Cassio to power Adelaide
Adelaide United has bolstered its strength in defence through the signing of Brazilian Jose de Abreu Oliveira, who is known simply as Cassio.
The 27-year-old from Rio de Janeiro has been brought to the club to strengthen a defence which leaked goals during the club's 6-1 Hyundai A-League Grand Final loss to the Melbourne Victory before conceding several soft goals during the Asian Champions League group stage.
United coach Aurelio Vidmar believes the Brazilian's signing will add balance to his side, particularly as it already has several attacking forwards and midfielders.
"Cassio has a strong left foot, he gets up and down the line, has good pace, puts in a good cross and is well-suited for the Hyundai A-League style of play," said Vidmar.
"He's an exciting type of player who will attract people to the game. We've been very selective in the type of player we wanted to sign and we're looking forward to having a player of his quality here in Adelaide."
Cassio was recommended to Vidmar by former Brazil national team coach Marcos Paqueta who also coached him at Brazilian club CR Flamenco.
During his time at Flamenco, Cassio played in a side that won three Rio de Janeiro championships.
The defender has also having played for SC Internacional (Brazil), CD Atlas Guadalajara (Mexico) and Olimpia Asuncion (Paraguay).
Cassio is expected to join the Reds to start training in the next fortnight, while Adelaide's squad list for the upcoming season is also expected to be finalised during that period.