HERRIMAN, Utah (Tues., January 21, 2025) – Real Salt Lake today announced that the Club has signed 34-Year-Old Brazilian GK Rafael Cabral, a Copa Libertadores winner in 2011 who will join the Utah side pending receipt of his P-1 work visa and International Transfer Certificate (ITC). Cabral, who spent nearly a decade in Italy and England prior to his Brazil return 18 months ago, is signed through the 2026 Major League Soccer season, with Club options for both 2027 and 2028 MLS seasons.
“Rafa brings a steady hand and high-level experience to our goalkeeping group,” said RSL Chief Soccer Officer Kurt Schmid, now entering his fifth year in Utah. “Rafa is comfortable with the ball at his feet and has demonstrated an ability throughout his career to stop shots and organize a defense, while thriving in big moments, as he did in the Copa Libertadores over a decade ago. With what we’ve seen from him recently, we believe he will provide strong leadership in the locker room, inspire confidence across our back line and mentor our young ‘keepers as well.”
Born May 20, 1990 in Sorocaba, Sao Paulo, Brazil, Cabral has played 375 professional games since turning professional in 2010, coming up through the legendary Santos youth academy before appearing in 151 games for the club famous for producing both Pelé and Neymar, amongst other world figures. With Santos, Cabral won the prestigious Copa Libertadores South American club competition in 2011. A year later, Cabral featured between the pipes with both the Brazil National Team and the Brazil Olympic Team, making his senior team debut in a 4-1 win over the United States just prior to the London Olympic Games.
The summer of 2013 saw Cabral purchased by Napoli for more than $5 million, making his debut for the Serie A club in a UEFA Champions League match against Arsenal, delivering the clean sheet, in a 2-0 win. Following five seasons in Italy with Napoli and Sampdoria, with whom Cabral won both the Coppa Italia and the Italian SuperCup despite playing just 45 games from 2013-19, the Brazilian netminder moved on to England withChampionship side Reading, for whom he was named the club’s 2019/20 Player of the Season, the highlight of his 98 appearances across all competitions.
“I am so happy and excited to sign with Real Salt Lake, this is what I wanted, a new experience for my life,” said Cabral, while awaiting his upcoming visa appointment. “I have played in Italy and England and Brazil, and this winter I had such a great meeting with Mirza, and then in speaking with Pablo and Kurt, I very much like the project, the way the club plays, the mentality – this is precisely what I’m looking for.
“I am here to help on and off the pitch with my experience, I am sure I will learn much as well. I expect to help the team and do whatever the Club needs from me as a leader and as a player, I am here to achieve big things with the Club and with my new teammates.
“I cannot wait to get started, the fans are so important to us, we are a young team, but we are competitive, we want to do more than last year, we are going to fight every match at home and away and we will represent the fans on the pitch. Continental competition is another important point, playing in Champions Cup is a very interesting way to start the year. I’m happy and ready to go.
“For Major League Soccer in Brazil, everyone is following now, the League is growing up, the next World Cup will be in North America; I’m so excited, to be on my way to in Utah, expecting a lot of nice things – the infrastructure at RSL, the Stadium, the training facilities, the way the club has been playing for years, it’s exactly what I was looking for.”
The last three years have seen Cabral appear for Brazilian side Cruzeiro in 120 matches, with the 6-foot-2, 190-lb goalkeeper on loan to Gremio – for whom he made just six appearances in the second half of 2024 – prior to his move to Major League Soccer and Real Salt Lake.
Real Salt Lake continues its 21st preseason in Herriman this week at the Zions Bank Training Center in Herriman, prior to Thursday’s departure for the Santa Barbara, Calif., portion of training camp. The Claret-and-Cobalt are now preparing for its fourth-ever CONCACAF Champions Cup foray, paired with Costa Rican side CS Herediano away on Wed., Feb. 19, with the return leg at America First Field in Sandy, Utah, one week later on Wed., Feb. 26 (6:30p MT kickoff). RSL opens the 2025 MLS campaign – its 21st – away at San Jose Earthquakes on Sat., Feb. 22, with RSL’s 2025 MLS home opener set for Sat., March 1 against long-time rival Seattle Sounders FC.
Tickets and information for both competitions can be accessed at www.RSL.com/tickets.
