22, 2016
Photo credit: Sporting Clube de Portugal
Two days after Revolution president Brian Bilello teased the signing via Twitter, the club announced on Friday that it has acquired Sporting Clube de Portugal center back Sambinha via loan.
Sambinha, 23, has spent the past two-and-a-half seasons playing for Sporting B in Portugal’s second division, and serves as club captain. The 6-1, 155 lbs. center back, whose full name is Mamadu Samba Cande, appeared in 21 games for Sporting B during the 2015-16 season, scoring two goals and helping the side collect five clean sheets.
“Sambinha is a big, strong center back who impressed both myself and Jay (Heaps) during our recent trip to Lisbon,” Revolution general manager Michael Burns said in a club release on Friday. “He will be able to help strengthen our defense and we are grateful to be able to work with Sporting in order to add a player of his quality to our roster for the upcoming season.”
Since joining Sporting CP in 2013, Sambinha has played a total of 72 games and scored four goals for Sporting B. Prior to his time in Lisbon, the Guinea-Bissau center back played for Dezembro in the third division of Portuguese soccer, making a total of 40 appearances and scoring a pair of goals.
The addition of Sambina addresses one of the Revolution’s greatest needs: defensive depth. Prior to Sambinha’s acquisition, the club only had five defenders under contract after declining the options of veteran fullbacks Kevin Alston and Jeremy Hall.
Last year, the club was forced to employ midfielder Jermaine Jones in the rear after injuries to Alston and center back Darrius Barnes left the club’s defensive corps especially thin.
The Guinea-Bissau international will inherit one of the club’s seven international roster spots, leaving five remaining slots available to the Revolution. He will join the club for its preseason camp upon receipt of his International Travel Certificate and P1 Visa.
The Revolution has an option to sign him permanently at the end of the loan, but further details of the agreement were not disclosed, per club and MLS policy.
The acquisition of Sambinha marks the first transaction between the Revolution and Sporting CP since they brokered a strategic partnership in 2014. Last month, Burns and Heaps traveled to Lisbon to meet with Sporting’s brass while Revolution midfielders Donnie Smith and Zachary Herivaux, along with forward Sean Okoli, trained with the Leoes for a three-week stint in early-December.
The addition of Sambinha brings the Revolution roster to 20. The Foxboro outfit opens preseason camp on Friday at Gillette Stadium.
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