On Tuesday, Philadelphia Union officially introduced Bruno Damiani in a press conference at Subaru Park, hours following the announcement of his record-breaking transfer.
Alongside Sporting Director Ernst Tanner and Head Coach Bradley Carnell, the 22-year-old Uruguayan striker addressed the Philadelphia media for the first time, expressing how the deal came to be and previewing what's to come -- here are the top takeaways.
Uruguayan connections
Damiani comes to Philadelphia from Montevideo, Uruguay, where he’s played for both Nacional and on loan at Boston River. Uruguayans have historically seen great success in Major League Soccer, and before making the move to a new club, new city, and new country, he confided in multiple fellow countrymen who’ve made moves the states in the past, including Mauricio Pereyra (Orlando City, 2019-23), Francisco Ginella (LAFC 2020-24), and Felipe Carballo (New York Red Bulls).
“I think [MLS] is a very good place to grow up, to continue my career. It's a big step, and I'm very happy to be here,” Damiani said.
“I talked with Francisco Ginella about some things, like rent and all that stuff. And also with Mauricio Pereyra who I was playing with at Nacional this year. We talked about the life here and the parts of MLS that are very complicated to understand – the matches and the conference, all about that.”
Strong striker room
With Damiani’s signing, the Philadelphia Union have a long list of strikers on the roster, including Mikael Uhre and Tai Baribo, who earned the lion’s share of the starts at that position in 2024.
In addition to his physical attributes, experience, and talent, Damiani’s signing is an exciting one for Carnell -- the new head coach is hopeful his presence will encourage productive competition within the team's attacking core.
“Stylistically and part of a competitive training environment. [Having multiple starting-caliber strikers] is usually the sign and a hallmark of a good, successful team. We're trying to elevate each other on the training ground first, and that way we can push each other to new heights on Saturday afternoons or Saturday evenings, right? For me, the field is now level. It's open, and there's places and spots to be had,” Carnell said.
Personnel changes have been aplenty over the course of the past year, and the Union’s starting XI and shape could look different from seasons past. During their friendly matches in Marbella, Spain and Clearwater, Florida, Carnell has utilized both one-and two striker formations, and during the press conference, though most experienced with the former, Damiani expressed his willingness to contribute in either.
“I told them that I used to play always as a solo striker, but I like to have someone close to me to win the areas and make some passes, so I will be good with any one of those models,” Damiani said.
Complementing the squad
The 2025 Major League Soccer season is less than a week away, and although it’s uncertain if Damiani will play in the season opener against Orlando City SC on February 22nd, both Carnell and Tanner foresee his transition to be a smooth one in the weeks to come.
“I wish I could have spoken that good of German when I moved to Germany back in the day. It would have made the process a whole lot easier,” Carnell said of Damiani’s English-speaking abilities.
“He's hit the ground running, and we're going to continue building up his fitness. It's going to take a little bit of time to get him fully integrated, but that's the exciting part. We know he's really a philosophy player. He's aggressive against the ball, holds up the play really well, strong in the air, and a dominating threat in the box. All of these things, if you put them in our game model, it all speaks to exactly how he can complement the team.”
