The Seattle Sounders announced the acquisition of former New York City FC striker Heber last week.The Brazilian-born striker has over 100 career goals. 80 of those goals were with NYCFC from 20019- 2022.
ATTRIBUTES
Heber is a proper Brazilian striker in that he has a deft touch with his legs and upper torso, and has a knack for finding small spaces in front of goal. Lethal finishing skills accompanied by the ability to run into the box will surely add dangerous depth to the Sounder’s scoring attack. While he is no Raul Ruidiaz, he is the perfect complement. There will be no change of attacking style when Heber is in the game for Ruidiaz. That is not to say Head Coach Brian Schmetzer won’t employ a two-forward attack at times.
“We are excited to bring in Héber and strengthen our team with a proven, veteran attacking player,” said Sounders FC General Manager & Chief Soccer Officer Craig Waibel. “Héber’s track record across multiple leagues speaks for itself, and he has been an impact player since coming to MLS. I’d like to welcome him to Seattle and look forward to watching him work with our existing squad once camp opens
HISTORY
Héber, 31, began his professional career with Figueirense FC, playing in both the Brazilian first and second divisions and scoring 17 goals across all competitions from 2010-2013. He added 12 goals from 2013-2015 with Brazilian sides CRAC, Avaí FC and Paysandu SC before a breakout season with FC Alashkert in its title-winning 2015-2016 campaign, where he led the Armenian Premier League with 16 goals (20 across all competitions). The striker scored 10 goals for Croatian side NK Slaven Belupo in 2016-2017 before moving to fellow Croatian club NK Rijeka. Héber played with Rijeka from 2017-2019, tallying 27 goals in 52 appearances (44 starts) across all competitions.
Héber has one goal in six career UEFA Champions League appearances, in addition to one goal in nine Europa League appearances.
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FINANCIAL TERMS
As part of the trade package, Seattle sends NYCFC $200,000 of 2023 General Allocation Money (GAM) and $200,000 of 2024 GAM, as well as an additional $150,000 in GAM if certain performance metrics are met. The Brazilian does not occupy an international roster slot and is under contract for the 2023 season with a club option for 2024.
