Vancouver Whitecaps FC added another important piece to their attack on Friday, acquiring Brazilian winger Lucas Venuto via transfer from FK Austria Wien. The transaction was completed with the use of Targeted Allocation Money.
The 24-year-old makes the move to Major League Soccer after spending the last five seasons in the Austrian Bundesliga. He arrives with a resume that include 26 goals in 115 starts and 151 total appearances with Red Bull Brasil, FC Liefering, SV Grödig, and most recently Austria Wien.
“Lucas is a very fast and dynamic winger who has a lot of energy in his game,” said Whitecaps FC head coach Marc Dos Santos. “He always looks to attack, take players on, and he has an incredible work ethic on both sides of the ball. This is a player who left Brazil when he was young and was able to adapt quickly in Europe. We believe he’s a perfect fit for the way we want to play, and we are very happy to add him to our roster.”
Venuto, 24, made his professional debut in 2012 in his native country with Red Bull Brasil, playing two seasons in the Campeonato Paulista Série A2, before moving to Germany to join the RB Leipzig U-19 side. He transferred to Austria to play for 2. Liga club FC Liefering in 2014, quickly earning himself a loan to top-flight club SV Grödig, a move that was made permanent in the following year.
After leading SV Grödig in scoring with seven goals and two assists in 20 starts in the first half of the 2015-16 Bundesliga season, Venuto transferred to Austria Wien in January 2016. In his three years with Die Veilchen, he would compile 66 starts and 87 appearances, scoring 14 goals including UEFA Europa League and Austrian Cup competition.
Whitecaps FC kick off the 2019 MLS regular season when they host Minnesota United FC at BC Place on March 2.
