One way well-traveled Brayan Vera boosts RSL's back line
One way well-traveled Brayan Vera boosts RSL's back line
The 24-year-old left back with center back experience arrives in Salt Lake City on a permanent transfer from CD America de Cali in Colombia.
HERRIMAN, Utah — Brayan Vera is confident Salt Lake is the place he needs to be right now.
The 24-year-old left back from San Luis, Colombia finalized a three-year deal with options for the 2026 and 2027 MLS seasons Monday, adding Vera to head coach Pablo Mastroeni’s roster upon the receipt of his P-1 work visa and international transfer certificate.
Vera is the 14th new player to sign with Real Salt Lake since last May, and gets in about two months ahead of Major League Soccer’s primary transfer window closing in late April. What’s more, he comes to RSL as a permanent fixture — no loan agreement this time — and will only require an international roster spot after the club used targeted allocation money to buy down his salary allotment.
Terms of the deal were not revealed. But that leaves Salt Lake with just one of three Designated Player slots filled in Jefferson Savarino (newly acquired club-record winger Andres Gomez was purchased using the new U-22 player initiative, which allows clubs to sign up to three Under-22 standouts to lucrative contracts at a reduced budget charge so long as they don’t use all three senior DP spots, according to Soccer America).
But what is perhaps more notable for Vera, who made 28 appearances for Cali before being loaned out to Serie A side U.S. Lecce and Cosenza in Serie B, is that Vera wants to be at RSL and in MLS. He views it as a crucial step in his career, even, after a well-traveled career from South America to Italy and beyond as a member of Colombia’s U-20 national team.
“People I trust believe that Major League Soccer’s quality will test my skills and advance my playing career,” Vera said in a club statement before relocating to Utah. “I’ve seen the growth of football in North America and I see the fan culture, the work ethic, the family atmosphere in and around Real Salt Lake. I cannot wait for the opportunity to help lead this club to hardware across the various cups and competitions we face in 2023 and the following years.”
That’s a quote from a press release, and it’s in English for the native Hispanohablante, so take it for what it’s worth. But if Vera sees Major League Soccer as a high-quality league that “will test my skills and advance my playing career,” it could lead to additional open doors for RSL in his home country.
Plenty of eyeballs in Colombia will be strained on the Wasatch Front this season, too, with the signings of Vera and Gomez. RSL officials joked that the newest signing maxes out the club’s Bryan/Brayan/Braian Quotient (alongside defender Oviedo and midfielder Ojeda), but the Colombian signing allotment stands at two over a decade since legendary RSL defender Jamison Olave made the same tripo from his hometown in Medellin.
Add in Savarino from Venezuela and Anderson Julio from Ecuador, and Real Salt Lake may consider a rebrand to Bolivar FC. It’s a strong group to add to bolster RSL’s Latino contingent, and should provide an environment ripe for development for an array of Homegrowns, as well.
Vera, who has also played center back, joins a back line that includes presumed starters Andrew Brody, Justen Glad and Marcelo Silva, in addition to reserves Zack Farnsworth, Bode Hidalgo, Erik Holt and Keller Storlie (among others), who have all seen increasing minutes during preseason training camp.
“Brayan is yet another piece that provides depth and competition on our back line, being equally adept both on the left side as well as centrally,” said Real Salt Lake general manager Elliot Fall. “We believe that Brayan’s path from Colombia to Italy and back to South America during his formative professional years have prepared him to be a key piece for our 2023 roster and beyond.”
RSL opens the 2023 MLS season Saturday, Feb. 25 at Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Kickoff at 8:30 p.m. MT is available on Apple TV.
