This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Sandy—Real Salt Lake general manager Garth Lagerwey announced Monday the club has extended its loan deal for forward Paulo Jr. with Miami FC of the United States Soccer Federation D-2 Pro League. The deal will keep Paulo Jr. with RSL through the end of the 2011 season. As part of the agreement, Real Salt Lake will also have the option to purchase the rights for Paulo Jr. through 2014. Paulo Jr. is a 21-year-old Brazilian forward. He will continue to occupy the fifth of Real Salt Lake's six international player roster slots available to the club for the 2011 season. He joins Argentineans Fabian Espíndola, Nelson Gonzalez and Javier Morales and Costa Rican Álvaro Saborío on the current list. "We are happy to have been able ... to extend the loan for this talented young player," said Lagerwey. "We expect that, after a full preseason with the team, Paulo will be able to grow and develop." After he scored a team-high eight goals in 22 appearances for Miami FC during the 2010 season, Real Salt Lake acquired Paulo Jr. on Sept. 9 via the loan deal. The short-term move paid off for RSL. Paulo Jr. scored three times in two appearances in CONCACAF Champions League play. Two of his goals sparked RSL to a 3-1 win over Mexican powerhouse Cruz Azul on Oct. 19. The victory enabled Real Salt Lake to clinch the top spot in Group A. RSL begins its preseason on Feb. 22 in the first leg of a CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal round series against the Columbus Crew. The return match is March 1 at Rio Tinto Stadium.