MONTREAL – The Montreal Impact announced on Wednesday the signing of Brazilian midfielder Felipe Campanholi Martins. As per club and Major League Soccer (MLS) policy, details of the contract were not disclosed.
Felipe Campanholi Martins, 21, joins the Impact after playing 75 games in four seasons in the Challenge League, the Swiss second division, with FC Winterthur, FC Lugano and FC Wohlen, from 2009 to 2011, as well as 34 games with Padova Calcio, in Italy’s third division, from 2007 to 2009.
“Felipe is a player who has established himself as a very good young player in Europe and we believe he is ready to challenge himself in a top league like MLS,” said Impact head coach Jesse Marsch. “He is a very versatile, clever, and sharp midfielder and we are extremely pleased to add him to our team for 2012.”
In Switzerland, Felipe played mainly with FC Lugano over the last three seasons, scoring a total of seven goals in 50 games, with 32 as a starter.
Most recently in 2011, he played a half season with FC Wohlen, after being loaned out by FC Lugano, where he tallied two goals in 15 games, including 13 starts. In 2009, Martins joined FC Winterthur in the second half of the season, scoring two goals in 10 matches.
Outside of league play, he scored three goals in nine Swiss Cup games, scoring most recently against Swiss Super League leader FC Luzern, on December 2, 2011. With Padova Calcio, he also played in 10 Coppa Italia games including eight as a starter.
He played his youth soccer with Brazilian sides PSTC-Londria, Atletico Catarinense-Arangua SC and Campo Grande, in Rio de Janeiro.
Felipe Campanholi Martins is the 23rd player and the fifth foreign player to join the Impact for the 2012 season.
The Impact plays its first MLS game in club history on March 10, in Vancouver, and will return to Montreal for its first-ever home game the following Saturday, March 17, at Olympic Stadium. Details for this game, and the rest of the regular season schedule, are not yet known. Season tickets for the 2012 season are available via the team’s website at impactmontreal.com or by calling 514-328-3668.
FELIPE CAMPANHOLI MARTINS
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5’9
Weight: 150 lbs
Birth date: September 30, 1990, Engenheiro Beltrao, Brazil
Place of residence: Engenheiro Beltrao, Brazil
Former club: FC Lugano (Switzerland)
Acquired: December 21, 2011
